Zetsu asked, a little confused, "What happened?"
Obito then recounted how his ambush on Kawasaki had backfired, and he had been tricked.
The way Zetsu looked at Obito changed. "You were following him the whole time, and you couldn't even tell if he used a Shadow Clone?"
Obito frowned. "I'm certain. He didn't use any Shadow Clones on the way."
White Zetsu sneered. "Are you saying he was a Shadow Clone himself? Since when are Shadow Clones that strong?"
Obito scoffed. He knew that was impossible. It seemed Kawasaki had used the Shadow Clone Jutsu somewhere, and he simply hadn't noticed.
Black Zetsu's tone was grave. "This means you've had a complete falling out with Nagato."
"No wonder I couldn't reach him through the ring."
Obito had intended to get new information. He hadn't expected the unspoken understanding with Nagato to shatter so suddenly. Now, he had to find Nagato immediately. After all, Nagato possessed the most critical asset—the Rinnegan!
Obito felt more and more that events were spiraling beyond his control. He understood that he needed to personally manage many things to ensure nothing went wrong.
"To think things would turn out like this." Black Zetsu's voice was tinged with annoyance.
Black Zetsu had originally planned for Nagato to be the sacrifice for the Rinne Tensei, all in preparation for Madara Uchiha. But now, that sacrifice was out of control, forcing him to resort to his backup plan: having Obito take his place.
Obito's expression was just as grim. Nagato, whom he had spent years manipulating, had suddenly broken free of his control. Before Kawasaki appeared, everything had gone smoothly. After Kawasaki's arrival, nothing seemed to go right. What's more, Kawasaki's Mangekyo Sharingan was a perfect counter to his own abilities.
Obito couldn't help but wonder if he'd made an enemy of Kawasaki when they were children. Why was Kawasaki always targeting him?
"Zetsu, start a large-scale search immediately! We have to retrieve the Rinnegan ahead of schedule!"
This wasn't the time for idle speculation. He had to find Nagato now.
"Hah..." Black Zetsu exhaled slowly. "There's no other choice."
"It just so happens this Danzo fellow shows no signs of waking up. How about I use him as my new vessel?" White Zetsu asked Obito expectantly.
Obito had already examined Danzo. The physical modifications to his body were complete, but his consciousness had fallen completely silent. He would never wake up again, not even if someone mentioned the word "Hokage." Obito had only ever seen Danzo as an experiment. Now that the experiment was over, whether Danzo lived or died was irrelevant.
"Do what you want. Might as well make use of the trash."
"Hehehehehe..." White Zetsu let out a triumphant laugh. "I wonder if I can experience the feeling of defecation in this body..."
Zetsu split down the middle, separating into Black Zetsu and White Zetsu. The half-body of White Zetsu bounced on the ground, its form swelling before it attached itself to Danzo. Amidst a series of squelching sounds, it gradually merged with Danzo's body.
A thin white film appeared on Danzo's skin, encasing him once more. The substance crept upward, spreading from his torso to his neck, and finally covering his entire face. A new White Zetsu, looking almost identical to the previous one, appeared on the scene.
The Danzo-version of White Zetsu had an excited look on his face. "Ah, I can feel it, I can feel it... This is... the urge to relieve myself..."
The Danzo-Zetsu dashed off, heading for a place he had long been curious about but had never visited.
Meanwhile, Black Zetsu said with resignation, "What a troublesome guy."
Another new White Zetsu emerged from the ground and slowly merged with Black Zetsu's other half. A closer look revealed that this White Zetsu had a rather dull and foolish-looking face.
Black Zetsu stamped his foot, and numerous White Zetsu clones popped their heads out of the ground.
"Find Nagato's whereabouts! Use all your strength!"
The White Zetsu clones responded in unison and immediately submerged back into the earth.
Within the Land of Fire.
Kawasaki, carrying Yahiko on his back, had already crossed the border of the Land of Fire. He unceremoniously dumped Yahiko on the ground. Yahiko landed with a thud but still didn't wake up.
Kawasaki formed a few hand seals. "Water Style: Water Stream Rush!"
Splash! A jet of water sprayed directly onto Yahiko's face. He groggily awoke.
"Hiss... that hurts." Yahiko rubbed the back of his head and looked around. "How did I get here? Where are Nagato and Konan?"
Kawasaki looked at Yahiko's handsome yet dazed face and felt it was a strange combination.
"Nagato would be easily found by Obito, so he asked me to take you away," Kawasaki explained. "Konan stayed behind. She'll face whatever comes with Nagato."
Upon hearing this, Yahiko became agitated. "That's not right! I have to be with them!"
Kawasaki put out a hand to stop Yahiko from getting up. "With your current strength, you'd only be a burden if you went back."
"Impossible!" Yahiko forcefully pushed Kawasaki's hand away.
Kawasaki's hand was instantly knocked aside. "Oh?" He looked at his hand, a little surprised. Logically, Yahiko was only fifteen when he died, so his strength should have been limited.
Yahiko himself staggered, nearly falling over. He stared at his hands in disbelief. He stomped his foot hard. A crater immediately formed in the ground.
"My body... how did it get so strong?" Yahiko was astonished.
Kawasaki then remembered that this body, as the Deva Path, had been able to fight on par with Naruto in Sage Mode using only taijutsu. Could it be that Nagato and the others had modified Yahiko's body?
Although Yahiko didn't know the reason, he was clearly more confident. "Kawasaki, I have to go back!"
Kawasaki yawned. Even with a modified body, Yahiko was no match for him. He had just been caught off guard a moment ago. He sized up Yahiko. "Fine. If you can beat me, I'll let you go back. But if you lose, you'll have to follow my arrangements."
"Deal!" Yahiko charged forward, full of confidence.
CRACK! Kawasaki and Yahiko collided violently. Yahiko had been brimming with confidence, but Kawasaki was far stronger than he had imagined.
Thud! Thud! Every one of Yahiko's punches and kicks was caught precisely by Kawasaki, who deftly rolled and dodged with each attack. After a few exchanges, Yahiko realized that despite his newfound strength and speed, he was still no match for Kawasaki. Kawasaki hadn't even gone on the offensive; he had been purely defensive the entire time.
Back in the cave, Konan had briefly told him about the events of the past few years. She had emphasized that Kawasaki was someone he could trust. He knew Kawasaki was the head of the Uchiha clan, but even his all-out assault couldn't make him take the fight seriously. Yahiko was astounded.
The reason Kawasaki had remained on the defensive was to gauge Yahiko's current strength. Although Yahiko's body had been enhanced long ago, and his taijutsu alone surpassed that of a Jonin, his strength was still a far cry from that of the Deva Path.
Unable to break through, Yahiko flipped back to his feet and formed three hand seals. "Kawasaki, watch out! Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
Yahiko's cheeks puffed out, and he spat a massive torrent of water.
Kawasaki found it amusing. "That's not going to be enough." He formed his own hand seals even faster. "Water Style: Water Wall!"
WHOOSH! A towering wall of water erupted in front of Kawasaki, completely obscuring him from view. Yahiko was stunned. Wasn't Kawasaki an Uchiha? Since when were the Uchiha so proficient with Water Style?
The water wall dissipated, and Kawasaki was gone. He reappeared instantly in front of Yahiko.
Yahiko quickly raised his guard, but Kawasaki had already assessed his strength and decided to stop toying with him. He pushed aside Yahiko's hands, and in an instant, the Four Symbols Seal was branded onto his body.