Obito's fusion process was not yet complete.
Although he had only absorbed portions of the chakra of many tailed beasts, and with the White Snake Sage's techniques had barely pieced together a "Ten-Tails, Youth Edition," a Ten-Tails was still a Ten-Tails. The pressure it put on the body and mind was astonishing.
If Obito were given another one or two months to fully integrate this power, he might even gain one more Truth-Seeking Orb, with his strength rising by another thirty percent.
But he didn't have time.
The implementation of the global spatial gate project involved too wide a scope, it was impossible to hide it from the trio of the Evil God White Snake.
Once this plan officially launched tomorrow, their lives would enter the final countdown.
Maybe one day they'd wake up from sleep and find Ryosuke standing at the head of their bed, gently knocking to awaken their sleeping souls.
If they didn't want to die, they could only act in advance.
As for this, the White Snake Sage saw it clearly, "Great undertakings are always like this. Only the weak need one hundred percent preparation."
On the other hand, on such an important day as today, all the tailed beasts and jinchuriki would appear as symbols of peace.
For Obito, this was a perfect opportunity.
Since they were going to act sooner or later anyway, they might as well do it today. As long as he absorbed the remaining tailed beasts, Obito would become a true, complete Ten-Tails jinchuriki, a second Sage of Six Paths, the strongest in the world.
Thinking of this, a smile curled at the corner of Obito's mouth.
'Wait for me, Rin. It won't be long before I bring you the beautiful world of Infinite Tsukuyomi.'
He fantasized about a wonderful life with Rin. As he kept thinking, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his waist. Turning around, he saw Yakushi Kabuto poking him in the side.
"What are you thinking about? There are only…"
Kabuto glanced at his watch. "Three hours left until the signing ceremony. Let's do a final review of the plan."
Yakushi Kabuto, Obito, and the White Snake Sage formed a small circle.
The White Snake Sage took a drag from his pipe and said, "Phase one of the plan. Obito, you need to apply as much pressure on Ryosuke as possible. I know this won't be easy, but you must hold on. You have only one objective..."
Obito nodded and said, "Force Ryosuke to move the 'Isshiki head.'"
"Exactly."
The research institute had spent a full four months studying how to destroy Isshiki's head.
Not just the Evil God White Snake, even housewives living in Kyoto had heard about it.
There was no helping it. Too many people were involved; it simply couldn't be hidden.
Kabuto said, "In order to keep the seal stable, Ryosuke has no choice but to carry Isshiki's head with him at all times."
"But once he enters combat, especially combat between equals, the aftershocks of power will inevitably affect the seal."
Obito naturally knew that Ryosuke had an otherworldly space similar to Kamui, after all, Obito had seen countless times Ryosuke pulling the World-Destroying Great Blade out of his pocket.
But ever since obtaining Isshiki's head, Ryosuke spent most of the time hanging it at his waist.
They could only speculate, perhaps Isshiki, as a member of the Otsutsuki, could not be sealed inside an otherworldly space.
The reason Ryosuke kept Isshiki's head at his waist was because doing so forced him to maintain the existence of the Ghost Room. Once it was canceled, Isshiki's head, being a living entity, would fall out.
Judging from the results, their guess was correct.
"So what Ryosuke can do is only transfer it."
The White Snake Sage looked at Kabuto. "Next is phase two of the plan."
"I and Kabuto will block all routes for transferring Isshiki's head."
"And with your Sharingan, Obito, this blockade will include space-time ninjutsu and summoning-based teleportation."
After becoming the Ten-Tails jinchuriki, whether due to bodily rejection or some other reason, Obito could no longer use the intangibility ability of the Sharingan.
Since that was the case, Obito simply installed both Rinnegan eyes, further boosting his strength.
The Kamui Sharingan, which was temporarily useless to him, was handed over to Yakushi Kabuto to carry out the Isshiki head blockade plan.
"Once we get Isshiki's head, I'll immediately lift the seal and let him complete his reincarnation."
Kabuto said, "After entering reincarnation, Isshiki will definitely rush toward Ryosuke at once to seize a body."
"At that time, Obito, while Isshiki and Ryosuke are locked in battle, you absorb the other tailed beasts and complete the Ten-Tails."
"When Ryosuke and Isshiki are both heavily wounded, that'll be phase three of the plan. You, me, the White Snake Sage, and..."
Kabuto pointed behind them at hundreds of coffins.
"The Edo Tensei army, launch together. Kill Ryosuke and Otsutsuki Isshiki, and end this war as the victors!"
This was their "perfect plan."
Two men and one snake looked at each other, slowly breaking into smiles.
As they smiled, they thought of all the beatings they'd endured along the way, of the companions who had died or left them, Orochimaru, Hidan, all the members of Akatsuki, the former White Snake Sage…
Their gazes gradually hardened.
Whoosh!
Obito stood up, raised his hand, and opened the Sky Base.
Under the pressure difference, fierce winds swept through.
Obito stood at the very front. The White Snake Sage and Yakushi Kabuto stood to his left and right.
Behind them, amid the raging wind, coffin lids were blown open one after another, and hundreds of Edo Tensei soldiers stepped out.
Obito took a deep breath.
"Evil God White Snake..."
"Move out!"
———
[One Hour Remained Until the Signing Ceremony]
The ceremony was to be held in the plaza outside the Historical Memorial Hall and would be broadcast live worldwide, allowing everyone in the ninja world to witness this historic moment.
Staff were still busy on site. The leaders of various nations and important figures who had arrived early took advantage of the time before the ceremony officially began to walk around and chat with familiar friends.
Ryosuke was not among them.
He stood alone inside the memorial hall. A beam of light poured down from the skylight above, falling onto a ten-meter-tall statue.
Ryosuke stood before the statue, quietly admiring it.
The sculpture depicted a young man holding a lifeless girl in his arms.
There was a penetrating wound in the girl's chest, and blood was dripping downward.
At the base of the statue was a chakra mechanism. Strands of chakra threads connected to bronze-crafted drops of blood. Up close, you could see that each drop had scenes from historical battles engraved upon it.
The bronze blood drops flowed continuously, replaying the flames of past wars again and again.
The young man holding the girl had blurred features, his face impossible to make out, but his eyes were two clusters of burning flames, forever gazing forward, never extinguishing.
"Is that her?"
Terumi Mei walked over and stood beside Ryosuke, admiring the statue with him.
Ryosuke nodded slightly.
"Yes. That's her."
The first death Ryosuke personally witnessed after descending into this world.
"This was the first time in my life I truly understood what 'powerlessness' meant."
"I'll remember it at all times, stay alert at all times, and then… keep moving forward."
Terumi Mei turned to look at Ryosuke. "You've already done more than enough."
Since meeting Ryosuke, she had never seen him rest for even a moment, killing enemies, investigating, cultivating… perhaps his only rest was quietly drinking a cup of tea in the tea room.
She stepped forward and reached out to straighten his clothes, her slender fingers smoothing out the wrinkles bit by bit.
"Sometimes I wonder where you actually came from. You're not really some immortal who fell from the heavens to save the world, are you?"
"When the ninja world is at peace and everything is resolved, will you one day suddenly disappear and return to the immortal realm?"
Ryosuke shrugged. "Hard to say."
"Hmph."
"Don't forget, you promised me back then. When I step down as Mizukage and you have your own village, I'll go find you to farm and raise chickens."
Terumi Mei raised her fist and gestured in front of Ryosuke.
"If you dare sneak away, watch out, I'll come after you and beat you up."
The two exchanged a look and smiled together.