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NAJ Chapter 65: Whiskers, Blood, and Justice
🕑 Added 2025-07-07 01:08:17 +0000 UTC“Uchiha Obito didn’t die,” Tachibana Jirō said coldly, his feline face twisted in scorn as he dropped the bombshell. “Not only did he survive—he became a man consumed by sin. Keizumi-sama said the ‘evil’ in him is so thick, it’s practically turning black.”
His tone was eerie and quiet—and Kakashi could even smell the fish on the cat’s breath, proof that it had definitely eaten fish today.
“Oh, right—meow,” Jirō added. “Keizumi-sama also said that Uchiha Obito once turned his blade against the Fourth Hokage. Maybe... the Fourth’s death had something to do with him too, meow.”
Kakashi: “!!!”
He stood there as if struck by lightning.
…
Outside Konohagakure.
Obito had already fled the village at full speed, but the unease planted by Uchiha Keizumi’s presence still refused to fade.
He lowered his gaze, staring at the mangled remnant of his right hand—one-third of it was gone.
The occasional stab of searing pain forced him to draw a sharp breath.
“Obito,” came Zetsu’s voice from behind him, “for now, don’t make an enemy of that man.”
“He’s dangerous. His Mangekyō technique is bizarre—unlike anything I’ve ever heard of. Without full intel, going up against him would put you at a serious disadvantage.”
As he spoke, a White Zetsu clone separated from Zetsu’s main body.
Obito pulled out a kunai. With a casual swipe, he sliced off a small portion of the clone’s palm.
Then, gritting his teeth, he cut away the charred, carbonized flesh from his own injured hand. Fresh blood immediately began to flow.
He pressed the severed piece of White Zetsu’s hand onto his own stump.
Thanks to the powerful regenerative properties of First Hokage–derived Wood Release cells, the bleeding stopped within a few breaths. He didn’t even need to secure it manually—the fragment of the clone’s palm had already begun fusing to his hand. Flesh and bone were reconnecting on their own.
Zetsu’s warning had gone entirely unheard.
Obito had only one question in mind—
How did Uchiha Keizumi know so much about him?
Did someone tell him?
Or did he find out through his dōjutsu?
As the thought crossed his mind...
Obito cast a sidelong glance at Zetsu, suspicion flickering in his eyes.
“Hey, hey, hey...” Zetsu immediately caught the meaning behind the look and snapped irritably, “I was born from Madara-sama’s mighty will! You, an Uchiha heir to that same will—how could I ever betray you?!”
“Hmph... You’d better not.”
Obito gave a cold snort, his face dark with mistrust.
…
“Keizumi… dono.”
Kakashi knew that Uchiha Keizumi was, technically, his junior—but he couldn’t just call him by name. They weren’t familiar with each other, and truthfully, the gap in their power might be considerable.
By now, Kakashi believed almost everything Tachibana Jirō had said.
Perhaps this was one of the benefits of Keizumi’s unwavering pursuit of Absolute Justice—at the very least, when it came to trustworthiness, no one in Konohagakure could surpass him.
Kakashi took a deep breath. He was no longer able to keep calm.
Even though Tachibana Jirō had fallen silent, his words continued to echo endlessly in Kakashi’s mind.
He couldn’t shake them.
There was urgency in Kakashi’s voice, a tension he could no longer suppress.
“Would you be willing to share… the truth behind Obito’s sins?”
...
Late at night.
When Kakashi returned home from the Konoha Cemetery, he was completely dazed. The information he had received from Uchiha Keizumi about Obito echoed relentlessly in his mind.
—“On the Night of the Nine-Tails, it was Obito who released the beast, plunging Konoha into chaos. He is the true culprit behind the deaths of the Fourth Hokage and his wife, and countless innocent villagers.”
Those words, in particular, had left Kakashi utterly frozen in place.
Obito was still alive… Though he didn’t understand why Obito, after all these years, had never returned to the village—or why he’d never once come to see him. As his former comrade, Kakashi felt that he should be happy.
But after hearing everything from Uchiha Keizumi—
Kakashi suddenly thought… maybe it would’ve been better if Obito had died. Because this wasn’t the Obito he once knew.
The Obito in his memory was a hot-blooded idiot who dreamed of becoming Hokage.
Not the one Keizumi spoke of—a man who had harmed countless innocent people in Konoha, and even caused the death of Minato-sensei and his wife!
Obito…
Had already fallen into an abyss of no return!
“…Why would you do this…” Kakashi exhaled slowly, his eyes falling upon an old photo on the table.
In the photo were himself, Rin, the Fourth Hokage… and Obito.
Kakashi removed the forehead protector from his head, revealing the three-tomoe Sharingan in his left eye. Gently touching it, he murmured with a complex expression: “All these years… What happened to you, Obito? Did Rin’s death change something in your heart?”
A sharp glint of caution passed through Kakashi’s gaze.
Obito had already fallen so far—so what was his real purpose in returning to the village now?
Was it really… just to pay respects to Rin?
…
The next day.
Early morning.
