Listening to Obito Uchiha's near-hysterical, berating words, Black Zetsu subconsciously looked in the direction his finger was pointing—toward the "Mountain of Swords" that Hyuga Yu had created. It, too, couldn't help but fall silent.
Yes, Black Zetsu.
When Madara Uchiha pulled the plug and died, Black Zetsu grandly assumed the role of the "manifestation of Madara's will"...
During this period, it finally officially stepped onto the stage of the shinobi world.
In reality, however, it was the true mastermind behind the scenes—the one who had deceived Madara Uchiha, enticed him into obtaining the Rinnegan, and orchestrated the Eye of the Moon Plan to capture the Tailed Beasts, resurrect the Ten-Tails, and break the seal on its mother, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, who was trapped inside the moon.
Black Zetsu had lurked in the shinobi world for thousands of years and had seen countless geniuses emerge from various ninja clans. Among them were legendary figures like Asura and Indra, who had swept through their respective eras. Yet, even through its seasoned eyes, the Hyuga clan brat named Hyuga Yu, who had suddenly risen to prominence, was an exceptionally unique existence!
Long ago, after sealing their mother, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, alongside his older brother, the Sage of Six Paths (Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki), Hamura Ōtsutsuki populated the moon with an Ōtsutsuki clan whose bloodline was purer than that of their counterparts in the shinobi world. However, before leaving the shinobi world, he had also bestowed upon his direct descendants remaining on Earth a seed to break through their Kekkei Genkai—the Caged Bird Cursed Seal.
Whenever the Hyuga clan fell into a crisis of life and death, an exceptional prodigy would occasionally break through the shackles of the Caged Bird. In a way Black Zetsu could not comprehend, they would resonate with the ultimate weapon created by Hamura Ōtsutsuki on the moon—the Giant Tenseigan—thereby gaining power far beyond that of ordinary mortals.
These Hyuga prodigies who obtained the "Power of the Tenseigan" would rapidly become one of the strongest factions in the world, referred to by the world and the Hyuga clan as—
The "Hyuga Tennin"!
But power that far exceeded ordinary limits brought with it side effects that far surpassed those of normal ninjutsu or dōjutsu!
In the end, these prodigies who emerged from the Hyuga clan either vanished without a trace;
Or they spiraled into a paranoid madness even more extreme than that of the Uchiha who awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan;
Or they were executed on charges of "treason" by the orthodox Ōtsutsuki clan members coming down from the moon, who weaponized the ultimate weapon, the Giant Tenseigan.
Immediately following that would be the alteration of history and the total erasure of the "Tennin's" existence. In fact... not a single real name of those "Tennin" who emerged from the Hyuga clan was left behind.
There were no exceptions.
The shinobi world had never been safe. Lurking beneath the surface of the cyclical conflicts among the "Ninshū ninjas" lay deeper taboos that even Black Zetsu did not dare to lightly touch.
The Sage of Six Paths, who had founded the Pure Land and altered the order of life and death, whose true status of being alive or dead remained unknown;
The Hamura-descended Ōtsutsuki clan on the moon, who had constructed the ultimate weapon—the Giant Tenseigan—and were responsible for guarding the coordinates of the shinobi world...
An unknown faction lurking in the shadows, continuously driving the technological advancement of the shinobi world;
The Shinigami, the Jashin, Mōryō, and the mysterious entities that had created the Ryūmyū (Dragon Vein) and space-time vortexes;
The aura of a second God Tree and a second Ten-Tails that had once accidentally leaked out, which Black Zetsu had sensed;
The members of his mother's clan from the heavens, who were constantly anchoring the coordinates of the shinobi world, attempting to descend upon it...
Amidst these baffling and treacherous historical vortexes, Black Zetsu did not dare to move recklessly. The only plan it ventured to subtly advance was the Eye of the Moon Plan left behind by its mother's will—the plan to gather all nine Tailed Beasts and use the Rinnegan to undo the seal on Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
As for the current Hyuga Yu, he seemed remarkably bizarre in Black Zetsu's eyes. Right now, the descendants of Hamura in the shinobi world were not in a life-or-death crisis. Whether it was the Hyuga clan or their distant relatives, the Kaguya clan, according to the pseudo-scientific rules Black Zetsu had compiled over the ages, a true "Tennin" logically should not emerge during this period...
And yet—
Hyuga Yu had appeared.
He defied the cycles of history, rising at breakneck speed during an era of peace and prosperity for the Hyuga clan. Furthermore, and most importantly:
He had not been targeted by the Ōtsutsuki clan on the moon.
This meant that Hyuga Yu had not yet taken the most critical step toward becoming a true "Hyuga Tennin"—he had not established a connection with the ultimate weapon, the Giant Tenseigan, on the moon.
In other words, all the power he had obtained up to this point was entirely created and unearthed by himself!
