svetikya Chapter 166 Could the mastermind really be the mysterious masked man?
Chapter 166 Could the mastermind really be the mysterious masked man?
Chapter 166 Could the mastermind really be the mysterious masked man?
The air seemed to freeze, the silence was suffocating.
After a brief standoff, Obito suppressed the pain in his chest and coughed twice, trying to appear calm. "Uchiha Itachi, calm down."
He paused briefly, narrowed his eye slightly, and stared at Itachi, saying each word clearly, "Your attack today was because of a strange dream, wasn't it?"
Although he was confident that he would not lose to Itachi Uchiha, he was not afraid of Itachi Uchiha either.
However, fighting Itachi is purely a matter of internal strife and is meaningless.
Upon hearing this, Itachi's pupils suddenly contracted, and a hint of undisguised error flashed across his previously murderous face.
Although Itachi controlled his expression well, it still stiffened for a moment when he heard the word "dream".
Obito took in the whole scene and immediately understood: He guessed right!
A faint smile played on his lips as he confidently continued, "Heh—wasn't that dream world amazing?"
The voice just fell.
Suddenly, a series of rapid flapping sounds of wings rang out from nowhere!
A rapid flapping of wings echoed in the dimly lit room, and the weasel in front of me instantly transformed into a flock of crows!
Obito felt a chill run down his spine as he suddenly felt a cold sensation on his neck.
Looking down, he saw a cold shuriken pressed against his throat!
The sharp blade pressed against the skin, bringing a stinging coolness.
"What do you know?!" Itachi Uchiha's hoarse and cold voice came from behind.
Dai Tu's back stiffened, and a few drops of cold sweat seeped from his forehead—
That guy!
When did you get behind me?!
He could feel the pair of scarlet eyes behind him staring at him like cold blades.
Uchiha Itachi coughed lightly twice, a sweet, metallic taste rising in his throat.
His breathing was already disordered, and the exertion at this moment aggravated his old chest injury, making him somewhat unsteady on his feet.
But he remained firmly pressed against Obito, refusing to relax even slightly: "Where did you get the information about that dream?"
He questioned in a low, hoarse voice, his tone wary.
Obito secretly breathed a sigh of relief—at least the other party had temporarily suppressed their killing intent.
"I not only know about it, I've also experienced it firsthand. That world—well, anyway, I have far more information than you do."
He slowly turned his head, trying to catch a glimpse of Itachi's expression with the last of his eyes. "Don't you want to know more?"
Upon hearing this, Itachi Uchiha raised an eyebrow, then snorted coldly, "Hmph, it's nothing but a false dream!"
"I don't care about that stuff at all! You think you can save your life by trying to sway me with that? Dream on!"
As Itachi finished speaking, his voice suddenly turned fierce: "Don't even think about harming Sasuke! Today, I will nip this danger in the bud!"
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly exerted his strength and thrust the shuriken in his hand toward Obito's throat!
But this time Obito was prepared. His one-eyed tomoe suddenly spun, activating Hollowfication!
The sharp shuriken almost grazed his Adam's apple, but it was as if it had pierced through the air, failing to touch anything.
Obito turned to look at Itachi, his single eye filled with mockery: "Don't you care?"
He stared at Itachi and said mockingly, "If you really don't care about that dream, why did you suddenly fall ill today?"
Itachi ignored Obito's taunts.
His attack missed, and the cold light in his eyes intensified. His figure blurred as he flashed several steps away, raising his hand to form another hand seal.
Seeing this, Obito remained completely calm.
He raised his hand and patted the ripped hole in his chest, saying with an air of certainty, "I know the secret to entering that dream world."
Of course, Obito didn't know any secrets to entering the dream world.
He himself is still trying every possible way to get in a few more times.
But it was enough to fool Itachi Uchiha.
"What?!"
Itachi's hands, which were forming hand seals, suddenly stopped, and he froze on the spot.
He stared intently at Obito, his mind reeling.
The secret to entering that dream world?!
Seeing that his words had indeed worked, Obito couldn't help but slightly raise the corners of his mouth beneath his mask.
He moved a few steps closer without making a sound, his words like a seductive whisper from a demon: "Uchiha Itachi, don't you want to go back into that dream?"
"Go back in?"
Itachi murmured those words repeatedly, but the images from last night's dream involuntarily surfaced in his mind. In the dream, his parents were alive, and his father, Fugaku Uchiha, and his clansmen looked at him with pride; even Sasuke would suddenly throw himself into his arms, affectionately calling him "Nii-san" and refusing to get down; and Itachi knew that Shisui-san in the dream was also alive, though he had never met him or talked to him—
Itachi's heart trembled violently.
His lips trembled slightly, and his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.
Obito's words undoubtedly struck the softest corner of Itachi's heart, as a deep-seated desire grew wildly in his chest.
After a brief silence, Itachi's sword-wielding hand lowered slightly, and his previously sharp killing intent seemed to diminish somewhat—
Clearly, this temptation held an inexplicable allure for him.
Seeing Itachi's reaction, a dark glint flashed in Obito's eyes.
Take down Uchiha Itachi!
Obito slowly walked to the stunned Itachi's side and casually patted him on the shoulder.
"Itachi, you're a smart person."
Obito's voice suddenly softened, "You know in your heart how to choose."
Without waiting for a reply, he left and walked straight out of the room.
Obito's somber words seemed to still echo in the room.
Itachi's cold sweat dripped down his cheeks onto the floor, his expression shifting several times as he struggled internally.
Reason screamed wildly: This is an extremely dangerous person; we must not believe his lies!
But deep in his mind, another tempting voice quietly arose: Wait a little longer—my body can still hold up, there's still time. Just go in one more time, experience that dream world one more time, and then I'll make my move! Yes, after that, I'll personally take care of this guy!
"call---
Itachi took a deep breath, closed his eyes, as if he had made some difficult decision.
He sheathed his sword, his slender frame swaying slightly, but he quickly regained his footing and slowly walked towards the door.
He pushed open the door and went out.
In the hallway outside, Kisame was waiting anxiously, and immediately rushed over when he heard the door open.
"grown ups!"
Kisame first respectfully nodded to Obito as he emerged, then anxiously asked, "How is One-Man Seven doing now?"
His gaze passed over Obito and fell into the house, filled with worry.
Obito did not answer when he heard this. He simply smiled slightly, put his hands behind his back, and stood at the door, adopting a mysterious and unfathomable posture.
Kisame was somewhat puzzled by this.
"This..." He was about to ask again when he heard a soft footstep coming from inside the room.
The next moment, Itachi Uchiha's pale and thin figure appeared at the door.
Itachi's face was still unpleasant, but his expression had returned to calm, and his eyes seemed to be shrouded in the same indifferent coldness as before.
He stood silently half a step behind Obito, his eyes lowered, without uttering a word.
Obito turned around and looked at Itachi Uchiha behind him, laughing triumphantly: "A wise choice! Itachi Uchiha!"
Itachi frowned, his face grim. "You'd better not be lying to me! Otherwise, I won't let this go!"
Obito didn't care about Itachi's attitude at all; he was just being stubborn.
Obito chuckled softly, "Heh heh, if you behave, you'll naturally get what you want!"
Upon hearing this, Itachi shut his mouth and said nothing more.
This scene was nothing short of a fantasy to Kisame.
His eyes widened in disbelief: Itachi, who had just been seriously ill and weak, almost lost his mind, now not only looked completely recovered, but even seemed to exude a hint of submissiveness!
"You're incredibly powerful, sir?!"
Kisame was horrified.
However, Kisame was a seasoned veteran, and he quickly suppressed his surprise and doubt, wisely refraining from asking further questions.
Kisame wasn't very interested in the mystery between the two.
People with a strong sense of curiosity often die young!
At the same time, not far from the three of them, at the entrance to the town, a carefree figure was swaggering over.
As the setting sun cast its rays, one could see that the person was wearing a red, wide-sleeved kimono covered with strange symbols and patterns, and carrying two huge scrolls on his back.
Despite his white hair, he was still very energetic, with bright, piercing eyes that constantly looked around.
"Wow, it's been so long since I've been here!"
Jiraiya stretched deeply, feeling his bones cracking all over.
He pulled out a map, spread it out, glanced at it a few times, and stroked his chin: "Kannabi Bridge is just south of this town! Let's find a place to explore first, and then go check it out tomorrow!"
After saying that, he hummed a little tune, rolled up the map, put it in his pocket, and strode towards the town.
"Hmm, I heard there are hot springs in this town...hehehe!"
Night fell quickly, and the lights in the quiet hotel rooms were dim.
It's time to sleep again.
As Itachi closed his eyes to meditate, in the distant Konoha village, Sasuke, filled with worries, also fell into a deep sleep.
