Chapter 207: The Value of Dai Tu

"When throwing, remember to lift it slightly upward; that's the trick."

"Hearing such a sentence, he looked at that familiar yet unfamiliar sentence, then looked at the watermelon-headed idiot boy before him."

"At this moment, Ban also felt as if separated by an age; memories churned in his mind, and he truly felt that everything was so unbelievable."

"His fists clenched slightly, and his mind also pondered what all this was about."

"However, when he clearly saw the watermelon-headed boy's black sclera and the face obviously cracked, he seemed to know."

"And ZhuZhang at this moment also was dazed, because he never dreamed he could actually see this guy!"

"He had just been lamenting the shifting of time and the passing of old friends, that wistful feeling still lingering in his heart, when he unexpectedly actually met this hedgehog-headed guy?"

"Moreover, looking at his appearance, ZhuZhang also seemed to understand what this guy was all about."

"For a moment, his heart was filled with doubt, dazed, nostalgic for the past, and also wondering what all this was about."

"\"Nonsense, I of course know such a trivial matter! \""

"However, just as his heart was full of doubt, Ban suddenly spoke with an unhappy expression."

"\"As long as I'm serious, I can definitely throw it; by the way, who are you? Don't you know it's rude to disturb others? \""

"\"Me. \""

"ZhuZhang froze for a moment, but soon he burst into laughter."

"He put both hands on his waist, slightly tilted his head, and his watermelon-like hair swayed."

"\"I just want you to treat me as your opponent for skipping stones; how does that sound? \""

"\"Tch, mysterious guy. \""

"Ban pursed his lips, gave a soft hum, raised his right hand, again in the standard hand-sword throwing posture, and released the stone."

"The stone stirred up splash after splash on the water surface, but ultimately still failed to cross the river, running out of momentum and falling into the water just before reaching the opposite bank."

"Uh……"

"Ban watched the stone fall into the water, maintaining his throwing pose, his whole body frozen in place."

"I've already thrown it seriously, so why didn't it fly across?"

"\"You bastard, did you deliberately stand behind me to distract me?! \""

"But he reacted quickly, he directly turned around and made an exaggerated gesture, pointing at the smiling ZhuZhang and shouted angrily."

"\"You know I'm very sensitive; if someone stands behind me, I can't pee. \""

"Moreover, I hate anyone doing anything behind my back, anyone!"

"\"Sorry\""

"ZhuZhang seemed to be startled, he sat cross-legged on the ground, utterly despondent, but after pondering for a moment he slowly spoke."

"\"Sorry, everyone has some bad habits; I will strive to change them. \""

"But I always feel some habits might not be easy to change; your stone-throwing posture is really awkward."

"\"Shut up! \""

"Ban gave a soft hum, glanced at ZhuZhang, and then the stone in his hand flew out again."

"Just like before, still using the hand-sword throwing method, it still sank into the water."

"\"Habits aren't always bad; they indicate a person's firm will, they indicate cherishing old feelings. \""

"At least, I won't raise a hand against my friends."

"\"Really? \""

"Before Ban could finish speaking, ZhuZhang, with his watermelon head, stared with big eyes, blinked, and spoke curiously, and his words made him unable to hold back."

"\"I said, shut up! I won't attack my friends; I won't deal a killing blow, got it? \""

"\"Hahaha\""

"ZhuZhang hearing this could only force a laugh for a moment; with the Nine-Tails and Susanoo activated, forcing himself into battle—this is called not dealing a killing blow?"

"How strong is Susanoo? ZhuZhang felt he still had a say, and the Nine-Tails is an even more powerful creature."

"Such a terrifying and powerful creature should only be sealed away, not let it wreak havoc on the world and do evil."

"However, ZhuZhang also felt somewhat at fault, since the one who finally stabbed Ban was him, which also left him unsure what to say."

"Could it be that only the loser is right?"

"\"Your laugh is truly unpleasant! \""

"Ban actually also somewhat knew his words were problematic; he gave a soft hum, then picked up another stone and threw it."

"Seeing the stone fall into the water again, ZhuZhang couldn't hold back; he stood up, picked up a stone, and threw it toward the river surface."

