After reprimanding Kisame, Obito looked at Kakuzu and said, "I will follow the rules and not cause trouble for Nagato."
If it were only about Nagato, Obito wouldn't care much about following the rules. But because of the presence of the Flying Thunder God user, he didn't dare to act recklessly in the open and could only engage in some covert activities.
Otherwise, if the Flying Thunder God user found a reason or tracked down his secret base again, it would be a great loss for Obito.
The last time the Flying Thunder God user visited his secret base, Obito lost many of his resources. He couldn't afford another such visit.
Moreover, Obito felt that the Flying Thunder God user was very well-informed about him.
Unless absolutely necessary, Obito didn't want to confront this person.
This was also the reason why he sent a duel invitation to the Ninja Union members instead of attacking them directly.
Of course, another reason was that the women of the Ninja Union were very powerful and had strong sensory abilities.
Obito wasn't confident he could capture them without alerting others.
Moreover, Fire Source City was very close to Konoha. If trouble arose, it could easily alert Konoha and lead to the information reaching the Flying Thunder God user.
Then, he might face a joint attack from the Flying Thunder God user and Nagato's Akatsuki.
This was something Obito definitely didn't want to face.
"It's better this way. As long as you follow the rules, I won't interfere."
After saying this, Kakuzu put away the scroll, glanced at Kisame, and continued towards the forest near the ancient temple.
Kurosuki Raiga glanced at Kisame and Obito, then prepared to follow Kakuzu, only to be stopped by the two.
Obito looked at Kurosuki Raiga and said, "Raiga, I have a way to greatly increase your strength. Are you interested?"
Hearing that Obito intended to recruit Kurosuki Raiga, Kakuzu turned back to look but didn't say anything and continued walking.
Raiga's cowardly behavior had made Kakuzu very displeased.
Even if Raiga didn't follow Obito, Kakuzu planned to kill him himself and take his lightning heart.
Such a person wasn't qualified to be his partner.
Kurosuki Raiga hesitated, looking at the distant Kakuzu and then back at Obito and Kisame.
Kisame spoke, "Raiga, considering we were both members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, let me show you something."
He extended his right hand, and a small tree slowly grew from his palm.
Seeing Kisame demonstrate the Wood Release ability, Raiga's breath hitched.
"Alright!"
Seeing Raiga agree, Obito turned and walked towards the outside of the ancient temple.
"Let's go. Once things are settled here, I'll help you increase your strength."
"Let's go," Kisame said, glancing at Raiga and following Obito.
Raiga gripped the Thunder Blades on his back and followed the two.
Arriving at the forest near the ancient temple, another member of the Akatsuki, Shinno, was already waiting there.
"I'll leave it to you now," Obito said, then entered the Kamui dimension.
From here, Kisame and Shinno would personally recruit the women of the Ninja Union.
Both Kisame and Shinno had been implanted with Hashirama cells by Obito, and he wanted to see how their strength had improved.
Moreover, with Kakuzu nearby, Obito didn't want to reveal his newly acquired abilities and alert Nagato.
His strength wasn't at the level where he could ignore the exposure of information like the Flying Thunder God user.
With Obito gone, Kisame and Shinno exchanged glances and moved to the designated forest bridge, waiting patiently.
Kurosuki Raiga and Kakuzu stood silently in two separate shadows, watching the two.
Before long, Kisame and Shinno saw three masked, cloaked figures appear on the opposite side of the bridge, looking coldly at them.
"Are you the ones who sent the duel invitation?"
"Indeed, it's us," Kisame grinned, sensing the strength of the three women in front of him.
Pakura turned her head towards the direction of Kakuzu and Raiga, asking, "And those two?"
Kisame casually replied, "They won't interfere with our duel."
In his view, the women on the opposite side were strong, but he and Shinno were enough to handle them.
"In that case, let's begin."
With that, Pakura stepped aside, leaving Uchiha Izumi to move to the side, her eyes fixed on one shadow.
In that shadow, Obito was hiding.
She had used her Mangekyo Sharingan to locate Obito as soon as they arrived.
Therefore, she decided to stay and keep an eye on him, allowing Uzuki Yugao to take her place in the duel.
Although Shishou's clone was watching from a distance, ready to intervene, Izumi still preferred to be cautious.
"This woman discovered me. Who is she?" Obito wondered, surprised.
In the distance, Kakuzu frowned at the three women from the Ninja Union, especially the two carrying samurai swords. Something felt off to him.
As a regular customer who frequently deposited money, he hadn't seen the women of the Ninja Union using samurai swords before.
Uzuki Yugao, after ensuring Izumi was out of harm's way, removed her cloak, revealing a tight black samurai outfit. She drew the chakra metal sword crafted by Shishou.
"I'll handle Shinno," Yugao said, waving her single hand towards Shinno on the opposite side of the bridge.
Sword Technique: Wind Blade Slash!
A three-meter-long Wind Release slash flew from Yugao's sword, aiming directly at Kisame and Shinno.
"Disperse," Kisame and Shinno dodged simultaneously.
Pakura, holding a fireball in each hand, charged at Kisame.
Meanwhile, Yugao lunged at Shinno.
In the shadow of a large tree, Shishou's figure quietly appeared, using the Mayfly technique to merge with the tree, observing the battle between Pakura, Yugao, and their opponents.
His clone had informed him of Obito's presence and Pakura's plan.
Upon receiving the information, Shishou had immediately rushed from Ryuchi Cave, replacing his clone to prevent Obito from ambushing them during the fight.
Obito's Mangekyo Sharingan ability, Kamui, was both strange and powerful, and he was not above underhanded tactics.
Of course, if Obito followed the rules and didn't interfere, Shishou wouldn't reveal himself. Doing so would expose his connection to the Ninja Union, making them targets for Obito.
However, he was pleasantly surprised that Izumi had detected Obito's presence.
Watching the increasingly skilled and powerful young women, Shishou felt a sense of pride and accomplishment.
"Izumi and Yugao have grown strong," he thought.
**********
This fanfiction is complete on my P@treon. If you want to read it, you can find it at p@treon.com/Betek. change @ to a