Unexpected Interception

In a valley within the Land of Rain, Hanzo the Salamander and Yahiko, the leader of the Akatsuki, were engaged in a face-to-face conversation, the atmosphere appearing quite harmonious.

"Ever since your Akatsuki organization began operating near Amegakure, I have been keeping an eye on you. I truly identify with your philosophy, which is why I specifically arranged to meet you here," Hanzo said with a look of gratification, his tone sincere.

As he spoke, Hanzo looked at Yahiko and his companions with the gaze of an elder admiring the younger generation.

Hearing Hanzo's words, Yahiko, as the leader of the Akatsuki, wore a look of delight: "With the support of you, Lord Hanzo, who is known as the 'demigod,' we have even more confidence in spreading our philosophy of peace throughout the entire shinobi world. The shinobi world has been plagued by war for years, leaving countless people displaced. If we can resolve the conflicts between nations through peaceful negotiation, then there wouldn't be so many tragedies!"

Hanzo burst into laughter, appearing as if he deeply approved of Yahiko's words. But only Hanzo himself knew that what he was truly laughing at was the naivety of the group before him!

However, it is precisely because of your childishness that I have the opportunity to get my hands on the Rinnegan! Hanzo thought to himself.

Watching Yahiko continue to speak eloquently, Hanzo acted with great patience, appearing to be seriously considering the plans and prospects the other party was describing, while inwardly he was silently calculating the moment to strike.

"Lord Hanzo, what do you think of our ideas? As long as we follow this plan, we will surely be able to bring permanent peace to the shinobi world!" Yahiko said excitedly, watching Hanzo nod repeatedly.

In his view, success was only one step away.

"Very good. You are truly a group of ambitious young people; the future of the shinobi world will depend on you." Hanzo nodded with a pleasant expression, though deep within his eyes, he hid a sense of disdain.

In his eyes, the ninjas of the Akatsuki were just a bunch of greenhorns who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth, having no idea what it meant to be a 'ninja,' let alone the cruelty of the shinobi world.

"That's great!" Hearing Hanzo's approval, Yahiko turned to look at Nagato and Konan, both of whom returned his gaze with joy.

Now! A cold glint flashed in Hanzo's eyes. Timing it with the moment Yahiko and his companions exchanged glances, he secretly signaled the start of the operation.

At that moment, a member of the Akatsuki behind Konan suddenly lunged at her. Before Yahiko and Nagato could react to the sudden situation, two more Akatsuki members attacked them, preventing them from providing support to Konan.

Although Konan alertly turned to block the attack from the ninja behind her, standing behind her was none other than Hanzo, the man known in the shinobi world as the 'demigod'!

Hanzo launched a sneak attack directly from behind, pinning Konan's arms to restrain her. He then immediately performed the Body Flicker Technique, appearing with Konan on a high ground within the valley.

The Akatsuki members who had just ambushed them were all ninjas from Root in disguise, their purpose being to cooperate with Hanzo to capture Konan, thereby forcing Yahiko and Nagato to hold back for fear of harming her.

Standing on the high ground, Hanzo looked down at Yahiko and Nagato, who wore expressions of disbelief in the valley below, a sinister and cruel smile appearing beneath his gas mask.

(The original anime does not cover the events leading up to Konan's capture; this plot point was fabricated by the author. The subsequent events, where Konan is used as a hostage to force Nagato to kill Yahiko, are depicted in the anime, so the author will not write them out.)

Meanwhile, on the other side, Yusuke was tailing Danzo and his subordinates from a distance, feeling increasingly uneasy. However, what Yusuke did not know was that a pair of eyes was also secretly observing him at that very moment.

On a mountain peak not far from Yusuke stood a figure wearing a black cloak.

The owner of this figure wore a mask with a white base and black patterns, and the right eye visible through the mask was none other than a Sharingan!

This figure was none other than Obito, who had been secretly observing the Akatsuki with Zetsu—or more accurately, observing Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan.

