Night. The full moon hung high in the sky. After Kamizuki Izumo and Mikan finished their passionate "hard work", the two embraced each other and drifted into slumber. Judging by the faint smiles at the corners of their mouths, they must be having sweet dreams. Suddenly, ripples spread in the air. A masked, sinister man appeared, reaching his hand toward the sleeping couple. A sharp but subtle sound broke out. Without disturbing the sleeping pair, a figure emerged, waved at the masked man, and then disappeared with him. One minute later, at Training Ground No. 10. Bright moonlight spilled across the land, illuminating the two figures. "Hey, that’s not cool!" Kamizuki Hikari said, displeased as he looked at Obito. "My brother was just enjoying a very loving... uh, ’population-increasing’ activity with his wife. Why were you peeping?" "I wasn’t peeping. I just happened to be passing by!" Obito defended himself, his lone exposed Sharingan carefully scanning Hikari. The silvery moonlight draped over Hikari like a translucent veil, obstructing Obito’s prying gaze. Even the Mangekyō Sharingan can’t see his chakra flow? Obito couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Had he not seen Hikari appear before him using space-time ninjutsu, he might’ve mistaken him for an ordinary person. What kind of "ordinary person" stays up at night, casually using space–time jutsu to greet him? "Kamizuki Hikari," Obito sighed. "I never expected the Kamizuki clan to produce a genius like you." "Nah, don’t call me a genius. Besides, the Kamizuki clan is just my brother and me—we’re too small to be called a clan. Anyway, for you to make a special trip to Konoha just to see me, when you have so many other things to do... you’re making me feel embarrassed." Obito suppressed a sneer. If Hikari hadn’t killed Kakuzu and turned Akatsuki’s finances into a nightmare, why else would he have come? And with such a mysterious figure suddenly appearing in Konoha, of course Obito wouldn’t feel at ease without investigating. "Judging by how well you seem to know me... could it be you actually recognize me?" Obito recalled their previous "meeting" and felt Hikari seemed to know far too much about him. The rıghtful source is 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚✦𝕟𝕖𝕥 "Well, let’s just say I know a bit more than the average person." Hikari replied with a shrug. "Enough to have an idea of what you and your crew are up to. Just a tiny bit more, that’s all." Hikari gestured with his fingers, emphasizing just how little that "tiny bit" really was. ’An ordinary person wouldn’t know who I am.’ ’An ordinary person definitely wouldn’t know what the Akatsuki is planning.’ "You seem capable. Why waste your talents in this rotting village? Come with me. Together we could build a better world." "Bro, your sales pitch needs work. And don’t you know—with great power comes great responsibility? Right now, I’m just a humble chūnin in Konoha, barely doing any missions. The one time I did get sent far out on a job, I ran into Kakuzu. Tell me, what’re the odds?" Hikari sighed, feeling wronged. All he ever wanted was to live as a salted fish, yet somehow Kakuzu showed up in the Land of Snow and threw him into Akatsuki’s sights. Why was it so hard to just be ordinary? "Speaking of Kakuzu... What did you do to him?" Obito was genuinely curious. After all, Kakuzu’s Earth Grudge Fear allowed him to live unnaturally long. Obito wanted to know how Hikari managed to defeat him. "Sealed him, of course!" Hikari said casually. "His abilities were too weird. For the sake of peace in the shinobi world, I had to make a small sacrifice and seal him away." His nonchalant tone made Obito raise an eyebrow. ’This guy... somehow he feels more like a villain than me!’ Deciding to test further, Obito pressed on. "You just said it yourself: with great power comes great responsibility. Hiding your abilities , living without the respect you deserve... Join us. You’ll gain far more than you have now." "Oh? What’s your offer—money, power, or women?" Hikari shot Obito a disdainful look. "Money? I’m already set for life. Power? Honestly, if I wanted influence, I could easily become an elder in Konoha. And women?" He gestured to his own face. "You think a guy like me—handsome, brilliant, and rich—would struggle there?" Obito: ’Listening to this, I suddenly want to kill him. Damn life-winner, go to hell!’ Suppressing his irritation, Obito pressed, "Since you seem to know so much... What do you think of our goals?" "Pretty lame," Hikari yawned. "Honestly, I don’t care about your mess—as long as you don’t bother me, we’re good." "And what if we want the Nine-Tails?" Obito pressed. The Tailed Beasts were essential for reviving the Ten-Tails. The Nine-Tails was the most important. Without it, the Ten-Tails couldn’t be formed. Obito wanted to become its jinchūriki and cast Infinite Tsukuyomi to remake the world. But the Nine-Tails was the hurdle between them. "If it’s the Nine-Tails you want, then you’d better think of a way to snatch him from Jiraiya first." Hikari replied with a smirk. "With your organization’s current lineup, I doubt you could even nab Naruto." Obito didn’t buy it. Even without his direct involvement, Nagato, Konan, and the rest of the Akatsuki’s heavy hitters could likely handle the Nine-Tails. "I checked the records in the Hokage Tower." Obito said. "They mention the Fourth Hokage showed you some kindness. His son’s life is now on the line, and you don’t care? That’s cold." "Of all people, it’s you who’s saying that?" Hikari’s eyes gleamed with even more disdain. Looking at Obito say those words, Hikari almost wanted to rip off his mask and ask if he even knew what shame was. Anyone else had the right to ask him that question — but not Obito. The Fourth Hokage and Uzumaki Kushina may not have died directly by Obito’s hand, but their deaths were tied to him unleashing the Nine-Tails. And when Naruto was just born, Obito had welcomed him with explosive tags. After committing all that, how could he even dare say such words? From the look in Hikari’s eyes, he realized his mask was useless. Hikari had already guessed who he was. Not fun. Not fun at all. Fine. Time for drastic measures. A small red orb appeared in his hand. "This is a little experiment of mine. Inside is a world of beautiful dreams. I hope you won’t waste my kindness." The orb floated upward, moonlight shining through it onto Hikari, making his body seem transparent. "Stay inside and enjoy yourself. This version is specially made for you!" Obito said with satisfaction, watching Hikari about to vanish. Caught up in his pride, he failed to notice how the moonlight around him grew even denser. A graceful silhouette appeared behind him. Her eyes shone brilliantly as she gazed at the orb. With a flash of white light, all three figures vanished from Training Ground No.10. Read 40+ advanced Chapters on my P@treon. [email protected]/KakuzuTL