The deathly silence was broken by a sudden cough.
Kakashi and Rin almost simultaneously gasped for breath, their chests heaving violently, as if drowning people were finally surfacing.
They opened their eyes in a daze; the fatal wound in their chests had disappeared.
Only tattered clothes and still-wet bloodstains remained, testifying to the utter despair that had just occurred.
"Rin! Kakashi!"
Obito's roar was trembling and cracked as he staggered forward, gripping the arms of his two companions tightly, his fingertips turning white from the force.
Overwhelming grief and the ecstatic joy of regaining what was lost pounded wildly in his chest, making him tremble all over.
"It's not a dream... it really isn't a dream! You're back...Lord Hokage! Minato-sensei! They're alive!"
He was incoherent, tears mixed with blood streaming down his face.
Kakashi's single eye suddenly contracted.
He looked down in disbelief at his perfectly intact chest.
Then she suddenly looked up at the man in front of her, whose black robes were billowing and whose expression was as cold and aloof as a god.
I was clearly dead just now...
Could it be some kind of resurrection technique?!
This was beyond his understanding of Ninjutsu; it was a power that touched upon the taboo of life and death!
Rin Nohara instinctively covered her mouth, trembling with immense fear and lingering dread, her body moving instinctively closer to Obito and Kakashi.
Minato Namikaze quickly crouched down, placing his hands on Kakashi and Rin's carotid arteries respectively. Feeling the strong and real pulse, his azure eyes were filled with indescribable shock.
He looked at Chiyo, his voice slightly hoarse.
" Lord Hokage, this..."
"We simply took back what shouldn't have been taken away in the first place."
Chiyo's voice was calm and even, as if he had only done something insignificant, but the slowly rotating Eternal Mangekyo pattern in his eyes exuded a chilling majesty.
" Obito!"
His gaze shifted to the excited boy, and his voice suddenly became sharp.
"Calm down! Tell me what happened? Tell me everything!"
Chiyo's voice was like ice water being poured down, carrying an unquestionable command that instantly suppressed Obito's turbulent emotions.
Obito shuddered violently, forcefully wiping away the tears and blood from his face, taking a deep breath, and forcing himself to calm down.
He glanced at the still-shaken Kakashi and Rin, and began to recount his ordeal quickly, in as clear a voice as possible, though still tinged with lingering fear.
From the somewhat abrupt nighttime summons, to the forged emergency mission Scroll, to the ambush by those strange White Enemy at the edge of the forest, and then to his own serious injuries and unconsciousness...
Then, that despairing, cavern-like place awakens.
"... That place was dark and cold, like a giant tomb..."
Obito's voice was suppressed.
"An incredibly old, strange man covered in white tubes sat in a terrifying..."
It looks like a stone seat made from tree roots and corpses!
He said before that his name was Madara Uchiha! He said... he talked about everything we went through.
Pain, entanglement, even the world itself—all are illusions! They are all prisons!
" Madara Uchiha?!"
Minato gasped in shock, his expression instantly turning extremely grave.
The weight of this name is enough to suffocate any ninja who knows history.
I can't believe it really was him!
"There's also a strange white guy who looks like a sentient aloe vera plant, Tobi. He talks like a ton of bricks and is incredibly annoying!"
Obito continued, his tone filled with anger and confusion.
"He kept asking me questions, testing me, but then suddenly said he was moved by my 'bond with my companions' and kindly pointed me in a way to escape..."
My only thought was to find Rin and Kakashi, so I ran desperately along that passage...
And then... and then I saw it..."
His voice choked again as he looked at the spot where Rin and Kakashi had fallen, his eyes filled with pain and lingering fear.
" Obito, Kakashi, Rin!"
The three were called out, and they instinctively looked at Chiyo Uchiha.
The crimson light faded from Chiyo Uchiha, returning her to her previous pitch-black state.
His face was completely calm.
"Everything you've experienced this time is nothing more than a carefully woven cage by him, a cruel ritual targeting the mind and eyes."
Chiyo's voice was icy cold, and the temperature of the surrounding air seemed to drop several degrees.
"His target has been you from the very beginning, Obito."
