Amegakure, within the Akatsuki's hidden base.
"It really went that far, huh…"
Obito frowned deeply as he looked at Nagato, whose nearly broken body had been retrieved thanks to Black Zetsu's contingency plan. His understanding of Yuki Yoru's terrifying strength had once again reached a new level.
This time, Nagato was far stronger than he had been during the Land of Iron incident—his Rinnegan fully functional, now paired with Uchiha Hikari, who could unleash a complete Susanoo.
And yet they were no match for Yoru.
"That guy's power… it may already surpass mortal limits, reaching the realm of the Sage of Six Paths himself."
A Six Paths–level existence.
"What now? You planning to use Nagato as the sacrifice for your Chimera Technique?" Black Zetsu asked in a low voice as he watched Nagato floating in a nutrient tank, his broken body under constant repair. "It's not a bad idea. Better than using some diluted Uzumaki bloodline—if it works, the resulting power would be even greater."
"And what about reviving Madara?" Obito responded with a snort, glancing at the red-haired man suspended in the tank, his dull eyes lifeless and dim.
Given the power Yoru had displayed, even completing the Chimera technique and attaining Six Paths-level strength might not give Obito more than a 50–50 chance at best… maybe a 40–60 split.
Once a major battle broke out between the two sides, it definitely wouldn't end quickly. So what about the others in Kirigakure?
Before, Obito had control over both Hikari and Nagato. Now? One was captured, the other crippled.
Even if Nagato's body were fully restored, that hollow look in his eyes said it all—his will had been broken. A Nagato like that could never return to his former strength.
The remaining option was to wait for Madara to be revived from the Pure Land!
"Nagato's primary function is to revive Madara. I already have enough sacrifices. Better to let Nagato fulfill his final purpose."
Obito shook his head and asked distractedly,
"What about Hiruko? Did he get anything?"
"He managed to capture one with Explosion Release, Deidara—a direct disciple of the Third Tsuchikage. And another with Magnet Release user—though mediocre in talent, a puppet master."
"Explosion and Magnet Release, huh."
Obito's eyes narrowed with disdain.
These two kekkei genkai had considerable renown in the shinobi world, and their strength was indeed quite good, but ordinary kekkei genkai were just ordinary kekkei genkai. They could never compare to Six Paths lineage.
Even if Hiruko completed the Chimera Technique and became a so-called "ultimate ninja", his strength would definitely be far inferior to his own!
But, a pawn like Hiruko—chasing the same "ultimate ninja" dream—could be useful cannon fodder in the upcoming war…
Obito didn't think much more of him. After a few words, he focused his attention back on the Kamui Dimension, once again admiring his future sacrifices for becoming a god.
Uzumaki. Kaguya. Hyūga. Senju.
The Senju bloodline wasn't extinct as people believed.
In reality, Konoha's leadership had forced them to change names and identities, claiming it was to fully integrate them into the village. They were now known as the Kazamatsuri Clan.
Obito had already captured two members of the Kazamatsuri Clan. To enhance their bloodline purity, he had even created a custom White Zetsu clone to refine them further.
In addition, there was an extremely peculiar-looking person, sealed in a corner, sinking into the world of genjutsu, completely motionless.
He wore a black vest, with two horns sprouting from his forehead and six whisker marks on his cheeks. His appearance seemed around ten years old, but his chakra was anything but childlike.
This was the last pure-blood descendant of the Gold and Silver Brothers of Kumogakure—Kinkaku and Ginkaku.
Those two were born with high concentrations of the Sage's bloodline and were powerful enough to wield the Sage's Five Tools freely.
Before the First Great Ninja War, they had even devoured the Nine-Tails' flesh, gaining part of its chakra and earning the title "Twin Lights of the Cloud."
This boy was their descendant—and deep within his body was a faint trace of Nine-Tails chakra, evidenced by the faint whisker markings on his cheeks.
Now, with all the necessary sacrifices in hand, and combined with his own Uchiha blood, Obito could fuse them all into one—
And ascend. To become a living Sage of Six Paths.
"Don't get ahead of yourself," Black Zetsu cut in coldly, dousing Obito's swelling confidence. "To truly fuse these bloodlines, you'll need a massive amount of energy.
And nearest celestial phenomenon is still several years away."
Black Zetsu poured cold water on Obito, who kept smirking: "Unless we can possess an enormous amount of chakra comparable to that celestial phenomenon, we can only wait for the day of its arrival."
Black Zetsu's words paused slightly, a hint of regret in his tone. Originally, they had several Tailed Beasts at their disposal—the Three-Tails, the One-Tail—all of which could serve as energy sources for the Chimera Technique.
But unfortunately, now one of the two Tailed Beasts was lost without a trace due to Yuki Yoru, and the other was within Rasa.
Given what had happened, Rasa would surely be cautious, and Yuki Yoru might even place safeguards on him. Recovering it again would be quite difficult.
"Looks like we'll have to lay low for a while…"
"Who says we don't already have access to massive chakra?" Obito smirked.
"Oh?" Black Zetsu raised an eyebrow.
Obito's Sharingan gleamed blood-red, a dark grin creeping across his face.
Though largely forgotten by modern shinobi, Buddhism had deep roots in the ninja world. Its origins went back to the era of onmyōji and shrine maidens—predating the birth of shinobi themselves.
Even the legendary Sage of Six Paths had an unclear relationship with Buddhism.
And among all the shinobi world, the Fire Temple is definitely one of the most famous temples. With the strong support of the Land of Fire's Daimyō, it's even safe to call it the most magnificent and powerful temple in the shinobi world!
Visitors to the temple were endless, incense burned, and countless devotees knelt before the ferocious, terrifying demon Bodhisattva statues, praying for peace and their wishes.