In a daze, Sasuke suddenly opened his eyes and found himself back in that familiar bedroom.
The morning sunlight streamed through the window into the room, casting warm patches of light on the wooden floor.
Sasuke sat up abruptly from the bed, his gaze sweeping over his surroundings: the desk, the wardrobe, the family crest hanging on the wall—everything was exactly the same as yesterday.
Thankfully, I returned to my dream home today.
"Nii-san—." Thinking of what happened last night, Sasuke's expression gradually turned anxious.
Without thinking twice, he abruptly threw off the covers and got out of bed, muttering to himself, "I wonder if Nissan is awake yet?"
Thinking of his brother, who was seriously ill and hospitalized in his dream, Sasuke's heart clenched, and he couldn't sit still for a moment.
He quickly changed his clothes and ran down the stairs.
As soon as Sasuke came downstairs, he saw his mother wearing an apron and busy in the kitchen, with a food box on the dining table.
Hearing the noise, Mikoto Uchiha turned around and saw Sasuke. She smiled gently and said, "Oh, Sasuke, it's good you're awake! Are you going to the hospital to see your brother?"
As she spoke, she carefully tied the food box on the table with a cloth strap. "This is perfect for Itachi to take. I was worried he wouldn't like the food at the hospital, so I made him some of his favorite rice balls and miso soup."
"Yes!" Sasuke nodded emphatically, stepped forward confidently, and accepted the food box. "Thank you, Mom!"
Seeing this, Mikoto chuckled and ruffled Sasuke's hair. "I knew you'd rush to the hospital as soon as you woke up," she said, her eyes full of affection. "I've prepared bento boxes for you all, so you can eat with Inaka."
"Hehe, then I won't be polite!" Sasuke carefully closed the lid, hugged the food box to his chest, and said, "I'll take it over right now!"
"Be careful on the road, don't spill the food!" Mikoto reminded him from behind.
"Okay, I know—" Sasuke replied in a drawn-out tone, and had already rushed out the door.
In the VIP audience seats.
"They actually got in again?"
Inside the pitch-black Dream Screening Room, the figure of Uchiha Itachi was revealed in a private VIP box.
He sat silently on the sofa, his eyes fixed on Sasuke running through the curtain, his brows furrowing involuntarily.
It's extremely rare for someone to be able to get in here two days in a row!
"Could that guy really control dreams?"
As Itachi thought this, his eyes narrowed slightly. "Or perhaps, this dream was orchestrated by that guy?"
[Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Itachi Uchiha have been detected! Emotional value +500!]
On the giant screen, Sasuke is happily walking through the street, his face beaming with a long-lost childlike smile.
Looking at his younger brother's innocent and carefree appearance, Itachi couldn't help but feel a faint pain in his chest again.
His clenched fists trembled slightly as a complex mix of emotions surged within him: there was relief, bitterness, and deep guilt and confusion.
However, after a moment, Itachi Uchiha forcefully suppressed all his surging emotions and calmed himself down once again.
He knew that now was not the time to wallow in his emotions; he had to find out the truth behind the dream as soon as possible!
The clues that Itachi had secretly gathered over the years involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
Itachi had long suspected that the mysterious masked man was secretly plotting some earth-shattering conspiracy.
Unfortunately, the other party acted in secrecy, and their true purpose remained a mystery.
The masked man's declaration when he pulled him into the Akatsuki organization flashed through his mind.
Shuang's dream is to build a world that is even more perfect than reality!
An ideal world without war, a world of eternal peace.
At this moment, the dream world within sight—a peaceful and stable Konoha, clansmen living in harmony, without war or strife—is like an ideal country more perfect than reality.
At the time, I thought it was just wishful thinking and didn't take it to heart.
But now, having personally experienced everything that happened in the dream, Shuang is forced to re-examine her words—
Isn't the world shown on the screen the "ideal world" that the other party described?
Uchihata Itachi's face appeared obscure and indistinct against the dim light and shadow.
Sasuke Toru, staring intently at the image of him running towards the hospital, slowly narrowed his eyes: "Could the mastermind behind all this be that masked man?"
If the dream was indeed orchestrated by the masked man, then what was his purpose?
Is it merely to fulfill the wishes of a few people?
How could someone so ugly be so kind?
In an instant, countless questions and speculations intertwined and collided in Itachi's mind.
Thinking of this, Itachi's gaze grew increasingly serious, and he fell into deep thought.