Amegakure,
Tendo Pain's expression was dark as he glared at Zetsu in front of him.
"You've lost contact with Kakuzu and Hidan too? What the hell happened!?"
Black Zetsu looked calm on the surface, but inside he was already cursing.
"You're asking me what happened!? You seriously don't know what those two are like? Sending them to Konoha to gather intel is no different than sending them off to die!"
If not for Nagato's unique Uzumaki clan physique, Black Zetsu would've long since wanted to replace those Rinnegan eyes with a different host.
At this moment, he really missed Madara. Even though he had always been using Madara, Madara was at least reliable!
But Nagato… with a pair of half-baked Rinnegan, he strutted around all day pretending to be a god. Black Zetsu was getting fed up.
Of course, all he could do was think it. With Obito still missing, it was nearly impossible for him to approach Nagato's real body alone. On top of that, Nagato had always been wary of him—any attempt at an ambush carried far too much risk.
For now, he could only keep Nagato calm, stop him from doing anything stupid, and wait for Obito to return.
"The Two-Tails has already been captured. Those two have no further value. I think our top priority should be finding Madara."
"You mean you want me to personally go to Konoha? That doesn't fit the plan. The Nine-Tails must be kept for last!"
Black Zetsu was speechless. His intention had been to stop Nagato from doing something foolish like heading to Konoha—but clearly Nagato had misunderstood him.
Still, that wasn't a bad thing. As long as Nagato didn't recklessly run off to Konoha. There was something strange about that Uchiha Kaito, even he wasn't sure what was going on.
But Obito still had to be found. Black Zetsu shifted his gaze to Konan, standing beside Pain.
Noticing his look, Konan asked,
"You want me to go to Konoha?"
"No!"
Before Zetsu could answer, Pain cut her off immediately. To him, Konan was the only one truly on his side. If anything happened to her, he could never accept it.
Just as the situation fell into a stalemate, the space nearby suddenly warped. From within stepped Obito.
Seeing him, Black Zetsu couldn't help shouting with excitement,
"Obi… Madara! You're back!"
He nearly slipped and said "Obito," but Pain didn't pay it any mind. Konan, however, sharp as always, caught the slip. She glanced at Obito, then lowered her gaze without another word.
Obito cast only a brief glance at Black Zetsu before looking away—if he kept staring, he feared he wouldn't be able to stop himself from attacking.
Kaito had already told him: Zetsu's physique was unique, making him practically unkillable. Only Six Paths-level power or sealing jutsu could work against him.
So Obito could only swallow his hatred for now, speaking calmly to Pain,
"I've already gathered the Nine-Tails' chakra. No need to head to Konoha."
The faces of all three present changed at once.
"What?"
Without further explanation, Obito pulled from his Kamui space a mass of the Nine-Tails' chakra.
The instant it appeared, a violent aura surged outward. Pain narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice,
"This is the Nine-Tails' chakra? So ferocious… incomparable to any other tailed beast!"
Konan couldn't help asking,
"Is this all there is?"
Before Obito could answer, Black Zetsu suddenly cut in,
"It's enough! The Nine-Tails is special—this much chakra is sufficient to revive the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path!"
He then looked at Obito with genuine approval.
Reliable, just as expected of Obito! To actually bring back the Nine-Tails' chakra—this was an unexpected windfall.
Still, questions gnawed at him. How exactly had Obito obtained it? And what about the Jinchūriki?
Pain voiced the doubts for him.
"Madara, how did you acquire the Nine-Tails' chakra?"
"From the Jinchūriki, of course. But while I was capturing him, Uchiha Kaito appeared. His strength was overwhelming. I had no choice but to retreat—this portion of chakra was all I could tear away."
"Uchiha Kaito again? Just how strong is he, for even you—the Uchiha clan's leader—to consider him troublesome?"
Pain's tone carried a hint of mockery. Obito snorted coldly,
"Hmph! Don't underestimate him. I've confirmed it—his eyes are the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan!"
"So what if it's the Eternal Mangekyō? Could it possibly compare to my Rinnegan?"
"Heh… not necessarily."
A faint, meaningful smile spread beneath Obito's mask.
Kaito-senpai had a pair of Rinnegan too—and the genuine article at that!
And this Nagato thought he could compare with just a secondhand set? What a joke.
Not to mention, Kaito-senpai's Rinnegan carried twelve tomoe within them. He didn't know what it meant, but it definitely wasn't just for show.
He couldn't wait to see Nagato's face when he finally encountered Kaito's eyes. And Black Zetsu's reaction would be even better!
Right now, Obito had nothing but trust in Kaito—not just for his overwhelming power, but because he had personally witnessed Kaito perform the Yomi Yomi no Mi's Resurrection—a true miracle that revived the dead.
If Kaito could bring Rin back, Obito would gladly die without regret.
But Nagato misunderstood his words. He assumed Obito meant the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan could rival the Rinnegan.
He smirked dismissively. To him, that was utter nonsense. The Rinnegan was the legendary eye of the Sage of Six Paths—what was an Eternal Mangekyō compared to that?...
Obito didn't bother arguing. Knowing the truth, he only pitied Nagato.
Black Zetsu then broke the tension,
"Enough. What matters is that Madara has returned safely, and with the Nine-Tails' chakra. That's something worth celebrating!"
Pain nodded. Konan, however, spoke with concern,
"But the organization's manpower is already stretched thin. Only Deidara remains…"
Pain frowned deeply. That was indeed a problem. He turned to Obito and asked,
"Madara, while you were in Konoha, did you learn anything of Itachi and the others?"
"You mean them? Uchiha Itachi is now captain of Konoha's Anbu. Kisame serves under him. Hidan, it seems, was taken out by Uchiha Kaito. As for Kakuzu…"
Obito paused. Konan immediately pressed,
"What about Kakuzu?"
She honestly hoped nothing had happened to him—he was the only reliable treasurer they had. She still needed him for buying explosive tags!
Beneath his mask, Obito's expression turned odd as he slowly said,
"Kakuzu… has joined Konoha's Finance Department. He's managing their money."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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