"The stone seemed magical, bouncing and hopping smoothly to the opposite bank."

"\"Did you see? Sometimes you need to be flexible; stubbornly using this method to throw stones won't yield good results. \""

"\"I understand this principle better than you, but what if I was right from the start? \""

"Ban glanced at ZhuZhang, casually picked up a stone and shot it out again, only this time he changed the rhythm."

"He no longer pursued the number of times the stone touched the water surface; instead, he let the stone, upon contacting the water, quickly shoot up and head for the opposite bank!"

"The stone lightly cut through the sky, heavily embedded in the tree on the opposite bank; after doing all that, he turned his body to look at ZhuZhang."

"\"Did you see? So-called right and wrong are merely the same method, yet the ultimate pursuit differs. \""

"\"You merely seek to cross the shore, while I seek something more, more far-reaching. \""

"\"Perhaps this is the difference in vision; you see only leaving the water surface to reach the opposite bank, whereas I see the great tree on the far shore. \""

"\"Perhaps I should make my goal clearer, so our contest would be more evident, rather than. \""

"Having said that, Ban suddenly fell silent, and ZhuZhang also lowered his head without speaking."

"Though never explicitly stated, the two had already tacitly understood each other's meaning."

"ZhuZhang also sighed at this moment, especially since he had just heard the truth of the ninja world, learned of some of Yuzhi's plans, and now he felt somewhat dazed."

Because Yuzhi's plan is basically a remake of Ban's plan, but Yuzhi uses a more subtle yet equally brilliant method.

Moreover, the ninja world now faces a crisis, and everything Yuzhi does is to save the ninja world!

This made ZhuZhang, who had once rejected Ban, grin wryly for a moment; the background shifted, the crisis transformed, and everything could change.

He once acted for peace, but now it seems he is hindering everything.

"Alright, I think I should go now."

Looking at the silent ZhuZhang, Ban gently shook his head, dropped the stone in his hand, and said.

"There are still many things to do; after all, this world is far more dangerous than imagined, and far more troublesome as well."

"Yes, indeed there are still many things to do."

ZhuZhang also nodded; he looked at the turned Ban, hesitated briefly, then continued.

"After all, there are always some invisible hands pushing us forward, urging us to act; perhaps we are also affected by them.

But in the end, all this is right, and it can be considered our choice."

"Indeed, there is a pair of invisible hands."

Ban immediately grasped ZhuZhang's meaning, causing him to turn his head and glance at ZhuZhang, and at that moment he also smiled.

Because this means ZhuZhang also knows the 'truth of the ninja world', which suggests their relationship may ease in a different way.

But this cannot be fully explained now; they still have many issues to resolve, and perhaps when they return from the summit in the future, everything will be easier to discuss.

"You mentioned the owner of those hands—what exactly are they like?"

Although he had an idea in mind, Ban couldn't help but ask, and ZhuZhang did not hesitate.

"I have no right to judge nor intend to criticize; he is great, dedicating himself to everyone, yet he is also cold, after all."

"Hmm, yes, both great and cold; it seems we finally have a common topic."

Ban let out a light laugh, hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

"My name is Ban, pleased to meet you."

"My name is ZhuZhang, pleased to meet you."

The two lightly waved their hands, as if meeting for the first time long ago, but after the wave they each turned and left without much lingering.

Because they both know and believe they will inevitably meet again; perhaps the next meeting will be better!

Only as the two departed, the Sage of Six Paths, hidden within the dimensional space, had completely fallen silent.

Both of these are his great son's chakra reincarnations, and yet they speak of themselves this way?

"Is everything irretrievable? Have I become that 'behind-the-scenes mastermind' completely?"

"Even my son's reincarnation thinks that way?"

"Who! Why has it become like this?!"

——

"The black one, have you heard the news?"

In Leaf Village, everything is harmonious and appears so peaceful.

Meanwhile, in the Land of Waterfalls, Obito, with a hint of gloom, found HeiJue.

Human joys and sorrows differ; over these years Yuzhi has been very happy, whereas Obito has had a rather unhappy time.

