A figure slowly materialized behind Otsutsuki Urashiki.
"Who?"
His Rinnegan's ability allowed him to instantly detect that someone was watching him. He turned to see a man in a black robe and a mask.
Urashiki flicked a black receiver out. It was a product of the Rinnegan's Yin-Yang Release, the same kind of rod that Madara and Nagato had created. When embedded in an enemy, these rods could disrupt and seal their chakra, rendering them unable to fight.
But the scene that followed completely shattered his understanding of the world. The black rod passed straight through the man's body without causing any harm at all.
Yet, Urashiki was certain this was no illusion. The person who had been spying on him was real; the Rinnegan was extremely sensitive to visual-based mental attacks.
Seeing his first move fail, Urashiki tried another.
[Bansho Ten'in]
A powerful suction force targeted the enemy directly, but strangely, this too was ineffective. Now Urashiki was dumbfounded. The omnipotent force of universal pull had failed. What was going on?
What he didn't know was that his opponent was currently in another dimension. The figure left in this world was merely a projection. The person who had come was, of course, Obito.
Obito's heaven-defying Kamui ability was so powerful that even later, in the battle against Kaguya Otsutsuki, he had been able to hold his own.
When Urashiki had activated Bansho Ten'in, Obito was already in another world. The figure that remained was just a projection. Not even the four fundamental forces of the universe could pull out an Obito who didn't exist in this dimension.
"Who are you?" Urashiki asked, a sliver of apprehension creeping in as he faced this intangible foe.
At this point, all he wanted to do was grab the Tailed Beasts and go home to his mother. The people of this world were too terrifying. Everywhere he turned, there were people he couldn't beat. Why weren't things like this in the future world he'd come from? Were the natives there really that weak? He couldn't figure it out.
"My name is Uchiha Madara," Obito began his charade.
"Otsutsuki Urashiki, I know who you are. You're from another world. What is your purpose in collecting the Tailed Beasts?"
The reason Obito had come to find him today was that Urashiki's battle with Nagato had shown him that this guy was a paper tiger. His Rinnegan abilities were different, and his level of development was also different, just like the ocular powers of the Mangekyo.
If that was the case, then Obito was confident that his Kamui would not be at a disadvantage. Kamui's intangibility was powerful; without prior intelligence, no one could defeat him.
The reason he had to come today was that his opponent still possessed three Tailed Beasts. This mysterious Rinnegan user had disrupted their plans, but he had also accelerated their progress.
Nagato's original plan had been to bide his time, instigate wars between the great nations, and then, as a mercenary force, join the battles to accumulate power. Finally, when the great nations were exhausted from fighting, the Akatsuki would begin.
They would collect the nine Tailed Beasts, summon the Ten-Tails, and then activate the Eye of the Moon Plan to bring "peace" to the shinobi world with a nuke. But there was a bug in this plan.
Obito could have just taken one Tailed Beast and used Kamui to teleport to each of the great shinobi villages and nuke them directly. If a nation's most important ninja village was gone, unifying the world would be no problem for the Akatsuki. But...
Fine, they would go with Nagato's plan. The difference was, if this Otsutsuki Urashiki's purpose in collecting the Tailed Beasts was also the Eye of the Moon, then he was a kindred spirit, and all the more welcome.
If he wasn't planning to implement the Eye of the Moon, then without the three Tailed Beasts he held, how could they complete their own plan? In that case, Otsutsuki Urashiki was unequivocally an enemy.
For both reasons, Obito was full of questions and wanted to ask him face-to-face. He was also incredibly curious about Urashiki's origins. He knew Nagato's Rinnegan belonged to Madara, and that Madara's had evolved on its own. Could this mysterious person, Otsutsuki Urashiki, be related to the Uchiha clan?
"Hmph. Why should I tell a native like you? What is your purpose in seeking me out? Do you wish to surrender?" Urashiki said dismissively.
But inwardly, he hadn't relaxed in the slightest. Uchiha Nagi's Mind Teleportation, Jiraiya's Sage Art Frog Song, Onoki's Dust Style, Nagato's Rinnegan, the Cloud Village's Kohaku no Johei—they all told him that he had arrived in a Hell-difficulty shinobi world, not the later era where weaklings ran rampant and even a Rinnegan-wielding Sasuke was so nerfed he had to resort to a tackle-hug.
This world was truly full of monstrously strong people.
