Chapter 137: Unexpected Turn of Events!

"Explain the situation in detail," spoke the ethereal image of Tendo Pain from the fingertips of the Gedo Statue.

Uchiha Obito, hearing this, began to recount his tale. He and Kisame had been in the Land of Water, investigating the whereabouts of the Flying Thunder God user, when White Zetsu alerted them that his base had been infiltrated. Upon returning, they engaged in a fierce battle with the intruder.

"I see," Tendo Pain responded coldly. "Continue gathering information on his location. It would be easier to eliminate him once we know his whereabouts. Perhaps he isn't from the Hidden Mist Village; you should also investigate Konoha and other places."

After saying this, Tendo Pain vanished.

The Akatsuki had previously focused their investigation around the Hidden Mist Village, given that the Flying Thunder God user had aided the village multiple times. Additionally, the Mizukage, Mei Terumi, had frequently covered for the user regarding Wood Release techniques, hinting at a special relationship between them.

Recently, the Akatsuki had noticed a new teenage boy by Mei Terumi's side, often seen shopping with her. Unbeknownst to them, this young boy was the Flying Thunder God user, who had the ability to alter his size and appearance.

After Tendo Pain ended the summoning technique, Obito jumped off the Gedo Statue and entered the underground space behind it. Inside, Kisame was resting, recovering from his injuries. His severed arm had been treated by Obito but would take time to fully regenerate.

"Keep an eye on him," Obito instructed the main body of White Zetsu, glancing at Kisame before entering the Kamui dimension.

In the shadows of Konoha, Uchiha Obito donned a common Anbu hawk mask and black attire, blending seamlessly into the village. He made his way to a flower shop, guided by his memories.

"Thank you, come again," Yamanaka Ino cheerfully said, bowing to the Anbu ninja before her. She then called out to her mother and dashed out the door, excited to meet up with Hinata and find Shishou.

Holding a bouquet of flowers, Obito walked to the memorial stone. Once the area was clear, he approached Rin Nohara's grave.

Seeing a bouquet already placed there, presumably by Kakashi, Obito's forehead veins bulged with anger. He discarded Kakashi's flowers and placed his own on Rin's grave.

"Rin, I've come to see you," Obito said hoarsely, staring at her name.

Meanwhile...

Shishou, having returned from Obito's base, abruptly awoke in his bed, sensing a presence in his room.

"Obito is here," a White Zetsu, with a Sharingan swirling in its eye, emerged from the floor, speaking flippantly.

Shishou quickly disposed of the White Zetsu, frowning in silence. To prevent another attack on Konoha and potential harm to Ino, Hinata, and Tenten, Shishou had stationed several White Zetsu spores around Rin's grave to monitor for Obito.

He knew Obito's deep affection for Rin would draw him to her grave if he entered Konoha.

Knock, knock, knock!

An urgent knock on the door was followed by Yamanaka Ino's voice, "Shishou, Shishou, open the door!"

Why are Ino and Hinata here now? Shishou thought, slightly annoyed. He created two shadow clones—one to stay near Naruto and another to keep an eye on the village.

Though he wanted to keep an eye on Obito, he couldn't risk exposing himself as a Konoha resident.

After making these preparations, Shishou shrank his body, placed Kushina's soul egg in his pocket, and opened the door.

"Shishou, let's go shopping!" Ino exclaimed, grabbing his arm excitedly.

"Sh-Shishou..." Hinata stammered, looking up at him shyly.

"Alright, let's go," Shishou sighed, letting them lead him to Konoha's commercial district. Though he enjoyed the company, he preferred teasing older women like Izumi, Yugao, Anko, and Pakura—or even more mature ones like Tsunade, Mikoto, Miroku, and Eri.

As night fell, Obito silently entered Kakashi's room, waiting for him to return. His goals were to visit Rin's grave, investigate if the Flying Thunder God user was in Konoha, and reclaim Kakashi's Sharingan.

The pressure from the Flying Thunder God user had forced Obito to seek more power. With Madara's Rinnegan in Nagato's possession, he set his sights on Kakashi.

Around midnight, Kakashi returned home after his shift. As he entered through the window and headed to the bathroom, he suddenly gripped a kunai, ready to defend against an attacker.

To his shock, the attacker's hand passed through his body. Kakashi immediately gathered Lightning Release chakra in his hand, striking at the shadowy figure, but his attack also passed through the intruder.

Recognizing the situation, Kakashi used the speed of his Lightning Blade to break through the wall and escape, hoping to alert others with the noise.

Just as the Fourth Hokage's spirit had warned him, Kakashi knew to flee and alert the Third Hokage if he encountered the masked man.

"Using the Lightning Blade to escape? How pathetic, Kakashi," Obito growled, frustrated by Kakashi's unexpected move.

He entered the Kamui dimension, reappearing ahead of Kakashi's path.

It must be him, Kakashi thought, changing direction and planting explosive tags to draw attention.

Boom!

The explosion echoed through the quiet village, alerting Konoha's guards and the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Having just left his office, the Third Hokage quickly mobilized with the nearby Anbu towards Kakashi's location.

"Is Obito after Kakashi's Mangekyo Sharingan?" Shishou's shadow clone mused, watching Kakashi flee using his Lightning Blade before vanishing with a 'poof.'

In the Land of Demons, Miko's Palace...

"What a mess," Shishou muttered, waking abruptly as his shadow clone's memories flowed in. He had assumed Obito's visit to Konoha was merely to mourn Rin, not to target Kakashi. Confident his shadow clone could protect Naruto, he had come to spend time with Miko Eri.

"What's wrong?" a sleepy Eri asked beside him.

"Something came up; I need to go back. You all go back to sleep," Shishou replied, kissing Eri's cheek before dressing and vanishing.

Eri blinked, then hugged the person next to her, falling back asleep.