He brought his hands together, activating a repair process—a technique learned from studying the cellular will of the Senju clan. The damaged areas gradually regenerated, and even the previously torn-open wound in his heart rapidly healed. Although smoke and dust obscured his vision, he could sense that the restraints had been broken.
At Training Ground 3 in the village, Minato was instructing his team on how to improve their cooperative combat efficiency. As he sat supervising from a high vantage point, he suddenly felt a stir from an item he wore. His expression grew slightly grave. He immediately announced to his students, "I have a mission that requires my immediate attention. Please continue your training on your own."
With that, he vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving a group of astonished children behind. Sasuke and Hinata were amazed by their teacher's speed. Only Naruto felt a flicker of doubt, realizing his father had likely used something far more advanced than a simple Body Flicker Technique. What kind of situation was "Zero One Three" that would force him to use such a special ability?
...
On his way to the Village Hidden in the Rain, Jiraiya had found no clues regarding his companions' whereabouts. He had heard that they hadn't returned since their last outing. He decided to stay and observe for a while longer, hoping to find more useful information.
A light drizzle began to fall from the sky again. The damp weather, combined with his inability to find the person he was looking for, left him feeling particularly dejected. Just as he was lost in thought, gazing at the rain-streaked window, a figure appeared silently behind him.
Instinct kicked in, and he immediately adopted a defensive stance. He saw that the newcomer wore no mask and exuded a familiar aura. He quickly recognized the man as "Number One," the same individual from the Sound Village he had met before. But what intrigued him even more was the jutsu the man had used.
Checking his shoulder, he indeed found a special transportation marker. "The Flying Raijin Technique!?" he questioned, confused about the man's identity and purpose. "Who are you?"
Facing his old friend, Number One offered an apologetic smile. "There's no time to explain, Lord Jiraiya. Please activate Sage Mode as quickly as possible."
"Once I recover my energy, I'll take you there immediately." As he spoke, Minato pulled a piece of paper from his clothes and handed it to Jiraiya. He then sat down and began to restore his energy.
Jiraiya took the paper, and his eyes widened in an instant. Drawn on it was a simple stick-figure frog against a red-tinted background.
Jiraiya immediately bit his thumb. He swiftly drew the seals over his eyes and brought his hands together in a clap.
"He even knows it takes me time to summon Sage Mode," Jiraiya mused, studying the disguised Minato with curiosity.
The disguised Minato paid him no mind, focusing solely on recovering his energy. He had already sensed the Sword of Shinobi Love in the Land of Whirlpools, all the way across the Land of Fire from the Rain Village. Transporting someone with the Flying Raijin Technique required a massive amount of energy. He couldn't reveal the Nine-Tails in front of his teacher, so he had to recover his own chakra first.
Nagato opened his eyes and let out a long sigh of relief. He stood up, his gaze bright. Despite the immense cost and the fact that the wound in his heart had not fully healed, he had finally broken free from Obito's control. Now, he could let Konan take the offensive. Once his injuries were healed, it would be Obito's doomsday! For now, he just needed to defend against Obito's attacks.
Obito was surrounded by explosive tags, with nowhere to set his feet. The continuous detonations around him forced him to remain in his phased state. Although he didn't know how many tags Konan had prepared, his phasing time would surely run out if this continued.
Obito glanced toward Konan and Nagato. He first summoned a massive Susanoo to block the explosions from the outside. Then, using Kamui, he hurled giant shuriken stored in his pocket dimension toward them.
While still healing, Nagato raised a hand and activated his Rinnegan's ability. "Shinra Tensei!"
The giant shuriken were instantly repelled.
In that short time, the dense barrage of Konan's explosive tags had already left Obito's Susanoo on the verge of collapse. Obito activated Kamui again, but as the vortex began to form, Nagato dodged to the side.
With his body recovering, mobility was no longer Nagato's weakness. With ample preparation, evading the spatial distortion of Kamui was not an issue.
At that moment, the crack-ridden Susanoo protecting Obito finally crumbled. To avoid the force of the explosive tags, Obito immediately entered his phased state.
Far out on the sea, Zetsu's figure emerged from the water, his cold eyes watching the battle. It seemed all of Obito's intelligence had been leaked. It was time to implement contingency plans. Though Obito was at a disadvantage, Zetsu refused to believe he would be defeated so easily.
After several fruitless attacks, Obito resorted to continuous phasing to evade. It seemed Nagato and Konan were determined to wear him down.
A flicker of alarm went through Obito's mind... Nagato, whom he had always considered a mere pawn, had prepared for everything.
Obito let out a cold snort. *I underestimated you, Nagato.*
He couldn't let this continue.
Obito made his decision. The Sharingan at his waist slowly closed.
Izanagi!
After using Izanagi, Obito's figure vanished. Konan immediately ceased her Paper Jutsu and materialized in the air. The one beside Nagato had only been a paper clone.
Kawasaki had already told her about Izanagi, so she was very familiar with the technique. She didn't know where Obito would reappear. Continuing to use her jutsu would only be a waste of energy. Konan had prepared thoroughly and hadn't expended much chakra this time.
After dispelling her jutsu, she moved to Nagato's side. The paper clone next to him dissolved into sheets of paper that fell into the sea.
Just then, above the coastline, Obito reappeared in mid-air. He knew the water below was filled with explosive tags and made no move to land on the surface. He placed a hand over his waist; the Sharingan there was now shut.
They were surrounded by the explosive tags Konan had laid out. Obito couldn't fly. As long as they guarded against his Kamui, Nagato and Konan held a clear advantage.
Having been tricked once, Obito had used Izanagi, losing a Sharingan and a significant amount of chakra in the process. He could see that Nagato was gradually healing his body. If he delayed any longer, he would lose his chance to stop him.
"Konan, Nagato, do you really think you can escape just by getting rid of these tags?" Obito's grim voice carried to them on the wind.
Nagato's injuries were on the verge of healing completely. Hearing this, he simply stared coldly at Obito, unwilling to say more for fear he might leak information. Seeing Nagato's silence, Obito knew he wouldn't be able to bait him.
Time was running out. He formed a hand seal, activating the contingency plan Madara had left him.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
"Gedo Mazo!"
As he was recovering, Nagato felt a ripple in his Rinnegan as its power was released. With a thunderous roar, the sea behind Nagato and Konan churned, and the Gedo Mazo appeared on the battlefield.
Right behind them!
The colossal statue crashed into the water, sending a massive wave surging toward them. Konan activated her Paper Style to block the surrounding seawater. But Nagato's heart felt as if it had been doused in ice water.
Black Zetsu frowned in displeasure. Obito had actually summoned the Gedo Mazo. He had to end this quickly. Hidden nearby, Zetsu quietly formed a hand seal.