Nagato's gaze was like two sharp swords, stabbing straight at Obito.
Yet in the face of such a piercing gaze, Obito remained silent.
There was not the slightest expression on his face, and he stood completely still, like a statue.
As time passed second by second, Nagato's eyes grew increasingly sharp, as if he wanted to see through Obito's mask and into the depths of his heart.
Obito, meanwhile, remained silent as ever, seemingly waiting for something.
The entire scene was unbearably tense, making it difficult to breathe.
Obito finally moved, turning his gaze toward the darkness.
Zetsu, who had grown up alongside him since childhood, did not say a word either.
Zetsu lowered his head, looking somewhat dazed.
"Let's extract the Tailed Beast into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path first."
Obito spoke.
Southern Red Island.
This place belonged to no country, but it was paradise for Merchant Ninjas.
At this moment, a thousand meters underground on Red Island, Hiruzen Sarutobi and a group of Hidden Leaf Village elite shinobi loyal to him had all gathered here.
Kakashi looked at the scene before him and silently sent the coordinates to the group.
Naruto Uzumaki: Kakashi, contact me if anything dangerous happens. I can come at any time using the Flying Thunder God Technique!
Kakashi did not reply.
That was what they had agreed upon.
He would come and see what this Third Hokage was up to.
This was not a matter of leaving them unchecked. Instead, they wanted to gather all the anti-Empire forces in one place and wipe them out in a single sweep.
That way, they would not have to deal with a few popping up here today and a few more there tomorrow, as had happened when the Empire was first established. It was