Back then he led a team to assault Leaf Village so he could infiltrate and obtain the Impure Earth reincarnation.

What awaited him was far more than a simple crushing defeat!

He lost, losing to Kakashi, and his identity was mysteriously exposed by Kakashi.

He didn't understand why Kakashi knew his identity, and what broke him was that Kakashi showed no hesitation upon learning it.

On the contrary, the guy's blade grew fiercer, and the murderous intent flashing in his eyes intensified!

"What on earth is happening?"

Obito couldn't comprehend, but he knew Kakashi used his own ability to crush him, almost killing him.

"Did I kill myself?"

A strange thought rose in Obito's mind, and it truly made him collapse further.

At the same time, another discovery drove him to the brink of utter collapse.

Kakashi used his power, surprisingly better than his own, even reaching a level capable of killing him!

"Why? How did it become like this!"

Obito roared inside, unable to grasp why events unfolded this way.

He felt as if he had become despised by all, worthless, and his failures seemed to pervade his entire life.

In school, both he and Uchiha Haori were at the bottom, yet that guy managed to stay second-to-last, snatching the last place for himself.

Moreover, in Obito's view, second-to-last and last are no different; they are both Uchiha dead‑weights.

But why, being equally at the bottom, that guy gets along everywhere, can sit and chat with anyone, even play together.

Yet he himself was ignored, unnoticed; it was hard to find someone who cared, like a moonbeam illuminating the darkness within him.

But that person also had an excellent relationship with Yuzhi, to the point that Obito felt his heart ache!

And now, he still loses, constantly losing.

He feels his thirst for victory is almost numb, since he has never won.

Looking back on this grand yet fruitless life, he realizes he has spent it being beaten mercilessly by others.

He was beaten alone when confronting Uchiha Ying, the Nine-Tails incident was beaten by Minato Namikaze, and in Mist Village he was beaten again by Yuzhi.

Later, Kakashi, ZhiShui, and those who came from other worlds, even his counterpart from another world, were all the same!

He truly has been beaten all the way, with no ability to fight back.

Finally he could no longer hold back; he wanted someone to serve as a shield, which led to the raid on Leaf Village years ago.

As a result, that operation pushed him even further into the abyss.

The details of his failure need not be elaborated; what matters most is that this operation almost dragged the entire Akatsuki Organization into it.

Uchiha Haori's strength truly exceeded imagination; with his own power alone he stopped every member of the Akatsuki Organization, and even Nagato's summoning of the Heretical Demon Statues was of no help!

Although such a situation is not uncommon, the problem is that this time Uchiha Haori didn't even use Susanoo!

According to Nagato and his comrades, Yuzhi merely employed a black sphere that inflicted massive damage on them, completely suppressing them!

This level of power already surpasses ordinary understanding; even Obito couldn't figure it out for a while, until he considered a possibility.

"Could it be the Dao‑seeking Jewel? No! That can't be possible!"

The Dao‑seeking Jewel, huh? Obito has at least studied the data left by Madara and Black Absolute for so long that he has some reserves in his belly, more or less.

But sometimes the more one knows, the more desperate one becomes; according to the records of the Six Paths Technique, the condensation of the Dao‑seeking Jewel is not something ordinary people can achieve.

At least one must attain, or even be close to attaining, the Six Paths!

This left Obito completely stunned; could Yuzhi have reached the level of the Sage of Six Paths?

Otherwise, why could he wield the Dao‑seeking Jewel? Why could he crush the Heretical Demon Statues without even using Susanoo? Why is he so terrifying?

With that thought, Obito became completely deflated; how could they contend with an enemy so powerful?

For a while, Obito truly considered giving up.

This really is "It's not that the Akatsuki Organization is incompetent; it's just that Leaf Village has a Gundam," and after the failed raid on Leaf Village, even Madara Uchiha didn't need to think further.

Why does he still overthink so much now?

Consequently, Obito entered a life of idleness, sleeping, forgetting, and eating; whatever Nagato wanted, he gave; whatever Black Absolute wanted to do, he was too lazy to ask.

