The Shinobi World Arena stood in the center, surrounded by spectator seats large enough to accommodate the entire Shinobi World. Obito and Yahiko had already been transported to the very middle of the arena.
Kakuzu was holding his breath and concentrating. Soon, he would make sure they never forgot what happened today for the rest of their lives.
Obito and Yahiko, meanwhile, were feeling a little nervous. Standing there, Kakuzu looked like a ferocious demon. They had no idea how badly he was going to beat them up.
"Obito, right? Do you think you can beat him?" Yahiko asked, swallowing.
"Even if we both go at him together, we probably can't win." Obito wasn't confident either.
Just as the match was about to begin, the Inventory System pulled another stunt and opened a betting pool on the spot.
[Kakuzu vs. Obito + Yahiko]
[Odds: 10:1]
Seeing the Inventory System open a betting pool, everyone rushed to place their bets.
[Ōnoki: Two teenage ninja would have a hard time beating someone as experienced as Kakuzu, even with the Inventory System's rewards. I bet Kakuzu will finish them off within ten minutes.]
[Mei Terumi: That Uchiha brat has the Mangekyō, though. Anything could happen.]
[Rin: Go, Obito! I believe in you.]
Kakashi also chose to cheer Obito on, but when he saw Rin bet everything she owned on Obito, he hesitated a little.
After giving Obito ten thousand gold coins, he had borrowed another three thousand from Might Guy. Now there was clearly a chance to make a huge profit.
But Kakashi was worried that Obito would be sad if he found out Kakashi hadn't bet on him, so he put 2,500 gold coins on Kakuzu and another 500 on Obito.
Obito would surely be happy to know he could earn so many gold coins.
Meanwhile, Konan and Nagato were discussing whom to bet on. Their thoughts were surprisingly aligned, and Konan made the final decision: she exchanged all the Akatsuki's funds for gold coins and bet everything on Kakuzu.
Supporting Yahiko was one thing, but the Akatsuki still had to eat. Yahiko would surely understand when he found out.
Of course, when it came to gambling, Tsunade was definitely the most knowledgeable. As for whether she would win or lose, that was another matter.
"Lady Tsunade, should we bet on Kakuzu too?" Shizune asked from beside her.
Clearly, Shizune didn't believe those two could defeat a ninja like Kakuzu either.
Tsunade shook her head instead. "We're too far behind right now. Too many people are betting on Kakuzu, so we won't win much money."
"If we bet on the side with lower odds," Tsunade said excitedly, "and they happen to pull off an upset, we'll make a fortune."
Shizune was stunned by Lady Tsunade's logic. Why did Lady Tsunade insist on betting on the weaker side just because everyone else was betting on Kakuzu?
But after thinking it over, Tsunade decided not to bet too much. She took out a thousand gold coins and put them on Obito.
[Hiruzen Sarutobi: I propose we all cheer for Obito, our Konoha Ninja.]
Hiruzen Sarutobi was uncharacteristically drumming up support for Obito, not because he supported him, but because he had bet a hundred thousand gold coins on Kakuzu.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was hoping more people would bet on Obito so he could earn a little more.
[Ding! The match is about to begin!]
[Please choose how to fight: 1. Fight as your future self and pay 2,000 gold coins. 2. Fight as your current self.]
Obito suddenly heard the Inventory System's voice before the match.
"Yahiko, did you hear that?" Obito turned and asked.
"I heard it. It sounds like we can use our future selves to fight, but I don't have any gold coins."
Obito took out his ten thousand gold coins, leaving Yahiko stunned by the utterly ordinary Uchiha before him.
He hadn't expected Obito to produce ten thousand gold coins just like that. Yahiko immediately made up his mind to recruit him.
"Obito, I wonder if you'd be interested in joining our Akatsuki," Yahiko coaxed.
"Akatsuki? But I'm from Konoha," Obito objected. After all, no one would allow someone from another village to join their organization.
Yahiko smiled to himself, then explained, "You didn't know? My partners and I are disciples of Lord Jiraiya of Konoha."
Obito was stunned by Yahiko's words. He hadn't expected the talkative man before him to be a disciple of Jiraiya, one of the Konoha Sannin.
The two instantly became like old friends, and Obito readily accepted Yahiko's invitation. After all, his own teacher, Minato Namikaze, was also Jiraiya's disciple, as was Yahiko. By that reckoning, Obito was actually his junior.
But Obito quickly washed away that unrealistic thought.
At a time like this, he certainly couldn't use his current strength to fight Kakuzu, so Obito decisively chose to use his future strength.
Now that they belonged to the same organization, Obito readily lent Yahiko five thousand gold coins. As for whether Yahiko paid him back, Obito said it was all Kakashi's money anyway, so he could spend it as he pleased.
The two each paid two thousand gold coins to use their future strength, then bet the rest on their own victory.
Once they had made their selections, their bodies began to change.
Obito Uchiha now had a white mask, a dark blue robe, and the Uchiha Gunbai, with a Rinnegan in his left eye and a Mitsudomoe Sharingan in his right;
Obito's equipment could now be described as extremely luxurious, and his strength was off the charts.
Obito felt as though his eyes contained endless energy. All kinds of Ninjutsu came easily to him, and he had a wealth of combat experience.
Yahiko's appearance had become closer to that of Deva Path Pain. He still looked like Yahiko, but several black rods had appeared on his face.
Most outrageous of all, both of them now had the Rinnegan. Neither of them knew what it was, though. After all, even Uchiha Fugaku, the head of the Uchiha Clan, didn't know about such things.
Neither paid it much attention. The thought that they would soon get to beat Kakuzu up gave them both a little thrill.
The same options had appeared for Kakuzu, but the confident Kakuzu hadn't chosen to use his future strength. After all, he was already in his seventies or eighties, and more importantly, he couldn't bear to part with two thousand gold coins.
Amid the crowd's cheers, Kakuzu slowly walked into the arena. He was still thinking of putting on the air of a master, only to find that the spectators weren't looking at him at all.
[Mei Terumi: What's going on? Where did these two come from? Weren't they supposed to be Obito Uchiha and someone called Yahiko?]
[Rin: That person wearing the white mask looks like Obito.]
The current Obito hadn't experienced the pain of losing Rin, so his former innocent stupidity could be seen in his personality and even the way he walked.
But by the time of the Fourth Shinobi World War, Obito was practically a different person. Even someone close to him might not have recognized him.
For example, Obito thought Minato Namikaze could have recognized him, but he had wrapped himself up from head to toe and put on a mask. No matter who it was, they wouldn't have recognized him.