At that moment, Uchiha Obito was in a very foul mood.
He had originally been on the sidelines, watching to see how Nagato would deal with Orochimaru.
Though Izayoi's appearance had come as a slight surprise, it actually made the show more entertaining in his eyes.
But he'd barely gotten a taste of this "drama" spectacle when he himself became the spectacle's target.
That "Madara" persona he used —which had always served him well alongside Kamui, quite handily intimidating Nagato and Uchiha Itachi—was now unceremoniously ripped away.
And it was all because every year he went to pay respects to Rin, and back in the year of the Uchiha's Downfall, he often snuck into Konoha to observe the "promising seedling" known as Uchiha Itachi. From this, he'd left a trail.
And the one who discovered that trail turned out to be no more than a kid who had been attending the Shinobi Academy back then.
It left Obito both startled and deeply shaken.
Such sharp intellect, combined with legitimate Wood Release, and multiple self-created S-rank secret techniques, plus abundant chakra…
That brat might be even more terrifying than Nagato or that so-called "Ōtsutsuki Toneri."
Before Obito could think further about this, a figure appeared before him.
"What's your explanation going to be, 'Madara' — or rather, Uchiha Obito?" Nagato asked with a smile. His demeanor was completely different from the wariness and solemnity he previously showed.
Yet at the sight of that smile, Obito realized clearly: never again would this man treat him with caution or as an equal, as he used to.
"Let's talk inside."
Before Black White Zetsu could show up, Obito used Kamui to form a fist-sized vortex that swallowed him and Nagato both into it.
Nagato did not resist, letting Obito pull him into the Kamui dimension.
"What's that idiot doing now?"
Seeing this, Black Zetsu—fused with the surrounding plants—lost his composure at last.
"Is Obito planning to divulge everything about Lord Madara's plan to Nagato?" White Zetsu asked worriedly.
"These two pawns… they've both slipped out of our control," Black Zetsu said in a grave tone, his resolve to make backup plans growing ever firmer.
…
"So, this is your dojutsu's space?"
Within Kamui's dimension, dimly lit and filled with rows of stone pillars, Nagato looked around curiously before resting his gaze on Obito:
"In this place, you can't phase yourself anymore, right? Aren't you afraid I'll kill you for dragging me here?"
"Killing me wouldn't accomplish anything, would it?"
Obito sat cross-legged, feigning nonchalance but ready at any moment to activate Izanagi.
"I hope you've got a satisfactory explanation." Nagato gave a vague response.
Seeing that Nagato made no move, Obito secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Since he wasn't being attacked, it meant his true strength remained undisclosed, and there was still some wariness on Nagato's side regarding his dojutsu.
If he could manage to explain things well, they wouldn't have to tear each other's throats out, and he and Black White Zetsu could remain in Akatsuki.
Organizing his thoughts, Obito asked, "Do you recall our very first conversation?"
Hearing that, Nagato's mind flashed back to that rainy day when Yahiko was still alive, and their ideals hadn't yet changed.
But soon after they'd appeared, disaster struck.
He was no longer the simple youth he once was, so his eyes chilled as he responded coolly, "I remember. So what?"
Unaware that Nagato had already pieced together quite a bit, Obito still assumed Nagato was recalling Yahiko's death scene. Continuing his performance, Obito said:
"At the time, I told you: 'Where there is light, there is shadow. If there's a concept of winners, then inevitably losers exist too. The desire to safeguard peace stems from a sort of self-interest that will trigger war. If one wants to protect what one loves, hatred will be born… This is an inseparable causal relationship. Not even the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama, with all his invincible power, could sever this rule-like causality of the world!'"
"But…"
Obito pointed at Nagato's eyes and said gravely, "Your Rinnegan can accomplish what he could not!"
Instinctively, Nagato raised a hand to feel his eyes, then stared at Obito and said in a certain tone:
"The Gedo Statue."
"That's right. Would you like to know why Ōtsutsuki Toneri came to reclaim the Gedo Statue?" Obito asked.
At once, Nagato's pupils shrank as he asked in a low voice, "Why?"
Indeed, that was Nagato's biggest point of curiosity.
Not just for him—the entire ninja world wanted to know.
Anything that could incite a battle between two wielders of "Sage Eyes" had to surpass even the Rinnegan in importance.
Nagato only knew that the Gedo Statue could seal tailed beasts, plus use the Chakra Chains to instantly annihilate anything it touched.
But he refused to believe that alone was worth a millennium-old clan from the moon fully exposing themselves, risking all to retake it.
Obito obviously knew the Gedo Statue's true power.
Sure enough, Obito raised a single finger, voice low and solemn as if reciting scripture:
"Everything is united with me, the perfect form that unifies all."
Nagato furrowed his brow slightly and repeated that statement to himself. Then he asked, "A perfect unification of everything… Are you implying the Gedo Statue reabsorbs the Chakra of the nine tailed beasts? And what does that prior line mean?"
"What is a jinchūriki?"
Obito's remark came like a bolt from the blue.
Nagato's eyes went wide, shock on his face: "You're saying…"
"Exactly. The Gedo Statue has another name—Ten Tails." Obito explained slowly. "There is a stone monument passed down through generations in the Uchiha clan, inscribed by the Sage of Six Paths. Only someone with sufficiently powerful ocular powers can interpret it. All these secrets about the Gedo Statue and Rinnegan jutsu, I gleaned from that stone. Our Uchiha clan bears the mission of guiding the Rinnegan's owner onto the correct path."
Obito went on, pointing again at Nagato:
"Once the Gedo Statue recovers the chakra of the Nine Tailed Beasts, it will revert to its original form as the Ten Tails! At that point, the Ten Tails will wield overwhelming power—its Tailed Beast Bombs can swiftly bring the entire world to heel, letting you achieve peace."
"Moreover, the Ten Tails also has the power to sever all causality." Spreading his arms, Obito fervently depicted his vision for Nagato:
"By becoming the Ten Tails' jinchūriki, you gain the mightiest chakra. Then, using a genjutsu covering all ninja lands, you plunge every being into an illusionary dream. In that dream, everyone's wishes become reality; there are only winners, no losers; only peace, no more war; only love, and no hatred!"
~~~
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