"The Tailed Beasts come from the Ten-Tails. By gathering all nine Tailed Beasts and feeding them to the Gedo Statue, one can summon the Ten-Tails," Obito said, closely observing Urashiki's expression.
Seeing his calm demeanor, he knew. As I thought, he knows about the Ten-Tails.
"You're collecting the Tailed Beasts for the Eye of the Moon Plan, aren't you?" Obito probed.
The Eye of the Moon?
Otsutsuki Urashiki, of course, knew of that jutsu. When conquering other planets, others had used it. But that wasn't what he wanted. They were purely collecting chakra.
What Obito and the others didn't know was that there was also a woman who was the jinchuriki of the God Tree. But Urashiki knew.
"The Eye of the Moon? You're collecting the Tailed Beasts just to cast that boring jutsu?" Urashiki frowned. "You're competing with me for the Tailed Beasts, but not to save that woman?"
"Save what woman?" Now it was Obito's turn to be confused. What was he talking about?
"Hm? Your clothes are all the same style. You're part of that organization, right? You don't know? Then why are you collecting the Tailed Beasts?" Urashiki was also completely baffled.
"..."
"..."
Suddenly, both of them felt like they were a chicken talking to a duck. And it seemed the other party had some information they didn't.
A woman? He thinks we're collecting the nine Tailed Beasts to save a woman? The image of Rin flashed in Obito's mind, but he quickly dismissed it with a sarcastic smile. It couldn't possibly be Rin. Then who was this woman who required the Ten-Tails to be saved?
"So you're not collecting the Tailed Beasts to save her. Hahaha! Then what is this Eye of the Moon jutsu for?" Urashiki asked with a laugh.
"First, you tell me who this woman you speak of is," Obito, though arrogant, was not stupid. He tried to get information out of his opponent first.
"Hmph. The traitor, of course," Urashiki said dismissively. "The traitor of our Otsutsuki clan. Now it's your turn. What are you going to do with the Eye of the Moon once you cast it?"
"For peace, of course," Obito said with a sanctimonious expression, so convincing he even moved himself. "As long as everyone is immersed in the world of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, there will be no more war, no more death, no more famine. Everyone will live in a pure land."
"Hahahaha...!" Urashiki burst out laughing. Was this native trying to kill him with laughter?
"Hmph. What are you laughing at?" Obito's face darkened.
"This planet, and all you natives, you are nothing more than nutrients for us to grow the God Tree. The Infinite Tsukuyomi is just a tool for harvesting those nutrients, you fool," Urashiki said sarcastically.
Obito's face was grim. He had already gone down a dead-end path; he wouldn't be swayed from his dream by a single sentence from his opponent. Now he understood one thing: this person was not on his side. He wasn't collecting the Tailed Beasts to cast the Eye of the Moon.
If they weren't on the same side, then they were enemies. Anyone who competed with him for the Tailed Beasts was an enemy.
"Fire Style: Blast Wave Wild Dance!" Obito made the first move. Since they were enemies, there was nothing more to say. It was time to fight.
To Obito's surprise, Otsutsuki Urashiki extended a hand, and his Rinnegan's absorption ability activated, completely absorbing Obito's fire jutsu as chakra.
This was a move Urashiki hadn't had a chance to use before. The people he had fought were all monsters. Nagato's Rinnegan techniques were always too strange. It was rare to finally encounter a normal ninja using ninjutsu. He had to show off a bit.
"Hmph." Obito recognized it. It was the same absorption ability as Nagato's Preta Path, though Urashiki's development of it wasn't as advanced as Nagato's.
If that was the case, then it was time for close combat.
In close combat, aside from his own teacher and Uchiha Nagi, who knew his secrets, he had never lost to anyone else. Not even Nagato was confident he could deal with him.
[Wood Style: Cutting Technique]
A tree branch extended from Obito's hand and shot towards Urashiki. If it hit, the Wood Style: Cutting Technique would explode inside Urashiki's body, turning him into a giant kebab.
This Wood Style, once it entered the body, would spread throughout it in a very short time, absorbing the enemy's flesh, blood, and chakra. It would then grow and expand, bursting out of the body like a great tree.
It was an extremely cruel Wood Style technique, but it was cheap and effective. Minato's Rasengan hadn't been enough to kill Obito, but Obito's Cutting Technique could kill anyone.
But just as it was about to hit Urashiki, he sneered and released a Shinra Tensei.
BOOM!
