Thinking back to his first encounter with Byakuya.
When he first met Byakuya, the latter had been introduced as a regular Chūnin in the Akatsuki. Yet beneath that façade lay a power so formidable it even made Minato-sensei wary. Later, during subsequent interactions, Byakuya had saved both him and Nohara Rin.
Then came the meeting after he had become "Madara Uchiha." At that time, facing his masked self, Byakuya showed no surprise at all. From his tone and demeanor, it was as if they had known each other all along.
Recalling that, Obito suddenly had a terrifying realization and stared at Byakuya in disbelief.
"Byakuya... did you already know who I was from the beginning?"
Byakuya gave a faint, amused smile and nodded. "You're right. The moment the masked man approached me, I recognized you. Back then, I was curious how your strength had grown so rapidly... but once I saw Black Zetsu at your side, I understood everything. It was obviously Black Zetsu who helped you grow stronger so you could collect the nine tailed beasts."
Obito broke into a cold sweat. He then asked, "Since you knew who I was, why didn't you expose me? Why didn't you stop the Nine-Tails' attack?"
Byakuya glanced at him and said calmly, "Are we close? Why would I expose you? Besides, you were the one who never revealed your identity to me. Did you ever truly believe anything I told you?"
Obito's face paled.
He recalled that Byakuya once suggested Rin retire from the front lines. It was he himself who insisted Rin stay, and in the end, he had gotten her killed. In a way, her death was on his hands.
Byakuya continued, "As for the Nine-Tails' Rampage, that was your operation alone. You wanted to kill Minato and Kushina. It had nothing to do with me. In fact, weakening Konoha was beneficial to Akatsuki's growth. For that, I should thank you and, hmm, I can't give you a crown since I don't have one."
Every word struck at Obito's heart, leaving him utterly devastated. He collapsed to the ground with empty eyes and sighed weakly. Seeing Obito mentally collapse and give up, Byakuya lost interest in continuing the verbal assault. They sat side by side, watching the battle play out on the projection screen.
With both the Sage Body and the Rinnegan, Madara Uchiha now possessed terrifying power. His oppressive strength was already no less than that of the previous Sage of Six Paths Obito.
First, he used Limbo clones to defeat the six tailed beasts and sealed all nine into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Then his true body continued to battle Naruto and Sasuke. Before long, he used his experience to defeat the Second and Fourth Hokage, shifting his focus to the remaining Jinchūriki.
Seeing the Allied Shinobi Forces repeatedly pushed back, Obito couldn't hold back and asked, "Byakuya, when exactly do you plan to act? Are you really going to face Madara Uchiha as the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki? I know you've been hiding some of your strength… but you can't possibly be his match. You've never possessed the Ten-Tails' power. You can't begin to understand how strong a Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki really is."
Byakuya glanced at him and replied unhurriedly, "You're still as impatient as ever, Obito. I'll admit, the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki is strong—but as long as that old man decides to step in, the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki is just a joke."
"...What old man?"
Obito frowned in confusion. "Who are you talking about? Hanzo the Salamander? Don't tell me… the legendary Sage of Six Paths?"
Byakuya nodded slightly.
"You're smart for once. That's right, I'm waiting for the Sage of Six Paths to act. If he doesn't intervene, I won't feel at ease."
Byakuya was speaking from the heart, but Obito clearly didn't believe him.
The Sage of Six Paths was nothing more than a legend. Even if he had existed, he'd been dead for centuries. It's not like someone could use Reanimation Jutsu to bring him back…
Seeing Obito's disbelief, Byakuya didn't bother explaining further. He turned his attention back to the screen.
As time passed, the Jinchūriki were defeated one by one by Madara Uchiha. The massive Allied Shinobi Forces were powerless to stop him.
Soon, Gaara and Killer Bee fell. Naruto was pinned to the ground with black rods, unable to move.
Sasuke, Shisui, and Kabuto tried to fight back but were all blasted away by Madara and fell unconscious.
Sasuke, in particular, had his body pierced by a black rod.
This also meant that the Second Hokage's plan to have Sasuke assassinate Madara had completely failed.
To Madara, family and friendship now meant nothing compared to his Infinite Tsukuyomi plan. After extracting the tailed beasts from the Jinchūriki, Madara took the Demonic Statue and moved to a new location.
