Naruto: Reborn as Uchiha Obito

Obito walked toward Itachi step by step.

At this moment, Itachi stood frozen, his hands weakly holding a kunai, eyes staring blankly past Obito filled with nothing but sorrow.

Behind Obito, the boy lay motionless on the ground. Blood seeped slowly from his body, staining the earth crimson.

Not far away, the lifeless forms of their teacher and the girl completed the horrific scene.

"How is it? Do you feel the pain, Uchiha prodigy…?"

Seeing Itachi's stunned, vacant expression, Obito stopped in front of him, the corner of his mouth curling slightly.

"…You?!"

Obito's voice snapped Itachi back to reality. Just as he raised his head to respond, a flash of red caught his attention and his eyes widened in shock.

"You're… Uchiha…!"

His gaze locked on the Sharingan visible under the mask.

But Itachi was sharp, even as a child. He quickly narrowed his eyes.

"No… you're not one of Konoha's Uchiha."

He raised his kunai, gripping it tightly, his eyes filled with wariness.

Obito ignored the defensive stance, only lifting an eyebrow as he stared into Itachi's gaze.

"Rare talent indeed. Looks like your reputation as a genius isn't just talk."

"It seems," Obito said with a faint smile, "that my gift has been delivered."

"…What?"

The words puzzled Itachi until he realized something felt different. His vision… sharper than before.

A thought struck him. Could it be…?

He tilted his kunai slightly, letting the sunlight reflect into his eyes.

What stared back at him was no longer plain black irises but deep crimson, each eye bearing two rotating tomoe.

He had awakened the Uchiha's kekkei genkai the Sharingan and at the second tomoe stage no less.

But instead of joy, the awakening came with an ache that weighed on his heart.

As the truth sank in, his expression darkened. He glared at Obito.

"…What do you mean by 'gift'?"

"Hm… Didn't you already guess?"

Obito's tone was almost teasing as he pointed to his own eyes.

"When an Uchiha awakens the Sharingan, it's often born from pain and loss."

"The truest pain," he continued, "is the pain of losing someone dear. Only when you experience that sorrow… do you truly awaken."

"This," Obito said calmly, "is my birthday present to you."

He tilted his head slightly, as if noting something else.

"Though… I didn't expect you to awaken at the second tomoe right away."

Itachi's face twisted with disgust.

"So you… had no personal grudge against them. From the start, you were after me!"

"That's right. Sharp mind," Obito replied, sounding pleased.

"I killed them for one reason... they were your teammates."

"As for who they were? I couldn't care less."

He spread his hands casually.

The color drained from Itachi's face.

This masked man wasn't here to kill him but his teacher and friends had died simply because of their connection to him.

Taking a breath, Itachi pressed on.

"Who are you? Why target me? What's your purpose?"

Obito chuckled softly.

"Itachi, you still don't seem to understand your own value."

"…What do you mean?" Itachi asked, brows furrowing.

"You're the Uchiha clan's celebrated prodigy graduated from the Academy in your first year, known across Konoha. And you're the clan head's son."

"That's a dangerous amount of attention. The kind of attention people with plans never ignore."

Obito's tone was playful, but his words were deliberate.

Itachi stood silent, trying to process it all.

"As for my identity and purpose…" Obito said as his Sharingan morphed into a pair of sickle-shaped patterns,

"…we'll talk next time we meet."

The space around him began to warp.

"If you don't want trouble, don't tell anyone you saw me."

"Now that you've awakened your Sharingan, look into its abilities when you return. And under Naka Shrine, there's a stone tablet that only those with the Sharingan can read."

"If you have the time, you might find something… enlightening."

With that, his body distorted into the swirling void and vanished.

"…Those eyes…"

Itachi stared at the spot where Obito had disappeared. The pattern in those eyes wasn't the Sharingan he knew, it had surpassed even the three tomoe stage.

And from his words, Obito would seek him out again. Which meant his purpose wasn't just forcing Itachi's awakening.

Turning toward the bodies of his teacher and teammates, the weight of reality crushed down on him.

"…It's my fault… all because of me."

Tears blurred his vision, falling freely down his cheeks.

In the Kamui dimension.

"He should be hooked… he won't blow my cover this time."

Obito sat casually, touching his chin.

This time, he wasn't in a rush to claim Madara's name himself, better to let Uchiha Itachi connect the dots.

By revealing his Mangekyō Sharingan and dropping hints about the Naka Shrine tablet, he had set the perfect trail.

Once Itachi saw the tablet's contents and linked them to the man with the Mangekyō, the conclusion would be obvious: Madara Uchiha.

Far more convincing than anything Obito could've said outright.

--------------------------------------

Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and Exclusive R-18 Content!

--------------------------------------

Update schedule: 7 chapters/week

Every 300 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter

By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.