Chapter 66: Five Minutes
Chapter 66: Five Minutes
"Haruta, I'm heading out first. I need to report to the medical squad. See you..."
Yugao waved at Haruta before turning and running toward the Anbu headquarters without looking back.
Watching Yugao's retreating figure—almost as if she were escaping—Haruta then turned his gaze to Anko, whose face was full of amusement. He could only shrug helplessly.
"Hey, your name is Haruta, right?"
Anko was naturally outgoing. She ran over, slung an arm around Haruta's neck, and grinned.
"You're just letting her go like that? Isn't that a bit cold?"
"Anko, enough."
Kurenai sighed, feeling a headache coming on. She knew her best friend all too well. She then turned to Haruta with an apologetic look.
"Sorry about that. Please don't take it to heart... Wait, you're that guy from the Chunin Exams..."
"Senior Anko, Senior Kurenai, hello."
Haruta noticed Kurenai's look of surprise, and even Anko seemed to recognize him. It was only natural—after all, his use of the Flying Thunder God Technique during the Chunin Exams had caused quite a stir.
If he weren't part of Anbu, his reputation would have been even greater!
"So it was you, huh?"
Anko's eyes lit up with excitement. She gave Haruta a good once-over before flashing a grin.
"No wonder you disappeared after that. Turns out you're just like Yugao… Forget it, let's not talk about that. Want some dango? My treat!"
"Thanks."
Haruta chuckled. Anko was certainly an interesting person.
Though she was usually a bit wild, there was no denying that she had a good heart. However, if she were ever betrayed, she would likely explode with fury.
Orochimaru had left a deep scar on her.
"But maybe next time. I'm already full. Thank you for the offer, though, Senior."
As he spoke, Haruta stood up, preparing to leave.
At that moment, he felt a strange disturbance in chakra.
"What's this? It feels like a faint Flying Thunder God seal..."
As he walked, Haruta couldn't help but ponder. Eventually, he made a decision—to follow that faint sensation and investigate.
The feeling was too indistinct, making it impossible to activate the seal and teleport directly.
"Could it be… Uchiha Obito?"
Haruta raised an eyebrow as the thought crossed his mind. That hazy sense of being cut off… It seemed like something only Obito could create.
"But before, when he hid inside the Kamui dimension, I couldn't sense him at all. Could it be that..."
Suddenly, a realization hit him.
Previously, his overall physical attributes had only been at Level 7. But after integrating Mokuton, he had made a significant leap!
A Level 9 body brought a comprehensive enhancement—including his sensory abilities.
"So, if Obito doesn't remove his seal, I'll always be able to detect him?"
Haruta blinked, then quickened his pace.
Dealing with "Good Guy Obito" had piqued his interest. Not to mention, he'd already planned to make Obito his scapegoat while secretly using Mokuton.
More importantly, their last encounter had earned Haruta a ton of free points—how could he not love Obito for that?
Not even Danzo could compare...
---
[Mission Complete: Contact with Sunagakure]
[Mission Rating: S]
[Reward: +4 Free Points]
Four free points was a decent amount, but with his ever-growing need for them, it still felt insufficient.
Haruta was a little frustrated with how stingy Danzo was, but fortunately, Uchiha Obito had come knocking on his door. That was certainly a good thing.
---
[New Mission Acquired]
[Repel the Invaders of Konoha]
Looking at the newly refreshed mission, Haruta nodded. Obito truly never disappointed.
And if this mission also revealed more about Obito, along with hidden tasks… How could Haruta not love such a "good guy"?
Moving quickly, he soon realized this path led to the Uchiha district. Before long, he spotted Shisui.
What made him chuckle was the fact that Obito seemed to be spreading conspiracy theories to Shisui.
To be fair, while Obito was indeed a schemer, there were times when his persuasive tactics were undeniably effective.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to fool Nagato—who, despite never fully trusting him, still followed his lead and accomplished many things.
Similarly, he wouldn't have been able to completely manipulate Kisame, an elite ninja, into absolute obedience.
"Truth mixed with lies… It really is effective. Or maybe, just maybe, it's all true."
Haruta mused to himself, but he had no intention of letting Obito continue.
He clapped his hands lightly and stepped forward. He had a feeling that Black Zetsu and White Zetsu had already noticed him.
Hiding any longer was pointless—he might as well take the initiative!
Besides, from the moment he first sensed the faint Flying Thunder God imprint… nearly five minutes had passed.
---
"What about the Nine-Tails attack?"
Haruta's lips curled into a mocking smirk. He glanced at the stunned Shisui before turning his gaze toward Obito, who had fallen silent.
"You keep bringing up the Uchiha's oppression, but how do you explain the Nine-Tails attack? The Fourth Hokage was your teacher.
I've read many reports—both he and his wife, Kushina Uzumaki, treated you with kindness.
And yet, you killed them?
What an amazing student you are, Uchiha Obito!"
"You..."
The moment Obito saw Haruta appear, his anger was already smoldering. But hearing those words made him completely snap.
He had deliberately avoided mentioning the Nine-Tails incident, instead steering Shisui's attention toward Danzo.
But now?
Haruta's sudden arrival had shifted the entire focus onto him.
Obito was beyond furious.
However, he quickly calmed down and sneered.
"Shisui, look at this. He showed up immediately—what does that tell you?
It means he never trusted you in the first place!
Konoha's Anbu, Konoha's Root, the Hokage, and his advisors—they all don't trust the Uchiha!"
"Don't be ridiculous," Haruta said, shaking his head with a smirk.
"You might be hiding in another dimension, but I can still sense your imprint faintly."
Haruta's expression turned mocking.
"And didn't you just say it yourself? I'm Anbu.
Shisui, remember—you're also Anbu.
Do you trust me, your comrade who fought alongside you in the Land of Wind?
Or would you rather believe this traitor, a liar who twists the truth?"
"Besides… he's a wanted criminal in Konoha.
Capturing or killing him would benefit everyone."
Shisui was reeling from the conversation, but Haruta's final words snapped him back to reality.
Right.
No matter how bad things were for the Uchiha right now, eliminating Obito was undeniably the right move.
If they could capture or kill him, the conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha over the Nine-Tails attack would be resolved.
With that realization, Shisui's gaze sharpened with killing intent.
"Damned brat..."
Obito's anger surged. But at that moment, several kunai flew toward him at high speed.
He had been about to sneer when he suddenly realized something—
He had been inside the Kamui dimension for five minutes.
Whoosh—
Blood sprayed through the air!
The cold gleam of Haruta's kunai was right beside him, and his voice followed.
"You really thought you could hide forever?"
"Last time, I got a pretty good idea of how long you can stay phased out..."
…