"You know I don't believe in this stuff…"
"We're already here! This is the Fire Temple, you know!"
Yoru sighed as Terumi Mei tugged at his arm, practically dragging him into the gilded halls of the Fire Temple.
All around them, worshippers murmured mantras with incense in hand. Novice monks chanted sutras. Golden statues lined the sides of the temple.
With Mei insisting, Yoru, along with Pakura and Uchiha Hikari, burned incense and donated alms, pretending to be pious pilgrims.
Terumi Mei and Pakura closed their eyes in solemn reverence. Even Hikari mimicked their sincerity.
Yoru just clicked his tongue. He'd never had much fondness for religion—he was practically a nihilist. Even after being reincarnated in this world, his beliefs hadn't changed much.
Still, as Mei said—they were already here.
While the others bowed and prayed, Yoru noticed a stir coming from the temple's rear courtyard. It seemed a large group of monks were gathering to welcome a special guest.
"It's a great monk," said a young novice monk with a patch of hair atop his head, making him stand out among the bald monks. He lowered his voice as he noticed Yoru's curiosity.
"They say he brought back several long-lost scriptures. Even the abbot went out to greet him!"
"Is that so?"
Yoru glanced toward the courtyard, then turned to the young monk with a sly smile.
"You're an interesting little monk. You haven't shaved your head, and you've got a surprising amount of money hidden on you."
"You've got guts—stealing from the donation box."
"You—!!" the young monk's face paled. "Don't say stuff like that out loud! I didn't steal! The abbot said I'm just living here temporarily, I'm not officially part of the Fire Temple…"
"Sora! Where did you run off to? Did you finish your daily training?!"
A stern voice called out.
Yoru turned to see a warrior monk approaching, wearing a sash emblazoned with the Land of Fire's crest.
The playful novice—Sora—shrank in fear, trying to hide behind Yoru. But after a moment, he stepped forward sheepishly.
"Chiriku-sama..."
"If you don't complete your training, how do you expect to become a proper warrior monk?
How can you protect the Fire Temple?"
Chiriku's voice was firm, his demeanor authoritative. Sora lowered his head like a scolded child, utterly stripped of the mischievousness he'd shown moments ago.
After the reprimand, Chiriku turned to Yoru, bowing politely.
"Apologies if this child has caused you any trouble."
Sora looked up at Yoru with pleading eyes, clearly hoping to be let off the hook.
Yoru chuckled.
"He's amusing. But with a temperament like that, I'm not sure he's cut out to be a monk."
"He has excellent potential. He's just young. Discipline will come with time."
"That'll be no small feat," Yoru murmured.
Chiriku frowned at the implied criticism.
"This is Fire Temple business. No need for outsiders to worry."
Yoru simply smiled, saying nothing more. But he kept watching Sora—who winked at him repeatedly as if to say, You're a real bro.
Beneath that cheerful face, Yoru could feel it clearly—
Inside Sora was a massive chakra presence.
Wild. Violent. Saturated with negative emotions and destruction.
Identical to the Nine-Tails chakra that had appeared during the Nine-Tails Disaster in Konoha.
Kyuubi chakra.
Although the amount inside Sora was far smaller than the full half within Naruto, and sealed to boot, its impact on someone like Sora was enormous.
As a pseudo–Jinchūriki, that energy would slowly erode his mind—until one day, he'd be consumed by the Nine-Tails.
Yoru recalled the original canon: Sora once went berserk, destroying the supposedly invincible Fire Temple gate—the Sealed Iron Wall—and nearly wiping out the entire temple and surrounding villages.
How could such a person become a qualified monk?
Did they really think everyone was a saint like Bunpuku, comparable to the Six Paths?
Yoru smiled faintly and turned back toward Mei—when something in the crowd caught his eye.
"Yoru? What is it?"
Terumi Mei, having finished her incense offerings, noticed his sudden tension and followed his gaze.
There—amid the monks—stood a man surrounded like the moon among stars.
He wore a white haori, with a long braid trailing behind his head. Below his left eye was a Roman numeral tattoo: IV.
He had red earrings, a diamond-shaped mark on his chin, and his appearance stood out completely from the rest of the monks—almost as if he were a trendsetter.
"Strange guy…" Mei murmured. "Not very monk-like."
Perhaps sensing their gaze, the white-robed monk turned.
Their eyes met.
Yoru's expression immediately sharpened. He stepped forward, placing himself in front of Mei.
Her heart skipped. His reaction said it all.
For a moment, they simply stared at each other in silence.
Then, the white-robed monk offered a warm smile, nodded, and turned away, as if nothing had happened.
Only once he vanished did Yoru relax and withdraw his gaze.
"He's not normal, is he?" Mei asked softly, brows furrowed.
She hadn't sensed anything strange—no chakra, no foreign energy. He seemed like any other monk.
But if he could make Yoru react like that, then he definitely wasn't ordinary.
"He's not just 'not normal'—he's very abnormal," Yoru replied flatly.
"But for now, it looks like… he doesn't want to start anything."
"A potential threat, huh?" Pakura said as he approached. His eyes narrowed at the direction the monk had gone.
"Shall I deal with him?"
"You're not his match," Yoru said simply.
"What?!" Pakura froze. Even Mei's brows furrowed.
As one of Suna's former powerhouses, now a Shinigami, Pakura wasn't weak. While not yet on the level of the top captains in Soul Society, she had already mastered Bankai, making her firmly captain-class.
And captain-class power was roughly equal to super-Kage level in the shinobi world.
Which meant… that monk in white—seemingly harmless—was at least super-Kage level in strength?!
If anyone else had said so, Mei wouldn't have believed it.
Before Yuki Yoru and the Shinigami system appeared, only two people in shinobi history had ever reached that realm—Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara.
And now?
A mysterious monk shows up and is… just as strong?