"Hatake Kakashi, open your eyes. I am Zoffy."
The masked Obito spoke. Before him lay Kakashi, flat on his back. This was a world of genjutsu, a world of darkness.
His original mask had been replaced with a white one bearing a three-tomoe pattern. The eyes revealed were not the Sharingan, but a pair of purple, onion-like eyes—the Rinnegan.
As for the words he had just spoken, Schwarzer had told him to say them. Though he didn't know why, he saw no reason to defy her over such a small matter.
He didn't know where Schwarzer had obtained the Rinnegan, but that didn't stop him from accepting its power.
As for the price, she had demanded that he resurrect Kakashi and give the Sharingan to him.
In the pitch-black space, Kakashi awoke from the ground. He subconsciously touched his chest; the massive hole that had pierced it was gone.
He saw the masked man dressed in a deep blue robe, and the surroundings were completely unfamiliar.
"Where is this? Didn't I die?"
"I have brought a life with me. You were not meant to die here, Kakashi."
"The Culling Game still needs your strength. This planet still needs you."
"The global Culling Game is both a good and a bad thing for humanity. While it has catalyzed the emergence of many powerful individuals, billions of people have already died in a single day."
The masked man, Obito, explained. He was surprisingly not very resistant to Schwarzer's demand to resurrect Kakashi. Of course, he had convinced himself with the Rinnegan—this was a necessary sacrifice to obtain it.
"In the final stage of the Culling Game, all the strong will fight to determine a winner. The sole victor will be able to use the power of the entire planet, collected by the Culling Game, to make a wish."
"To a certain extent, this wish is omnipotent, including the ability to resurrect everyone who has died in the Culling Game."
"I hope that you can achieve final victory and wish for everyone's resurrection."
Uchiha Obito quickly carried out his mission. He was terrified that Kakashi would discover his identity, though theoretically it was impossible, as he had long been dead in Kakashi's eyes.
After imparting the information about resurrecting everyone to Kakashi, he was about to leave.
As the ace of the Celestial Organization, he had to make his appearance last. The time was not yet right.
"Wait!" Kakashi's shout made him stop in his tracks. The words that followed made Obito's pupils shrink.
"May I ask who you are..."
No way, you can still recognize me even like this? Uchiha Obito seemed overly concerned about this, growing paranoid.
"You are the Sage of Six Paths, aren't you?"
Kakashi had made a logical deduction. The man was mysterious, powerful, able to resurrect him, and moreover, those eyes were clearly the Rinnegan of the Sage of Six Paths—the legendary eyes.
"..."
"You can think of me that way. But now is not the time for idle chat. Your comrades are waiting for you."
Uchiha Obito breathed a sigh of relief. So he hadn't been recognized after all.
The world of genjutsu began to shatter, giving Kakashi no chance to speak further. Obito made a quick escape.
"[Query]Has the intel been delivered to Kakashi?"
Waiting for him in the outside world, Schwarzer asked. She was already eager to give Kakashi a power-up.
"I've told him everything. What happens next depends on their own actions. Now is not my time to act,"
Obito felt the power of the Rinnegan, and most crucially, its connection to the God Tree.
Possessing the Rinnegan, he now qualified to become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki. That was true Sage of Six Paths-level power. Kakashi wasn't wrong; he was to be the next Sage of Six Paths.
"[Notice]Hanami's power is available for you to use, but you must not act before the final battle."
"I have no objection."
With those words, Schwarzer effectively 'banned' Uchiha Obito from the game. However, Obito himself didn't want to enter the stage yet. He still needed to merge with the power of the 'God Tree' to activate the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
As for the next one to enter the stage... Schwarzer looked at Kenjaku, who had been slacking off the entire time.
"[Command]Go and eliminate Gojo Satoru."
"Huh? Me?" Kenjaku pointed at himself. Wasn't he supposed to be a mascot?
The whole reason he hadn't shown himself was because he couldn't beat Gojo Satoru. Besides, he had just witnessed the fight between Itachi Uchiha and Naruto—a battle so intense that even Gojo Satoru would have had trouble intervening.
However, Schwarzer probably wasn't just sending him to his death. Even though he knew there was a chance for resurrection at the end of the Culling Game, Kenjaku was certainly not willing to be a sacrificial pawn.
"[Directive]Gather the remaining 'game pieces,' such as a certain 'President.' Time is about to accelerate."
Kenjaku understood now. She didn't want him to confront the enemy head-on, but to stir things up.
It seemed Schwarzer hadn't yet noticed the existence of the Will of Cursed Energy. However, the President's existence had clearly been exposed, attracting her attention.
In his eyes, there wasn't much difference between Schwarzer and the Will of Cursed Energy; both were beings he could not defy.
Kenjaku wouldn't just blindly believe what either side said. In his view, both were hiding things from him, so the answer was clear.
He would trust neither and help neither. He would let them scheme against each other.
"I understand. They will be gathered together soon enough. But what happens then will have nothing to do with me."
Kenjaku accepted the mission. The three game pieces were in the hands of Gojo Satoru's group, but thanks to Itachi Uchiha's 'special attention,' they weren't in great shape right now.
Their poor condition was exactly what was needed. Otherwise, how would anyone else have a chance to join the fight? Did they want to go up against Naruto's Tailed Beast transformation?
After a moment of thought, Kenjaku decided to meet with Sukuna first and provide him with a little bit of intel. Now was the perfect opportunity to deal with Gojo Satoru.
Watching him leave the God Tree, Schwarzer turned her gaze to Hanami. The massive number of souls was a great burden for it, but the Cursed Energy it had recovered also made it stronger than ever before.
As the incarnation of the God Tree—the body of the Ten-Tails—Hanami's power needed to be absorbed by Uchiha Obito for him to master the power of the Sage of Six Paths.
It had no opinion on the matter. Giving its power to Uchiha Obito meant little to it; after all, it would just be merging into his body, much like the Nine-Tails.
It only cared about one thing. "Are you certain you will resurrect everyone who has died?"
The Will of Cursed Energy's attempt to sow discord was very crude; even Hanami hadn't truly trusted it.
"[Affirmative]In theory, everyone will be resurrected. I can guarantee it."
The power of the Rinnegan, combined with a power beyond comprehension like the 'Data Core,' could certainly resurrect the entire global population.
Of course, if all else failed, she still had her 'system.' It wasn't as if she was incapable of resurrecting people.
"Then I have no objections either. By the way, Cursed Energy is not as simple as you think..."
Hanami gave a subtle warning. However, Schwarzer's expression was that of someone who already knew everything.
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