Obito Uchiha's body trembled.
"Your Sharingan, and your passionate yet fragile heart."
He needs extreme pain and despair to catalyze those eyes, and even more so, he needs to deeply plant that despair in your heart, making you a puppet for him to realize his ambitions."
Minato instantly understood the terrifying nature of all this, and a chill ran down his spine.
Exploiting trust to create tragedy.
To manipulate people's hearts and minds—how insidious and insane that is!
"Spot..."
Kakashi clutched his chest, which still ached slightly, his eyes filled with shock.
"Just to catalyze my eyes, I have to lose my companion?! How despicable, unforgivable!!"
Obito Uchiha found Madara Uchiha's behavior utterly baffling and said angrily.
"What good is power if you gain it?!"
Is there anything more important than the survival of one's companions?
Rin was pale and gripped Obito's arm tightly.
" Obito, now that the enemy has catalyzed your eyes, use them!"
Power itself has no positive or negative aspects; it depends on whether the person using it acts positively or negatively.
This is the power of your Sharingan! It belongs to you!
Obito Uchiha calmed down for a moment.
Chiyo Uchiha looked at Obito and continued speaking.
" Obito, your eyes."
Chiyo's gaze, almost tangible, fell upon Obito's eyes, which were now quite different.
"Feel it, master it. Tell me, what do you see? What do you feel?"
Upon Obito, Obito subconsciously focused his attention on his eyes.
Instantly, a sharp, intense pain, as if my eyeballs were being torn apart, struck me.
At the same time, the world in my field of vision begins to undergo subtle changes.
The lines are clearer, and the structure of the space seems to be faintly visible, but everything is shrouded in a faint bloodstain.
He groaned, and a tear of blood uncontrollably slid down his cheek.
"It hurts... I can see things more clearly now, but they're also a bit... distorted?"
Obito the excruciating pain, Obito tried his best to describe it.
"I feel... I can touch 'space'?"
It seems to make things... disappear?
Or could I... or someone else... be transported to... an alternate dimension that only I can reach?
It looks like Kamui.
Chiyo took a deep breath, her tone leaving no room for argument.
"Now, try using your Dōjutsu to send Kakashi and Rin into your space."
"Now? But..."
Obito hesitated. He was filled with unfamiliarity and fear towards this power, and he was even more worried that losing control would harm his comrades.
"No buts!"
Chiyo's tone suddenly became more forceful, carrying an undeniable air of authority.
"The threat of Madara Uchiha is imminent; we have no time to hesitate!"
That's the only place where their safety can be absolutely guaranteed! Execute immediately!
Obito was intimidated by Chiyo's aura, and seeing the weak but trusting eyes of Kakashi and Rin, he gritted his teeth.
"I... I'll give it a try!"
He concentrated all his energy, enduring the excruciating pain in his eyes, and his Mangekyō Sharingan began to spin wildly as his gaze was fixed on Kakashi and Rin.
The space around Kakashi and Rin instantly distorted violently, like an oil painting being kneaded by an invisible hand.
The two figures blurred and elongated, and in the next moment, as if sucked into an invisible vortex, they vanished from the spot!
"It's a success!"
Obito was panting heavily, the stinging in his eyes intensifying, but a look of relief appeared on his face.
"Give me directions! Where's the entrance to that cave?"
Without pausing for a moment, Chiyo immediately pressed for more information.
"Over there! It's below a steep cliff, hidden by many vines!"
Obito pointed Northeast without hesitation.
" Minato!"
"Clear!"
Minato instantly understood, placing one hand on Obito's shoulder while his other hand gripped several specially made Flying Thunder God Kunai.
Chiyo's figure blurred, transforming into a black lightning bolt that charged out first, its speed reaching the extreme!
However, just as the three of them set off...
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Dozens of figures shot out from the surrounding land and the shadows of the trees without warning!
They were all White Zetsu Clone, their faces twisted and grinning, as they charged forward like a tidal wave, instantly blocking all their paths of advance!
"It's haunting me!"
Obito roared, about to forcefully activate his Mangekyo Sharingan once more.
"Clear the path! Don't linger!"