A powerful repulsive force spread out in all directions. As it hit Obito, he had already fully entered his Kamui state. The gravitational field passed straight through his body, leaving a large crater in the surrounding area.
"Hmph."
The first round was a draw. Otsutsuki Urashiki was wary of Obito's illogical, intangible space-time ninjutsu. And Obito had no way to deal with the Rinnegan's Shinra Tensei.
And so, for the sake of the Tailed Beasts, the second round of probing began. Obito charged at Urashiki again, this time with an iron chain in his hands—the same one he had used against Minato.
The chain had a sealing formula inscribed on it. Once it locked onto someone, the formula would activate, and he could use the opportunity to seal Urashiki. At the same time, his Cutting Technique would hit Urashiki, turning him into a kebab.
With a single pass, just as Obito was about to strike Urashiki, he shamelessly activated his intangibility again. Then, as he passed through Urashiki's body, he suddenly solidified, and the sealing chain latched on.
"...?!"
Otsutsuki Urashiki clearly didn't have the combat intelligence of Minato or Itachi, who could analyze an opponent's abilities in one or two rounds and formulate a battle plan.
But a single sealing chain was not enough to stop him. The Rinnegan was, after all, a rather advanced piece of equipment; it wasn't so easily sealed.
[Shinra Tensei]
The all-in-one offense-and-defense Shinra Tensei was used again, repelling Obito's sealing chain. But as Urashiki used the repulsive force, Obito let go of the chain. The sealing chain was sent flying, while Obito entered his intangible state, unharmed.
"An opportunity!" Obito knew one piece of intelligence: Pain's Shinra Tensei had a cooldown of a few seconds before it could be used again.
A few seconds wasn't long, but it wasn't short either. In a battle that could change in an instant, it was sometimes fatal. Obito seized the opportunity and charged at Urashiki. His intangibility had no such cooldown.
Although Kamui also had a weakness, its duration of several minutes made that weakness negligible.
As Obito charged at Urashiki again, his Wood Style: Cutting Technique about to hit, his opponent used that strange fishing rod, swinging it at him.
Obito knew about this divine weapon. The intelligence said it could drain a person's chakra. Of course, Obito wouldn't let it succeed so easily. He had no choice but to enter his intangible state again.
And so, in this round, the two once again passed each other by.
But Otsutsuki Urashiki was done playing. He used Yomotsu Hirasaka and instantly teleported into the sky, flying up to bully Obito for his inability to fly.
"Damn it, another one," Urashiki broke out in a cold sweat. Just now, his Rinnegan had once again predicted his death, being skewered by Obito's Cutting Technique. His opponent's intangible space-time ninjutsu was just too damn cheap.
I'm done playing. I'm using my ultimate move.
I'll just bully you all for not being able to fly, how about that? Otsutsuki Urashiki raised his hand and once again released a Rasengan, a giant one, and smashed it down on Obito.
BOOM!
RUMBLE!
A huge explosion, a mushroom cloud rising into the sky. The giant Rasengan hit the spot where Obito had been. But Obito, seeing that he had no way of taking Urashiki down, had already entered his Kamui dimension. Who would be foolish enough to stay outside and watch a mushroom cloud? Your eyes would be blinded.
"Just you wait! When I've collected the Tailed Beasts, I'll make you all pay!" Urashiki gritted his teeth and flew away.
As long as he collected all the Tailed Beasts, he would obtain the power of the God Tree. Then his strength would be no less than Kaguya Otsutsuki's. Taking care of the natives of this planet would be a piece of cake.
He already knew where he was going: the Village Hidden by the Clouds.
A long time later, the mushroom cloud dissipated. Obito emerged from his Kamui dimension, a look of regret on his face. He too coveted the Rinnegan. But alas, he couldn't fly.
"What a pity. He got away."
The later stages would be a battle of gods, or rather, a battle of flight. But right now, there were very few who could fly.
Otsutsuki Urashiki, being able to fly, was already in an unbeatable position.
In the Sword Kage's office in the Swordsmith Village, Uchiha Nagi frowned in confusion. "What did you say? An envoy from the Cloud Village is asking to see me?"
"Have they forgotten that their Raikage died at my hands? They still want to form an alliance with us? Have their brains been addled?"
Kimimaro, now his assistant, nodded. "Yes, Sensei. I find it strange as well. But that's what their envoy said. They've also brought a gift."
"What gift?"
"The Treasured Tools of the Sage of Six Paths."