Chapter 222: Shikkotsu Forest, the Slug Sage
Just as Yakushi Kabuto and the others were still discussing the matters of Kakuzu and Hiruko, in another secret underground chamber within the Akatsuki base, Obito, who had already completed the "Sharingan Hot-Swap Jutsu" on the operating table, stood up.
However, the dizziness brought on by chakra exhaustion and the eye transplant surgery still made his vision go black. He staggered a few steps before managing to stand firm.
White Zetsu, at his side, asked in his usual flippant tone, "How's it feel?"
"Hah, these eyes…"
Obito rubbed his head, closed his eyes, and exhaled. "Very good. Better than ever before."
Clang.
As he spoke, he took off the single-eyed mask on his face and threw it to the ground, revealing a bizarre face that was half deathly pale and covered in wrinkles like tree bark.
A moment later, Obito slowly opened his eyes.
Two crimson eyes, one on the left and one on the right, radiated a bewitching light, the three-bladed pinwheel Mangekyō pattern spinning within them.
Slowly raising a hand to cover his left eye, Obito murmured, "No wonder things would mysteriously appear in the Kamui dimension. I thought I had brought them in inadvertently, but it turns out it was that guy Kakashi playing tricks…"
Not long ago, he had thought that intercepting Kakashi and Yamato would be an easy task.
After all, being sucked into his Kamui dimension meant certain death.
Even if they couldn't be killed, they would starve or die of thirst.
As it turned out, he was caught off guard by the two of them.
Putting aside the dead-faced man who could use a semblance of Wood Release, what surprised Obito the most was that guy Kakashi.
The left eye he had transplanted to Kakashi back then had actually awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Furthermore, Kakashi had even used the dōjutsu of that Mangekyō Sharingan, nearly twisting his neck with a strike that could be called fatal.
This point had greatly exceeded Obito's expectations.
"This left eye… this is the true offensive dōjutsu."
After retrieving his left eye, Obito finally learned that the dōjutsu of both his left and right eyes was Kamui.
But the focus of the two eyes was slightly different.
The left eye's "Kamui" was geared towards offense. It didn't require physical contact with the target; as long as he looked at the opponent, he could tear and distort any target within his field of vision, or even throw them directly into his Kamui dimension.
The right eye's "Kamui," on the other hand, was geared towards defense. It allowed his body to exist in the rift between the ninja world and the Kamui dimension, phasing through all harm. But if he wanted to throw a target into the Kamui dimension, he had to risk getting close to the target to make physical contact.
"So I've been using my defensive right eye as an offensive tool this whole time. What a waste…" A wave of emotion washed over Obito's heart.
With this pair of powerful eyes, let alone the Six Paths of Pain, he now had no fear of even Nagato's true body.
"Madara."
Black Zetsu, attached to White Zetsu's body, suddenly asked, "Why didn't you choose to kill Hatake Kakashi?"
It wasn't just the treacherous Black Zetsu; even the relatively simple-minded White Zetsu couldn't understand why Obito had shown mercy.
Hearing this, Obito's movements paused.
"...Because the goal has been achieved. There was no need to get entangled with the two of them."
After a moment of silence, he finally said in an indifferent tone, "Now that Kakashi has lost my Mangekyō Sharingan, he is just a piece of trash who can't even protect his comrades."
"What's more, I feel that just killing that bastard would be letting him off too easily."
"I won't let him go down to see Rin. I want him to live forever, to live in regret and pain!"
With that, Obito touched his left eye, his expression becoming even more indifferent.
This eye was a gift he had given to Kakashi back then.
At the same time, it was also the last trace of the existence of the "Uchiha Obito" of the past.
Now he had taken this eye back.
This represented that he had personally buried his former self, cutting off the last shred of attachment and hope in his heart.
"The Uchiha Obito who dreamed of becoming Hokage has completely disappeared."
As he spoke, Obito raised his hand and put on the white mask, a flash of crimson showing through the eyeholes.
From now on, he was just a ghost who bore the name of Uchiha Madara, living for the sake of the Eye of the Moon Plan.
"So, what do you plan to do next?"
After a moment's hesitation, Obito said, "The next goal is, of course, still to capture the Tailed Beasts."
"In that case, have you decided which Tailed Beast to go after next?"
