Compared to the complete form of Satori, these little ones were far less dangerous.
However, even though they were smaller, they were undoubtedly troublesome.
Their black skin clearly resisted ninjutsu attacks, and their speed and abilities were equally difficult to handle.
*Roar...*
Perhaps because Hikari was standing right next to the Box of Ultimate Bliss, Satori only let out a loud roar but didn't dare approach.
It didn't know what Hikari was up to—its instincts warned it to stay away.
"Looks like this guy is afraid of the Box of Ultimate Bliss. Should we lure it over and seal it?" Seeing that Hikari was fine, Obito came over to join in the excitement.
Seeing Obito coming over to stir things up, Hikari really wanted to give him a beating.
"Then should I'll leave?"
Hikari wanted to leave?
How could that be allowed.
If he left, what would happen to these big and small monsters?
Obito quickly backed down. "No, no—whatever you say, we'll do it!"
"Can you use your space-time ninjutsu to transfer these little ones into the Box of Ultimate Bliss?"
At this point, Hikari didn't know what else to do.
In the original story, this was meant to highlight how amazing the protagonist was and to build emotional depth, giving these monsters some humanity. But now, everyone from Kusa's Hōzuki Castle was dead, and the monster had even spawned little ones. Emotions? Use the little monsters to stir the big one's feelings?
What a joke!
They were not of the same race—its heart must be different.
These monsters were driven purely by the instinct to survive. They had no humanity.
"Forget it. I'll test the sealing technique!"
As soon as he said it, Hikari sprang into action. He appeared beside one of the small monsters, swung his right hand, and black chains shot out, instantly binding one of them.
*Creak... creak!*
Even a tailed beast caught in these chains would lose the strength to resist.
Yet for some reason, these small monsters still had the power to struggle against Hikari.
"This doesn't work on them either, huh?" Obito watched the show without minding the chaos. Seeing that even Hikari's sealing technique had no effect, he still had the mood to mock him.
"If you're so capable, you try it. If not, shut up!"
Suppressing the urge to hit him, Hikari strained to use the chains to lift one of the small monsters and hurled it straight toward the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
The black monster landed in the mouth of the box. There was no sound—it simply vanished.
At that moment, Hikari suddenly felt an immense pull from the box. It was as if something precious was inside, and obtaining it would allow him to advance to the next level.
"Is that little monster dead?"
While Hikari stared blankly at the box, Obito leaned in again.
His Mangekyō Sharingan peered carefully inside, but there was only an endlessly deep darkness.
Nothing could be seen.
"Who knows? Why don't you go in and check?"
Hikari shot Obito a hostile glance, then swung the chains again, tossing another small monster inside.
This time, the pull from the box grew even stronger. The remaining small monsters—and the largest one, Satori—ignored everything else and launched an attack on Hikari.
"Time to go!"
Seeing so many small monsters, Obito turned and fled. With a twist of his Kamui space, he vanished completely.
*Swish, swish, swish...*
Several black small monsters closed in on Hikari. Their attacks were chaotic, but their speed far surpassed that of an ordinary jōnin. Especially one massive foot that came crashing down from above, as if trying to stomp Hikari into the ground.
*Boom!*
---
"No way, why didn't he dodge?"
Obito watched Hikari being crushed under Satori's foot, deeply puzzled.
With Hikari's strength, he shouldn't have made such a mistake. Yet he hadn't dodged.
Why?
"Could this big monster have some other ability?"
As Obito muttered to himself, Kakashi leaped in. "Why didn't you save him?"
Hearing Kakashi's voice, Obito suppressed the impulse in his body. Right now, he really wanted to give Kakashi a huge... slap across the face, then ask him one question.
"Do you know what I've been through all these years?"
---
"I hate it most when people step on me with their feet!"
Just as Kakashi thought Hikari was dead, his voice rang out from beneath Satori's foot. Then, black chains shot skyward, forming a massive cage that trapped Satori inside.
As for the small monsters, they were whipped by a single chain straight into the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
"Hikari, you're alright!"
Kakashi ignored Obito and rushed toward Hikari.
When he saw Hikari's true appearance, he froze in place.
White robes, white hair—a black staff appeared in Hikari's hand. Just looking at him, Kakashi felt an otherworldly aura.
This was a pressure stemming from a fundamental difference in nature.
"How is this possible?" Black Zetsu emerged from the ground, staring at Hikari in involuntary awe.
"Do you know what's happening to him?" Obito asked in shock.
At that moment, when Obito looked at Hikari with his Mangekyō, he faintly felt discomfort in his eyes—like a lower-level Sharingan being suppressed by a higher one.
"This is the Six Paths... No, this is someone on the verge of reaching the Six Paths stage. I have no idea how he gained this kind of power at his age!" Staring at Hikari, Black Zetsu was on the verge of tears.
If Hikari fully entered the Six Paths stage, would he still be able to revive Ōtsutsuki Kaguya?
'Mother, your unfilial son has failed you. I'm afraid you'll have to reside on the moon forever!'
His long-cherished wish had been ground into the dirt today. Even with Black Zetsu's mindset, it was hard to bear.
"What are the Six Paths? You mean like the Sage of Six Paths?" Seeing Black Zetsu's expression of utter despair, Obito was inwardly shocked.
From the day he'd met Black Zetsu, he'd never seen him panicked—Black Zetsu acted like nothing in the world mattered to him.
But now, with this look like his mother had died, it made Obito feel incredibly satisfied.
"It's that level—the Sage of Six Paths. He hasn't awakened the Rinnegan yet, but those eyes are likely already forming. Give him time, and he'll be the Sage of Six Paths reborn. At that point, even if we collect all nine tailed beasts, we might not be able to defeat him. The Infinite Tsukuyomi plan... it's probably going to fall apart!"
Obito was stunned. His mind went numb.
Would he lose Rin again?
No—he couldn't allow that to happen. He would create a world with Rin in it.
'Rin... I won't—I will never lose you again.'
The next moment, Obito vanished, then reappeared.
"Ugh!"
Kakashi let out a cry of surprise and clutched his left eye.
Just earlier, while he was shocked by Hikari, a black hand had suddenly appeared before him. Then he felt a sharp pain in his left eye—the gift Obito had given him back then was now gone.
"Look—he's going in!"
Black Zetsu's shocked voice rang out. Kakashi and Obito turned to see.
They saw Hikari stepping into the Box of Ultimate Bliss, one foot already inside, while holding the giant Satori by the chains.
"Hikari, no!"
Kakashi shouted, his heart burning with anxiety.
Though Konoha was strong now, Hikari's importance was undeniable.
If Hikari left, then there would truly be no one to keep the Akatsuki in check.
"Haha, today is truly a great day!"
"Double blessings!"
Obito looked at Hikari's back, then at the Mangekyō Sharingan in his hand. A surge of intense excitement welled up.
With dual Kamui in his possession, the world was vast, and he no longer had any weaknesses.
"Black Zetsu, send the order!"
"It's time to collect the Tailed Beasts!"