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JST Chapter 206: The Puppet Master's Play
🕑 Added 2025-03-03 01:49:49 +0000 UTCThe wind blew gently.
Uchiha Rin began to move and headed towards a huge crater not far from where Kazuki and Black Zetsu were.
It was in that place where Onoki had imprisoned Obito with his Earth Release and, finally, had reduced him to dust with his Dust Release.
The original attack mark, once shaped like a perfect cube, had been devastated by the bombardments of Konoha's forces, leaving the terrain completely uneven and unrecognizable.
Kazuki floated in the air, gathering chakra in his hands and forming a translucent barrier.
He used Dust Release to recreate the scene of the original attack, restoring it to its pre-bombing state. Then, with Earth Release and Explosion Release, he made sure to artificially age the terrain.
The important thing was that when Obito saw the place, he would immediately recognize it as the site where he had 'died.'
The script was already written:
An Uchiha Rin who refused to accept Obito's death, stubbornly returning to the battlefield to search for the remains of her loved one. Even though everyone told her that a body hit by Dust Release disintegrated down to the atomic level, she refused to give up and wanted to find any trace of him.
But unfortunately...
All she found were enemies. And companions who wished her dead.
"It's a beautiful script, don't you think, Zetsu...?"
Kazuki walked to where Black Zetsu was hidden underground and, with a barely perceptible smile, whispered with a glint of madness in his eyes: "I can't wait to taste these emotions..."
"Show me the limits of your talent, Uchiha Obito."
Black Zetsu was silent.
How greedy and ruthless this man was...!
At that moment, the script began to be executed.
The shinobi of Iwagakure, Sunagakure, Kumogakure, Amegakure, Kusagakure and other minor villages, all under the effects of a powerful genjutsu, patrolled the battlefield, carefully inspecting the remains of the bombing.
"Check everything carefully. Search for unexploded explosives and collect soil contaminated with poisonous gas. Each fragment is a valuable strategic resource."
Just like Uchiha Rin was doing.
Konoha's enemies also excavated the land, carefully packing scorched earth, poisoned mud, and even corpse remains into storage scrolls.
All of this was crucial information.
The remains of explosions, traces of toxins... The shinobi alliance planned to analyze the bomb-making patterns and develop counter-strategies.
Control through Genjutsu did not mean turning them into puppets without will, but rather implanting a strong psychological suggestion...
This was not a play.
It was something that, sooner or later, would happen in reality.
Every person on the battlefield was giving their emotions completely to the scene.
The shinobi alliance moved slowly, closing in from all directions.
Uchiha Setsuna also arrived at this time...
He had been fighting on the Sunagakure front alongside Fugaku, Hiruzen and Danzo. However, Uchiha Madara had magnified his hatred and resentment with a powerful Genjutsu.
More than a hawk within the Uchiha clan, Setsuna was an avenger who had spent twenty years imprisoned under Tobirama's rule.
The Uchiha who has been possessed by the demon cannot stop his obsession, not even the love for his clan members would stop them...
Just as Itachi and Obito had massacred their own clan in the original timeline, Setsuna was also willing to do whatever it took to achieve his goal.
For him, there was only one goal: to eradicate all those who supported Tobirama's lineage of succession.
The way Kazuki had integrated himself into Konoha was, in his eyes, a betrayal, for rather than weakening the Hokage's structure, it strengthened it. He could not accept it, he would not accept it.
This was more painful to him than the continued oppression of the Uchiha clan.
Under the influence of Madara's genjutsu, Setsuna lost his mind and deserted the Suna battlefield to head to the Iwa battlefield in search of Uchiha Rin. His intention was to kill her.
What kept him going was the certainty that Uchiha Obito was still alive.
Setsuna considered Obito to be the ultimate weapon of revenge against Konoha and had taught him all of the forbidden techniques of the Uchiha clan, including Izanagi and Izanami.
Although he doubted Obito could overpower them, there was a chance that in an extreme situation, he could do so. If so, Obito might have survived the Dust Release attack that had hit him.
But if Obito was still alive, Rin couldn't be. To Setsuna, she was an obstacle.
In Setsuna's opinion, Uchiha Rin's only role now was to die miserably, stimulating Obito's emotions as much as possible and finally giving birth to the most beautiful and destructive Mangekyō Sharingan.