Black Zetsu stared at Obito and said meaningfully, "According to White Zetsu's and Sasori's intelligence, the Four-Tails Jinchūriki and Iwagakure's Deidara were defeated by the Crimson Moon's Tamamo-no-Mae and Amaterasu-no-Mikoto. The Four-Tails must have fallen into the hands of the Crimson Moon by now."
"And the shocking part is yet to come."
White Zetsu raised a hand and counted on his fingers. "Besides Ame-no-Minakanushi, who has been active for a long time, and the suddenly appearing Amaterasu-no-Mikoto, Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, and Tamamo-no-Mae, a guy calling himself Takamimusubi-no-Mikoto has also appeared."
White Zetsu paused, then asked in a strange tone, "Madara, can you guess what Takamimusubi-no-Mikoto did?"
The corner of Obito's eye twitched. "...One more word of nonsense, and I'll burn you for firewood."
"Oh my, no need to get so fierce just because you don't want to guess~"
White Zetsu wiggled his body, then became serious again. "While you were adjusting to your eyes, a meteorite fell less than a thousand meters from Konoha."
"According to the reconnaissance of other White Zetsu, Takamimusubi-no-Mikoto possesses an incredibly powerful Wood Release ninjutsu. The one fighting him was a man with the Byakugan, and that meteorite was a precision strike he used against Takamimusubi-no-Mikoto."
"Heh, Wood Release, Byakugan, Mangekyō Sharingan… It seems I've underestimated the people of the ninja world!"
Listening to Black Zetsu's report, Obito let out a light chuckle, but his eyes looked somewhat grave.
Sasori and Kakuzu were defeated by the Crimson Moon's Amaterasu-no-Mikoto. The Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure was crippled by Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto. Even the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, in his Tailed Beast form, was captured.
And then there was that mysterious man with the Byakugan, and Takamimusubi-no-Mikoto who could use powerful Wood Release ninjutsu…
Weren't the Senju and Uchiha wiped out?
Weren't the Hyūga Clan with their Byakugan a bunch of trash?
Where on earth did so many powerful individuals pop out from?!
People with Wood Release, Mangekyō, and the ability to drop meteorites… where did this group come from?!
"So, getting the Four-Tails will not be an easy task."
Black Zetsu continued impassively, "Moreover, envoys from Iwagakure are currently on their way to the Land of Rain. They must be coming to Amegakure to gather intelligence."
...This was truly one trouble after another.
Obito couldn't help but look vexed.
The arrival of the Iwagakure delegation also meant that the Akatsuki could no longer hide in the shadows and carry out their plans.
No matter how well the Akatsuki hid in Amegakure, there would still be some clues left outside.
Iwagakure, having lost its Four-Tails Jinchūriki, would definitely conduct a thorough investigation. It would be impossible to fool them as before.
For a major nation's ninja village, connecting these clues into a complete thread was not a difficult task.
It was only a matter of time before the Akatsuki hidden in Amegakure was discovered.
"What did Pain say?"
"Pain said to kill the entire Iwagakure delegation, and then, before anyone can react, have all Akatsuki members mobilize and seize the Tailed Beasts from each country with overwhelming force."
Hearing this, Obito instantly felt a headache coming on.
That statement really fits that guy Nagato's personality.
However, the crude words held some truth.
Since they couldn't hide anymore, they might as well not hide at all.
"Black Zetsu, which Tailed Beast do you think we should go after?"
"There's no rush for the Three-Tails. After Yagura's death, it is currently in a wild state. Iwagakure, due to the disappearance of the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, will inevitably place the Five-Tails Jinchūriki under heavy protection. And Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchūriki has become a perfect Jinchūriki, not an existence we can easily deal with."
Black Zetsu analyzed soberly.
Obito listened quietly, not speaking.
Konoha's Nine-Tails was indeed not a good choice.
The Akatsuki still had one Uchiha Itachi from Konoha.
Itachi had joined the Akatsuki on one condition: before he died, the Akatsuki could not make a move on Konoha.
This naturally included the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
If he revealed his intention to capture the Nine-Tails at this time, even he couldn't guarantee that Itachi wouldn't obstruct the next step of the plan.
In other words, if they were to go after Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, the first person the Akatsuki would have to deal with was Itachi.
Obito had always been very wary of this Uchiha genius who also possessed the Mangekyō.
After all, "Amaterasu" was one of the few techniques that could counter him.
What's more, the current Akatsuki needed Uchiha Itachi's power and couldn't just give up a high-end combatant so easily.
"It doesn't matter. The Nine-Tails can be left for last."
Obito didn't believe the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki had already grown to a point where he could fight him.
