Chapter 44: The Sorrow of the Yotsuki
In the Hidden Cloud Village, at dusk.
The setting sun draped a blood-red cloak over the peaceful village.
A spatial vortex suddenly appeared. Uchiha Obito stood on the summit of Mount Kumokumo, looking down at the stable and prosperous village below.
A Venus flytrap-like plant emerged from the ground. "Obito," Black Zetsu's raspy voice said, "you're five days later than we agreed."
Obito glanced at him. "There was an urgent matter in Kirigakure that needed my attention. And from now on, you will call me Uchiha Madara."
What urgent matter? Black Zetsu thought with disdain. Another meaningless, bloody purge. The real Madara would never have done such a thing. He's just a substitute, after all.
"Madara," he said, getting to the point, "our work is done. It's your turn."
"Then let's begin," Obito said, his voice cold. He stepped back and disappeared into the vortex.
Zetsu's two halves merged back into the plant and sank into the ground.
In a Kumo training ground, Yotsuki Rin, who had been training all day, stabbed her long sword into the ground and picked up a water bottle, taking a large gulp.
Her crushing defeat at Neji's hands had been a blow to her pride, something she, a self-proclaimed genius, had been unable to get over. She had since doubled her daily training regimen.
"At least all this hard work hasn't been in vain," she muttered to herself. "Once I've completely mastered Black Lightning, I'll challenge him again."
She finished the water, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and was about to resume her training when a spatial vortex appeared in front of her.
She tensed, on guard.
A mysterious figure, wearing a single-holed, tiger-striped mask, slowly emerged from the vortex.
Rin knew instantly that this was no friendly visit.
She gripped her chakra blade, her expression wary.
Obito looked at her with interest. "A fine blade," he said calmly.
"Who are you? And why are you here?" she demanded. But before he could answer, she attacked, her chakra blade slashing through the air, a thread of black lightning crackling along its edge.
Obito stood his ground, not even flinching.
Swoosh!
With a howl of displaced air and the sizzle of black lightning, the blade passed through his neck from an impossible angle.
But the sensation from the hilt of her sword told her that her powerful strike had met no resistance.
It passed right through him! It's not his real body?
She spun around and saw him standing in the same spot, completely unharmed. Her eyes widened in shock.
After a moment of stunned silence, she reacted, backflipping through the air, her eyes darting around, searching for the enemy's true form.
Swoosh!
A long chain shot out from Obito's sleeve, snaking toward her like a venomous serpent.
The sound of the chain cutting through the air made her realize the true strangeness of this masked man.
Lightning Release: Lightning Ball!
My sword can't touch him. I'll try ninjutsu.
Fifty percent of her chakra vanished as a massive sphere of lightning, seven or eight meters in diameter, formed in front of her. It was not the usual blue or white, but was infused with the black lightning that represented the pinnacle of nature transformation. The violent energy it contained could be felt even from a dozen meters away.
The attack was meant not only to test Obito's abilities, but also to alert the patrol teams that there was an intruder.
BOOM!
The explosion sent a shockwave that tore through half the training ground.
Rin staggered back, panting heavily.
A moment later, she saw him, completely unscathed, walking toward her as if he were taking a leisurely stroll.
Swords, ninjutsu... nothing works.
No wonder he's so calm. He has absolute confidence in his own power.
A chill ran down her spine.
Then, she saw it. In the single hole of his mask, a three-tomoe Sharingan was spinning rapidly.
The Sharingan?!
She tried to close her eyes, but she was already frozen in place.
Obito walked toward her, his long, wild hair dancing in the wind. He drew the katana from his waist and, with a single, effortless slash, cut her body in two.
The searing pain broke the genjutsu, and she was snapped back to reality. She stabbed her chakra blade into the ground, trying to pull herself up, but the lower half of her body was no longer under her control.
Is this it? Am I going to die?
It's so... unreal. Just a moment ago, I was thinking about my rematch with that kid.
Obito stopped in front of her, interrupting her thoughts.
She strained to turn her head and look up at the three-tomoe Sharingan in his right eye.
"The Sharingan... you're an Uchiha?"
Obito looked down at her, his gaze cold. Perhaps the sight of the young woman dying in a pool of her own blood reminded him of his past. He decided to indulge her with a few more words.
"I was once an Uchiha. Now, I am a ghost. My only purpose is to destroy this meaningless, false world."
Rin was shocked by his mad words. She couldn't understand. But she chose to believe him. No one would lie to a dying person.
A madman.
But maybe... maybe there's still something I can do.
Feeling her consciousness begin to fade, Rin gripped her chakra blade and, with the last of her strength, threw it at him.
The blade, wreathed in black lightning, passed through his body, flew out of the training ground, and embedded itself deep in a massive tree.
Seeing this, Rin closed her eyes and drew her final breath.
Obito reached into the ninja pouch at her waist and took out a red gourd.
The Treasured Tool of the Sage of Six Paths, the Benihisago.
He nodded, satisfied, and then absorbed both the gourd and Rin's body into his Kamui dimension.
"Where is the Kohaku no Jōhei?"
Of the five Treasured Tools, the Shichiseiken, Kōkinjō, and Bashōsen were of little use to him. But the Kohaku no Jōhei and the Benihisago could be used to store the Tailed Beasts. They would be invaluable when the Akatsuki began their collection.
Zetsu emerged from the ground. "The Kohaku no Jōhei is in the hands of Hyūga Neji."
"Hyūga Neji?"
Beneath his mask, Obito's expression stiffened. That name shouldn't be in the Hidden Cloud.
"You've forgotten, Madara," White Zetsu said cheerfully. "He's the little Byakugan brat the Kumo delegation kidnapped two years ago."
Obito thought for a moment. He did remember something about that. He had never cared much for the Hyūga. When Zetsu had first brought him the intelligence, he had quickly dismissed it.
"So, he wasn't turned into a breeding stud. He was raised as a Kumo-nin."
"The Fourth Raikage is a true hero."
Obito chuckled for a moment, then a malicious grin spread across his face beneath his mask.
"Take me to him."
"Madara," Black Zetsu's voice was a low rasp, like a father gently chiding his son. "One of the Treasured Tools is enough."
"Yotsuki Rin is not Hyūga Neji. If you kill Neji, the Fourth Raikage will be furious. The consequences will be severe."
"Besides, the fighting has already alerted the patrol teams."
"Even you cannot kill Hyūga Neji right now."
"White Zetsu and I will clean up the scene. You should leave as soon as possible."