"Obito do you realy not want this power?
Fine. But that Uchiha clan head is coming! Obito, have you decided what to do next? Leave? Meet him? Or... attempt to kill Uchiha Rēn now?"
As Black Zetsu posed this question, a deep crimson radiance surged forward like a speeding locomotive, knocking aside the half-charred trees at the edge of the crater, heading straight for their position without hesitation.
He was still able to lock on to their position?
Obito's gaze narrowed.
A deep sense of doubt emerged in his heart—how exactly had he been discovered?
After all, he was still covered by a White Zetsu. Most of his body was merged via Mayfly Technique, with only his upper chest and above exposed. It should have been impossible for chakra-sensing techniques to detect him or Zetsu unless it was something like the Byakugan, which could directly see them—concealment of chakra signature did not equal true invisibility.
Seen?
A spark of inspiration flashed in his mind.
His scarlet single eye spun rapidly as he spotted a small black mouse hidden in the grass nearby. On its body, he noticed abnormal chakra flow patterns. With a flick of his wrist, a kunai flew out, striking the mouse directly, turning it into a puddle of black liquid that soaked the grass.
"Ink... with traces of Yang Release chakra. If I'm not mistaken, someone in Danzō's Root knows how to use this technique."
Zetsu moved swiftly.
Collection and analysis took but an instant. "This ink seems to contain some kind of special message, but it's been destroyed... but if I'm right, Uchiha Rēn must have used this to locate us."
"So we've already been seen, huh?"
"Exactly."
Black Zetsu answered gravely.
Obito's expression turned cold.
Careless.
He hadn't expected Uchiha Rēn to possess such a devious method—able to see through him even without his notice. This blunder left Obito in a foul mood. He lightly pressed a hand to his mask and, hardening his resolve, and made a decision.
In his scarlet eye, light swirled.
Kamui!
Under Zetsu's gaze, the space around Obito began to distort, forming a vortex centered on his Sharingan. His body was sucked into the vortex and vanished without a trace.
Uchiha Rēn was even more troublesome and difficult than expected.
But no matter.
Everything was still under control; the overall plan had not been significantly affected. Only a few small adjustments were required—such as revealing the Uchiha Madara identity earlier than planned. And what impact would that cause?
None.
In this world filled with schemes, ambition, suspicion, hatred, and war, the life or death of "Uchiha Madara" would not change anything. At most, it would provoke Konoha's vigilance and caution—but so what? If they wanted to kill "Uchiha Madara," they'd have to find him first.
Black Zetsu looked at the spot where Obito had vanished, a fleeting smile flashing across his half-black face.
Then the pitcher plant closed, and his enlarged body merged into the earth, disappearing as well.
Ten seconds later,
Deep crimson light surged forward once again.
Bang!
A skeletal arm batted aside the clinging dark red claws from behind. Rēn paid little attention to Yagura, his scarlet eyes scanning the surroundings for any sign of Uchiha Obito and Zetsu. Looking around, he found neither of them, nor was he lucky enough to discover any pure white severed limbs full of life force.
Gone?
Rēn frowned.
He wasn't surprised that Yasaka Magatama hadn't worked—he had used that attack merely as a greeting, a declaration that he had spotted them, not expecting it to yield any unexpected success. However, Obito hadn't even shown his face before fleeing.
That was a bit troublesome.
The prerequisite for a hunt was finding the prey. Obito's ability to escape into another dimension was practically cheating!
It severely ruined the fun of the hunt.
Blood dripped from Rēn's right eye socket.
He had expended considerable effort to create this scene to suggest excessive dōjutsu use—but given the situation, was this all wasted effort? Obito fled; who was he putting on a show for now?
For Yagura?
Rēn cast a sidelong glance at the dark red beast still relentlessly attacking him.
Fine.
As long as he didn't return empty-handed it was fine.
Since Obito had escaped, there was no need to continue entangling with Yagura. Just as he prepared to cast genjutsu on Yagura and bring him in, he suddenly sensed chakra signatures appearing nearby out of thin air.
His thoughts shifted, plan changed.
Rēn relaxed his brow. Susano'o suddenly erupted, its skeletal hand swatting Yagura far into the distance. Only then did he turn his gaze toward the figure standing atop a tree branch—a figure wearing an orange mask with a single eyehole: Uchiha Obito.
"So you didn't run after all, huh? I thought you were too cowardly to show yourself."
Rēn turned his head to look. The distance between them was small.
If he wished Susano'o could strike at any moment.
In fact, that's exactly what he did. A second skeletal hand wreathed in deep crimson flames materialized beside him, responding to his will as it swung down fiercely, with a momentum as if to crush Obito into a pulp.
The tree under Obito's feet was shattered.
Countless broken branches and leaves scattered in all directions under the shockwave. But Obito, unscathed, leapt lightly onto another tree nearby.
"Want to keep trying, brat of the Uchiha?"
Obito stood atop the treetop, his face still hidden by that orange mask with black stripes and a single eyehole. He wore a black, close-fitting cloak, and despite the simple attire, he exuded an unfathomable, sinister aura. His lone scarlet eye locked onto Rēn.
"Mangekyō Sharingan... just who are you?"
Rēn forced a grave expression, asking while already knowing the answer.
The two arms of Susano'o dispersed, but its ribcage remained, tightly guarding Rēn.
"Uchiha Madara."
Obito answered with a straight face, lying without hesitation.
"Uchiha Madara?"
Rēn narrowed his eyes, an icy smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he sneered: "While your Mangekyō Sharingan is certainly genuine, do you think that alone lets you climb onto my head and call yourself my ancestor? If you claim you're Uchiha Madara, then...
Where's your proof?
Surely you're not going to tell me that one Mangekyō Sharingan is enough? I don't recall Uchiha Madara being one-eyed. Don't tell me you lost an eye in that final battle with the First Hokage. Please show me more convincing proof before impersonating someone else's ancestor."
"Whether you believe it or not is your business. I, Uchiha Madara, have no need to prove my identity to anyone." Uchiha Obito imitated the arrogance of Uchiha Madara as he remembered it, that deep-seated pride that came from within. Even the look in his scarlet eyes was filled with disdain and confidence.
It was as if Uchiha Rēn standing before him was nothing more than a tiny insect; a human being had no need to prove anything to an insect.
"Especially not to one who is about to die."
At the end, he added this sentence, fully revealing his attitude.
Murderous intent surged like a typhoon, and Uchiha Obito was at the eye of the storm. With a slight gesture, the half-transformed jinchūriki Yagura lunged forward like a trained hunting dog. His savage and violent killing intent completely overwhelmed Yagura's rationality at that moment.
The dark red tailed beast shroud swelled like an inflated balloon.
As that shroud peeled away, the true form of the tailed beast was revealed at last. The beast, as large as a hill, crushed a vast portion of the forest beneath it. Its three flat tails whipped through the air, stirring up fierce winds. Its muddy-gray, thick, armored shell gave an impression of impenetrable defense.
This was a tailed beast.