Under the night, the Mizukage Building crouched like a feral beast, seething with danger.
Natsume entered Sage Mode and immediately sensed the presence of more than thirty shinobi.
The Mizukage's Guard and the Anbu.
On average, they were quite strong.
Setting Terumi Mei aside, they far outstripped the attacking side.
After all, the news that the Mizukage had been controlled was too shocking.
Most people didn't believe it.
Mei and Genji knew that dragging things out would only alert the enemy, so they decided to go all in.
Fortunately, they did have a chance.
In terms of the number of jōnin, they held the advantage.
The only uncertainties were that mysterious powerhouse and Yagura Karatachi.
Natsume stood beside Terumi Mei.
His unfamiliar face drew the attention of Genji and Ao.
But neither of them asked.
Clearly Mei had already told them she'd hired a black-market shinobi.
The black market has existed for ages and built up considerable credibility.
Genji and Ao welcomed Natsume's arrival.
To this day, there have been few—if any—cases of black-market ninja turning on their employers.
"Mei, let's begin."
Genji sighed. "Those who stand in our way—so long as you can keep yourselves safe—try not to kill if you can help it. Kirigakure can't afford more infighting."
"I understand."
Mei nodded. Her gaze sharpened and she swept her hand.
Like a signal, a dozen shadows slipped into the Mizukage Building.
But before long—
The building lit up.
A roaring water dragon, coiling around a figure, blasted out from the stairwell.
The battle had begun.
Mei wasn't surprised.
If the Mizukage's Guard and the Anbu could be breached this easily, their names would be a joke.
…
In a dim room—
A clone of White Zetsu swam up through the earth behind Uchiha Obito.
"Terumi Mei Mei and the others have launched their attack. Clearly they've noticed something wrong with Yagura Karatachi."
"A bunch of idiots, that's all."
Obito tipped his chin, disdainful. "It took them years to notice? Kirigakure is nothing."
"What now?"
Knowing his personality, White Zetsu ignored the arrogance.
"We've inconvenienced them for so long. If we're going to leave, we might as well give them a grand parting gift."
Obito's tone went icy. "Have the Three-Tails self-destruct."
Back then, Kirigakure stuffed the Three-Tails into Rin Nohara, intending for her to bring it back to Konoha and self-destruct.
This was his final revenge.
"Rin, watch this," Obito said, voice thick with feeling.
"Won't killing the Three-Tails affect Akatsuki's plans?" White Zetsu asked, worried.
"No plan will stop me from avenging Rin!"
Obito turned, eyes twisting with ferocity and hate.
White Zetsu shrugged.
Knew it.
But the Three-Tails' importance was obvious.
Not just to Akatsuki—to Black Zetsu as well.
"Then have fun," White Zetsu said, melting back into the ground.
He was only a clone; the real decisions could be left to the main body.
Obito looked out at the fighting outside. His exposed Mangekyō Sharingan spun fast, cold intent cutting like a blade.
…
At the same time, Natsume lifted his head and glanced over.
Thanks to Sage Mode's phenomenal sensory range, he had already noticed Uchiha Obito.
Mangekyō eye-techniques usually differ from person to person.
Obito's was Kamui.
An outrageous ocular jutsu.
It does several things:
Creates a separate dimension, letting the user shift between reality and that other space.
Can suck enemies into that other space.
Grants intangibility to evade attacks.
Lets the user pre-store ninja tools in the other space and release them in battle.
He can fight and he can run.
But there are weaknesses.
While absorbing, releasing, or attacking, the body becomes tangible and cannot evade.
Also, with a single-eye Mangekyō, Kamui's intangibility tops out at five minutes.
Honestly, for most shinobi that weakness isn't much of one.
Only combat savants like Namikaze Minato could catch it—and that thanks to the Flying Thunder God Technique.
If he caught Obito off guard, Natsume might be able to kill him.
But dying like that would be too easy on him.
For an edgy, rage-drunk little brat like this, only setback after setback makes the death hurt.
In other words, you have to kill the body and break the heart.
In his previous life, Natsume had always wondered why Obito never resurrected Rin Nohara.
There could be lots of reasons.
Maybe the blackened Obito thought this world was false and didn't want her to suffer again after being revived.
But Natsume felt the real reason was that he had no face left to meet Rin.
He killed his teacher and teacher's wife, slaughtered his own clan, and repeatedly attacked Konoha.
Rin wouldn't forgive him, much less love him.
So Obito simply chose to create a brand-new false world.
In that world, Rin would always accompany him and love him.
If that's the case, breaking his heart is actually easy.
Besides, this approach yields more fate points than just killing him.
And if Natsume killed Obito now, he'd expose his own secrets, draw suspicion from Mei and the others—unnecessary trouble.
While Natsume pondered, the fighting in the Mizukage Building was already white-hot.
Though Obito and Yagura still hadn't appeared.
"Careful!"
Mei shouted.
In front of the building, Anbu joined hands, weaving a composite ninjutsu.
Lightning–Water Dragon Bullet.
Water and Lightning combined.
With more than a dozen people pouring in chakra, it lit the night in an instant.
Mei gritted her teeth and flashed through hand seals.
At this point, she couldn't afford to be soft.
Boil Release: Melting Apparition Technique!
A sticky, highly corrosive acid spread in a heartbeat, covering the lightning-laced water dragon completely.
Popping noises crackled.
The dragon was like a string of firecrackers going off inside it—skin splitting, scales blasted apart—
Then it melted into puddles that pitted the ground with countless holes.
"Move!"
The Anbu captain's face went pale as he shouted.
After swallowing the dragon, the acid still hadn't dispersed; like a wave of death, it surged toward them.
But Mei took no comfort.
To amplify her jutsu's power, she had nearly spent all her chakra.
"Here."
Natsume took out a black pill. "Soldier pill."
"I've got some."
Mei shook her head. "They're not much use."
Soldier pills restore chakra; in theory, they're artifacts for battle.
But in the original story, almost no one used them.
Because of their downside—
They abruptly flood you with a foreign, violent chakra—dangerous in the middle of a fight.
So they're basically for downtime or aftermath.
"Special-made," Natsume added.
Mei hesitated, then swallowed it. A moment later her eyes lit up.
Good stuff!
And it told her the maker's skill was extraordinary.
"Tha—"
Before she could finish the second syllable, the scene went cold.
The surviving Anbu slowly parted down the middle.
Yagura Karatachi, draped in the Mizukage's ceremonial robe, stepped out, face severe. "Are you trying to rebel?"
In that moment, everyone except Mei, Genji, and Ao faltered to varying degrees.