The enormous Yasaka Magatama was practically about to hit him square in the face, but neither Uchiha Obito nor Zetsu were foolish enough to believe that Uchiha Sōgen had merely slipped up. The most likely explanation was that they had been exposed, though they couldn't yet figure out how they'd been discovered.
However, this question could be investigated later.
The most important thing right now was figuring out how to deal with this unexpected turn of events.
As for the falling "Yasaka Magatama," what was that exactly? Was it impressive?
Uchiha Obito didn't take it seriously at all. As long as he had *Kamui*, such an attack was nothing more than a breeze to him. If anything, he was eager for Uchiha Sōgen to keep using such attacks, hoping to drain his ocular power as much as possible.
"What should we do next?" Obito squinted as he pondered.
Initially, he had planned not to reveal himself until he fully understood Sōgen's ocular jutsu.
Depending on the final investigation, only then would he decide his next course of action.
But unexpectedly, Sōgen had somehow uncovered their whereabouts, which was a bit awkward. Now that they were exposed, continuing to hide seemed pointless.
At that moment, the Yasaka Magatama passed through Obito's body like it was phasing through an illusion, crashing into a massive old cedar tree. In an instant, the tree, as thick as a man's waist, was obliterated in silence. The intense burst of chakra unleashed a shockwave so powerful that not only was the tree vaporized, but everything within a circle around it was also obliterated.
A blinding light, like a miniature sun, rose from the forest. Energy waves rippled outward, shaking both land and sea, with the deafening roar echoing across the entire region.
When the light faded and the thunderous sound receded, a massive crater, nearly a hundred meters in diameter, appeared in the forest. Volcanic ash-like dust rose from the pit, carrying with it an indescribably dry, acrid scent.
"As for its power... it's about on par with the Tailed Beast Bomb of a half-transformed jinchūriki," said Zetsu, who had reappeared from the ground, nonchalantly standing next to the unharmed Uchiha Obito. They both stood on the crater's edge, surveying the destruction. Their survival abilities were top-tier, so the seemingly devastating attack had no effect on them.
"How boring," Obito said, unimpressed by Zetsu's analysis.
Forget comparing it to a half-transformed jinchūriki's Tailed Beast Bomb—what would even a fully-transformed Tailed Beast Bomb matter?
In the face of *Kamui*, it was meaningless.
So far, the only person capable of breaking *Kamui* had been his teacher, and no one else.
"Not interested? Fine! But the Uchiha clan head is coming! Obito, have you decided what to do next? Are we leaving? Or meeting with him? Or perhaps... should we try to kill Uchiha Sōgen now?" asked Black Zetsu just as a deep crimson glow, like a speeding locomotive, crashed through the scorched trees at the edge of the crater, heading directly toward them.
Obito's gaze hardened.
A deep sense of confusion welled up within him. How exactly had he been discovered? He was still wearing a "White Zetsu" suit, with most of his body merged into the ground through the Mayfly Technique, only his chest and head exposed. Sensory jutsu that relied on detecting chakra should have been unable to find him and Zetsu, unless it was something like the Byakugan, which could directly see them. Blocking chakra didn't equate to invisibility...
A spark of inspiration flashed in his mind.
His Sharingan spun quickly, and then he saw a small black rat hiding in the grass, with an unusual flow of chakra in its body. With a flick of his wrist, a shuriken flew out, hitting the rat and turning it into a pool of black ink, staining the grass.
"Ink? It smells like Yang Release chakra. If I'm not mistaken, someone in Danzo's Root unit uses this technique," Zetsu said, quickly collecting and analyzing the information. "It seems this ink contained some kind of special message, though it's been destroyed. But if I'm right, Sōgen used this to find our location."
"So, we've already been spotted?"
Black Zetsu's voice was grim.
Obito's eyes turned cold.
He hadn't expected Sōgen to have such a secretive technique, one that even caught him off guard. Being tracked without noticing deeply soured his mood. He placed a hand on his mask and made a resolute decision.
His scarlet eyes flickered with light.
Under Zetsu's watchful gaze, the space around Obito seemed to warp. His Sharingan acted as the core, creating a vortex-like distortion in the space, pulling Obito into it until he disappeared entirely.
More troublesome than anticipated.
Everything was still under control. The overall plan was fine, just requiring a few minor adjustments—such as revealing the identity of "Madara Uchiha" sooner than planned. As for what consequences this might bring...
It wouldn't change much.
This world, filled with conspiracies, ambition, mistrust, hatred, and war, wouldn't change just because of Madara Uchiha's survival or death. At most, it would provoke Konoha's vigilance, but what of it? Killing "Madara Uchiha" required the ability to find him first.
Black Zetsu smiled briefly as he watched Obito vanish. Then, his pitcher plant-like body merged into the ground, disappearing as well.
Ten seconds later, the deep crimson light arrived.
A skeletal arm swatted away a persistent dark red claw that attacked from behind. Sōgen ignored the troublesome Yagura and scanned the surroundings with his crimson eyes, searching for any sign of Obito and Zetsu. After a quick glance, he found nothing—no sign of Obito or any severed white Zetsu limbs filled with life force.
He wasn't surprised that the Yasaka Magatama hadn't done much; it was more of a signal than an actual attack, a way to say, "I've found you." He hadn't expected any miraculous results. But for Obito to leave without even showing his face? That was troublesome.
Hunting required being able to locate the prey. Obito's ability to hide in another dimension was practically cheating!
It ruined the fun of the hunt.
Blood trickled from Sōgen's right eye.
He had gone to great lengths to stage this, feigning the exhaustion of his ocular power. But looking at the situation now... had it all been for nothing? If Obito had fled, who was he supposed to act for?
Sōgen glanced at the relentless dark red beast, sighed, and figured—why not? As long as he didn't walk away empty-handed. Gathering his strength in his eyes, he prepared to hit Yagura with a genjutsu when he suddenly sensed chakra appearing out of nowhere nearby.
His mind shifted, and so did his plan.
Relaxing his brows, Sōgen unleashed his Susano'o, its skeletal hand swatting Yagura far away. Only then did he turn to the figure standing on the treetops nearby, wearing an orange mask—Uchiha Obito.
"So, you didn't run after all, mysterious man," Sōgen said as he turned to face Obito, standing just a short distance away.
If he wanted to, Susano'o could strike Obito at any moment.
And that's exactly what he did. A second, fiery crimson skeletal hand appeared beside him, following his will and slamming down toward Obito with the intent to crush him into pulp. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel⸺fire.net
The tree beneath Obito's feet shattered.
Debris and branches flew in all directions from the impact, but Obito was unharmed. He lightly leapt onto a nearby tree.
"Want to try again, little Uchiha?" Obito said, standing on the treetop. His orange mask, with its black stripes, still covered his face, and his black cloak clung to his form. Despite his plain attire, his aura was unsettling. The crimson Sharingan under his mask stared unblinkingly at Sōgen.
"The Mangekyō Sharingan... Who are you, really?" Sōgen asked, feigning seriousness, though he already knew the answer.
The skeletal arms of Susano'o faded, but the ribcage still protected Sōgen.
Obito spoke the lie without a hint of shame.
"Madara Uchiha?" Sōgen narrowed his eyes, a cold smile tugging at his lips. "Your Mangekyō may be real, but thinking you can pass yourself off as an ancestor of mine just because of that? Aren't you getting ahead of yourself? If you're really Madara, then... where's the proof?"
"Don't tell me all you've got is that one Mangekyō Sharingan. I don't recall Madara Uchiha being one-eyed. Don't tell me you lost an eye fighting the First Hokage?"