"How's the power of my Fire Release?" Shishou asked.
Obito's face turned pale. It dawned on him that the diminished power of Shishou's Fire Release was entirely due to the lack of air in the base.
Bang! Bang!
Kisame swung his Samehada, breaking the wooden spikes around him. However, for every ten spikes he broke, twenty more rose from the ground, taking their place. Kisame glared at Shishou angrily. His defense against the Flying Thunder God had been turned against him, preventing him from entering the Kamui dimension.
Shishou clearly intended to stall, suffocating Kisame in the base.
The thought of dying from suffocation enraged Kisame. As one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, such a death was humiliating.
Forming hand seals, Kisame prepared to use a Water Release jutsu. Wood Release would only take up more space around him, hindering Obito from pulling him into the Kamui dimension.
"Water Release: Water Shark Bullet Technique!"
Ten water sharks appeared around Kisame, gnawing at the wooden spikes. Since Kisame's water didn't contain oxygen, he could only exchange the oxygen from the surrounding air to breathe through his gills. But with no oxygen in the air, he used the water sharks to clear the spikes.
However, Shishou continuously generated more wooden spikes, making it impossible to clear them all.
Obito gritted his teeth and lunged at Shishou. Kisame was his ally in the Akatsuki, and if Shishou killed him, Obito would struggle to contend with Nagato.
With the base filled with spikes, the only clear area was around Shishou. To enter the Kamui dimension, Obito had to get there.
Seeing Obito charging, Shishou smiled and continued creating wooden spikes to hinder Kisame.
Hmph!
Obito mentally scoffed, prepared to sacrifice an arm if necessary to use his insertion technique, or even resort to Izanagi to ambush Shishou.
In the next moment, Shishou vanished, reappearing in the space Kisame had just cleared with Samehada.
Shishou reached for Kisame, who blocked with his left hand. Kisame swung Samehada with his right hand, only for Shishou to block and disappear.
Immediately, Kisame tore off the arm Shishou had touched.
Spatial ripples appeared around Kisame as a hand reached out, pulling him into the Kamui dimension.
Obito had taken advantage of Shishou's distraction to enter the Kamui dimension.
"Pant...pant..." Kisame gasped for air, relieved to be alive. The deep-sea shark had nearly suffocated underground.
This base was a lost cause, Obito thought grimly. He couldn't fathom how the Flying Thunder God user had found his secret base.
Glancing at the Four-Tails Jinchūriki bound in the Kamui dimension, Obito turned to Kisame. "Let's go see Pain. We need to eliminate this guy quickly, or the Akatsuki's actions will be severely hindered."
With that, Obito left the Kamui dimension with Kisame, appearing in the cave housing the Gedo Statue. He planned to use the original White Zetsu for Kisame's arm.
Obito retrieved the fully restored White Zetsu from the Gedo Statue and ordered it to assist Kisame. The White Zetsu split off a clone, which disappeared underground.
In Amegakure, the White Zetsu clone appeared at the tower, addressing Pain. "Pain, we were attacked by the Flying Thunder God user..."
Meanwhile...
After Kisame and Obito left, Shishou reappeared in the base, using his Phosphorus Beetles to thoroughly inspect the surroundings.
Finding no hidden White Zetsu, Shishou disappeared briefly, returning with several White Zetsu from his lab.
"Such decisiveness," Shishou chuckled, looking at Kisame's severed arm. When he had touched Kisame earlier, he hadn't used the Phosphorus Beetles but had marked him with the Flying Thunder God seal.
The base was in ruins, with the Sharingan collection mostly destroyed by Shishou's flames.
Controlling the White Zetsu to search the soil around the base, Shishou quickly found what he sought.
Swoosh!
Shishou appeared in a dark chamber. In the center lay a coffin.
Opening it, Shishou saw the remains of the aged Uchiha Madara.
"Madara," Shishou sighed theatrically. "I didn't expect our first meeting to be like this."
Once, he had been a boy dreaming of dancing in the moonlight.
Retrieving his Phosphorus Beetles, Shishou left some of Madara's cells as samples and began devouring the remains.
Devour and feedback!
Madara, having awakened the Rinnegan and reached the Six Paths realm, provided immense energy through the enhanced devour and feedback process.
Shishou's chakra surged, doubling rapidly. His Mangekyō Sharingan's power intensified, his vision growing clearer and brighter.
"The awakening of the Rinnegan is inevitable," Shishou mused, feeling the changes in his eyes.
Madara's Six Paths-level remains had granted Shishou an unexpected boost.
According to the Uchiha stone tablet in the Naka Shrine, the Rinnegan didn't require the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, only the Mangekyō Sharingan itself.
The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan didn't grant new abilities, only durability. Both Madara and Sasuke had awakened the Rinnegan through combining Uchiha and Senju blood.
"Opposing powers, unified, give birth to the ultimate truth—Six Paths power!"
Thus, with his Mangekyō Sharingan, Hashirama's power, and now Madara's Six Paths-level remains, Shishou's awakening of the Rinnegan was certain.
After devouring Madara's remains, Shishou bowed to the coffin and returned to the base.
Finding two surviving Sharingan in a corner, Shishou, seeing nothing else of value, swallowed the White Zetsu he had brought and left.
Returning to his secret lab, Shishou spent a day perusing Madara's scrolls before heading back to Konoha.
Madara's Six Paths-level remains had exceeded Shishou's expectations. His body needed time to adapt to the changes from devouring Madara, making it unsuitable to travel for now.
"Explain the situation in detail," spoke the ethereal image of Tendo Pain from the fingertips of the Gedo Statue.