Even the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki's father, Namikaze Minato, couldn't do that.
Black Zetsu continued, "As for the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails, we can also put them aside for now. After all, the Raikage isn't exactly sane. It wouldn't be good to push him too far."
"Therefore, our targets should be the One-Tail, Six-Tails, and Seven-Tails. The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path needs to capture the Tailed Beasts in order from one to nine, so the One-Tail is undoubtedly the most suitable choice."
Indeed, the Fourth Kazekage Rasa was now severely injured and disabled, his combat power likely much reduced.
Obito propped his chin with his hand and, after considering for a moment, said, "In that case, let's start with the One-Tail."
White Zetsu asked again, "Then should I go tell Nagato to choose two suitable people?"
Obito nodded. "Mm, after all, Nagato is the public leader of the Akatsuki. We still need his power for now."
"Okay, I'll go arrange it right away!"
With that, Zetsu submerged into the ground.
"It's been a while since I've been back. This place has really changed."
Menma walked along the spacious corridor, looking out the window from time to time.
This district was a newly expanded area of the Land of Snow, surrounded by huge white high walls, with only two large gates as entrances and exits. One gate led south to the capital of the Land of Snow, while the other led north to the plains outside.
Both were heavily guarded by a large number of soldiers, completely separated from the nearby residential and commercial areas, and ordinary residents and outsiders were not allowed to visit.
At first, it would attract crowds of onlookers, but after getting used to it, everyone became accustomed to it.
Since it was a building personally approved by Princess Koyuki, all they needed to do was to choose to believe in it steadfastly.
"It's been three months since you last came back, my lord."
Asama Sandayū, at his side, smiled. "The security here is of the highest level. You can also train here in your free time."
This was a training base established for those whose identities needed to be kept secret, such as the Uzumaki Clan and the Uchiha Clan.
Dormitories, training grounds, medical rooms, playgrounds, office buildings, armories, classrooms, libraries, and even more hidden factories and laboratories were built underground.
Menma looked at the training ground in the distance and asked casually, "How are those kids from the Uzumaki and Uchiha clans doing now?"
Sandayū smiled. "They have basically all been properly arranged. Although they seemed a bit unaccustomed when they first arrived, they are after all from once-great clans. After a period of recovery, they are more than capable of serving as squad captains or school teachers."
"And I must say, the Uzumaki and Uchiha clans are truly blessed by nature. They learn sealing jutsu and ninjutsu with twice the result for half the effort. With just a systematic education, they can form a proper fighting force."
The dozens of Uzumaki Clan survivors brought in by Menma had been living here for quite some time.
A stable living environment, clean water and food, and no one coveting their bloodline and sealing jutsus.
The Land of Snow would also provide their children with a so-called compulsory education, with no negligence or favoritism in terms of ideological lessons or strength.
Seeing all this, the adults of the Uzumaki Clan naturally felt at ease and were very satisfied with their life here, gradually accepting the fact that they had become members of the Land of Snow.
Moreover, for the generally honest and good-natured Uzumaki Clan, the Land of Snow, which treated them with sincerity, had already become their second home.
The common trait of the Uzumaki Clan was having chakra that surpassed ordinary people and extremely vast life force. There were many paths for future development, and they could cultivate talents in various special fields for the Land of Snow.
And now, the attention of the Five Great Nations was focused on the other major nations; they would never concentrate most of their attention on a neutral country in a remote location like the Land of Snow.
"Sandayū, have you found everything I wanted?"
Hearing this, Sandayū nodded and handed him a scroll. "Naturally, it's all in here."
Menma took the scroll he was handed and opened it. The contents recorded here were important ancient documents from the Uzumaki and Uchiha clans.
They covered various aspects—soul, body, Tailed Beasts, chakra, etc. Anything one could imagine could be found in writing within.
"Huh?"
As if suddenly discovering something, Menma took out one of the scrolls that was tied with a thin string.
He could sense a faint chakra fluctuation from it.
Curious, Menma unrolled the scroll. It recorded names written one by one in fresh blood. Below each name, a red, bloody thumbprint was pressed.
"This is… a contract scroll?"
Menma recognized the origin of this type of scroll and couldn't help but show a look of pleasant surprise.
He continued to unroll the scroll.
After unrolling it completely, he reached the beginning.
Menma finally saw a familiar name on it.
—Shikkotsu Forest, Slug Sage.
(End of Chapter)
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