He thinks he'll often hear that the Akatsuki Organization will "lose two today, three tomorrow, then have a night of peace, awaken to the Four Realms, and Yuzhi will appear again."

After all, the Akatsuki Organization has offended Yuzhi to that extent; this guy may seem magnanimous but is actually petty, and he will definitely not let those Akatsuki members off.

However, what he didn't expect was that Yuzhi seemed to completely ignore them, and even started making some chaotic movie over there?

This was something Obito never saw coming; he truly couldn't understand what Yuzhi was thinking.

Having such overwhelming power yet doing nothing, instead fiddling with this irrelevant and boring thing.

Could it be that...

"He actually isn't as strong as imagined; after using that power once he needs proper adjustment, he even overdrawn himself—do we still have a chance?"

People are somewhat idealistic; they readily believe everything they think, and of course Obito isn't just daydreaming.

Because Yuzhi's performance truly forces one to think that way; possessing such strength yet doing nothing makes it hard not to wonder 'Is he incapable?'

Moreover, Obito is now a "drowning man"; he truly needs some information that can inspire him, something that can motivate him to "progress."

And this news is the most motivating for him, the thing that makes him keep wanting to "progress"!

Over the years, Obito has been quietly striving, causing no trouble, no incidents; even though his progress is limited, it certainly surpasses his past.

And now Nagato has provided some information: the Great Forest of Rock Village, together with other villages, intends to strike Leaf Village in September next year.

This opportunity, in Obito's view, must absolutely be seized!

The Akatsuki Organization has made progress over the years, even though Obito himself doesn't know what they've been up to; after all, he was initially disheartened, then he was "working behind closed doors."

He has no time to care about what those Akatsuki members are doing, but since Nagato demanded so many White Absolute Cells, he thinks Nagato must have made decent progress, right?

"Hmm?"

Black Absolute may not know what Obito is thinking; he just feels Obito is somewhat insane.

Although Obito has performed well these years, Black Absolute has long been utterly disappointed with him.

Leaf Village hasn't caused trouble for the Akatsuki; in Black Absolute's view, that's just Leaf Village being too lazy to deal with them, but he doesn't believe luck will always stay that good.

Moreover, he is more inclined to believe that Obito's name has long been firmly placed on Leaf Village's blacklist, because this guy actually exposed himself!

Exposed Obito, though still highly valuable, cannot even protect his own identity; Black Absolute has long lost confidence in him.

Now Black Absolute is fully training Itachi Uchiha; Itachi's growth over these years has especially pleased him.

This kid, though taciturn and seemingly gloomy, does whatever Black Absolute orders him to do.

He cultivates diligently, studies earnestly, never complains of hardship or fatigue, never says "the pressure is too great," and certainly never complains that the training partners Black Absolute finds are too strong.

This outstanding performance also led Black Absolute to inject White Absolute Cells into this guy, making Itachi Uchiha's Mangekyou Sharingan stronger.

Even if his abilities seem average, his diligence, composure, and combat talent have already, in Black Absolute's eyes, surpassed Obito!

If it weren't for Obito's quite good eyesight, and the fact that everyone's firepower is now focused on him, he could serve as a perfect shield.

Probably Black Absolute has long since completely abandoned Obito, and wouldn't bother with him at all.

These years Obito hasn't sought him much, and he is quite satisfied, at least it's much quieter.

Now this guy suddenly comes looking for him, causing his heart to go "thump" involuntarily.

Damned, this guy has been quiet for so long, and now he's about to cause trouble again?

"What news? Rock Village... Oh, you mean the information Nagato passed on?"

Although Black Absolute feels a bit uneasy, he still strives to cooperate with Obito, and after a brief thought he roughly understands what's going on.

"Exactly, though we don't know what madness Rock Village has unleashed, I think this is an opportunity!"

Obito nodded seriously; he truly doesn't know why Rock Village is in such a hurry, even seeming a bit insane.

Yet this provides them an opening, and Obito is too lazy to think further; he just knows he can't let this chance slip!

"The movie that Leaf Village produced had a huge impact on them, so they couldn't hold back."

