Meeting Again

"Really pulling the tiger’s whiskers, huh? But that’s what Reincarnators are."

Standing atop Hokage Rock and watching the sun gradually sink, Xu Yue swept his gaze across all of Konoha, seeming somewhat moved.

As the Anbu’s second-in-command, and having specifically instructed them to keep an eye on that group, Xu Yue had naturally received intelligence on their unusual movements.

During such a sensitive period, even Konoha’s higher-ups had taken notice of the matter.

But in the end, concerned that some fish might slip through the net, they had tacitly allowed their actions.

In Xu Yue’s view, Japan had likely tested Konoha’s stance and bottom line through extensive bloody trials, learned what they could do without provoking retaliation, and then sold that information.

Likewise, Konoha was only making temporary use of this group. Once it was over, they would inevitably be made examples of!

They had been worrying that the culprits would all flee, damaging Konoha’s reputation. Now, just as sleepiness met a pillow, people had eagerly delivered themselves to the door. Of course Konoha would turn a blind eye for now, then use them to establish its authority.

As for how many would escape afterward, that would depend on their own abilities.

"By my calculations, it’s about time…"

Once the last ray of sunlight had vanished behind the mountains, Xu Yue’s Wood Clone stepped off Hokage Rock and leaped straight down toward Konoha…

Atop a utility pole.

A masked figure landed there, silently watching the clan members below with utter indifference in his eyes.

With a swish, another figure landed on the same spot beside him. The two exchanged a glance, and silence fell between them.

"You didn’t have to come, Senior."

Itachi spoke calmly.

"If you aren’t afraid, why should I be? If I hadn’t come, perhaps someone would have found me intolerable instead."

Xu Yue likewise looked down at the Uchiha Clan members in the compound below, who still had no idea what was happening.

"Besides…"

"I don’t trust the helper you invited, either."

Xu Yue turned his head slightly, his scarlet Sharingan fixed on Itachi, drawing a silence from him.

How could Itachi trust him?

In the end, all he had received was a promise purchased at such a price.

Given that mysterious man’s identity, even Senior was probably no match for him. Since that was the case, it was better to say nothing…

"Then let’s begin…"

Xu Yue’s Wood Clone sprang forward, his entire body turning into a blur.

Slaughter spread.

Tonight was destined to be sleepless…

"Haha! They really made their move, and they really didn’t stop us!"

The Holy Saints of Heaven members who had successfully stormed into the Uchiha compound discovered that things were indeed exactly as the intelligence had described, and they immediately became wildly arrogant.

Konoha really was acting on its own, and they needed someone to take the blame.

There was risk involved, but it was worth it!

With Lord De Gaulle here, most of them would definitely be able to retreat unscathed in the end.

Even though many of them had entered this world for the first time…

This time, however…

Everyone involved was at least a veteran Reincarnator!

Elite Reincarnators made up more than a quarter of them.

Their overall strength was beyond imagination.

They had been holding us back for far too long!

For a time, these specially assembled Reincarnators fully displayed the foundations of elite members from a large corps.

The entire Uchiha Clan instantly suffered devastating losses.

The Holy Saints of Heaven had attached great importance to this operation. As one of France’s top ten corps, they possessed deep reserves of strength.

Once enough power had been gathered and fully unleashed, even the Konoha Anbu had to take notice of this force.

The Root members who had originally been enforcing the lockdown were also exceptionally surprised, seemingly not expecting this group of "unaffiliated" members to be so powerful.

The Uchiha Clan truly possessed considerable talent, with elites gathered in force.

But with Fugaku, the only Kage-level powerhouse on their side, choosing not to resist, they lacked the decisive power at the top.

They had already been struggling to cope with Itachi and Obito’s attacks. Now Xu Yue and other Reincarnators had joined in, and the pressure had formed before Root’s people even appeared.

Since attacking Reincarnators in normal mode did not grant any drop bonus, Xu Yue did not bother with that group of Reincarnators for the moment.

Instead, he arrived at the Konoha Police Force headquarters.

Seeing the Second Elder nailed to a window above the building, blood pouring from him, Xu Yue understood that Obito had already arrived.

"Old acquaintances meeting again, won’t you come out and say hello?"

Blocking the entrance to the police headquarters, Xu Yue, wearing a Cat Face Mask, spoke with a light laugh in the tone of greeting an old acquaintance.

Amid a swirl of distorted space, Obito Uchiha, wearing his spiral mask, appeared before Xu Yue.

His eyes were filled with complicated emotions as he looked at Xu Yue, yet he did not dare meet Xu Yue’s gaze.

Only Xu Yue and Kakashi could still stir unusual emotions within Obito, but he quickly suppressed them.

"We meet again. I wonder how well you’ve mastered the Rinnegan. A Wood Clone, is it? I truly don’t know how your lifespan has lasted until now."

The others in Akatsuki did not know Xu Yue’s identity, but Obito, whom Xu Yue had personally turned into a burned man, naturally knew where Nagato’s missing Rinnegan had gone.

Yet there was nothing he could do about it.

For now, he only wanted to test how well Xu Yue had mastered the Rinnegan.

But the fact that he could use the Reincarnation of Heavenly Life Technique and still remain alive was already enough to prove how terrifying he was.

"Oh? You can tell this is my Wood Clone? You’ve improved greatly, Obito."

Even an Eternal Mangekyo could be deceived by a Wood Clone without close inspection. For Obito to distinguish Xu Yue’s Wood Clone, he could only have noticed flaws through other details, much like Jiong Jiong had back then.

"I can do more than see through your Wood Clone. I can see that you do not have long to live. The life force demanded by the Reincarnation of Heavenly Life Technique is absolute. Even with the physique of the Senju Clan, you cannot avoid it."

Obito spoke in a hoarse voice.

That was precisely why he had been waiting for this man’s "natural death," so that Zetsu could dig out his eyes.

Yet five years had passed, and the man still had not died.

Could it only be said that the Senju Clan’s vitality was terrifying? Still, even the First Hokage had died from overtaxing his life force after the Valley of the End. Xu Yue surely could not hold on much longer.

As long as he could wait for this greatest obstacle and largest variable to disappear, everything would return to its proper track!

"Heh, perhaps. The Reincarnation of Heavenly Life Technique did indeed cost me a great deal. I wonder how those few are doing now."

Xu Yue seemed somewhat wistful.

"Thanks to you, they’re doing very well. Their minds are filled with inheriting your will and changing the ninja world. Of course, they plan to change it in another way."

Obito spoke with a hint of pleasure. This was the one time he had successfully gained the upper hand; everything was proceeding according to his plan.

Even though Xu Yue had paid such a price to save them, they had ultimately still ended up on his side!

And with him here, he would not allow them to recognize each other. They already believed that Yue was dead!

"Infinite Tsukuyomi, huh? Don’t forget that I can see the contents of the stone tablet now as well."

Xu Yue’s words caused Obito’s voice to catch, as if he had been caught completely off guard.

"I’m not entirely opposed to that, either. Otherwise, do you think your Akatsuki could have kept advancing so smoothly all this time?"

Those words immediately crushed all of Obito’s previous smugness.

So this man had known all along!

Obito had thought his plan was back on track, but now he was not even sure whose track it had entered…

This man really was his nemesis.

For a moment, Obito recalled the terror of once being dominated by him…

That’s it for the two updates.

Naruto has utility poles. Its tech tree is rather bizarre.

Also, Xu Yue cannot grow trees himself. He must rely on someone who can grow trees to complete the plan.