Reincarnation Paradise Park-Chapter 581 - 69: Quietly Watching You Show Off

At the border of the Country of Fire, near a secret base of the Akatsuki Organization.

Su Xiao stood in front of a rock wall, pressing the ’Ring of the Void’ in his hand into a groove on the wall.

Rumble...

The rock wall rose, revealing a passage leading into the mountain. As he walked in, the rock wall slowly descended behind him, shrouding the passage in darkness.

Muffled voices could be heard coming from within the secret base, and Su Xiao followed the sound.

"Lies... they must be lies. These are obviously falsehoods. Itachi protecting me? Nonsense, I almost got killed by him several times."

Er Zhuzi’s roar echoed from within the base, as if Obito was explaining Itachi’s truth to Sasuke.

"If Itachi was serious, you’d be dead by now."

Obito’s voice came through, his tone calm.

"Impossible. He didn’t even hesitate to use the Mangekyo Sharingan’s pupil technique to kill me. His aim was my eyes, not to protect me. Dare to speak such rubbish again, and I’ll definitely kill you."

Er Zhuzi’s voice was somewhat weak, laced with disbelief that Itachi would protect him, yet the trembling tone indicated he was wavering.

"Itachi had already calculated everything that happened during the battle, including your abilities and chakra level, how you would respond to his attacks. His goal was to push you into a desperate situation, for what purpose... you’ve already guessed, haven’t you?"

Listening to Obito’s words, Sasuke’s mouth slightly opened, recalling the scene when Orochimaru was sealed. The feeling of lightness in his body couldn’t be faked.

Obito continued narrating the truth to Sasuke, whose voice of refutation grew weaker.

Su Xiao pushed the door open and entered the room. Obito, wearing a mask, glanced at Su Xiao, while Er Zhuzi hung his head low, eyes vacant, seemingly questioning his life.

"The smell of blood, is there an enemy nearby?"

"No, I went near Konoha earlier."

Su Xiao didn’t say more, and Obito nodded.

Sasuke glanced at Su Xiao, those dim eyes full of confusion, devoid of the once steadfast hatred.

"Bai Ye, you’ve come at the right time. Sasuke, this is Itachi’s partner in capturing tailed beasts during his lifetime."

Sasuke’s eyes regained some spirit.

"You..."

Sasuke started to speak but didn’t know what to say.

Su Xiao waved his hand: "I don’t really understand about Itachi’s matters."

Lighting a cigarette, the scent of tobacco gradually filled the cave.

"Well, I only have one question."

Sasuke’s fists clenched tightly.

"Between me and Itachi... who is stronger?"

Upon Sasuke’s question, Su Xiao and Obito exchanged glances, both having the same thought, which was, where did this kid’s confidence come from?

"Forgive my bluntness, this is the most foolish question I’ve heard recently."

Su Xiao exhaled a puff of pale blue smoke, his momentum gradually changing, as if blood energy was swirling around his waist where Dragon Slash hung. This aura, which repelled living beings, tensed Sasuke’s nerves.

"Between you and Itachi, who’s stronger? Are you confident you can kill me?"

Sasuke hesitated for a moment, remembering their first encounter when Su Xiao’s blade tip was at his throat, ready to take his life at any moment.

"Perhaps... I can’t."

"Oh? So you think I’m stronger than Itachi?"

Sasuke nodded, after previous battles, Itachi wasn’t considered very strong in his perception.

"With your level of Three-hooked Writing Wheel Eye and Thunder Ninjutsu, I could slaughter you in twenty minutes. As for Itachi... I don’t want to fight him; there’s an eighty percent chance I’d die."

Sasuke shook his head, seemingly dubious.

"To speak of nothing else, just the level of illusion techniques, I’ve seen Itachi use them to control a Jinchuriki, whereas your illusion technique level, hehe~"

Considering Sasuke wasn’t clear on the combat style of Jinchurikis, Obito spoke up.

"A Jinchuriki can be immune to most illusion techniques. You can imagine, the Jinchuriki carries the tailed beast sealed within, so two types of chakra and two consciousness coexist in one body. The tailed beast can release chakra to disrupt the Jinchuriki’s chakra structure, breaking the illusion automatically."

With that explanation, Sasuke understood how difficult it was to control a Jinchuriki with illusions, which was almost impossible.

"Itachi really... can control such guys with illusions? With two interfering chakras, how could illusions be effective?"