He needed a secure place to become the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki and plant God Trees across the world to drain its chakra.
Watching Madara act so arrogantly, Obito couldn't help but feel bitter. At the same time, he kept glancing at Byakuya, wondering what method he had up his sleeve for a comeback.
Was it possible that Byakuya was just another failure like him, too scared to leave?
As if sensing Obito's gaze, Byakuya split the projection into two screens—one showing Naruto, the other Sasuke.
Right before their deaths, both suddenly erupted with a mysterious power. Not only did it stabilize their conditions, but their chakra increased severalfold.
Could it be… the Sage of Six Paths really existed? But why would he help Naruto and Sasuke? Obito turned toward Byakuya, hoping for an explanation.
Byakuya didn't keep it to himself and began to explain slowly, "Over a thousand years ago, the Sage of Six Paths had two sons—Indra and Asura. But due to how he treated them differently, it eventually led to conflict. Even after their deaths, Indra and Asura's chakra kept reincarnating and fighting across generations.
The previous Asura reincarnation was Hashirama Senju. Indra's was Madara Uchiha. In this generation, their reincarnations are Naruto and Sasuke."
"...Madara is Indra's reincarnation? But what does that have to do with the Sage intervening?" Obito still didn't quite get it.
Byakuya gave a light sigh and said with a playful look, "The reason is very simple. The Sage of Six Paths doesn't want to see the Ten-Tails revived or God Trees planted. Infinite Tsukuyomi was never a path to peace—it's just a tool to plunder chakra. Once the God Tree fully matures, the ninja world will be completely devoid of life. Only you and Madara would believe Black Zetsu's nonsense. Haven't you, Uchiha, ever recorded anything about that thing? Every few decades, it shows up to manipulate a Uchiha again."
Byakuya's words contained so much information that Obito had to sit and digest them for a long while.
Finally, he looked at Byakuya and asked in a low voice, "Byakuya… who are you, really? I can't see through you at all anymore."
"I'm the leader of the Akatsuki. I'm the commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces. I'm also a collaborator in the Eye of the Moon Plan. Haven't you always known who I am?"
Byakuya gave him an odd look, as if Obito were some sort of idiot.
The projection screens continued to play.
After encountering the Sage of Six Paths on the brink of life and death, both Naruto and Sasuke underwent a transformation. Naruto not only directly entered his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, but several Truth-Seeking Orbs also appeared behind him. Meanwhile, one of Sasuke's Sharingan eyes evolved directly into the Rinnegan.
"So this is the gift from the Sage of Six Paths?"
Even through the viewing screen, Obito could feel the immense power radiating from Naruto and Sasuke. He recognized the Truth-Seeking Orbs and the Rinnegan—abilities typically exclusive to the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki.
Byakuya gave a slight nod and said, "Now you understand why I was wary of Madara Uchiha. The Sage of Six Paths is simply too terrifying. Even a thousand years after death, his power remains this overwhelming."
Obito remained silent, deep in thought.
On the other screen, Kakashi and Might Guy were locked in a final battle with Madara. With the aid of Flying Thunder God and Kamui, Might Guy, having opened the Eighth Gate of Death, managed to close in on Madara. The explosive power of all Eight Gates twisted even the air around him.
Faced with that kind of force, Madara didn't dodge—nor did he want to. He took the full brunt of the Eighth Gate's attack.
When the dust settled, half of Madara's body had been violently shattered. But even so, he began to regenerate visibly, his body mending at a rapid pace. The Eighth Gate was powerful, but ultimately fleeting, as it granted only a momentary glimpse of that level of power.
After witnessing the final attack of the Eighth Gate, Byakuya commented with a trace of emotion, "The Eight Gates really are powerful. Even I would've ended up looking as miserable as Madara if I'd taken that hit head-on."
Obito muttered, "But they still couldn't defeat Madara. If you don't act soon, the ninja world is finished. Are you really going to take him on by yourself?"
Obito kept urging Byakuya to act. Not because he wanted to save the world, but because he wanted to see Byakuya and Madara tear each other apart. Both of them had deceived and humiliated him, treating his life like a joke. If possible, he wanted the two of them to destroy each other in battle.
Byakuya smiled cryptically and tapped on the system interface to claim his rewards.
