A Transmigrator's Story in the Hyuga's Main Branch

159. Unseen, Unheard: The Tale of Obito Uchiha (3)

159. Unseen, Unheard: The Tale of Obito Uchiha (3)

Meanwhile, Madara could feel the raw power emanating from Obito's Sharingan as he spoke, even though it was just an ordinary form at that moment.

It was one of the strongest manifestations of Uchiha potential he had ever encountered, a testament to the ancient and formidable origins of their bloodline.

This surge of power reminded Madara once again of the deep, ancient roots of his clan, a lineage imbued with both extraordinary abilities and intense emotions.

Reflecting on Obito's journey, Madara realized that while he hadn't directly engineered every step of the boy's tragic path, he had monitored him closely for a long time through White Zetsu and other clones.

From the very beginning, Madara understood that his key agent, the one who would help bring his grand vision to life, most likely needed to come from the Uchiha clan.

The Uchiha, with their overwhelming emotions and latent power, were also inherently easier to manipulate when those emotions were properly stoked.

Madara's vast experience with his own clan taught him this truth, and this insight led him to target and select Obito at an early stage.

Obito had been one of the least promising members of the Uchiha clan, if not the worst one, almost embarrassingly so. His lack of talent was so pronounced that it seemed as if he barely carried the bloodline at all.

But Madara saw something far more valuable in Obito, something that many would overlook: the boy had an extraordinary capacity for love.

In fact, Madara recognized that this love for the world and others was perhaps the strongest he had ever witnessed in a Uchiha.

And he knew, better than anyone, that what truly fueled the power of the Sharingan—and the Uchiha as a whole—was not superficial talent in low-level ninjutsu, of Fire Release, for example, but the depth of their emotions.

Love was an emotion and a potent one at that. Madara understood that the intensity of love and compassion could easily be twisted into hatred when betrayed or unfulfilled.

Obito's immense love for the village, for his mentor, and for Rin had transformed, through the crucible of his experiences, into boundless grief and hatred.

This powerful shift in emotion had driven Obito to the brink, into a profound detachment from everything he once held dear.

It was evident in the unprecedented leap Obito had made, bypassing the three-tomoe stage entirely and awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan directly from two tomoe—a feat that, to Madara's knowledge, was unparalleled in Uchiha history.

This indicated that Obito's emotions were not just intense; they were extraordinary.

Madara recognized that he had indeed hit the jackpot with Obito. Here was a boy who had been disregarded and bullied by everyone from birth, making him incredibly vulnerable and easy to recruit without anyone even noticing it or understanding what kind of an asset they lost.

He had anticipated that Obito's powers would be formidable—after all, the young Uchiha had been subjected to some of the most intense emotional traumas imaginable, a known catalyst for unlocking profound strength in the Sharingan. However, the level of power Obito achieved was beyond even Madara's initial projections.

Obito's abilities were not just strong; they rivaled and, in some aspects, potentially exceeded even Madara's own Mangekyo techniques.

This was a significant realization for Madara, who had long stood unchallenged as one of the pinnacle wielders of Uchiha power.

The idea that Obito could possess abilities nearing or even surpassing his own was both exhilarating and a cause for caution.

In fact, not only did Obito possess the formidable abilities of the Mangekyo Sharingan, but his situation was uniquely enhanced by the integration of Hashirama's cells into his body.

This addition granted him nearly unlimited use of his abilities, a significant advantage that typical Sharingan users did not enjoy.

The cells from Hashirama, known for their extraordinary regenerative properties Madara knew about firsthand, provided Obito with enhanced vitality that countered the usual drawbacks of the Mangekyo Sharingan, such as rapid energy depletion and eventual blindness.

Furthermore, the Hashirama cells augmented Obito's physical capabilities in several crucial ways.

They conferred a partial Wood Release ability and not only added to his combat techniques but also enhanced his chakra reserves, making him even more formidable.

The enhanced regeneration meant that Obito could recover from injuries at an astonishing rate, further complementing his intangibility to make him an almost indestructible force on the battlefield.

The stronger body and increased chakra capacity, combined with the training and teachings he received directly from Madara himself in many other techniques, turned Obito into a uniquely overpowered shinobi.

Understanding the vast potential Obito held due to the confluence of his abilities, Madara made certain to reinforce the seal placed on him as much as possible.

Overall, he assessed that Obito's future capabilities could surpass those of Minato Namikaze, Obito's former so-called "teacher." This would place him within the realm of what Madara considered the Early Six Paths level of strength in a few years—a tier of power previously only approached by figures like himself and Hashirama or around a level weaker than them.

Madara, a battle enthusiast at heart, was particularly intrigued by the potential showdown between Obito and Minato.

This was not merely due to their connections but because it would represent a clash of two of the most formidable space-time abilities in the shinobi world.

Space-time ninjutsu was highly prized as one of the most valuable, strategic, and 'overpowered' categories of jutsu, and a duel between Minato's Flying Raijin and Obito's "Kamui" would be a spectacle.

Each technique offered different advantages, with Minato's ability providing unmatched speed and precision, while Obito's offered near-perfect defense and unexpected offensive.