"So you're saying... Madara Uchiha... also has something he's been hiding from me?!" Obito, still unwilling to give up, asked.
"Madara Uchiha and your goals are the same—to create a world without pain or war. He doesn't have anything he's hiding from you. Don't overthink it..." Black Zetsu replied calmly, his tone as deep and steady as ever.
"Is that so? But what does your previous statement mean? You haven't explained it to me yet!" Obito continued to press.
"Hah, internal conflict, huh... what a fascinating soap opera," Black Zetsu sneered.
Just as Black Zetsu and Obito stared at each other with deadly intent, Kaoru, who had seemingly fallen into an endless Izanami cycle, suddenly spoke. He stood atop a pile of White Zetsu corpses, his eyes filled with a playful gleam—completely free of confusion or dazedness.
"How... is this... possible...?" Black Zetsu muttered, unable to believe what he was seeing.
"What's going on?!" Obito pressed his lips together, his brows furrowing deeply. Both of them stopped arguing.
Could it be that Izanami is useless against Kaoru? But every person has their own pride and struggles. There's no reason for anyone to be immune to Izanami!
"You all seem quite surprised," Kaoru shook his head, his short black hair fluttering in the wind. "Indeed, it's hard to believe that Izanami didn't work. If this was a few years ago, I might have fallen into a dilemma between my conscience and my ambition. But now, I won't. I've never been so clear about what I want. I just stand here, observing what you'll do next."
Izanami is a powerful forbidden technique, but it's a technique that targets ninjas who deny reality and can't recognize themselves.
In the original story, Itachi used this technique to deal with Kabuto. The main reason was to force Kabuto to lift his Edo Tensei, not to kill him. If Itachi only wanted to kill Kabuto, then Amaterasu and the Eight Trigrams Sealing Sword would be more dangerous than Izanami!
Unlike Obito, Kaoru has lost himself countless times in his spy career. To be a spy deep behind enemy lines, he must fully merge into the role he's playing. Any small mistake could be uncovered by the enemy, and then his fate as a spy would be over.
But Kabuto is a near-genius who can perform perfect acting—every mission brings him closer to fully embodying his role. It's precisely because he's been so meticulous and dedicated in playing his part that he's lost himself.
Moreover, because of his admiration for Orochimaru, he completely denies himself, which is why he fell into Izanami and couldn't escape.
"While Izanami is powerful, someone who truly understands themselves will never fall for it. Now, I'm not arrogant—I'm persistent. I've never been clearer about what I want and what I need to do. I've never wavered in this!" Kaoru admitted, raising his hand to gently touch his eyes, a sense of spiritual tremor spreading from within.
Kaoru's belief is simple: to protect himself and his sister. He has never wavered from this point.
"Alright, your Izanami has failed. Now... what are you going to do?" Kaoru looked at Black Zetsu and Obito, both of whom looked stunned and dazed, and spread his hands.
At this moment, Black Zetsu, with a look of profound caution, appeared to be an endless black hole, his face inscrutable.
Immunity to Izanami... endless abilities... perfect Sage Mode... and a formidable Susanoo...
During this tense silence, Black Zetsu was rapidly analyzing the situation. Kaoru's overwhelming strength, surpassing everyone's expectations, made even him, nearly immortal, feel a deep concern.
As the atmosphere grew heavy and tense, Black Zetsu unexpectedly broke the silence.
"Forget it, Obito... let's go... we lost this time..." Black Zetsu suddenly spoke, shocking everyone.
"What?! But the Rinnegan..." Obito exclaimed in panic. Watching Kaoru take the Rinnegan, he was frantic—are we really going to let it fall into Kaoru's hands?
"The Rinnegan will be claimed by someone else when the time comes..." Black Zetsu already saw, from Kaoru's performance today, that they had no chance of snatching the Rinnegan from him.
"But..." Obito hesitated, just about to say more, when Black Zetsu cut him off.
"Stop talking. We need to make new plans... Kaoru's strength has completely exceeded our expectations..." Black Zetsu's tone was resolute and unwavering. "And... this is also... 'his' will..."
Obito, unwilling, fell silent after hearing Black Zetsu mention 'him'. It was clear that the person Black Zetsu referred to had immense control over him.
"Fine..." Obito finally relented after a great internal struggle, like a defeated rooster.
Glaring bitterly at the proud Kaoru standing before him, Obito almost ground his teeth to dust, swallowing his frustration. Despite his detailed plans, he still failed today.
Izanami's attack, Black Zetsu's ambush, the White Zetsu army, and finally, using Izanami itself—all failed. He even exhausted several Sharingans...
"Uchiha Kaoru... you truly are a name I will never forget..."
"I never thought the one who would ultimately become our obstacle would be you..."
"Nagato's Rinnegan will be temporarily kept with you. Next time we meet, I look forward to seeing your surprised expression..."
As Black Zetsu's final words drifted into the air, he transformed once again into a mass of pitch-black shadow, like ink spreading, attaching himself to Obito's body, occupying half of his form.
Both sides still held unknown cards, and seeing Black Zetsu and Obito unwilling to continue fighting over the Rinnegan, Kaoru made no further move.
Standing quietly atop the pile of White Zetsu corpses, Kaoru's crimson Sharingan flickered with waves of light—no one could guess what he was truly thinking.
Calmly observing the spiral of space twisting and disappearing into the air around Black Zetsu and Obito, Kaoru then descended onto the ground.
"Clean up those White Zetsu corpses..." After a moment, Kaoru withdrew his thoughts and addressed the ninja of the organization present.
"Yes!!" The ninja responded in unison. They were thoroughly convinced by Kaoru's overwhelming strength this time.
"By the way, Nagato's legs..." Kaoru suddenly remembered and picked up a half-cut White Zetsu corpse from the ground, then activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and vanished.
"Nagato, your legs are here." A calm voice echoed. In a dark underground chamber, Kaoru appeared before Konan and Nagato, dragging the half of White Zetsu's body.
"This is..." Nagato and Konan looked over, surprised.
"This is White Zetsu..." Konan said with her mouth slightly agape.
"How did you find it?" Nagato looked at Kaoru with suspicion.
"It wasn't me who found it. It was him and Obito who brought it to me," Kaoru said indifferently, waving dismissively.
"So, where are they now..." Konan asked with some worry.
"Obito and White Zetsu's goal was Nagato's Rinnegan. But they've retreated now because they clearly realize—they aren't my match," Kaoru replied calmly, as if describing an insignificant matter.
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