In Black Zetsu's eyes, this was even more absurd and exaggerated than those erased "Tennin" in history. Moreover, judging by the power Hyuga Yu currently commanded—even without communicating with or drawing upon the power of the Giant Tenseigan—he had already, in essence, surpassed all the "Hyuga Tennin" who had emerged in the past!
If... he were to obtain the power of the Giant Tenseigan on top of this, it was highly debatable whether even a reincarnated Madara Uchiha via the Edo Tensei could truly beat him to death...
At this thought, Black Zetsu narrowed its glowing green eyes slightly, looking at Obito Uchiha, who stood before it looking somewhat broken and unhinged. Up until now, Obito possessed only one Mangekyō Sharingan and had been chosen as the executor of the Eye of the Moon Plan.
An absurd thought suddenly popped into its head: Compare goods and you'll throw one away; compare people and you'll want to die.
Seriously, how could this guy ever match up to a Tennin as utterly absurd as the one from this generation?
If it let this kid, who didn't look particularly bright, keep messing around with the Eye of the Moon Plan, there might even be a risk of it exposing itself!
"If you aren't going to keep contacting Nagato, then next... what do you plan to do?"
Obito Uchiha fell silent for a moment, then muttered heavily, "I need to acquire power that allows me to at least fight on equal footing with Hyuga Yu. Otherwise, there's no way to advance the plan."
Black Zetsu narrowed its glowing green eyes slightly. "Are you talking about—the other eye left with Kakashi?"
Hearing this, Obito's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't answer Black Zetsu's question. Instead, he spoke to himself, "First, I'll head to the Hidden Mist to take over the forces Madara left behind. And then..."
"Madara never considered the Hidden Mist to be any significant force, you..." Black Zetsu immediately frowned. The only thing capable of rivaling the Tenseigan was the Rinnegan, and failing that, a complete, full-power set of Mangekyō Sharingan.
Faced with a fully established powerhouse like Hyuga Yu, instead of plotting to reclaim his other Mangekyō Sharingan, Obito was fussing over a tiny, insignificant place like the Hidden Mist. In Black Zetsu's eyes... this was simply beyond stupid.
But just as the words of advice reached its lips, Black Zetsu suddenly realized something—
Madara Uchiha had secretly controlled the Hidden Mist to force the Leaf into surrendering the current Three-Tails Jinchuriki, Rin Nohara. He did this to force Obito to see the cruel reality of the world, driving him to awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan in despair, before passing his techniques and the Eye of the Moon Plan to Obito within his Tsukuyomi world.
But in reality, Obito's "awakening" this time wasn't complete. Before his death, Madara hadn't completely severed Obito's hope. Or rather, as long as Obito hadn't witnessed his best friend impaling his beloved with his own eyes and endured that worldview-shattering impact, he couldn't become the truly perfect proxy for the Eye of the Moon Plan!
Right now, Rin Nohara, unable to withstand the power of the Three-Tails, was on the brink of death but hadn't completely died yet. She was still in a "living dead" state. And in the shinobi world during this period, there still existed a top-tier medical ninja who could potentially save her life—
Hyuga Yu!
The path before Obito right now was actually very clear. First, reclaim the Mangekyō Sharingan left with Kakashi Hatake to complete the pair, awakening the true, magnificent power within the Uchiha bloodline—Susanoo. While this might not be enough to defeat Hyuga Yu, it would be more than sufficient to accomplish other goals.
Second, use the hidden measures left by Madara along with the bizarre properties of his Mangekyō dōjutsu, Kamui, to scheme from the shadows. After Hyuga Yu left the Land of Rain, he could continue to subtly guide Nagato into accepting the Eye of the Moon Plan or forcibly seize the Rinnegan. Though difficult, it wasn't completely unfeasible.
Yet, Obito chose neither option at this moment. He stubbornly insisted on taking over the Hidden Mist left by Madara—a matter completely irrelevant to the Eye of the Moon Plan.
From the looks of it, this kid... had likely developed ulterior motives.
With his intelligence, he wouldn't guess that all of this was actually orchestrated by Madara behind the scenes. However, the legacy Madara left behind happened to come in handy for his little schemes at this crucial juncture.
Returning to the Hidden Mist was merely an excuse. What he truly wanted to do was use Madara's remaining contingencies to keep the Hidden Mist in check, thereby buying time for Hyuga Yu to save Rin Nohara after returning to the Leaf upon completing his mission.
Minato Namikaze's sudden interruption of Obito's eye-awakening process and rescue of Rin Nohara had ultimately triggered a chain reaction. At this point, Obito clearly hadn't completely fallen in line with Madara's wishes to genuinely accept the Eye of the Moon Plan.
But in the final analysis, this matter ultimately looped right back around and landed on one person—
Hyuga Yu!
Black Zetsu suddenly narrowed its eyes and looked eerily at Obito, its voice dropping slightly. "Obito Uchiha..."
"What?"