Chiyo coldly shouted, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.
" Minato, left flank! Obito, right flank interference!"
Frontal view, here I come!
The moment the order was given, the pattern on Chiyo's eyes changed drastically!
" Amaterasu!"
Dark flames suddenly erupted on the seven or eight White Zetsu charging at the forefront!
Silent and unstoppable, they instantly transformed into frantically struggling torches, turning to ashes in mere seconds!
Minato's figure flickered like a ghost, unleashing the Flying Thunder God Jutsu to its fullest extent.
With each Yellow Flash, a Kunai would precisely pierce the White Zetsu's brow or heart. The next second, his figure would reappear, accompanied by the buzzing of the Rasengan and the muffled sound of the White Zetsu's body being torn apart!
Efficient, ruthless, like a precise killing machine.
Obito the excruciating pain, Obito used his right Mangekyou Mangekyo to lock onto a White Zetsu attempting to bypass Amaterasu's flames and rush towards Minato's flank.
" Kamui!"
The space where the upper body of the White Zetsu was located instantly twisted and collapsed in a terrifying manner!
Before it could even scream, half of its body was crushed and swallowed by an invisible giant hand, disappearing completely!
The remaining lower half of his body staggered two steps and collapsed to the ground.
These individual White Zetsu are not considered top-tier in strength.
But the sheer number of them, completely disregarding their own casualties, surged forward frantically, using their bodies to block and delay.
Their purpose is very clear--
We must delay their advance at all costs!
"Get out of here!"
Obito roared, his left eye ability activating instinctively as he tried to intangify parts of his body to evade the attack. However, the intense pain and unfamiliar control caused his intangible parts to flicker erratically, and an attack nearly grazed his physical body!
Chiyo's face remained as still as water, and his attacks grew increasingly ferocious.
Amaterasu Black Flame continued to blaze as his hands moved swiftly.
" Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Technique!"
A massive fire dragon roared out and engulfed and burned the entire White Zetsu in front of it!
But the number of White Zetsu seems endless; as soon as one batch is cleared out, even more emerge from underground!
"He's stalling for time! Madara's about to escape!"
Minato used the Flying Thunder God to return to Chiyo's side, his tone urgent.
"I know."
Chiyo's eyes were icy cold. He suddenly clasped his hands together, and a surge of immense chakra shot into the sky!
" Storm Release, Grinding Stone!"
Countless dazzling laser beams erupted from behind him, as if possessing tracking capabilities, precisely sweeping the surroundings and instantly vaporizing and piercing through large swaths of White Zetsu! Clearing out a temporary area.
Storm Release was taken aback when he saw the Minato Release technique.
"Dual Kekkei Genkai?"
Chiyo offered no explanation.
"Walk!"
Seizing this fleeting opening, the three pushed their speed to the limit, ignoring the White Zetsu that were closing in on them again, and charged madly in the direction Obito pointed!
The two-kilometer distance was covered in an instant as the three of them sprinted at full speed.
A steep cliff covered with moss and vines came into view.
"That's it!"
Obito pointed to a very well-hidden crack at the bottom of the cliff and shouted.
Without saying a word, Minato Kunai about to shoot a kunai at the cave entrance to mark it so he could burst in instantly.
"Etc!"
Chiyo suddenly raised his hand to stop him; his senses were far more acute and extensive than those of Minato and Obito.
"There is an extremely large and chaotic chakra reaction inside..."
More than one, and they are rapidly diminishing...
It's a trap, and also a sacrifice.
A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and without hesitation, he retreated dozens of meters.
"Step back!"
Before the words were even finished, a terrifying Charasar suddenly erupted, sending chills down one's spine!
Dark red, almost tangible energy shot into the sky!
" Susanoo!"
The enormous skeleton solidified instantly, covered by flesh and veins, Tengu Armor instantly appeared, Complete Susanoo that stood tall and imposing!
The oppressive force it exerted made it almost impossible for Minato and Obito to breathe, and the ground beneath their feet cracked inch by inch!
Without any fancy movements, Susanoo simply raised the giant chakra sword that seemed capable of cleaving mountains.
