[Obito Uchiha has become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki. You have obtained Six Paths Flame, Flight, Yin-Yang Release, and Ten-Tails Chakra...]
After briefly skimming through the system rewards, Byakuya clicked to claim them.
In an instant, a tremendous power surged into his body. His mind was flooded with information on how to wield these new abilities, including the Six Paths Flame, Flight, and Yin-Yang Release.
The Six Paths Flame was an exclusive ability of Six Paths Obito. It could burn through ninjutsu and be used to cast techniques. For Byakuya in his current state, this was already a rather powerful ability.
Flight was a passive ability possessed by the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki and the Ōtsutsuki. It allowed him to fly freely through the ninja world without needing to perform any technique—extremely convenient.
As for Yin-Yang Release… Byakuya had already acquired a shallow grasp of it back when he was cultivating Nagato. At the time, he could only form black receivers. Creating life or condensing Truth-Seeking Orbs was completely out of the question.
But now, his Yin-Yang Release had been enhanced to the point where he could attempt both.
In addition, there were various foundational powers of the Six Paths Obito. But Byakuya didn't dwell much on those, as after reaching the Ōtsutsuki tier, conventional ninjutsu became largely ineffective.
Only taijutsu, dōjutsu, godlike techniques, and sage arts could harm enemies on the Ōtsutsuki level.
Pulling back his drifting thoughts, Byakuya focused on stabilizing the chakra inside his body and began attempting self-evolution.
He had reached a bottleneck years ago and had been seeking a way to achieve life evolution.
Unfortunately, even after seizing the powers of all nine tailed beasts and secretly manipulating most of the great ninja villages, he still couldn't step into the realm of the Ōtsutsuki. Now that he had gained feedback from Six Paths Obito, he could finally begin breaking through.
His line of thought was simple—if Ōtsutsuki Toneri could become an Ōtsutsuki through chakra alone, then someone like him, who possessed the same amount of chakra, should be able to evolve as well.
After fully digesting the new power, Byakuya grimaced.
He had clearly become much stronger, but there were no signs of evolving into an Ōtsutsuki. Logically speaking, the Ōtsutsuki bloodline within his body shouldn't be any weaker than Toneri's.
Could it be that what he lacked wasn't chakra, but something else entirely?
Pulling himself out of his scattered thoughts, Byakuya refocused on the battlefield below, continuing his patient observation.
Even if he couldn't become a full-fledged Ōtsutsuki, his strength was already close. If he did encounter one, the outcome would still be uncertain—after all, he already wielded several abilities at that level.
Right now, it was more important to observe how Six Paths Obito fought.
He was already familiar with jōnin- and Kage-level battles, but he lacked firsthand experience with combat at the Six Paths level. He needed to study this carefully.
---
On the battlefield below, Obito opened his eyes and looked at the surrounding Kage-level shinobi. Although he was completely surrounded, he showed no signs of panic. Rather than backing down, he boldly launched the first strike.
Second Hokage and the others were momentarily stunned but quickly retaliated. Countless ninjutsu shot toward Obito like a barrage, but he didn't even try to dodge. He let the jutsu land on his body.
Under the heavy bombardment, cracks appeared across his form, but the next second, those cracks vanished completely. Then, Obito launched his counterattack.
Just using simple, unembellished taijutsu, he sent powerful shinobi flying dozens of meters, as though they'd been struck by Susanoo. They crashed to the ground with bone-shattering force.
If they weren't Kage-level themselves, they would've been killed on the spot.
The taijutsu specialists exchanged glances and charged at Obito Uchiha. Since ninjutsu was ineffective, they had no choice but to rely on close combat. They had to take him down here and now. But even the taijutsu experts were completely outmatched before Obito.
Might Guy, who had opened the Seventh Gate, was kicked away like a ragdoll. The Fourth Raikage and Jiraiya were also blasted back more than ten meters, their bones cracking under the impact.
After the skirmish, the group reformed their ranks. This time, their eyes toward Obito were completely different.
The old Obito, as mysterious as he was, had merely been a challenging opponent, one who would retreat into Kamui when threatened. But now, Obito's power had transcended their dimension, making him even stronger than Madara Uchiha.
