Chapter 271 : Obito's Status!!

"Huh? He was almost crippled by the higher-ups' kids in Konoha?"

Kakashi was stunned again. He vaguely remembered hearing about something like this before.

But at the time, he hadn't paid much attention. As an Anbu member, he didn't concern himself with such matters and wasn't aware of the full story.

Now that Genya was bringing it up in front of him, this Shou Kui guy clearly had a story of his own.

"You probably don't know, but because he was a civilian, he was bullied by the young heirs of the Sarutobi, Shimura, and Hyūga clans. Since they came from powerful clans, Shou Kui didn't dare fight back, which only made them push him even further!"

Genya continued, "If I hadn't happened to be passing by with the police force last time and arrested those guys, Shou Kui might have been completely ruined. His whole family could've been destroyed!"

"I remember now!" Kakashi nodded as he recalled the situation. "Didn't the Third Hokage make them apologize to Shou Kui? He even punished them."

At this, Kakashi recounted the official version of what had happened.

"Apologize? Punish?" Genya scoffed. "They gave a half-hearted apology, acting all high and mighty. Then, a teacher from the Academy showed up. On the surface, it seemed like he came to check on Shou Kui, but in reality, he was there to inform him that he had been expelled—he wouldn't even get the chance to become a ninja!"

"Heh… you do know what happens to a civilian if the village doesn't recognize them as a ninja, right? Especially a civilian who has offended Konoha's higher-ups."

As Genya laid out the whole story, Kakashi's gaze grew colder.

For civilians, becoming a ninja meant taking on Konoha's missions to earn a living. But if the village refused to acknowledge them as a ninja, they were just another civilian.

If it were an ordinary civilian, it wouldn't matter. But a civilian who had crossed the heirs of the great clans? They would be targeted at every turn.

If some people become extreme after facing too much unfair treatment, they might even consider betraying the village. No... they are just civilians, wanting to leave the village!

In the end, Kakashi reached a conclusion: without Genya's help, the best outcome for Shou Kui would be to leave Konoha with his family, as far away as possible! At that time, if Shou Kui grows strong, he will become an enemy of Konoha!

"Are you not going to speak?" Genya looked at the silent Kakashi and slowly spoke again, "Do you still think Shou Kui will help the village? Put yourself in his shoes. Shou Kui..."

"Enough, I understand Shou Kui's situation!" Kakashi shook his head. Even if Shou Kui was in his shoes, he wouldn't agree. Even... the Hokage has wronged Shou Kui. So why would he help the village?

Kakashi understood why Shou Kui followed Genya.

Because Genya gave Shou Kui a second hope, and because of that, Shou Kui would follow Genya without hesitation.

"I won't talk about the rest. I just want to ask you one question!" Kakashi skipped over the topic of Shou Kui and covered his Sharingan, using his single eye to look at Genya, speaking slowly:

"Are you the masked assassin from the 'Atsukara' organization wearing a monkey mask?"

"What monkey mask assassin? I know a monkey named Sun Wukong!" Genya said with a smile, "Maybe called 'Atsukara,' Sun Wukong, who knows!!"

Genya's answer was vague—he neither confirmed nor denied it! He already knew that Kakashi might have guessed his identity, and this response was just avoiding breaking that invisible barrier between them.

At that moment, Kakashi's mind was clear as day!

"Atsukara, Sun Wukong? That's an interesting name!" Kakashi repeated what Genya said, then asked, "How many people do you think Atsukara organization has? What do they want to do in the ninja world?"

"There should be about twelve members!" Genya smiled and answered, "As for what they want to do... who knows? Maybe they want to maintain peace and stability in the ninja world!"

"Maintain peace in the ninja world?" Kakashi muttered under his breath, listening to Genya's impractical response. He didn't laugh but instead appeared serious.

He knew that at this moment, Genya was speaking to him as the leader of Atsukara, and what he was saying was likely a goal he had set for himself!

Because of that, Kakashi held Genya in even higher regard.

After those words, both of them fell silent for a long time, neither saying anything.

"I have one more question. Do you think someone whose body is crushed by a rock could survive?" After a long pause, Kakashi suddenly asked a question that had nothing to do with Atsukara.

Being crushed by a rock, would survival be possible?

"Naturally, it's possible!" Genya smiled and nodded. "You should know about the First Hokage's cells and the Wood Release now, right? As everyone knows, the First Hokage's cells have incredibly strong vitality. If that unlucky person just happens to have someone merge Wood Release cells into them, and they don't reject the cells, it's possible they could survive!"

"But would something so lucky really happen?" Kakashi's expression grew serious, and he looked at Genya with a more focused gaze.

What Genya was saying sounded too much like a coincidence. It was too perfect.

 Someone just happened to save Obito from under the boulder, then someone else just happened to have the First Hokage's Wood Release cells to transplant into him, and then Obito's body just happened to accept and fuse with those cells. 

It was all too extreme.

It wasn't just Kakashi who thought this was too much of a coincidence; even Genya thought so.

After all,

It was incredibly difficult for a ninja to merge with Wood Release, and the Uchiha clan and the Senju clan had always been enemies. There was a natural rejection between them!

But at that time, Madara and Obito had both successfully merged with the First Hokage's cells!

Aside from luck, maybe Madara had thoroughly researched the fusion with the First Hokage's cells.

"The probability you're talking about is too small!" Kakashi muttered, his voice tinged with a hint of disappointment. 

"So, did that black-robed assassin, Sun Wukong, deceive me? My comrade... he must have already died, right? I shouldn't have had any hope..."

Kakashi thought for a long time. From the moment he learned that Obito might still be alive, to seeing a glimmer of hope, and now, he had finally accepted Obito's death again.

Looking back now, when he first heard about Obito's news, it must have been Genya trying to distract him, maybe even trying to make him fetch the Scroll of Seals for him!

"The world is vast, anything can happen. Sometimes, things just fall into place!" Genya smiled, unimpressed. 

"You want to talk about coincidence? The night Uchiha Itachi went mad and started hunting his clan, I happened to run into a ninja who wore a mask and could use Wood Release!"

"Coincidentally, he was wearing a single-eye mask, like the one you wear, almost like it mirrored your Sharingan!"

"Coincidentally, that eye was also a Sharingan!"

"Isn't it a coincidence that half of his body still has some wrinkles, a clear sign of the side effects of Wood Release cell fusion?"

Swish~~ 

Kakashi's eyes widened in shock upon hearing Genya's words. "What? You've seen him?"

After hearing Genya's story, Kakashi sat up straight, his gaze fixed intensely on Genya, as if hoping for a clear answer.

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