Not far away, on a deserted plain, Setsuna advanced like a deranged beast. His reason had been devoured by madness, and under the effect of the genjutsu in his mind there was only one idea: The only one capable of stopping Kazuki was Uchiha Obito.
The supplementary logic is…
If Obito was truly the genius destined to defeat Kazuki, then he must have been able to master Izanagi in order to survive the Dust Release. Upon his return, he could no longer afford to be influenced by Rin or live in the comfort of her love. He needed to immerse himself in hatred and the thirst for power in order to destroy his enemies.
Anyway, Uchiha Obito is Uchiha Setsuna's last hope.
Even if Uchiha Obito really died, it would only kill one more Uchiha Rin, so what?
At the same time, wrapped in the White Zetsu armor, Uchiha Obito also headed to the Iwa battlefield.
His intention was to meet up with his companions, so naturally he should return to the original camp first.
The armies of the shinobi alliance, Setsuna and Obito advanced according to the script meticulously written by Kazuki. Each one, unknowingly, played their part in an inevitable tragedy.
From the shadows, Kazuki pulled the strings.
Rin held a handful of blood-soaked black soil in her hands, making sure the alliance shinobi saw her.
Obito, who had just arrived at the battlefield, frowned, preparing to secretly obtain information, but then he heard the screams of the enemy shinobi.
"Encircle her! There is a Konoha Uchiha here, and she is a woman!"
"We can't let her escape! She has the Sharingan, we can't let her go!"
"Damn it! Konoha has already withdrawn its troops, but she's still here. Is she a renegade kunoichi?"
One of the alliance commanders was giving orders out loud. And each of those words was heard by Obito.
Suddenly, Uchiha Obito's heart sank!
An Uchiha. Female. With the Sharingan activated...
Obito's mind processed the information with lightning speed. He knew that Rin loved him, and after having witnessed his apparent death, it was only natural that her grief would awaken her Sharingan.
After Konoha had withdrawn its troops, who else would have disobeyed orders to come here alone?
Cold sweat dripped down his back. Even under the envelope of the whirlpool-headed White Zetsu and his body strengthened by Hashirama’s cells, he felt a terrifying emptiness within him. A very macabre possibility appeared in his mind!
Rin...
She couldn't accept his death. Or maybe she just didn't want to believe it.
So, alone, she returned to the place where he had 'died', clinging to one last hope.
Obito's eyes turned blood red. He looked around and broke into a run.
He saw the mark of the Dust Release on the ground. Further ahead he also saw the enemies chasing her.
Everything fit.
Obito accelerated like crazy. He couldn't accept the idea that he had survived... but Rin hadn't.
It was unacceptable.
By the time he reached his maximum speed, he was finally close enough to her, and he also saw Uchiha Setsuna, who was also approaching from a distance.
Setsuna was closer. Much closer!
Obito's heart warmed for a moment.
He had been wrong. He had really misunderstood.
Uchiha Setsuna was a good teacher, a good elder of the clan. From the beginning he had taught him ninjutsu and combat techniques. Although later, due to certain matters related to Kazuki, he always tried to instill some strange ideas in him...
But as long as he could save Rin, none of that mattered.
In Uchiha Obito's eyes, Uchiha Setsuna had come to rescue Rin...
At that moment, Uchiha Rin's clothes were torn due to the battle, leaving his left arm exposed, on which a black mark could barely be seen.
Her eyes, like those of a frightened deer, looked around nervously. But when she saw Uchiha Setsuna in front of her, her expression lit up with surprise and worry, and she shouted loudly: "Elder Setsuna, there is an enemy ambush here, be careful!"
Uchiha Setsuna held a katana and with a cruel smile on the corner of his lips, he charged straight towards Uchiha Rin, without uttering a single word.
Uchiha Obito's heart immediately shook. That smile didn't seem right!
But it was too late.
In the next instant, the sharp blade of Setsuna's katana pierced Rin's chest, pinning her firmly into the ground.
Uchiha Rin's expression froze. Her eyes, once full of life, turned dull with pain. Blood poured from her mouth, staining her pale skin a deep red, creating a strange and heartbreaking beauty.