Noticing their reactions, Obito's lips curled into a grin.
He had become the second Sage of Six Paths. Anyone who tried to resist him now was only walking toward death. All that remained was to dispose of these nuisances and plant the God Tree somewhere.
Only by absorbing all the chakra in the ninja world could the Ten-Tails complete its transformation, becoming the God Tree and casting Infinite Tsukuyomi. But now that he had ascended to Sagehood, he was in no hurry. He might as well enjoy himself.
At that moment, Naruto, Sasuke, Shisui, and Kabuto charged in.
Two Susanoo avatars formed instantly. Naruto and Kabuto entered Sage Mode. The four surrounded Obito and launched another offensive.
Obito frowned slightly and transformed a Truth-Seeking Orb into the Nunoboko no Ken (Sword of Nunoboko), gripping it in hand.
In a flash, the sword slammed into Susanoo, shattering it like glass and forcing Naruto and Kabuto to retreat.
Even as the four of them were pushed back, they exchanged hopeful glances.
Obito may have repelled them, but he couldn't completely ignore their powers. Both Sage chakra-infused jutsu and the dōjutsu of Shisui and Sasuke could still affect him.
That meant they had a real chance at victory.
Obito's face darkened. He wanted to start collecting chakra and cast Infinite Tsukuyomi right away, but these pesky flies kept getting in his way. He had no choice but to kill them first.
Gripping the gigantic spear, Obito prepared to wipe them out.
In the onslaught that followed, Obito attacked like a raging storm. The four barely held their ground, and the risk of falling grew with each exchange.
Fortunately, the other Kage-level fighters realized the urgency and joined the fray. Staring at the endless stream of enemies, Obito's expression became even more grim.
He pulled feathers from his body and tossed them into the air.
These feathers were infused with Six Paths Flame. As they scattered, they activated the Four Red Yang Formation, sealing Naruto, Sasuke, and the others off from the main group.
Obito wanted to deal with the most dangerous threats first.
---
On a nearby hilltop, Yahiko, Konan, and others were closely watching the battle between Obito and the elite jōnin.
Realizing that non-Kage-level ninjas were nothing but a burden, they had already begun orchestrating a strategic retreat for the Allied Shinobi Forces.
At the current scale of battle, even if they won, the losses would be catastrophic. If too many troops were wiped out, even if the ninja world wasn't destroyed, it would plunge into prolonged chaos.
That was something Yahiko and the others couldn't allow. Meanwhile, Nagato, having received a Sharingan transplant, finally awoke from his coma.
Looking at the newly restored light in Nagato's eyes, Yahiko sighed lightly and said, "Nagato, you're finally awake. If Minato hadn't stepped in, you might have died."
After a brief pause, Yahiko continued, "By the way, you were the closest to Byakuya at the time. Was that guy really taken out by Black Zetsu and Obito? Do you think he's still hiding something up his sleeve?"
Nagato replied with a dazed expression, "I don't know. Byakuya just told me to destroy the Rinnegan if the battle failed, but I didn't even manage to do that. I have no idea what's happened to him."
Neither Yahiko nor Nagato believed that Byakuya had died just like that.
With Byakuya's abilities, there's no way he wouldn't be wary of Black Zetsu. Being betrayed by Black Zetsu and Obito might have even been part of his plan.
But what exactly was Byakuya planning?
Now even Obito has become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, and the next step is Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Yahiko sighed again and said, "If you don't know, then forget it. Let's keep leading the Allied Shinobi Forces in retreat. Hopefully, this war ends as soon as possible."
---
Elsewhere, the battle between Madara Uchiha and Senju Hashirama had already come to an end.
After going all out, Madara had defeated Hashirama, using Wood Release to seal him into the ground. Looking down at him, he said with emotion, "Hashirama, I finally beat you once. I won't lose again."
"Do you remember the first time we met…"
Though he had subdued Hashirama, Madara didn't rush to the main battlefield. Instead, he kept chatting with Hashirama while gazing in Obito's direction.
A heavy-hearted Hashirama had no mind to respond, replying only passively.
