Naruto: Born Evil?

Chapter 227: Proper Farewell

On the roof of a nearby wooden building.

Obito was crouched low.

From his position, he could clearly see everything happening inside all the rooms on the third floor of the inn.

At this moment, when he saw "Madara" collapse just like that, his expression froze.

His heart jolted with shock.

Just like the three flustered Cloud ninjas, he had no idea what Madara was trying to do.

If Obito knew the term "framing", then with his not-so-brilliant mind, he might have figured out Uchiha Yu's intentions immediately. After all, nothing this "shameless" had ever appeared in the ninja world before.

A moment later.

Obito suddenly flipped backward, leaping down from the rooftop and hiding by a window inside the building.

Because that dark-red, fully manifested Susanoo was already on its way back.

---

Inside the inn.

"C-Captain… was it you who made the move?"

A Cloud ninja looked confused as he hurried to Uchiha Yu's side, carefully checking his condition.

In the eyes of the Cloud ninja, this man was undeniably dead—his breathing, his pulse, everything had stopped.

Yet there were no obvious wounds on his body.

That was what made it strange.

The three of them clearly hadn't done anything.

Uchiha Yu lay on the cold wooden floor, letting the Cloud ninja examine him. The reason he could fake death so convincingly was largely thanks to the "mask."

Although it was called a mask, once worn, it could even alter a person's skeletal structure. Using it to simulate all the signs of death posed no problem at all.

If the wearer wished, they could even make their skin appear rotten, imitating the look of someone who had been dead for days.

After finishing the examination, the Cloud ninja frowned deeply and said in a low voice, "He's really dead."

The Cloud ninja captain stared at the body before him and shook his head. "No. I feel like something's wrong here, but I can't figure it out yet."

From the moment this man collapsed, an unease had crept into his heart.

As if something very bad was about to happen.

"Not good—he's trying to frame us!!"

Another Cloud ninja suddenly realized a possibility and immediately explained:

"This guy wants to use his own death to make that girl think we killed him, so she'll take revenge on us!"

Hearing this, both the Cloud ninja captain and the one examining Uchiha Yu's body had their pupils shrink. They instantly drew the ninja swords from their backs.

Cold light flashed.

Blades were unsheathed.

Uchiha Yu kept his eyes closed, completely unmoved, silently calculating the timing in his mind.

Thud, thud, thud—

Footsteps echoed down the hallway outside the guest room.

The three Cloud ninjas abruptly turned their heads back, only to discover in horror that the Sharingan girl, her face streaked with blood, had already reached the doorway, glaring furiously at them.

Goods, snacks, and merchandise were scattered all over the floor, and "Madara" lay fallen among them.

When she saw this scene—

Hikaru's expression went blank. She stood frozen at the doorway, unable to sense any trace of Madara's life force.

Dead…

After being unsealed, the first friend she had made in this era was now dead.

And it was because of her—he died because of her.

Just moments ago, they had been shopping together, chatting about the Land of Snow, the ocean, and all kinds of animals.

He even had a wife he needed to take care of.

If his wife, who was bedridden in the hospital, were to hear this news… how devastated would she be?

What's more, his wife already suffered from some kind of illness.

Hikaru's eyes rapidly reddened as she struggled to accept the scene before her.

Then, in the next instant, her gaze turned icy—far colder than the drawn blades of the three Cloud ninjas.

"Damn it!!!"

The Cloud Ninja captain felt as though he was being swallowed by killing intent. He naturally understood that explanations were pointless. He immediately reversed his grip on his blade, intending to plunge it straight into the heart of the man who was framing them.

Even in death, he would make this despicable bastard pay the price!

The other two Cloud Ninja instantly understood what their captain was about to do.

The Cloud Ninja who had been checking the body drew his kunai at once, intending to coordinate with the captain to kill the man who had set them up.

Meanwhile, the Cloud Ninja standing behind the doorway reached into his ninja pouch and took out a smoke bomb, preparing to cover their retreat after the man was eliminated in an instant.

In that split second—

A ninja blade.

A kunai.

Both stopped just a few centimeters away from Uchiha Yu's heart.

Uchiha Yu himself remained completely motionless.

Yet the blade and the kunai froze in midair.

Even the Cloud Ninja who was about to throw the smoke bomb found his movement halted.