Under Obito’s ’persuasion’, Er Zhuzi was more uncertain about life, while Su Xiao and Bubu Wang watched from the side as Obito put on a show.

"You’ve had a confrontation with Orochimaru. Back then, Orochimaru faced Itachi and was defeated in one move, after which he defected from the Akatsuki and became obsessed with the power of the Sharingan. This was all part of Itachi’s plan, to have Orochimaru wholeheartedly train you."

Obito delivered a ’lethal blow’ to Er Zhuzi.

Er Zhuzi stopped talking, a special chakra surged from his mind.

"This is..."

Obito’s Sharingan spun, finally taking on a Mangekyo form.

"Itachi... Konoha’s top brass, I want to kill those guys."

Sasuke’s head suddenly lifted, those eyes with Three-hooked Magatama rotated and finally formed a hexagram shape, Sasuke’s Mangekyo Sharingan appeared.

"To open the Mangekyo, it’s the first time I’ve seen it."

Su Xiao scrutinized Sasuke. Just after opening the Mangekyo, Er Zhuzi’s body went soft and he collapsed, likely due to excessive emotional fluctuation causing him to faint.

"How many days has this guy been unconscious? Didn’t his and Itachi’s showdown occur three days ago?"

"He’s been unconscious."

Obito pondered for a moment, looking at Su Xiao.

"Thanks for your previous assistance in action, but all along, I still don’t know what your goal is."

"My goal? To absorb tailed beast chakra, that’s why I joined the Akatsuki."

Su Xiao’s straightforwardness caught Obito off guard for a moment.

"You noticed the tailed beasts I captured earlier, right? They’re all half-dead."

"Oh? Aren’t you afraid the leader will kill you?"

"Of course, I am. The leader’s strength is too formidable, I’m not a match yet. Greed never retreats because of fear, only boldness can make you stronger."

Su Xiao faintly sensed that Obito seemed to be about to say something important.

"I’ve transplanted that Sharingan from before."

Obito pointed to his own Sharingan, which was actually his original eye, not transplanted.

"Quite a good ability, this Sharingan belongs to the Space series."

"Very impressive, by the way, there’s one more thing. The leader doesn’t intend to allow you to participate in capturing the Eight-tails and Nine-tails plan, you probably know the reason."

"Figured as much."

Su Xiao’s captured tailed beasts were all half-dead. Nagato’s patience had limits, and that was two.

"What do you plan to do afterward? Leave the Akatsuki? After all, you’ve achieved your goal."

"I haven’t thought about it yet, hidden in Mist Village, Sand Village, Iwagakure Village, Konoha. I’ve offended these four great ninja villages, except for the Akatsuki Organization, no other force would take in an evil man like me. I’m just an assassin with no place to rest, so I’ll stay here."

After listening to Su Xiao, a smile appeared beneath Obito’s mask.

If Su Xiao had been difficult to trust in the past, then now he was very trustworthy because he had offended too many forces, which was a reckless rogue ninja style, but Obito didn’t know there was a place called Reincarnation Paradise.

"Why not work for me?"

"Work for you?"

Su Xiao grinned.

"You’re also a member of the Akatsuki, on the same level as me, why should I work for you?"

"Why? What if I told you my name is Uchiha Madara?"

Su Xiao internally sneered, secretly noting how loudly Obito was bragging.

"Uchiha... Madara."

Su Xiao stood up, contemplating whether to temporarily join Obito’s faction, despite the risks.

If it was before, he would have immediately refused, but now he already had the power to protect himself, so it wasn’t impossible to consider.

Obito had always been using Nagato to accomplish the Moon’s Eye Plan, while Madara had always been using Obito, and Kakuzu had been using Madara all along. These people used each other, relationships were complicated.

Given the current situation, Nagato wouldn’t let Su Xiao capture tailed beasts anymore. Nagato’s goal was to use the power of the tailed beasts to rule the world to stop the war. Su Xiao’s actions of absorbing tailed beast chakra had made Nagato very dissatisfied.

Obito, on the other hand, had much looser requirements, no matter how much absorption, as long as the tailed beast was still alive, it was okay.

"If you really are Uchiha Madara, can I understand that... you are the true leader of the Akatsuki?"

"No, the leader of the Akatsuki is neither me nor Pain; it’s a man named Yahiko who is already dead. This is my agreement with Pain."

Su Xiao extinguished the cigarette between his fingers and looked at Obito: "Anyone can claim to be Uchiha Madara, I’ll think about it and give you a reply."

"Of course you can."