Black Absolute muttered under his breath that Obito was an idiot; without even figuring out the cause, he wanted to rush in—truly not knowing how he'd die!

The movies Yuzhi produced, Black Absolute has basically taken Itachi Uchiha to watch.

Honestly, Yuzhi's movies are still enjoyable if you watch them without thinking.

But as soon as you apply a bit of thought and analyze the plot, you instantly spot serious issues.

The earlier movies were mostly collaborations between Leaf Village and other villages, where they jointly saved each other's homelands.

To Black Absolute, this kind of core was already somewhat dangerous, and the movie he recently produced not only detonated that core but even took it a step further.

The new film has already begun to question the elders of other villages, to guide people to think, and to make them ask, "Why do we have to fight?"

This situation is far too dangerous, especially with the books, awards and the like that Yuzhi has produced.

It looks chaotic, but in fact everything is interlinked; each step connects to the next, and the film ultimately ties them all together, highlighting Yuzhi's ambition.

To be honest, Black Absolute was completely bewildered, but after he linked everything together, he had only one thought in mind.

"Public opinion offensive—can it be played like this?"

Having lived a thousand years, Black Absolute feels he has seen everything—massacres, wars, or even the various justifications for war.

He feels he has long known everything and will no longer be confused by such chaotic things.

But this time he truly didn't see it—at least at first he didn't—and when he finally did, he could only say, "So it can be done this way?"

"That guy is still targeting us."

After realizing it, Black Absolute instantly felt targeted; Yuzhi's ambition is huge, even encompassing the entire Ninja World.

And this guy's actions are probably meant to eliminate the negative repercussions of his future moves, such as a massive opposition from almost everyone.

If dissent is inevitable, Black Absolute can find a way to rally people against Yuzhi and cause anything that disrupts their stability!

Although Black Absolute thinks Yuzhi could easily kill and eradicate everyone, doing so would only intensify the resulting hatred.

Uchiha Haori doesn't want these troubles to bother him, nor does he want them to get any chance; he's basically messing with them!

"What a dangerous and terrifying guy."

Black Absolute couldn't help but mutter under his breath; it's no surprise that Obito sees nothing, because he's a fool!

Nevertheless, Black Absolute thinks Obito's idea can be given a little support.

At least he also wants to figure out what's going on with Yuzhi, and that Questing Jade truly gave him an unimaginable shock!

"Besides that, we also need to learn about Long Gate."

During Obito's years of slacking, Long Gate got whatever Obito wanted; this guy acts without regard for consequences, completely placing "hope onto others."

This trash, Black Absolute really doesn't want to waste words with him, especially his deeds—Black Absolute just wants to choke him to death!

But given the current situation, he's helpless; using him as a shield to attract hatred isn't a bad idea.

Itachi Uchiha's growth far exceeded expectations; now Black Absolute treats Itachi Uchiha as the prime cultivation target, and Obito can be used at will.

"Sure, I think we can give it a try."

When Black Absolute thought of this, he simply spoke up.

"Leaf Village's current situation is quite unique and intriguing, but their dominance has already sparked discontent across the Ninja World.

The Akatsuki Organization cooperating with their actions might even obtain some things we need; moreover, deepening ties with other places could allow us to seize their Tailed Beasts."

"Exactly, that's what I think too."

Obito gave a decisive nod, but no one can say for sure whether he truly thought that way.

At least Long Gate has been doing this; under Yuzhi's arrangement, he has gradually earned Rock Village's trust and also serves as the vanguard for Leaf Village's infiltration of Rock Village and other villages.

"Then I'll inform Long Gate and the others, telling them our plan."

Obito continued, and Black Absolute almost couldn't hold back a rolling of his eyes; does Long Gate still need you to tell him what to do?

You still have a bit of prestige and control within the Akatsuki Organization now?

Stop joking; your reputation went bankrupt during that operation years ago, you have nothing left!

Nevertheless, Obito's confidence isn't a bad thing for him; confidence has its own merits.

"The more confident you are, the more outrageous you become, the better you can help me draw fire."

"After all, that's all the value you have."

——

(End of Chapter)