"There are no other traces left… but in that small pocket of space earlier, I detected faint spatial fluctuations and lingering chakra."
Within the Ōtsutsuki dimension, Gamamaru spoke in a low voice, reporting to the Sage of Six Paths:
"One thing is certain—he definitely didn't die. Not only that, he still had the strength to escape, and even managed to transfer away whatever valuable things were here."
"So he slipped away through summoning, did he."
The Sage of Six Paths gave a cold snort.
"I really underestimated him. To think that even under such circumstances, he still managed to slip away."
"In the past, he escaped even from the hands of the Rabbit Goddess herself. His ability to survive has always been extraordinary. If he had simply died here in battle today, that would have been far stranger."
Gamamaru produced a condensed fragment of chakra and handed it to the Sage.
"This power was left behind in that pocket dimension. Take a look."
"This is…"
The moment he felt it, even Hamura—who was always calm and composed—showed a rare look of shock. The Sage himself also grew solemn.
"Brother, this chakra…"
"Ah, you didn't sense wrong." The Sage nodded. He weighed the fragment in his palm, feeling its essence. Then he drew out some chakra from his own body for comparison.
Though one was weaker, in essence they shared more than eighty percent similarity.
"It really is Ten-Tails chakra…" Ōtsutsuki Hamura said solemnly. "But that's impossible. The Ten-Tails should still be inside Uchiha Obito right now. There shouldn't be any Ten-Tails chakra here."
"He was the one behind Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō. Since Hiruzen and Danzō previously collaborated with Uchiha Obito, perhaps they managed to steal a portion of the Ten-Tails' chakra during that time?" Gamamaru ventured, but was met with silence.
After eliminating all impossibilities, the remaining answer, no matter how bizarre, must be the correct one.
And now, the truth was clear: apart from the Ten-Tails inside Uchiha Obito, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki had another Ten-Tails in his possession!
Otherwise, such a large amount of concentrated Ten-Tails chakra couldn't possibly remain in this space.
"…Things may become troublesome, Hagoromo," Gamamaru murmured.
"The Ten-Tails' power—combined with that man himself—could be enough to rival the calamity once brought by the Rabbit Goddess."
"I know."
The Sage of Six Paths gave a faint nod. As the former jinchūriki of the Ten-Tails, no one understood its power better than he did. And no one knew better than him just how terrifying his own mother truly had been.
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki… this man who had hidden himself in the shinobi world for a thousand years… truly had some terrifying trump cards.
"It seems now that we've startled the snake out of the grass, Hagoromo."
"Intelligence is what matters most. In that sense, this mission has not been without results."
"Tch… But what do you plan to do now? Letting a tiger return to the mountains is never wise. With his ability to hide, if he vanishes again, who knows how much effort we'll need to find him.
"Not to mention, now that we've confirmed he has another Ten-Tails, if he is allowed to recuperate and build up his strength, then we…"
"Given the current situation, I cannot search the entire world for him," the Sage of Six Paths shook his head. "Moreover, even if he has a Ten-Tails, its strength definitely cannot compare to the one inside Obito. There's no need to be overly concerned."
"Then what is your plan?"
"Uchiha Obito." The Sage of Six Paths paused before continuing. "He has already attained power that allows him to reach Mother."
"What?! So quickly?!"
The moment Gamamaru's words fell, an unusual surge of ocular power suddenly spread. The three present felt it, and their expressions all shifted.
Space trembled—then in an instant, the three appeared above Konoha.
Looking up, the moon in the sky was blood red!
…
A giant of light towered above Kirigakure, connecting heaven and earth.
Kimimaro's body had already been completely destroyed by Uchiha Obito, yet the power of Miracle still gathered spiritual power from all around, reviving him once more.
At this point, Kimimaro no longer resembled a human. His head was like a helmet, with only framed eyes exposed; his neck showed a broken connection; his waist and shoulders bore marks of separation; conical spikes jutted from his shoulders. His towering figure was like a complete Susanoo!
"Miracle will never be extinguished!"