Uchiha Obito, hearing this, began to recount his tale. He and Kisame had been in the Land of Water, investigating the whereabouts of the Flying Thunder God user, when White Zetsu alerted them that his base had been infiltrated. Upon returning, they engaged in a fierce battle with the intruder.
"I see," Tendo Pain responded coldly. "Continue gathering information on his location. It would be easier to eliminate him once we know his whereabouts. Perhaps he isn't from the Hidden Mist Village; you should also investigate Konoha and other places."
After saying this, Tendo Pain vanished.
The Akatsuki had previously focused their investigation around the Hidden Mist Village, given that the Flying Thunder God user had aided the village multiple times. Additionally, the Mizukage, Mei Terumi, had frequently covered for the user regarding Wood Release techniques, hinting at a special relationship between them.
Recently, the Akatsuki had noticed a new teenage boy by Mei Terumi's side, often seen shopping with her. Unbeknownst to them, this young boy was the Flying Thunder God user, who had the ability to alter his size and appearance.
After Tendo Pain ended the summoning technique, Obito jumped off the Gedo Statue and entered the underground space behind it. Inside, Kisame was resting, recovering from his injuries. His severed arm had been treated by Obito but would take time to fully regenerate.
"Keep an eye on him," Obito instructed the main body of White Zetsu, glancing at Kisame before entering the Kamui dimension.
In the shadows of Konoha, Uchiha Obito donned a common Anbu hawk mask and black attire, blending seamlessly into the village. He made his way to a flower shop, guided by his memories.
"Thank you, come again," Yamanaka Ino cheerfully said, bowing to the Anbu ninja before her. She then called out to her mother and dashed out the door, excited to meet up with Hinata and find Shishou.
Holding a bouquet of flowers, Obito walked to the memorial stone. Once the area was clear, he approached Rin Nohara's grave.
Seeing a bouquet already placed there, presumably by Kakashi, Obito's forehead veins bulged with anger. He discarded Kakashi's flowers and placed his own on Rin's grave.
"Rin, I've come to see you," Obito said hoarsely, staring at her name.
Meanwhile...
Shishou, having returned from Obito's base, abruptly awoke in his bed, sensing a presence in his room.
"Obito is here," a White Zetsu, with a Sharingan swirling in its eye, emerged from the floor, speaking flippantly.
Shishou quickly disposed of the White Zetsu, frowning in silence. To prevent another attack on Konoha and potential harm to Ino, Hinata, and Tenten, Shishou had stationed several White Zetsu spores around Rin's grave to monitor for Obito.
He knew Obito's deep affection for Rin would draw him to her grave if he entered Konoha.
Knock, knock, knock!
An urgent knock on the door was followed by Yamanaka Ino's voice, "Shishou, Shishou, open the door!"
Why are Ino and Hinata here now? Shishou thought, slightly annoyed. He created two shadow clones—one to stay near Naruto and another to keep an eye on the village.
Though he wanted to keep an eye on Obito, he couldn't risk exposing himself as a Konoha resident.
After making these preparations, Shishou shrank his body, placed Kushina's soul egg in his pocket, and opened the door.
"Shishou, let's go shopping!" Ino exclaimed, grabbing his arm excitedly.
"Sh-Shishou..." Hinata stammered, looking up at him shyly.
"Alright, let's go," Shishou sighed, letting them lead him to Konoha's commercial district. Though he enjoyed the company, he preferred teasing older women like Izumi, Yugao, Anko, and Pakura—or even more mature ones like Tsunade, Mikoto, Miroku, and Eri.
As night fell, Obito silently entered Kakashi's room, waiting for him to return. His goals were to visit Rin's grave, investigate if the Flying Thunder God user was in Konoha, and reclaim Kakashi's Sharingan.
The pressure from the Flying Thunder God user had forced Obito to seek more power. With Madara's Rinnegan in Nagato's possession, he set his sights on Kakashi.
Around midnight, Kakashi returned home after his shift. As he entered through the window and headed to the bathroom, he suddenly gripped a kunai, ready to defend against an attacker.
To his shock, the attacker's hand passed through his body. Kakashi immediately gathered Lightning Release chakra in his hand, striking at the shadowy figure, but his attack also passed through the intruder.
Recognizing the situation, Kakashi used the speed of his Lightning Blade to break through the wall and escape, hoping to alert others with the noise.
Just as the Fourth Hokage's spirit had warned him, Kakashi knew to flee and alert the Third Hokage if he encountered the masked man.
"Using the Lightning Blade to escape? How pathetic, Kakashi," Obito growled, frustrated by Kakashi's unexpected move.
He entered the Kamui dimension, reappearing ahead of Kakashi's path.
It must be him, Kakashi thought, changing direction and planting explosive tags to draw attention.
Boom!
The explosion echoed through the quiet village, alerting Konoha's guards and the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Having just left his office, the Third Hokage quickly mobilized with the nearby Anbu towards Kakashi's location.
"Is Obito after Kakashi's Mangekyo Sharingan?" Shishou's shadow clone mused, watching Kakashi flee using his Lightning Blade before vanishing with a 'poof.'
In the Land of Demons, Miko's Palace...
"What a mess," Shishou muttered, waking abruptly as his shadow clone's memories flowed in. He had assumed Obito's visit to Konoha was merely to mourn Rin, not to target Kakashi. Confident his shadow clone could protect Naruto, he had come to spend time with Miko Eri.
"What's wrong?" a sleepy Eri asked beside him.
"Something came up; I need to go back. You all go back to sleep," Shishou replied, kissing Eri's cheek before dressing and vanishing.
Eri blinked, then hugged the person next to her, falling back asleep.
You may also Like
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT