Over the years, Obito had simulated countless battles against Shigeo.
He even ran joint mock fights with Pain, studying every variable and tactic.
Yet now, standing face to face, he realized bitterly that all his planning was still no match for Shigeo's intellect.
Shigeo, eyes calm and glowing with Rinnegan light, nodded slightly.
"Indeed. How else could I destroy you if I didn't enter your Kamui space? And besides, if I hadn't left the Gedō Mazō, how could my Tailed Beasts return to my body?"
From the start, while the enemy thought they were setting traps, Shigeo had already laid his own—layer upon layer.
First, he released the Tailed Beasts.
That was to lure the Gedō Mazō and seize control of it.
The statue's craving for Tailed Beast chakra was an instinctive hunger.
It couldn't be changed. Whenever a host with Tailed Beast chakra appeared, even if not bonded by contract, the statue would subconsciously try to devour it.
So, to truly control the Gedō Mazō, one had to either become its Jinchūriki—or remove all Tailed Beast chakra from oneself.
But becoming the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki required complex steps: absorbing all beasts, merging their chakra, wielding the Rinnegan, and more.
And with Kaguya Ōtsutsuki still lingering in the void awaiting resurrection, Shigeo had no desire to become her vessel.
That left only one option: shed his shell.
Release the nine beasts, test the system's Ten-Tails synthesis function, and see what would happen.
He had always feared the evil nature of the Ten-Tails' chakra. But with so many Akatsuki members present, the battlefield itself had become a live experiment.
Thus, after the miniature Ten-Tails burst forth from his body, it fled far from the valley—too close to the Gedō Mazō and Shigeo's control would falter.
As expected, once the Nine-Tails left him, the statue fell fully under Shigeo's command.
Akatsuki's members couldn't stand it and rushed to reclaim it.
When Pain and Obito began their coordinated dimensional strike, Shigeo had already seen through their plan.
At his signal, the Tailed Beasts halted their escape and clashed directly with the Six Paths of Pain.
Shigeo, meanwhile, deliberately acted as if he'd fallen into Obito's trap and was drawn into Kamui's dimension.
He knew Obito's technique well.
The intangibility required transferring parts of his body into the Kamui dimension.
Obito brought Shigeo here so that once he was gone, the Gedō Mazō would revert to Pain—and to kill Shigeo inside this isolated space.
But Obito didn't realize that Shigeo had already left a Mokuton (Wood Release) clone outside.
The two worked in perfect sync.
Inside Kamui, Shigeo lunged with a kunai spinning in his fingers, driving it straight for Obito's chest.
Obito phased aside, wind gathering in his palm—Fūton: Kaze no Yaiba (Wind Release: Blade of Wind)—and countered with blinding speed.
Elbow, sweep, knee, kick, lift—each move flowing seamlessly into the next.
The blade cut across Obito's chest—
But the strike passed harmlessly through his intangible body.
As he phased, his tangible form reappeared outside—
Right where Shigeo's Wood Clone waited, blade ready.
Steel flashed.
Blood spilled down Obito's chest as he gasped in shock.
He understood instantly—he'd been played.
But it was too late.
Shigeo pressed forward relentlessly, chaining taijutsu and ninjutsu in a seamless assault.
Obito barely parried, every dodge costing him chakra and breath.
Close-quarters combat left no room for long-range tactics.
He couldn't even activate his Sharingan in time.
Cornered, Obito used Kamui again to slip away—only for the clone outside to strike him the moment he materialized, slashing his arm.
Desperate, he detonated an explosive tag, buying a few seconds.
He fled the Kamui space—
But the moment he emerged, both Shigeo and his clone appeared beside him.
Twin Rasengan slammed into his back, the air bursting with a shriek of agony.
"Shigeo-sama!"
Miyako ran toward him, eyes wide in disbelief.
Shigeo frowned. "Stay back! Don't interfere!"
Before she could react, Obito lunged forward, kunai pressed against her throat.
"Hyūga Shigeo, surrender yourself!"
Shigeo vanished.
In the same instant, Fujimaki appeared from the flank, chakra flaring through all five elements—Raiton (Lightning Release), Fūton (Wind Release), Suiton (Water Release), Katon (Fire Release), and Doton (Earth Release)—and launched a combined strike.
Already wounded, Obito staggered back.
His mind spun with panic, replaying Shigeo's every move.
He shoved Miyako aside, turned, and escaped into the storm.
——
Outside the valley, the Six Paths of Pain and the Gedō Mazō now faced the fused Nine-Tails—
A full Ten-Tails, radiating boundless chakra.
The statue's body was brittle and drained, like a dried husk.
Before this rejuvenated Ten-Tails, it was utterly outclassed.
The two titans clashed, their forms warping—branches whipping, chakra roaring.
The ground cracked, mountains trembled, thunder split the air.
Elsewhere, Gaara, the One-Tail's Jinchūriki, fought Sasori fiercely.
His Sand Techniques shielded and struck in perfect rhythm, every grain moving to his will.
Sasori's flying puppets struck from all sides, but Gaara's Sand Shield repelled every threat, automatic and unbreakable.
Inside his puppet armor, Hiruko, Sasori's sharp eyes flickered.
If only he could fly higher…
If only something could pierce that sand defense…
Unknowingly, this very battle and his frustration today would later guide his and Deidara's strategy when capturing Gaara for Akatsuki.
On one side, Sasori and Gaara clashed in midair.
On the other, the miniature Ten-Tails and Gedō Mazō fought like primordial beasts.
The earth split. The sky dimmed.
This was a battle beyond deceit or schemes—pure, raw power.
When the Ten-Tails' massive form collided again, one of the Gedō Mazō's withered arms snapped clean off.
Seeing this, the Deva Path of Pain gathered his entire strength and roared—
"Chibaku Tensei (Planetary Devastation)!"
(End of Chapter)
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