A low roar burst from Kimimaro's mouth—the battle cry of the god's most loyal warrior!
Obito remained calm, speaking with indifference:
"Don't you understand yet? No matter how much you struggle, the outcome won't change. Even if Yuki Yoru himself were here, I would still crush him. What chance do you have?"
Kimimaro gave no reply—he simply charged Obito head-on.
The earth-shaking clash roused everyone present. All at once, they too attacked Obito!
"Even if it costs our lives, we'll bring you down!" Mei Terumi shouted, raising her hand toward Obito as she chanted:
"Hands of the unreachable abyss, hands of the heavens unseen, the archer who strikes the sky…"
Beside her, Fuyuna Yukiko, Yuki Kiri, and the others also raised their hands. Following Mei's incantation, they too unleashed Hadō #91.
The brilliance of Senju Kōten Taihō lit up the village.
Uzumaki Hiromi and Uzumaki Kushina exchanged a glance—their Adamantine Sealing Chains shot forth together, wrapping around Obito.
Behind them, the gravely injured Mangetsu, Ringo Ameyuri, and others struggled to rise. Watching the scene, they wanted to help, but their wounds were too severe.
"Captain Kisame!"
Tsunade shouted. The immense boost from the Strength of a Hundred Seal allowed her to remain one of the few combatants on the field still capable of fighting.
"You got it."
Kisame clasped his hands, unleashing a Water Release empowered by raging spiritual pressure, strong enough to shatter mountains and sunder seas!
But Obito only sneered. With effortless contempt, he swung the Sword of Nunoboko toward the charging Kimimaro.
At that moment, however, a beam of dark crimson light poured down from the heavens. With the ultimate ocular power of the Rinnegan, Obito clearly saw it—a blood-red Mangekyō!
"Uchiha Hikari…"
If Hikari had appeared here, intercepting him, then that could only mean Uchiha Madara…
As expected, even among Uchiha, there were limits. The "Shura of the Shinobi World" was no match for the true ultimate weapon.
But at the same time…
Even the ultimate weapon would never surpass Uchiha Obito!
Vast Six Paths power erupted from him, attempting to shatter Hikari's strength outright, even suppress it.
But soon, Obito realized something was wrong.
The ocular power flowing from her seemed far too overwhelming.
"Eight Thousand Spears can transfer ocular power and energy… but where is she drawing such an energy source from?" Obito wondered, unsettled. But this was no time to dwell on such questions.
Uchiha Obito swept his hand, scattering several black receivers that shattered the Adamantine Sealing Chains, while the Truth-Seeking Orbs behind him shot out, intercepting Tsunade and Kisame's attacks.
But then, the mighty barrage of Senju Kōten Taihō unleashed by Yuki Kiri, Uzumaki Hiromi, and Fuyuna Yukiko crashed down on him, joined by the assault of Kimimaro, the giant of light.
The surging energies detonated in an instant, shaking the entire island that housed Kirigakure. Under this horrifying force, the land itself began to split apart.
Thick smoke and dust engulfed the sky. When it finally cleared, a massive crater had appeared in the battlefield.
Inside it, the protective Truth-Seeking Orbs around Obito were shattered piece by piece. Yet within them, Obito himself stood unscathed.
"What!?"
That sight sent a chill down everyone's spines.
If even such a combined assault couldn't harm him, then how could they ever hope to defeat Uchiha Obito?
"Eight Thousand Spears!"
A sharp cry shattered their despair. In the heavens, Uchiha Hikari shone brilliantly. With vast spiritual power reinforcing her, the domineering ocular might of the Eight Thousand Spears poured forth without restraint, surging toward Obito.
Obito snorted coldly. He neither dodged nor avoided the devastating ocular onslaught. But then, at his brow, a crack split open.
The next moment, a crimson light flared.
A blood-red eye of the moon gleamed with a sinister glow, as if it could seize one's very soul. Like a black hole, it immediately drew the gaze of all who saw it.