He cleaved down fiercely at the cliff face and the entire underground structure beneath it!
The deafening roar seemed to tear the sky apart!
The entire earth shook violently as if in an earthquake!
The cliff was more fragile than building blocks in the face of that absolute power, and it crumbled in an instant. Countless boulders mixed with soil shot into the sky and then crashed down like a torrential rain!
But this is just the beginning!
Susanoo to transform into a ruthless demolition god, its giant sword slashing down violently time and time again!
Boom! Boom!!
Not just destruction, but utter annihilation!
Each attack penetrates deep into the earth, completely pulverizing the rock layers and utterly destroying and compacting any possible structures!
The terrifying chakra shockwave spread outwards in concentric circles, uprooting the surrounding trees and crushing them into dust!
Minato and Obito stood at a distance, protected by Susanoo.
They stared in disbelief at the terrifying scene that resembled a natural disaster, the absolute difference in power leaving them with nothing but unparalleled shock.
Obito instinctively covered his still-stinging eyes.
Compared to this world-destroying power, his own Kamui seemed so insignificant.
Chiyo stood inside the crystal on Susanoo's forehead, his gaze cold and unwavering.
He not only wanted to destroy the entrance, but also to completely flatten all the underground spaces within a radius of several hundred meters, leaving no chance for any traps, secret passages, or even any backup plans that Madara Uchiha might have left behind!
The bombardment lasted for a full minute, until the area was completely leveled, turning into a huge crater tens of meters deep. All the rocks and soil were repeatedly plowed and compacted.
Only when he could no longer sense any emptiness Susanoo Chiyo controlling Susanoo.
Smoke and dust filled the air, enveloping the ruins like a thick fog.
Chiyo released Susanoo, his figure drifting down to the edge of the pit, his gaze sweeping below like a hawk's.
Minato and Obito immediately followed, leaping into the pit.
Minato used the Flying Thunder God to teleport and explore several key points in the ruins, while Obito, despite his discomfort, activated his Sharingan to carefully sense the area.
However, apart from a large number of White Zetsu remains smashed into mincemeat and completely inactive, and some twisted and broken white pipe fragments, nothing was found.
There was no Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, and no trace of Madara Uchiha.
"But... he got away..."
Obito, unwilling to accept defeat, slammed his fist into the nearby rocks, his knuckles breaking and bleeding.
A profound sense of powerlessness welled up inside me.
Minato's expression was extremely solemn.
"With such utter destruction, there is absolutely no chance of survival unless one is teleported away over a long distance beforehand."
He probably withdrew the moment we were delayed by the White Zetsu, or even earlier.
He looked at Chiyo.
" Lord Hokage, we..."
Chiyo did not answer. He squatted down, picked up half of the flattened white pipe fragment, and sensed the extremely faint chakra remaining on it with his fingertips.
"A rat hiding deeper underground."
Chiyo slowly stood up, crushing the shards in his hand to dust. His voice was so cold that it almost froze the surrounding air.
"He can't go too far, and he can't hide for long."
A thought flashed through Chiyo's mind, and he immediately considered another possibility for killing Madara Uchiha.
In the original work, this is Madara Uchiha at this time.
He was barely clinging to life thanks to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
if...
If someone Summoning Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Wouldn't that directly cut off Madara Uchiha's chances of survival?
He looked at Obito, especially at those Mangekyō Sharingan that were still bleeding and filled with resentment and anger.
"This debt will be repaid with interest. But until then, Obito."
Chiyo's tone carried an unquestionable command.
"You need to become stronger and learn to fully control the power of these eyes."
After we return to the village, I will personally guide you."
"Yes!"
Chiyo Uchiha's gaze swept over the utterly destroyed ruins.
It was as if one could pierce through layers of earth and see that frantic, aged figure fleeing in disarray.
Madara Uchiha, you can't escape!
"Bite!"
[Trigger Quest: Take Obito Uchiha as your disciple]
[ Mission Reward: One random Mangekyo Dōjutsu.]
"Bite!"
[Trigger Quest: Defeat Madara Uchiha.]
[ Mission Reward: Asura's Chakra ]