Chapter 109: Time Is on Our Side!
After the intense battle, Might Guy, having opened six gates, lay weakly against Kakashi. Kakashi himself was in bad shape, his body covered in severe wounds, the water beneath him stained red with blood.
Breathing was difficult; his lungs were injured...
Opposite them, Konan seemed to be in relatively good condition. Two of Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear masks floated on the water's surface, indicating that he had lost two hearts.
"Hey, Konan," Kakuzu grunted heavily. "Forget about the silver-haired kid, but I want the green-skinned guy's heart!"
Kakuzu panted heavily, never expecting two young shinobi to give him such trouble.
Kakashi gripped Guy tightly to prevent him from falling off his back. For Obito's sake, he was willing to sacrifice himself. But he would never allow Guy to meet such a fate. Even now, he had saved enough chakra to use the Flying Thunder God Technique one last time.
His gaze shifted between the two enemies before resting on Kakuzu. Unable to hold back, Kakashi spoke.
"The reason someone like you is still alive—I think I know."
Kakuzu let out a low hum, waiting for Kakashi's words. Maybe he'd say something like, "You're so strong, it's only natural you survived."
Ha, even if you think that, I'm still taking the green-skinned guy's heart!
Beneath Kakashi's mask, a faint chuckle escaped.
"You're too weak, and too ugly."
"Kagami probably thought it wasn't worth killing you. Washing his hands might've taken longer than finishing you off."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
Kakuzu erupted in fury, attacking without regard for Konan's attempts to stop him. His composite ninjutsu was overwhelming.
As the fiery wave bore down on them, Kakashi thought:
Obito… I'll come back for you.
Whoosh!
With the Flying Thunder God Technique, Kakashi and Guy vanished.
As the flames subsided, Obito's distorted figure appeared, his gaze fixed on the spot where the two had disappeared.
Was that… the Flying Thunder God Technique?
Kakashi, what good is learning that jutsu now?
You and I are the same—only after losing everything do we regret our helplessness.
After a few seconds, Obito's form disappeared again, reappearing in a secret room. Zetsu's figure emerged from the wall, and the two took their seats.
"I sense that Nagato is beginning to lose confidence in the plan to collect the tailed beasts," Black Zetsu said gravely.
"Never mind the others—the most critical is the Nine-Tails in Konoha. Uchiha Kagami is a massive obstacle."
After a moment of silence, Obito asked, "Has the Five-Tails revived?"
Several years ago, the Five-Tails' jinchūriki and the Third Raikage were slain by Uchiha Kagami, signifying the death of Kokuō, the Five-Tails.
White Zetsu replied, "No. The Five-Tails has been gone longer than the Eight-Tails and Three-Tails combined."
"No pattern to it…"
"Records indicate that tailed beasts can revive within a decade or so," Black Zetsu said. In his thousand years of existence, he had seen the Six-Tails die and return the most frequently, but never beyond a couple of decades.
Black Zetsu's obsession with collecting the tailed beasts was deeper than Obito's. He would never abandon the goal. Already, he had devised a plan.
"Collecting the tailed beasts requires sufficient strength.
Not just against Konoha—against a Four-Country Alliance, we don't have the power to prevail.
Their lands hold the most tailed beasts."
"Orochimaru's forbidden jutsu has given me an idea. We might not need the Nine-Tails…
But before the Five-Tails revives, we need to gain the strength to defeat the alliance.
We must quickly gather the One through Eight-Tails without giving Konoha a chance to react.
Once we resurrect the Ten-Tails, not even Uchiha Kagami will be our match!"
Black Zetsu retained fragments of the Ten-Tails' memories.
Although Kagami's strength was impressive, Black Zetsu believed it paled in comparison to the Ten-Tails—once regarded as a true godlike force capable of reshaping the world.
Obito lowered his head, deep in thought. He had a clear understanding of his own strength now.
In the past, he hadn't.
It wasn't until after gaining the Mangekyō and being crushed by Uchiha Kagami that he truly acknowledged his inferiority.
One-on-one, he wasn't afraid of any single shinobi from the Four-Country Alliance.
But when it came to their strongest warriors…
Onoki, the man who survived beatings from Madara and Kagami, lived up to his title as the strongest Tsuchikage.
There were also the Raikage, the Mizukage, and the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki…
The rapid formation of the Four-Country Alliance freed the Land of Water from Madara's control. Madara had never mentioned his activities in the Land of Water.
Obito had considered retaliating against the Land of Water but found it uninteresting.
Most of the elite shinobi and bloodline clans had migrated to the Land of Lightning. Killing the remaining elderly, women, and children felt pointless.
After some thought, Obito said in a deep voice, "I still have some of Madara's techniques to learn. If the Five-Tails revives before we're ready, we should locate and kill it first.
If any side captures it, it'll be bad for us.
We need time."
Black Zetsu nodded silently.
The once-naive Uchiha had matured after confronting reality.
"I'm one of the only Mangekyō users, alongside Uchiha Kagami. Once I fully master my abilities, I might not surpass him, but I won't fall far behind."
"There's one more thing…"
Obito looked at Zetsu and asked, "How much do you know about Nagato's progress? How long before he masters the Rinne Rebirth?"
Zetsu shook his head. "The Rinnegan's abilities are many. Rinne Rebirth is a deeply advanced ocular jutsu. I can't predict when he'll fully master it.
Most importantly…
His battle with Hanzo left him severely injured. Controlling the Six Paths bodies and nurturing the Rinnegan have further slowed his progress."
After a pause, Obito suggested, "Transplant White Zetsu into Nagato. It will speed up his recovery."
White Zetsu cried out, "What?! I'm not particularly attached to my clones, but…"
"Still, Nagato is a descendant of the Senju and Uzumaki. If he adapts to White Zetsu's cells and awakens Wood Release…"
"That guy would become too powerful! How would we control him?"
Black Zetsu pondered Obito's suggestion.
The current situation wasn't in his favor. Nagato alone wasn't enough to tip the scales.
However, if Nagato became too strong to control, how would they ensure he used the Rebirth Jutsu to revive Madara?
Black Zetsu's ultimate goal was the Ten-Tails, combined with Madara's Rinnegan, to bring his mother back.
Obito's next words sealed his decision.
"No matter how strong he gets, could he surpass Uchiha Kagami?
If it comes to it, we can force him to revive Madara at the last moment."
…
Obito, you've gotten much sharper these days.
"Obito's suggestion… is good," Black Zetsu rasped.
"I have a way that doesn't require the Nine-Tails, but he doesn't know about it.
Once we have all eight tailed beasts, he'll have to face Uchiha Kagami.
If he loses, we'll force him to resurrect Madara.
If he wins…"
Black Zetsu couldn't imagine Nagato winning and changed the subject.
"Obito, your Mangekyō Sharingan abilities—Madara himself praised them.
Believe in yourself. Your potential is equal to Uchiha Kagami's. Maybe his is already exhausted."
"We will… eventually defeat him. Time is on our side!"
Defeat Kagami…
In truth, Obito wasn't overly hopeful about defeating Kagami.
What he longed for, perhaps, was Kagami's acknowledgment.
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