From it burst an indescribable, terrifying ocular power. Even the might of the Eight Thousand Spears became meaningless before it.
"What is that?!"
"The Rinnegan? No… why is it blood-red, and with tomoe?!"
"What a terrifying aura… just what kind of eye is that?!"
Everyone trembled at the sight of the eye at Obito's brow. They didn't know exactly what it was, but with just one glance they could feel the near-hopeless vastness of its power.
Up in the sky, Hikari felt it most of all. Her Eight Thousand Spears had been completely suppressed.
Before that blood-red Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan, her Mangekyō was like a drop of water meeting the ocean, like a grain of sand sinking into the desert—not only unable to stir the slightest ripple, but wholly swallowed up and indistinguishable.
"It's time you came down, Uchiha Hikari."
Obito's indifferent voice echoed as the blood-red Rinnegan flared. Hikari's body trembled violently. In the next instant, she was forced out of her Perfect Susanoo form and fell from the sky, barely able to hold herself upright.
Fortunately, Miroku was quick-witted, activating his ability to vitalize the ground and catch her.
"Are you alright, Hikari?" Miroku asked worriedly, seeing the dazed look on her face.
"That eye of his… it's not normal." Hikari shook her head, trying to clear the dizziness clouding her mind. With a steady tone, she warned:
"That eye is special. You must all be careful!"
As everyone looked at the sinister, blood-red "Eye of the Moon" at Obito's brow, an ominous dread welled up in their hearts. Something terrible was about to happen.
Floating in the air, Obito swept a cold gaze across the crowd below.
He had played enough.
With his power, he could have easily bypassed Kimimaro and slaughtered the others outright. The only reason he had taken his time was because he enjoyed it—and because he wanted to provoke Yuki Yoru from the shadows, to force him out.
But now, it seemed Yoru either truly feared his power and abandoned the people of Kirigakure…
Or something had happened to him.
That day, Yoru's overwhelming spiritual pressure had indeed been terrifying. But to control such a level of power was no simple matter. It was very possible that, after gaining that strength, Yuki Yoru had suffered some accident.
Not that it mattered anymore. Uchiha Obito no longer cared.
His gaze fell upon those below him: once the strongest figures of the shinobi world, those who held the highest power. And yet now, they were forced to grovel beneath his might.
The Legendary Sannin's Tsunade… so-called representatives of the Kage… former Jinchūriki… shinobi once renowned across the world—every one of these famous names could now only look up at him, as he stood poised to decide the fate of the entire shinobi world.
It was time to end everything.
The ocular power in his lone eye was fully charged. The ultimate genjutsu recorded on the stone tablet left behind by the Sage of Six Paths—Infinite Tsukuyomi—was ready to be unleashed.
The dream world he longed for, a world of peace and beauty, was already in his grasp. At any moment, he could make it real.
"It's time to end this."
Uchiha Obito's voice rang out calmly.
He cast one last glance down at the people below. Some were gravely wounded, others utterly exhausted, a few still struggling in vain resistance… but none of it mattered anymore. He was done playing.
Obito's form rose higher and higher, ascending into the unclaimed sky. Fixing his gaze on the moon, he wove hand seals.
The blood-red Eye of the Moon turned upward, aligning with the lunar surface that Obito himself had reshaped. At that moment, a strange ocular power erupted, projecting onto the moon.
"Come forth!"
With a low cry, Obito unleashed the vast might of the Eye of the Moon. The moon hanging in the heavens instantly turned scarlet, bathed in ominous red light.
"The moon… it's turning red!"
"A blood-red moon…"
"What has Uchiha Obito done?!"
The shinobi of Kirigakure noticed the change at once. A suffocating aura spread across the land, but the truly terrifying event was only just beginning.
As the moon's color shifted, strange markings appeared upon its surface. Nine tomoe, arranged in threes, spun within rippling circles—identical to the Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan at Obito's brow!
What was he trying to do?
Everyone's hearts clenched with dread. Whatever Uchiha Obito intended, they knew one thing for certain: it could only be something catastrophic.