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Chapter 77: Dead? Cannot Die!!
...
More than ten minutes ago. In a dimly lit hall of an underground base, Obito Uchiha sat on a stone stool, his right eye glowing red as he examined the test tube in his hand. In the green solution, two purple, ripple-patterned eyeballs bobbed up and down. Black Zetsu was at his feet, its small yellow eyes fixed on the Rinnegan in the test tube. It looked away, then at Obito, and said in a sinister tone, "Obito Uchiha, are you still not planning to transplant the Rinnegan?" Now that Nagato is dead, if it wants to revive its pawn, Madara Uchiha, it has to rely on Obito Uchiha. Madara Uchiha was the vessel it had chosen for its mother's revival and reincarnation.
Obito Uchiha looked at Black Zetsu with cold eyes, his voice low and hoarse: "How many times have I told you? Call me Madara!"
"Yes, Lord Madara. Then when have you decided to transplant the Rinnegan? Whether it's for collecting the remaining Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails, or for controlling the Gedo Statue, you will need the help of the Rinnegan."
Obito Uchiha subconsciously touched his right eye. After a long moment, he said, "It's not time yet."
Black Zetsu pouted, feeling contempt in his heart for the indecisive Obito Uchiha. "Lord Madara, Naruto has now learned Sage Mode. Even Nagato with the Rinnegan was no match for him. Although your Kamui is very powerful, the more you use it, the more people will discover its weaknesses and target it. Your current strength is already insufficient to handle the coming situation. It's best to transplant the Rinnegan as soon as possible."
Obito Uchiha put away the Rinnegan, the red light in his eye flaring. "I know what I'm doing. I don't need you to rush me. Besides, my Kamui is not so easily countered!"
"Since you're temporarily unwilling to transplant the Rinnegan, you should at least retrieve your other Mangekyō Sharingan eye. Not only will you have the complete Dual Kamui, but you'll also be able to use the Uchiha's exclusive divine power: Susanoo."
This time, Obito Uchiha was silent for even longer. The image of a white-haired figure with perpetually-dead fish eyes floated into his mind. Finally, he said in a deep voice, "Unnecessary! One Kamui eye plus Wood Release is enough for me to dominate the ninja world. No one can kill me!"
Black Zetsu was completely speechless and couldn't be bothered to persuade him any longer. The Rinnegan was one thing, but he'd had countless opportunities to retrieve his other Mangekyō Sharingan eye over the past ten-plus years. The complete Mangekyō Sharingan was his for the taking. But no, he just wouldn't take it. He was just that stubborn. The Uchiha clan was just like that. Only after a good beating would their heads clear up a bit.
"Lord Madara!" A White Zetsu emerged from the right stone wall, shouting excitedly. "We've found a trace of the White Tiger!"
Obito Uchiha shot to his feet. "Where?!" His entire body radiated killing intent. The surrounding air turned cold.
"The Land of Birds! It seems she went specifically to find Sasuke. She's in a fierce battle with Sasuke right now!"
"Land of Birds!! Hehehehe!" Obito Uchiha sneered. "White Tiger! I've finally caught you, haven't I! Let's see you run this time!!" The underground base he was in was not far from the Land of Birds. He could get there quickly.
"Lord Mada..."
Before Black Zetsu could finish, Obito Uchiha had already activated Kamui and vanished.
"What a blockhead!!" Black Zetsu cursed under his breath and quickly ordered the other White Zetsu to head to the Land of Birds.
...
At this moment, on the Land of Birds battlefield. On the ground, Sasuke Uchiha clutched his left eye. A large amount of dark red blood seeped through his fingers. His face was pale, and he looked to be in extreme pain. The purple skeleton enveloping his body was now covered with muscles, sinews, and a purple outer layer. One of its large hands was holding a giant purple bow, in the posture of having just fired an arrow.