Once he sensed that Obito had become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, a sharp glint flashed in Madara's eyes. In his original plan, he had intended for Obito to control Nagato and use the Rinne Rebirth Jutsu to bring Madara back to life.
Then, he himself would become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki and cast Infinite Tsukuyomi.
But now, Obito had become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki instead, and he had changed a lot. Whether he would still follow Madara's will and cast Infinite Tsukuyomi was questionable.
Even if Infinite Tsukuyomi were cast, would Madara really want to enter the dream world in this half-dead state?
So while he appeared to be chatting with Hashirama, Madara was already uncertain of his next move. From the moment Obito became the jinchūriki, the initiative had slipped from Madara's hands.
Fortunately, he still held one of the Rinnegan. As long as Obito didn't get it, he wouldn't become a complete jinchūriki, nor could he activate Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Clearing his distracted thoughts, Madara began thinking seriously about how to deal with Obito.
A few minutes later, Madara left Hashirama behind and headed toward Obito. Black Zetsu silently followed, watching Madara's back.
It didn't take long before Madara arrived at the main battlefield.
Thanks to the efforts of Naruto, Sasuke, Shisui, and Kabuto, they had already drained a significant portion of Obito's chakra. Although it was a small fraction for a Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, it had already affected the balance inside his body.
Obito was forcibly suppressing the Ten-Tails with his own willpower, but willpower always has limits.
While fighting Naruto and the others, Obito also had to contend with the Ten-Tails' consciousness — a challenging task.
At the same time, Obito was beginning to realize that his unstable condition might be related to the Rinnegan.
He had only transplanted one Rinnegan. Clearly, that wasn't enough to fully control the Ten-Tails. He needed to obtain the second one as soon as possible to completely suppress the Ten-Tails' will and keep it from resisting.
Still, even without full power, Naruto's side was suffering heavy losses.
Previously defeated by Madara's Four Kage and the elders of Kirigakure, now even Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and the Third Hokage looked miserable, blood trailing from the corners of their mouths.
Only the reanimated Second and Fourth Hokage were still in relatively good shape.
As for Naruto, Sasuke, Kabuto, and Shisui — they continued fighting Obito head-on, bearing the brunt of the assault. Each of them, however, had their own means of mitigating damage.
Naruto had the Sage Body, and Sasuke had the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Kabuto couldn't truly die as long as he was standing on the ground, and Shisui possessed a Sharingan inherited from his clan that allowed him to activate Izanagi at any time.
Just then, the Allied Shinobi Forces noticed Madara's arrival, and their expressions turned grim.
Madara's presence could only mean one thing: that he had defeated the First Hokage. Facing such a powerful enemy, even if they still had the will to fight, their bodies trembled uncontrollably.
Appearing beside Sage Obito in a flash, Madara gave him a look of approval and said, "Obito, you've done well. Now, you just need to bring me back to life, and together we can cast Infinite Tsukuyomi and realize the Eye of the Moon Plan."
Obito frowned slightly and said, "Madara, when did I ever say I was going to bring you back?"
Madara's expression darkened as he replied, "Bringing me back was part of the plan, wasn't it? Or do you intend not to revive me at all? Don't forget. I was the one who saved your life back then."
Obito was just about to argue. He had no intention of reviving that old relic.
Reviving Rin, on the other hand, was something he was willing to consider — letting her live in a world without pain or regrets under the dream of Tsukuyomi.
But then he remembered that he still hadn't transplanted the other Rinnegan, which was in Madara's possession.
Taking a deep breath, Obito said, "Let's deal with this troublesome group first. Using the Rinne Rebirth Jutsu will cost life force. I'll just pick someone at random to revive you afterward. Just hand over the other Rinnegan first."
Though unhappy, Madara still nodded.
"The Rinnegan isn't on me right now, but I'll have Black Zetsu deliver it soon. Don't forget to bring me back."
As they spoke, Madara began stepping closer to Obito, who was becoming increasingly impatient.
Just as Obito was about to say something to brush Madara off, Madara walked up behind him — and without warning, the black rod in his hand pierced straight into Obito's body.