Deep within the Mountains' Graveyard to the north, Obito—his face a mask of smooth skin on one side and withered, craggy scars on the other—suddenly felt his expression darken.
Through the eyes of the Fourth Mizukage, he had just witnessed someone strike the man down.
The assailant had relied entirely on taijutsu, moving with such overwhelming speed and force that Obito hadn't even had the chance to command the Fourth Mizukage to unleash any powerful techniques.
'What incredible taijutsu... Who could it be?'
'Did those fools from the Mist Village finally figure it out?'
The thought brought a surge of twisted satisfaction to his heart.
He wondered how they would feel once they realized their own leader had been a puppet all along, the very hand behind the series of tragedies that had crippled their village.
Under his control, the Fourth Mizukage had systematically purged numerous clans with kekkei genkai, even wiping out the formidable Kaguya and Hōzuki clans.
But it wasn't enough. The Mist Village would have to pay an even steeper price.
After all, it was their conspiracy that had led to the death of his beloved Rin.
However, he was currently preoccupied with the cultivation of White Zetsu. He didn't have the luxury of returning to the Mist Village right now.
He would wait. Once he had produced a hundred thousand White Zetsu and gathered enough Tailed Beasts, he would simply level the Mist Village with the power of the beasts themselves.
Even though he planned to implement the Infinite Tsukuyomi to create a peaceful world where Rin existed, that world didn't need a place like the Mist Village in it.
Meanwhile, Ryōsuke had just emerged from the main building with the Fourth Mizukage slung over his back. He intended to retreat the way he came, but his exit was suddenly blocked by a swarm of shinobi.
They had all rushed to the scene after sensing the earlier disturbance.
Seeing a man in black clothes and a white mask carrying their unconscious leader, their faces twisted with rage.
"Who do you think you are? Why have you kidnapped the Fourth Mizukage?"
"Put him down this instant, or this will be your grave!"
Some ninja ran to alert the rest of the village, while others shouted threats.
In an instant, the village's sirens began to blare, echoing through the mist.
More and more Mist shinobi were converging on their position.
Ryōsuke felt a headache coming on as he took in the situation. 'This is turning into a mess.'
'I suppose the commotion from my fight with the Mizukage was too much to go unnoticed.'
At that moment, two shinobi charged from his left and right, kunai in hand.
They were determined to take him down.
Without even sparing them a glance, Ryōsuke delivered a swift kick to each, sending both flying.
Their bodies slammed hard against the ground; after a few weak twitches, they collapsed into unconsciousness.
The surrounding Mist shinobi were stunned by the display of power.
He was strong, but they couldn't simply let someone walk away with their Mizukage.
"Everyone, attack! Do not let him take the Fourth!"
"We must rescue the Mizukage!"
Ryōsuke looked at the wave of ninja charging toward him.
He felt a touch of irony. It seemed many were still fiercely loyal to the Fourth Mizukage.
'If you people knew that your leader was being puppeted and had committed all those atrocities against his own, I wonder if you'd still be so eager to save him.'
Unfortunately, he would be long gone by the time the truth came out.
He had no intention of getting bogged down in a fight. He broke into a sprint, looking for an opening to escape.
Dashing back toward the narrow, winding path he had used to enter, he slipped away.
The shinobi refused to let him go and gave chase immediately.
As he fled, the pursuing ninja began hurl kunai and shuriken at his path.
They hoped to land a hit or at least slow him down enough for the main force to catch up.
Ryōsuke relied on his superior speed to weave through the projectiles effortlessly.
After a period of running, he managed to use his pace to put some distance between himself and the pursuers.
However, shinobi were master trackers. He was leaving far too many trails in his wake.
If he couldn't lose them completely, he wouldn't be able to safely transfer the Tailed Beast into the sealing jar.
'I guess I have no choice but to use that.' His eyes shifted, the Mangekyō Sharingan spinning to life. As ocular power gathered in his right eye, a shimmering portal manifested before him.
Ryōsuke stepped through without hesitation and vanished from the spot. The spatial gateway closed behind him, leaving nothing but empty air.
The Mist shinobi who caught up a moment later were aghast. One of them cried out in shock.
"Space-Time Ninjutsu!"
By the time they reached the spot where Ryōsuke had been, space had already smoothed over, leaving no trace of the gate.
One of the shinobi looked grim.
"What now? How are we supposed to track him?"
No one had an answer. They had no way of knowing where he had teleported to.
The group stood there, paralyzed by indecision.
Before long, an elderly man carrying a snake-headed wooden staff arrived, flanked by two younger companions.
The ninja present felt a wave of relief at his arrival. A Mist Jōnin stepped forward to report.
"Elder Genji, this is the situation. What are your orders?"
Genji, who usually kept his eyes tightly shut, opened them. To think someone possessed Space-Time Ninjutsu...
And to use it so effortlessly without any prior preparation—it was a terrifying realization.
"Spread out and search! No matter how far you have to go, you must find this man. We must bring the Fourth Mizukage back."
"Furthermore, if you find him, fire a signal flare immediately. Anyone capable of kidnapping the Fourth is no ordinary opponent."
"Understood!"
The shinobi present dispersed like arrows, fanning out in every direction.
The only direction they ignored was back toward the village.
No matter how bold the kidnapper was, there was no way he would head back into the heart of the Mist.
Mist Village still had plenty of ninja; going back would be suicide.
The old man turned to his companions and gave his instructions.
"Mei Terumī, Ao. I'm counting on the two of you to join the search as well."
He knew that with the Byakugan in Ao's right eye, their search range was significantly larger than most.
The two replied instantly.
"Understood, Elder Genji."
They flickered away, disappearing into the distance.
Without a clear direction for the teleportation, they could only pick a path and hope for the best.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Ryōsuke stepped through the other end of the portal.
The moment he emerged, he felt a wave of exhaustion hit his eyes. It was a bad sign.
He had overextended his ocular power. Opening a portal across such a massive distance—at least fifty miles—had taken its toll.
'I need to find an opportunity to awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan soon.'
'Otherwise, I'll have to keep worrying about my eyes burning out and going blind.'