Killing Hanzo had been little more than a casual act for Uha.
He'd even planned to let Nagato take credit for the kill one day, using it to create buzz and expand his influence.
As someone meant to lead the shinobi world toward peace, Nagato's raw power wasn't enough. He needed the strength of public opinion behind him.
But now, Black Zetsu had ruined everything.
How could Uha not be furious?
Despite the bounty notice appearing detailed on the surface, it was frustratingly vague. Black Zetsu had witnessed nearly the entire instant-kill sequence when Uha eliminated Hanzo, and yet there was no mention of his powers: Cero Oscuras, Hierro, or Kido.
That omission was no accident.
Uha strongly suspected that Black Zetsu had pieced together the truth about his origins, especially considering how he had descended into the shinobi world and the connection to Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
Yet none of that information had been exposed.
Why?
A brief moment of thought yielded the answer.
"You're afraid I'll reveal your little secret, aren't you? That you're the third son of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. That's why you left out crucial details to keep me from flipping the table entirely."
Heh…
Clever scheme.
But Black Zetsu made one fatal mistake.
He crossed Uha.
And for that, he would die.
Across from him, Minato Namikaze noticed the change in Uha's demeanor and grew increasingly alert.
His grip on the kunai tightened as he thought to himself,
"He's clearly angry about the bounty. If he lashes out at the village, I may have no choice… I'll have to try my Spiral Flash Super Round Dance Howl Style Three."
But even that
His opponent's skin was tougher than steel. The standard Rasengan hadn't left a scratch.
Would this trump card even work?
Suddenly
There was a fluctuation beside Uha.
Zzzzt! Zzzzt! Zzzzt!
The air twisted violently, forming a swirling vortex.
Two figures emerged one in a mask, the other entirely white.
Obito's voice was filled with excitement.
"I've got the goods! A Fei and I nailed the setup. We pinned it all on Danzo. That old fossil probably never saw it co-uh!!"
He stopped cold when he looked up and saw Uha's stormy expression.
"Wh-what happened?" Obito asked, voice tense. "Did something go wrong?"
Uha said nothing. He simply handed him the bounty scroll.
Obito scanned it quickly, his expression shifting.
"The news of Hanzo's death got out? Who had the guts to leak this?!"
"Black Zetsu," Uha replied.
Obito frowned.
"So what now? Didn't you keep Hanzo's death a secret for a reason? Something tied to the next phase of our plan?"
"It doesn't matter," Uha said flatly. "We'll capture him. Let him taste what a million years of solitude feels like. That extradimensional cube is the perfect tomb."
"…Got it," Obito said after swallowing hard.
He knew all too well what that place felt like.
He had spent an entire year trapped inside it.
Time barely moved in that space.
Even he, Konan, and Nagato had to come out every few days to breathe. Otherwise, the isolation could easily drive someone insane.
Next to him, A Fei took the scroll from Obito and examined the bounty.
He froze, eyes wide.
"Holy crap! One hundred and fifty million ryō?! If that were one hundred and fifty million pounds of poop, how epic would that be?! Just imagining it gets my blood pumping!"
"Ahem." Obito coughed lightly beside him.
"What? Don't you think that's impressive, Obito? I mean, I don't poop, but I'd really love to know how many people it would take to produce that much in one go. Also…"
He paused mid-thought.
Then turned and saw Uha's face, dark as thunderclouds.
"Sumimasen!" A Fei blurted, bowing quickly. "Forgive me! I was just being curious. I didn't mean anything by it, I swear."
Uha didn't even bother replying.
"Obito, let's go home," he said, already turning away.
"Right."
Obito's Sharingan gleamed.
The air warped into a spiral, and the two vanished into it.
Minato finally exhaled. His back was drenched in cold sweat.
He hadn't expected
That the enemy would have a space-time jutsu user.
And that strange white creature… despite his absurd behavior, radiated a dangerous aura.
Minato knew.
If it had come to a fight, he wouldn't have stood a chance against all three.
Thank heavens they left.
He looked at the ruined streets around him and murmured,
"This is going to shake the shinobi world to its core."
One Month Later
Amegakure
The tallest tower.
On the rooftop, Uha stood with Obito, A Fei, Konan, and Pain.
Rain fell steadily from the gray sky.
Uha stood still, eyes closed, quietly enjoying the moment.
No one spoke.
They simply gazed down at the peaceful village below.
After a long silence, Uha turned to Konan.
"Anything urgent in the village?"
"Yes," Konan replied calmly. "Now that the truth about Hanzo's death has spread, the Five Great Nations have increased the number of scouting parties sent into Amegakure."
"Which nation has sent the most?" Uha asked.
"Earth Country," Konan said. "Their infiltration forces have more than tripled. The leadership in Iwagakure seems desperate to know who's replaced Hanzo."
She looked worried.
"Though these scouts are mostly low-level operatives, if none of us are present in the village, I'm not confident the regular forces can repel an invasion."
"Then let's teach Onoki a lesson," Uha said coldly, eyes flashing. "Only when they feel pain will they pull back their claws. Obito go visit the Third Tsuchikage. With your Twin Kamui, you're more than enough to handle it."
"No problem." Obito nodded, battle-ready.
His spatial ninjutsu had advanced beyond what it was before.
His right eye gave him phasing and dimensional travel.
Now, his left eye granted long-range offensive Kamui.
Unlike Kakashi's rough control, Obito could snipe enemies from afar, twisting their heads clean off with precision.
He now stood shoulder to shoulder with Nagato in terms of raw power firmly in the Super-Kage tier.
"But if we're all out of the village, how will we defend against the Five Nations' infiltration?" Konan asked.
"I told White Zetsu to track down Iwagakure's Four-Tails Jinchūriki. Any updates?" Uha asked.
"Yes," Konan said slowly. "His name is Roshi. He's had long-standing issues with Onoki and left the village about half a month ago. According to White Zetsu's latest report, he's wandering the southeastern region of Earth Country."
"Even better."
Uha's eyes gleamed.
"This is the perfect opportunity. If we take their tailed beast, the threat of its power will keep the Five Nations from messing with us again. So who wants to go?"
"I'll do it."
Tendo Pain's voice was calm and resolute.
Before Uha could respond, Konan stepped forward in alarm.
"No! If Nagato uses the Rinnegan again, it'll shorten his lifespan! With the state your body is in, you might not even have twenty years left!"