The three Cloud Ninja were stunned.

They stared in confusion as blue chakra suddenly ignited over their bodies.

At the same time, blue flames also flared around the body of the Sharingan-eyed girl. She slowly walked toward the man lying on the ground.

With every step she took—

The three Cloud Ninja felt as if they had aged twenty or thirty years in an instant. Their lifespan seemed to be draining away along with their chakra, absorbed by the girl.

Life force and chakra transformed into arcs of blue light, flowing into her body.

After only four or five steps—

The faces of the three Cloud Ninja twisted grotesquely. They could no longer speak, only choking out broken, muffled sounds from their throats.

Like fish gasping for air—

Like bodies completely drained of blood, flesh, and vitality.

That all-consuming suffocation vanished only when every last trace of chakra was torn from their bodies.

The three Cloud Ninja collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Throughout the entire process—

Hikari did not spare them a single glance.

She walked straight to Uchiha Yu's side.

Looking at the pale face of "Madara," the girl's expression finally softened slightly. In the next instant, an overwhelming sense of loneliness washed over her.

She slowly crouched beside "Madara," hugging her knees.

In the vast world around her, it felt as though she was once again completely alone.

If she had walked this path alone after breaking the seal, she would never have felt such emotional turbulence.

To her, emotional fluctuations could no longer provide any boost to her ocular power. She herself represented the purest upper limit of the Uchiha.

Hikari's expression turned numb.

She removed the forehead protectors from the nearby Cloud Ninja corpses, carefully memorized their design, then casually tossed them aside.

---

In another building—

"Hiss—"

Obito withdrew his gaze, not daring to linger. He immediately entered the Kamui space.

"So it was all to shift the blame… Cloud Village really got unlucky, provoking such a monster for no reason at all. Is this some kind of hatred-transfer technique?"

Obito sat on a stone slab inside Kamui space, letting it drift aimlessly as he fell into deep thought.

"Why would Madara do this?"

His eyes suddenly lit up.

"He wanted to use his own 'death' to enrage the girl, forcing her to further increase her strength. Hmph… that really is a very Uchiha method."

"But who exactly is this girl? How can she possess a Mangekyō like Uchiha Yu, and so many ocular techniques as well? Is she really Madara's daughter—or granddaughter?"

Unable to make sense of it, Obito simply lay down on the cold stone slab.

Now that "Madara" had faked his death and escaped, he would find a chance to ask him later—though that guy probably wouldn't tell him anyway.

As Obito thought this, he removed his mask. His already twisted face was briefly exposed before he quickly put the mask back on.

He almost forgot—he still had things to do.

That guy Itachi was still waiting for him.

---

Inn.

Guest room.

Hikari firmly etched the shape of the Cloud Village forehead protector into her memory. She then swept her gaze across the scattered goods around the room—snacks and daily necessities that Uchiha Yu had bought for her.

Now, they lay strewn messily across the floor.

Only the clothes she had bought were left behind, neatly placed beside the bed.

Holding back her tears, her chest tight with grief, Hikari picked up the bags and began gathering the scattered belongings from around the room.

As she did, memories of the days she had spent with the couple surfaced in her mind.

During meals, "Madara" would always save the best food for her and his wife.

When eating fish, he would only take the head and tail, leaving the tender belly meat for them.

When they ate grapes, he claimed he disliked sour flavors.

Yet those grapes were clearly sweet and only mildly tart.

Thinking of all this, Hikari's tears finally fell. Carrying the bags, she lifted the man's body—already cold—and left the inn.

The surrounding civilians watched them go in fear, not daring to say a word.

After two hours of travel,

Hikari chose a mountain slope on the outskirts of the Land of Fire and dug a grave for "Madara."

She laid him to rest, covered the grave with soil, and erected a simple wooden headstone.

"Next, I'll go find Uchiha Yu and learn what really happened to the Uchiha clan."

"Then, I'll avenge you."

"After that, I'll protect your wife from the shadows, escort her back to the Land of Snow, and settle down there as well…"

"You were a good man, but this world has never been gentle to people like you."

°°°

Hungry for more chaps? Then check out our pătreon!

Link: Påtreon.com/BaphometFiction

I post 20 advanced chapters of this fanfic there.

If you do subscribe, please do so in the web patreon, not the ios app.