At this moment, hearing Black Zetsu—the manifestation of "Madara Uchiha's will"—suddenly call him out, Obito felt his heart instantly tighten. His hands and feet grew somewhat cold. He widened his right eye slightly, and within that crimson, blood-red pupil, the three jet-black tomoe quietly shifted into the interconnected pinwheel-shuriken pattern!
Only four months had passed since the Kannabi Bridge mission. During this time, Obito had experienced a great deal and endured the shock of the world's harsh reality. This had transformed his personality from his original boisterous self into his current taciturn demeanor. He had grown much smarter, yet under the influence of Hyuga Yu and the god-like, timely rescue by Minato Namikaze, he ultimately failed to complete the most fundamental transformation. He was still very foolish.
Foolish enough to know full well that his current disguise and actions carried immense risks;
Foolish enough to know that Black Zetsu, as "Madara's will," held the power of the cursed seal carved into his heart, which could kill him at any moment...
And knowing even better that if he wanted to survive, he should be playing along and feigning compliance with Black Zetsu, who was monitoring him. Only by walking this path to the end could he truly break free from Madara's control.
But... just to gamble on a sliver of hope to save his suffering comrade far away in the Leaf Village, he still foolishly went ahead and did it!
Just like the actions and convictions of that idiotic boy from the past: "In the ninja world, those who break the rules and iron laws are called scum. But those who don't cherish their comrades are worse than scum!"
The air seemed to freeze at this moment. The two individuals—one who had not truly inherited Madara's Eye of the Moon Plan, and the other fully aware of it—stood off at the top of the cliff. The smell of sulfur and saltpeter wafting up from the canyon below stung their nostrils. The atmosphere was oppressive to the extreme, as if all the underlying conflicts would completely detonate in the very next second!
However, right at that moment—
From the other end of the canyon, a third terrifying wave of chakra—one capable of sweeping through the world and destroying everything on this battlefield—rose up!
"Summoning Jutsu: Demonic Statue of the Outer Path!"
It wasn't a desperate roar from Nagato, but rather a deep, resonant, and detached voice. It sounded as though dozens of people were speaking in unison, carrying an air of final judgment, like a deity gazing down from above!
In the next split second, a massive plume of white smoke and blazing fire soared high from the other side of the canyon, which had been split apart by the Earth Release: Sandwich Technique!
BOOM!!!
A massive, withered, wood-like hand pierced through the burning layers of earth, slamming against the ground and sweeping away dozens of Hidden Rain ninja like trash!
Immediately after, the bedrock cracked open. The terrifying entity hidden underground propped itself up, arching its back as massive, withered trunks pushed aside sand and stone, tearing through the earth. A gigantic humanoid figure, seventy meters tall with nine closed eyes and a body colored like dead wood, rose up from the ground!
Thud! Thud!
At the center of a colossal chakra storm, the humanoid statue spread its arms and stomped its feet against the ground, shattering the chains that restricted its freedom. It threw its head back toward the sky, reflecting the two intersecting pillars of crimson and azure light in the distance, and opened its massive maw!
"—ROAR!!!"
The furious howl, accompanied by a terrifying storm, swept across the world, directly ripping open another gash in the gloomy sky!
The two pillars of crimson and azure light, combined with the sweeping invisible storm, forcefully pushed back the layers of dark clouds above the canyon, revealing a massive opening several kilometers wide!
The long-lost sunlight of the Land of Rain streamed through the opening, gilding everything below in a layer of pale gold.
And within this sacred golden pillar of light, a young man with orange hair, clad in the Akatsuki cloak adorned with red clouds, spread his arms and floated into midair. He rose to the very top of the seventy-meter-tall Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, his black cloak fluttering wildly in the howling gales!
He suddenly lowered his head and looked down coldly. Like a choir performing in unison, the voices of Konan, Nagato, and even the rest of the Akatsuki members—dozens of people in total—blended together and rose alongside his deep, resonant voice!
"Hanzo, indulging yourself in peace like this is truly superficial."
"Those who kill will be killed. Hatred binds the two together."
"What we call battle is always accompanied by death, wounds, and pain for both sides."
"Since you cannot understand our demands no matter what, nor truly recognize your own heart,"
"Then—"
Yahiko's words paused here. He took a deep breath, spread his arms wide, and merged into one with the blazing sun behind him, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Feel pain, contemplate pain!"
"Accept pain, know pain!"
"Those who do not understand pain will never understand true peace!"
Below, Hanzo's astonished and infuriated voice suddenly rang out, "Yahiko, what on earth are you planning?!"
"You have already lost!"
"Give up on that so-called Tennin!"
Under the brilliant radiance of the sun, Yahiko calmly looked down at Hanzo and the Rain ninjas who had inflicted pain upon them, declaring coldly, "From this moment on, let us understand one another!"
The moment his voice fell, a blinding white light burst from the center of the sun, casting a merciless radiance over everything below!
"Almighty Push!"
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