Madara was a member of Akatsuki. Although Byakuya couldn't exploit the system to repeatedly earn rewards through multiple Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, Madara's power-up still earned him considerable bonuses, such as methods to enhance Susanoo, and several Ten-Tails Jinchūriki-specific abilities.
Naruto and Sasuke, having received the Sage's power, also brought Byakuya rich rewards. From Naruto, he received the Sage Art. From Six Paths Sasuke, something even more direct: his Sharingan evolved.
His Sharingan no longer had three tomoe. It now had six.
This meant his Sharingan had surpassed both the base Sharingan and even the Mangekyō Sharingan. He was now nearly on par with the Ōtsutsuki beings of the stars.
As for the chakra within his body, after multiple reward enhancements, it had already reached the level of the "Ten-Tails." Though he wasn't the actual Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, the sheer volume of chakra he possessed was nearly equivalent. You could even call him a "mini Ten-Tails."
Just then, the screen inside the Kamui dimension suddenly went black.
Obito was stunned. Byakuya furrowed his brow slightly, then chuckled and said, "So once you reach the level of the Sage, even your sensory abilities multiply dozens of times over? They won't even let me spy anymore."
The ones who shut off the surveillance weren't others—it was Naruto and Sasuke.
After rescuing Kakashi and Might Guy, they engaged Madara and his Limbo clones in battle. During the fight, they discovered the minor ninjutsu Byakuya had been using to spy on them and shut it down.
Seeing Byakuya get thwarted, Obito couldn't help but smirk and asked, "Since we can't see what's happening anymore, why don't we just go out? If we miss the best moment to strike, we might end up stuck here forever."
Byakuya narrowed his eyes and replied, "Honestly, staying here isn't necessarily a bad thing. The coming battle isn't something you weaklings should be involved in. Battles between Sage-level shinobi are far beyond your comprehension."
Just as Byakuya was about to lecture Obito, ripples stirred in the Kamui space.
Kakashi appeared, bringing several injured comrades with him. When he saw Byakuya and Obito sitting there calmly, he froze in shock.
"Byakuya… Obito? Why are the two of you sitting together?"
Kakashi kept his eyes locked on Obito, ready to strike at any moment.
Obito snorted coldly and said, "If you want to fight, then fight. No need to pretend. You and I still have unfinished business."
Just as Kakashi was about to make a move, Byakuya sighed and said, "Kakashi, this place is actually the Pure Land. You, me, and Obito are all dead already. Since we're all dead, there's no point in fighting anymore."
"I'm already dead…?"
Kakashi's expression darkened. Oddly, he felt a sense of relief and a twinge of melancholy. He and Obito had fought for so long in life, and now, even in death, they were still together—an inescapable karmic entanglement. He hoped the days in the Pure Land would be a little easier.
Obito, however, looked extremely confused. Kakashi actually believed Byakuya that easily? Just like that?
At this moment, one of the wounded ninja brought into the Kamui space noticed something wrong and quickly told Kakashi, "Kakashi, this isn't the Pure Land. My injuries hurt like hell. The dead don't feel pain."
That snapped Kakashi out of it. He was in agony. His arm was still bleeding—how could he be dead? But then, why were Byakuya and Obito sitting together peacefully?
While Kakashi was still puzzling it out, Byakuya approached and infused Yang Release chakra into Kakashi's body.
Kakashi's wounds visibly healed in seconds. The others were treated too, their injuries vanishing in the blink of an eye.
"Kakashi, I was just joking. You're not dead."
After a short pause, Byakuya pointed toward Obito and said, "As for him, he's now my prisoner. I plan to use genjutsu to control him, turning him into the key to open and close Kamui. Let him experience what the Fourth Mizukage once went through."
As he spoke, Byakuya didn't wait for Kakashi's response. He immediately cast genjutsu on Obito.
It was a fusion of Tsukuyomi and Kotoamatsukami—a genjutsu that not only altered Obito's perception but plunged him into a dream state where he couldn't distinguish illusion from reality.
Witnessing this, Kakashi had mixed feelings. There were many things he wanted to say, but in the end, all he could do was ask one question, "Leader Byakuya, when do you plan to leave this place and face Madara Uchiha?"
Byakuya turned to look at Kakashi and answered, "When the time is right. After Infinite Tsukuyomi is activated, I'm not confident I can resist it. If you don't want to fall into an eternal illusion, you'd better stay here, just like Obito."