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A wild chase was underway across the Land of Rain.
Jiraiya raced ahead, soaring on the back of the Iron-Armed Toad.
Pursuing close behind, the Animal Path's Yatagarasu carried Obito and Shikaku.
And further back, Konan, her form that of an angel, was in relentless pursuit.
The scene… resembled a deadly kite string.
How had it come to this? It began half an hour prior, when Obito sensed clashing chakra signatures far to the southeast, within the Land of Fire.
He instantly recognized Sasuke's chakra.
The other signature was utterly foreign, but by analyzing its composition, the deduction was simple.
"The Nine-Tails' chakra, Nagato's chakra, being consumed and merged with a third, deeply sinister energy… There's no mistake. It can only be him! That man has finally appeared! And he's fighting Uchiha Sasuke!"
As Obito reeled from the discovery, Shikaku offered his counsel. "Lord Obito, this is the perfect opportunity to hunt the Nine-Tails."
"Explain."
"First, tell me the state of their battle."
"A stalemate… for the moment."
"Good. Wait for them to exhaust each other. Then, intervene with overwhelming force. Use the power of the Gedo Statue to directly reclaim the Nine-Tails from 'Uzumaki Madara'."
Shikaku referred to the being inhabiting Naruto's body as 'Uzumaki Madara'.
Obito asked, "And after reclaiming his Nine-Tails?"
"The Gedo Statue will begin its metamorphosis into the Ten-Tails."
"I'm well aware of that."
"Where Sasuke is, Orochimaru cannot be far. Seize Sasuke. Exchanging him for the other half of the Nine-Tails will be trivial. Even if you fail, with the half from Uzumaki Madara, the resurrected Ten-Tails' power will exceed your expectations. Launch the Infinite Tsukuyomi, or consume the other half later. The choice will be yours."
"You're right… I can't waste time here!"
Enveloping himself and Shikaku in his Susano'o, Obito prepared to warp to the Land of Fire with Kamui, ready to strike—when a sudden 'Frog Sniper' shot disrupted his intangibility.
Obito stared through his Susano'o at Jiraiya, arm outstretched, and frowned deeply. "That technique just now… did it manipulate the natural energy inside this Susano'o?"
"Hand over Tsunade!" Jiraiya barked. "You're not getting away from me!"
"You really have a death wish… Jiraiya!"
Killing intent surged in Obito's eye. A sinister, spinning shuriken of black chakra formed in the Susano'o's palm.
"That technique… Could it be?!"
Jiraiya's eyes widened. From Sasuke's memories, he had seen the horrific results of the Kamui Shuriken.
"Die!"
Obito hurled the shuriken with a cold shout.
But to his surprise, in the instant before impact, Jiraiya vanished in a puff of white smoke.
Watching the battle in real-time, the Two Great Sage Toads had seen the danger and activated the Reverse Summoning Jutsu, whisking their contractor to safety.
Jiraiya's escape left Obito's expression unchanged. His body was at the border of the Land of Earth, but his mind was already in the Land of Fire, at the heart of Uzumaki Madara's territory.
Ignoring Konan hovering in the sky, he sought to use Kamui under the cover of his Susano'o once more.
BOOM!
Another unexpected Frog Sniper blast shattered his concentration.
Jiraiya had returned to the battlefield.
Just as a summoned creature returns when its contract is broken, so too does reversing a Reverse Summoning have a similar effect.
This was why Jiraiya hadn't brought the Two Great Sages onto his shoulders for this fight. While their presence would boost his power, it would weaken his survivability. Against a unique existence like Uchiha Obito, survival took clear precedence over raw combat strength.
"Obito!" Jiraiya declared, his voice firm. "Until you hand over Tsunade, you're going nowhere!"
"You're asking for it!"
Obito's rage boiled over. Another Kamui Shuriken formed…
But once again, with the remote coordination of the Two Great Sages, Jiraiya repeated the trick, rendering Obito's sure-kill technique useless.
"Reverse Summoning uses chakra too," Jiraiya taunted. "But compared to the drain of maintaining that Susano'o and its weapon? A drop in the bucket. And that one eye of yours… must be a heavy burden, huh?"
Obito ground his teeth in fury. He had to admit it: unless he dealt with Jiraiya first, breaking away from this battle was impossible.
And so… the chase that opened this chapter began.
…
The Land of Rain was a small nation. Traveling by air, the trio covered most of its territory in short order. With Jiraiya in the "lead," they soon reached the vast ocean bordering Amegakure.
Obito pursued Jiraiya with every means at his disposal, while simultaneously keeping a sharp sense on the battle raging in the Land of Fire.
He could feel it… the chakra of both combatants fluctuating wildly. Clearly, a decisive moment was near.
His impatience grew with every second, his desire to kill Jiraiya intensifying.
But to put it bluntly, a ninja like Jiraiya fighting a guerilla war, backed by a Kage-level Konan and a flying Iron-Armed Toad? Below the level of the Six Paths, no one could secure a quick kill.
Add to that Obito's own frantic state; the more he hurried, the less he accomplished.
It was becoming clear this pursuit was hopeless.
"Wait, Jiraiya!"
On the Iron-Armed Toad's back, Jiraiya glanced back. "What?"
Obito's tone was clipped. "I will release Tsunade. You cease interfering with me. Do we have a deal?"
POOF!
The Iron-Armed Toad vanished in smoke.
Jiraiya landed on the sea's surface, his wooden sandals making no ripple. His expression was grave. "Yeah… my word is my bond. Even to an enemy. My only goal here is Tsunade's safe return."
"Though… I'd prefer it if you didn't try any tricks. Like pretending to release her only to suck yourself in instead."
Slick-slick-slick!
Jiraiya's white hair grew, hardened, and aimed skyward like a thousand needles poised to strike.
"Truly watertight," Obito conceded. "Since you put it that way, pointless effort is beneath me…"
SWISH!
His right eye swirled. A battered, golden-haired figure was ejected from Yatagarasu's back.
WHOOSH!
Jiraiya shot forward, catching Tsunade firmly in his arms. Seeing her battered but still clinging to life, he finally let out a deep, shuddering breath of relief.
Obito wasted not a second more, beginning to warp himself away…
SHUUUU—!
A stream of paper slips shot through his intangible form.
Obito's brow furrowed deeply as he looked toward the sky behind him.
"You… What is the meaning of this?"
Konan hovered there, her form half-human, half-origami. One cold, clear eye stared down at the half of Obito's face etched with bitterness and hatred.
"Just because our teacher spares you… does not mean I will."
Obito scoffed. "You? On what grounds?"
ROAR—!
The ocean parted. An infinite sea of paper rose.
—"On the grounds of the one trillion explosive tags I have prepared in this life… for the sole purpose of killing YOU!"
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