After resting and recovering, Obito, Zetsu (disguised as Tobi), and Maoyue Sunset continued their journey toward the border of the Land of Water.
Throughout the trek, Obito remained deep in thought—his mind consumed by questions surrounding the Mangekyō Sharingan and the divine weapons of Susanoo.
As everyone knew, excessive use of the Mangekyō Sharingan came at a terrible cost—eventual blindness. In the original timeline, Obito had managed to use Kamui frequently without losing his sight. The reason? The integration of Hashirama's cells, which massively boosted his physical vitality and chakra reserves, thereby reducing the degeneration of his Sharingan.
However, Obito had only possessed one Mangekyō. He never had the power of dual Mangekyō to manifest Susanoo—much less the sacred weapons of Susanoo.
That, ultimately, was why he never went blind.
"I didn't expect the Susanoo artifact to consume such an insane amount of ocular power…" Obito muttered, pressing a hand to his eyes. "If I overuse it—even with Hashirama's cells—I could still lose my sight."
Not all Susanoo wielders could unlock divine relics.
As far as Obito understood, not even the reincarnations of Indra—Madara Uchiha and Sasuke Uchiha—had truly awakened the artifacts of Susanoo.
"Could it be… that only those who aren't Indra's reincarnations can access the divine relics?" he pondered aloud. "Like Itachi Uchiha… His Susanoo wielded the Totsuka Blade, Yata Mirror, and the Yasaka Magatama—three legendary treasures capable of offense, defense, and even sealing techniques."
"But Itachi didn't have Hashirama's power. His body couldn't handle the burden. He became terminally ill and had to rely on medicine just to stay alive."
Obito narrowed his eyes. "I'll obtain the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan soon enough, so the risk of blindness doesn't scare me. But…"
He stopped abruptly, standing silently on a thick tree branch. "The 'Shisui eye' I need to synthesize the Eternal Mangekyō... is still in incubation. Until it awakens, I can't afford to go completely blind. Which means—for now—I need to minimize use of the Susanoo artifacts. Until I evolve my eyes... I need to be cautious."
"Yu, are you okay?" Zetsu asked, his tone concerned. "Are the side effects from the artifact still affecting you?"
Obito shook his head. "I'm fine. Let's keep moving."
No further pursuers came from Kirigakure. After witnessing the defeat of both the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and Mizukage Yagura, even the bloodthirsty ones in the Mist had been terrified. They prayed that Obito—the so-called God of Calamity—would simply leave their territory.
And so, two more days and nights passed. At last, they exited the Land of Water and entered the Land of Lightning.
The Land of Lightning was known for its towering peaks that roared with thunder—hence the name. Rivers from the mountain ranges carved winding paths through its jagged terrain, and many areas were home to hot springs. Its shinobi village, Kumogakure, was a force to be reckoned with.
Kumogakure had not one, but two Jinchūriki—the Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails. The village revered swordsmanship and taijutsu, and constantly sought to boost its military strength by researching ninjutsu and ninja tools from other nations.
In the original timeline, Kumogakure had orchestrated countless underhanded plots.
The infamous Gold and Silver Brothers—their elite force—had taken down the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
They had even attempted to steal the Nine-Tails from Konoha. But the plan was crushed by the Yellow Flash—Minato Namikaze—single-handedly.
Later, Kumogakure turned its eyes on the Hyūga clan, trying to kidnap the young heiress, Hinata Hyūga. Though the attempt failed, it had deadly consequences: her uncle, Hizashi Hyūga, was forced to die in her place. The incident forever warped Neji Hyūga's view of the main and branch family dynamic.
Kumogakure had always been a village that plundered.
But now… it was their turn to be plundered.
Not by Sasuke, the naïve young avenger.
But by Obito, the reincarnated Shura.
Unlike Sasuke—who barely escaped with one of the Eight-Tails' tentacles and left Obito humiliated before the Akatsuki—this time would be different.
Near the border of the Land of Lightning...
Bang!
"Gah!" A lone Kumogakure shinobi crashed violently into a tree, his back splintering the bark.
"Damn it…" he muttered, groaning as he lifted his head.
The masked man slowly approached.
"Where is the Eight-Tails' Jinchūriki—Killer Bee?" Obito asked coldly.
Panting, the Kumogakure ninja lifted his bloodied face and sneered. "Heh… The shinobi of Kumogakure don't betray their comrades."
"I respect that," Obito said darkly. "You're very good at uniting—makes it easier when you raid other nations for resources."
"You bastard…" the man growled. "Say what you want—Kumogakure will never bow to your threats!"
Obito stepped forward, grabbed the man by the head, and lifted him effortlessly off the ground. The masked Sharingan glinted menacingly.
"Is that so?" Obito said quietly. "Then why is your fear showing in your eyes?"
The Kumogakure ninja flinched. A flicker of panic betrayed his bravado, and his body trembled involuntarily.
"And fear…" Obito continued, "is a weapon. One I'm very good at using."
Genjutsu: Sharingan.
The man's pupils dilated—then lost focus entirely.
"…Yunlei Gorge… training grounds…" he muttered in a trance.
Obito dropped him carelessly to the ground and smirked. "Yunlei Gorge… how convenient."
Behind him, Zetsu glanced at the fallen shinobi—foam bubbling at his lips, his limbs spasming uncontrollably.
To destroy a Jonin's mind with just a basic genjutsu... Yu's ocular power has become terrifying, Zetsu thought. If it were the original Obito, even with both Kamui eyes, it would've taken years to reach this level…
In the original timeline, Obito once infiltrated Kirigakure and used Sharingan genjutsu to control Yagura, a perfect Three-Tails Jinchūriki.
But that was ten years from now.
Right now, Obito's eye power had surpassed even that version of himself.
The next day, dusk. Yunlei Gorge.
"Is the light this bright? Wait—is it already evening? Damn, I've been training all day. My stomach's empty. I'm a kind-hearted guy who loves to RA!"
A deep-skinned man with black sunglasses and a massive grin strutted out from a nearby room, beatboxing and rapping to himself. It was none other than Killer Bee.
"I've decided—it's sukiyaki for dinner tonight, yeah!" he chanted, dancing and spinning his way to the edge of the stage—
Where three strangers were waiting.
The one in front… wore a mask.
"Finally," Obito said, looking up. "We meet… the 'Cai Xukun' of the shinobi world."
"…Cai Xu-what now?" Killer Bee tilted his head in confusion. Of course, he had no idea what Cai Xukun meant—but his dedication to rhyme remained unshaken.
He broke into dance again.
"Who you callin' Cai Xukun? I'm not Cai Xukun! Your mom's Cai Xukun! Lettuce and asparagus with some fried bugs—stir-fry cabbage tonight, stupid fool, punk-ass tool, yo~!"
At the end of the verse, Bee struck an exaggerated pose with both fingers pointed to the sky.
Even Zetsu, known for his unhinged sense of humor, muttered, "…This guy's got crap in his skull."
"Yo yo! Better to have crap in your head—than to be a craphead instead!" Killer Bee barked. "Raw paper punk! Dumbass chump! Who the hell are you? Better back up—BEE STYLE, fool!"
"Yu," Zetsu said, holding back irritation, "Can I fight him?"
Obito's mouth curled into a bloodthirsty grin. "No. This one's mine."
After nearly a seven-day journey, they had finally arrived.
And now… Obito was going to fight a tailed beast.