Sarutobi Hiruzen once again arrived at the ANBU base. The dark circles under his eyes and the deep exhaustion etched into his aged features made it clear—he hadn’t slept at all the night before.
He cut off an ANBU operative who tried to greet him and asked bluntly, “How is Danzo now?”
The ANBU shinobi replied, “The Medical Corps has tried countless methods, but nothing can relieve Shimura Danzo’s pain. Even Captain Itachi attempted his own techniques—but they had no effect either.”
Then, after a pause, the ANBU added, “The Medical Corps suspects that the pain isn’t physical or psychological. They believe it’s pain inflicted on the soul itself.”
“The soul… A dōjutsu capable of wounding the soul…”
A deep wariness flickered in Hiruzen’s eyes. Techniques that affected the soul—without exception—were all absolute forbidden jutsu.
A dōjutsu like Uchiha Keizumi’s—one that left both the ANBU and the Medical Corps completely helpless, unable to find any solution—
Was likely a forbidden jutsu among forbidden jutsu!
Sarutobi Hiruzen entered the sealed chamber where Danzo was being held. He frowned at the sight of Danzo—his eyes tightly shut, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.
“What’s going on here?!”
Two exhausted medical-nin were tending to Danzo at his side.
Upon hearing the Hokage’s question, one of them immediately responded, “Hokage-sama… To prevent Danzo-sama from suffering any further, we administered a high dose of anesthetic.”
“But it turns out… the anesthetic was nearly useless. While Danzo-sama is no longer screaming, the unbearable pain he’s experiencing hasn’t gone away.”
“In other words…”
The medic’s eyes reflected both sympathy and lingering fear. “Even in an unconscious state, Danzo-sama continues to endure constant pain—far beyond anything an ordinary person could imagine.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen fell silent.
Keizumi’s Mangekyō Sharingan might truly be too dangerous.
…
“That brat’s Sharingan is far too dangerous! Completely uncontrollable! Why didn’t Hiruzen seize Uchiha Keizumi that very night?! That was the perfect opportunity, and yet Hiruzen actually allowed him to injure Danzo?!”
Koharu’s aged face was twisted in disbelief.
“If all Uchiha Keizumi had done was capture a few murderers and scare off some of the more ill-intentioned elements in Konoha, then even if his methods were extreme, I could’ve forced myself to tolerate him.”
“But in front of so many people, he didn’t even bother showing the Hokage any respect—he openly struck Danzo down! Uchiha Keizumi… is clearly beyond control!”
She paced back and forth in front of Mitokado Homura, muttering harsh rebukes against Keizumi every few steps—
With the occasional jab of disappointment directed at Hiruzen’s supposed weakness.
But Homura didn’t see it the same way. He spoke slowly and firmly: “Hiruzen wasn’t being weak. If he had chosen to confront Uchiha Keizumi last night—someone who had clearly awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan—then even if they managed to subdue him, the ANBU would have suffered heavy casualties.”
“Not to mention, there were 20 or 30 Uchiha on the scene. If a fight had broken out, it wouldn’t have been a personal clash between Keizumi and Hiruzen. It would’ve escalated into a full-scale conflict between the Uchiha and the entire village.”
“For the sake of Konoha’s stability, Hiruzen had to keep a level head.”
Koharu scowled. “It wasn’t just ANBU at the scene. There were so many shinobi gathered—united—and Fugaku was clearly on our side. Are you telling me even with all that, we couldn’t suppress a few reckless young Uchiha?”
Mitokado Homura let out a sigh. “Danzo made too many enemies. Who would really be willing to go up against Uchiha Keizumi just for his sake?”
Koharu: “…”
That… was true.
Danzo’s possession of the Sharingan—and his use of transplanted Wood Release cells—was enough to make every bloodline shinobi clan in the village instantly loathe him.
“Hiruzen has his own considerations. He’s the Third Hokage of Konoha. At most, we can only offer him advice.”
“But still…”
Homura’s tone shifted slightly, becoming more somber. “Uchiha Keizumi’s Sharingan is undeniably dangerous. If he ever stands against Konoha… he will become the village’s most dangerous enemy. We should gather intel on his Sharingan and start preparing countermeasures.”
Even though these two elders didn’t harbor as much bias toward the Uchiha as Danzo did,
They still subconsciously regarded the Uchiha clan as the greatest uncontrollable element in Konoha.
Especially because the Sharingan could only awaken through intense emotional trauma.
Then wouldn’t the Mangekyō Sharingan require an even greater level of trauma?
And those Uchiha shinobi who awakened the Mangekyō…
Can we be certain they’re still mentally stable?
“Konoha cannot afford to birth another Uchiha Madara. Even if we don’t strike preemptively to eliminate the threat in its cradle, we must have a contingency plan to kill him. When the time comes, we can talk it through with Hiruzen.”
Homura spoke with quiet gravity.
Koharu’s expression eased slightly, though Danzo’s miserable fate still left her with a sense of cold dread.
She couldn’t shake the creeping fear that she might someday meet the same end.
After all… Danzo’s hands had been far from clean.
But could she really say hers were any cleaner?
