Chapter 262: The Era of Tattoos Begins

"Heh, are you trying to threaten me?"

Isshiki chuckled indifferently, tightening his grip.

A faint "crack" echoed in the air.

That was the sound of Inaho's cervical spine straining under the pressure.

Obito clenched his fists tightly, his gaze burning with anger as he glared at Isshiki.

But the moment he glanced at Inaho—barely clinging to life in Isshiki's grasp—his fury instantly turned into deep concern.

He slowly loosened his fists and, swallowing his frustration, spoke to Isshiki.

"Let Inaho go first. Whatever your conditions are, I'll agree to them."

Isshiki's tone turned playful as he pressed further.

"Anything? Are you sure?"

Faced with Isshiki's question, Obito didn't hesitate for a second. He nodded firmly.

"Say whatever you want. For Inaho, I'll accept anything!"

Even Inaho, who was slipping in and out of consciousness, stopped reminiscing.

He struggled to turn his head, his lifeless eyes falling on Obito.

I never realized... I meant this much to Obito.

How could I have been so blind before?

You need to run, Obito! Don't do anything foolish because of me!

Hearing Obito's words, Isshiki's lips curled into a satisfied smile.

Clearly, everything was going just as he had anticipated.

(Obito: Hah, you didn't expect that, did you? I predicted your prediction!)

Isshiki lowered his arm slightly, allowing Inaho a moment to breathe.

At the same time, he raised his other arm and gestured for Obito to step forward.

"I don't need you to do anything. Just stand right in front of me."

Obito's expression darkened with suspicion.

"That's it? I don't believe you! You're definitely up to something!"

Isshiki's smirk faded as he lifted Inaho again, his tone growing impatient.

"Do I need to remind you, Uchiha Obito? You have no other choice."

"There are quite a few people rushing over here right now. If you don't want me to kill them all, you'd better cooperate."

Obito's face flickered with conflicting emotions.

Gritting his teeth, he seemed to make up his mind and strode toward Isshiki.

The moment he was within arm's reach—

Isshiki's hand shot out like lightning, seizing him in an instant.

At the same time, Obito felt something bizarre—intangible yet undeniable—seeping into him through Isshiki's grip.

It was as if something foreign was slowly invading his body.

The sensation was... unpleasant. Or at least, it should have been.

But... huh?

Why does it actually feel kind of... nice?

Isshiki studied Obito's face, a flicker of confusion crossing his mind.

Why does this kid look like he's resisting, yet not really?

...Must be my imagination.

In mere moments, Isshiki finished implanting the Kāma and released his hold on Obito.

Huh? That's it?

Obito quickly adjusted his expression, adopting an icy glare as he coldly demanded,

"What did you just do to me? That sensation... what the hell was that?!"

Isshiki casually tossed the nearly broken Inaho onto the ground.

Then, with a cryptic smile, he replied,

"You'll find out soon enough,."

A red-and-black space-time vortex materialized behind him.

Half of Isshiki's body had already stepped into the portal, but he didn't forget to offer a polite farewell.

"Looking forward to our next meeting, Uchiha Obito."

"Try to grow stronger, won't you? Heh."

In the next instant, the vortex snapped shut, and Isshiki was gone.

—

"Inaho!"

Obito rushed forward, lifting the fallen Inaho and anxiously checking his breath.

Upon confirming that he was still alive, he let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Phew, good. As long as you're not dead, that's all that matters. As for any side effects..."

"If worst comes to worst, I'll just get some Hashirama cells. That'll fix everything."

After injecting some pure chakra into Inaho, the pain on his face eased significantly.

"Sigh, you really went through a lot this time, my friend..."

Obito murmured, feeling a tinge of guilt.

—

Soon after, a team of shinobi appeared in the alleyway.

So slow… Looks like most of the village's forces have been deployed to the frontlines.

Good thing those three unlucky villages don't have space-time ninjutsu. Otherwise, our precious assets would've been at risk.

Obito thought to himself.

The squad leader approached Obito with a respectful bow.

"Obito-sama, what happened here just now?"

Obito's expression remained solemn as he answered.

"An enemy attack. But it's not someone you can handle."

"You don't need to concern yourselves with this. Just leave it to me and report it to the higher-ups."

The squad leader's face tensed, but he nodded.

"I understand, Obito-sama."

"Would you like us to escort the injured to the hospital?"

Obito hesitated briefly before nodding with a sigh.

"That would be best. I appreciate the help."

The squad leader gave a wry smile.

"It's no trouble at all."

"Since we're not strong enough to fight on the frontlines, we can at least do what we can here in the village."

Obito's expression softened.

After giving the squad leader a good look, he suddenly found him familiar.

Curious, he asked,

"What's your name?"

The squad leader was momentarily surprised before replying,

"My name is Umino Nobuchika."

Ah, I see…

So that's why Iruka grew up to be such an outstanding teacher—he had a father who led by example.

Obito patted Nobuchika's shoulder and laughed.

"The war on the frontlines is already won. It won't be long before the good news reaches the village!"

Excitement spread through the squad members.

"Really? That's amazing!"

"Yeah! Konoha wins again!"

"Drinks on us tonight!"

As the group celebrated, Obito gave them a brief nod before walking away with a small smile.

—

As he walked, Obito suddenly smacked his forehead and opened a mental conversation.

"Hey, System, didn't I complete my mission ages ago?"

"Why haven't I received my reward yet? What's with this delay? 460ms ping?"

The System's voice responded, sounding a bit guilty.

"Ahem, Isshiki's Kāma turned out to be trickier to crack than I expected... So, there was a slight delay."

[ Ding! Choice successful! Reward received: Otsutsuki Isshiki's Essence (Incomplete)! ]

Obito, now holding his reward, raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"System, I was too busy earlier to ask—"

"What exactly is Isshiki's Essence?"

The System shuddered slightly before answering.

"I broke down Isshiki's Kāma inside you, modified it, and then... blah blah blah blah blah—"

The System rambled on with technical jargon.

Obito sighed, cutting it off impatiently.

"So basically, you cracked a premium software and gave me a free, nerfed trial version?"

The System perked up.

"() Exactly! You're so smart, host!"

Obito rubbed his temples, exhausted.

"So much for a 'God-Tier Choice System'… why does it feel so lame?"

"Alright, System. How do I use this 'software,' and what functions does it have?"

The System pouted.

"….Just channel chakra into the Kāma on your hand to activate it."

"In that state, you'll gain a portion of Otsutsuki Isshiki's power—around one-third of his full strength."

"With further upgrades, you might even unlock his abilities."

Obito's eyes gleamed with excitement.

He glanced at his left palm, where a black diamond-shaped mark had appeared.

A grin spread across his face.

"This is a damn good deal… The Otsutsuki clan… What a bunch of generous souls!"

"Heh, the era of Sharingan is over. The era of tattoos is about to begin!"

----------------

Pls Drop some Power Stones

Fanfic is finished on Patreon (316 chapters in total.) 

Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)