"Hehehehe!" Sasuke Uchiha laughed wildly while clutching his eye, looking up at the sky with a face full of arrogance. "White Tiger! I told you, these eyes of mine have already seen your death! To die by the divine power of my Uchiha clan is your honor! Hehehehe!!"
This was the first time he had used Susanoo to fire an arrow, and the effect was excellent. The arrow's speed was extremely fast. The target had no time to dodge at all and could only be pierced through the chest. In the air, a purple light arrow, as thick as an arm, was embedded in Konan's chest. The arrowhead had gone through her and pierced the neck of Obito Uchiha, who was behind her. The sharp tip dripped with blood.
"Sasuke Uchiha!!" Obito Uchiha stared at Sasuke Uchiha on the ground with shock and anger. "Were you planning to kill me too?!!"
Thinking back to that moment of life and death, he felt a lingering fear. He was so close, so close. If he hadn't sensed the danger, glimpsed the purple giant below aiming its bow at him, and subconsciously activated his intangibility, his neck would have been pierced, and his head would probably be falling off right now. He wouldn't even have had time to activate Izanagi! He, the grand mastermind of the ninja world, who had turned the world upside down, was almost killed by that traitorous brat below!
With his body intangible, Obito Uchiha's process of pulling Konan into the Kamui dimension was interrupted. The spatial power enveloping her body and the overlapping afterimages on her skin disappeared. Konan came back to her senses. She instantly coughed up a large mouthful of blood. An intense pain from her chest shot straight to her brain. The time between dodging the giant hands, flying up, Obito Uchiha's surprise attack, and the arrow piercing her chest had been extremely short. The turn of events had been too sudden, catching her completely off guard. Her entire heart had been pierced by the purple arrow, utterly destroyed. Konan could clearly sense that her life was on a countdown. Her body was rapidly losing strength, and her vision was growing dark.
But at this moment, she wasn't worried about herself. She was worried about Alex!! She was worried about Alex, who had been in her heart the entire time!! He must have also been pierced by the purple light arrow. She didn't know what his condition was.
"Alex!!!"
Konan screamed at the top of her lungs, her tone filled with grief.
But... there was no response...
"Alex..."
She cried out, hot tears streaming from her eyes. Was she going to lose a loved one again?
The wings on Obito Uchiha's back flapped, carrying him slowly backward, freeing him from the purple light arrow. As for Konan... her heart was ruptured. He could feel her life force fading rapidly. The process had been unexpected, but it was good that this traitor was finally going to die. At last, he could have a small measure of revenge for his lost testicle. However, this traitor wouldn't be allowed to rest even in death. He would give her corpse a very special reception, paying her back a hundred, a thousand times over for the suffering he had endured!
"Hmph! Let me send you off on your final journey, to welcome the most painful death! Wood Release: Cutting Technique!!"
Obito Uchiha completely freed himself from the purple light arrow, his freedom restored. The fleshy wings on his back flapped, allowing him to hover to Konan's right. A wooden spike emerged from his palm and slowly moved toward Konan's temple. As long as it pierced her, the wooden spike would multiply inside her brain and body. It would impale her from the inside out, turning her into a human pincushion. It would make her feel the most extreme pain before death, a truly gruesome end.
Konan's heart filled with despair. Not only was her body dying, but her heart was dying too. She had finally found an intimate companion, only to lose him once again. Since Alex was gone, she no longer wanted to struggle. She quietly waited for death.
Hm?
Just as Konan's eyes were about to close completely, she suddenly felt a trace of coolness from her chest. At the same time, her life force stopped fading. The fatal wound was instantly stabilized. At her chest, Alex's entire paper body had been pierced through the center by the purple arrow. Only a short, outer ring remained. His body was three-quarters destroyed and lost. His spirit was listless, and his aura was weak.
But this was no time to sleep! Konan, you can't die yet!! We haven't achieved our future goals! How can we die here! Alex roared in his heart.
On the surface of the remaining paper ring, a cold light flashed. A layer of ice crystals suddenly appeared: Ice Release Secret Technique: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!