Much of the intelligence regarding the Akatsuki had been leaked to Hanzo by him, with the goal of provoking Hanzo into attacking the organization, thereby creating an opportunity to induce Nagato's fall into darkness and involve him in the Eye of the Moon plan.

"Uchiha Yusuke, is it really you?" Obito muttered, watching the figure tailing Danzo in the distance.

"What, is this person a friend of yours from the past?" At that moment, a black-and-white head suddenly emerged from the trunk of a large tree beside Obito, the owner of the head wrapped in two plant-like leaves resembling aloe vera. It was Zetsu, the devoted son who had been lurking in the shinobi world for a thousand years.

"I wouldn't call him a friend. It's just that I've always wanted to settle things with him, and I didn't expect him to deliver himself to my doorstep," Obito said.

"This is a critical moment. To force Nagato to summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, you shouldn't be provoking irrelevant people," Zetsu advised.

"I only need five minutes—no, three minutes—to deal with someone of his caliber." Obito snorted coldly. Without waiting for Zetsu to say more, his body began to shrink like a vortex centered on his right eye, and eventually, he was completely sucked into the Kamui dimension within his right eye, disappearing from the spot.

Just as Yusuke was nearing the location where Hanzo was meeting the Akatsuki, he suddenly felt a fluctuation in the space in front of him and immediately stopped in his tracks, becoming alert.

He saw a vortex-like ripple slowly unfold, eventually transforming into a figure wearing a black cloak and a mask.

Even Yusuke, who was usually unflappable, could not help but have his pupils constrict, a look of shock appearing in his eyes.

Standing before Yusuke, Obito assumed that Yusuke was stunned by his flashy entrance, and he couldn't help but feel a bit smug.

Once upon a time, Obito had silently used Yusuke, the genius of the Uchiha Clan, as a target to chase, even challenging Yusuke, though those attempts had always ended in crushing defeat.

Now was the time for him to truly settle things with Yusuke, only this time, the winner would be him.

However, the shock in Yusuke's heart was not due to Obito's entrance, but rather the shock of encountering Obito in this place.

Although Yusuke could no longer remember many of the plot points and details of the original story, it was impossible for him not to recognize Obito, the iconic character who spanned the entire Naruto saga.

"Who are you? Why are you blocking my path, and what is your goal?" Yusuke asked, feigning ignorance.

He was also very curious as to why Obito would block his way; could Danzo's actions be related to Obito as well?

Watching Yusuke return to a calm expression after his initial shock, Obito sneered, "Still as arrogant as ever, I see."

Hearing Obito's words, Yusuke's mind was full of question marks: Why does this guy's tone sound so bitter? I was just asking about his intentions.

Obito had been very competitive since he was young, but his aptitude had always been average, while Yusuke, from the same generation, had always held the title of a genius, becoming an insurmountable peak for him.

Obito had always harbored a lingering resentment toward Yusuke. It wasn't that he was petty enough to want revenge, but rather that he had always held a fixation on defeating Yusuke.

Watching Yusuke, who did not respond to his words, Obito continued, "I just saw a good-for-nothing Uchiha clansman and wanted to teach him a lesson."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow; he hadn't expected Obito to be so committed to impersonating Uchiha Madara.

However, if it really came to a fight, he would have to give it his all. After all, Obito's Kamui ability was too bizarre and unpredictable; a moment of carelessness could cost him his life.

For a ninja who didn't know Obito's secrets, a slight moment of negligence could lead to being grabbed and thrown into the Kamui dimension, leaving them at his mercy.

"All things in the universe, turn to ashes!"

Facing Obito, Yusuke stopped testing the waters and directly performed the Shikai of his Zanpakuto, Ryujin Jakka, a long blade wrapped in raging flames appearing in his right hand.

Obito's gaze was also drawn to the Ryujin Jakka in Yusuke's hand. Yusuke had achieved the Shikai of Ryujin Jakka on the battlefield of the Third Shinobi World War, appearing in the shinobi world for the first time under the name 'Flame Tachi.' Although Obito had heard of it, he had never seen Yusuke draw the blade.

The Obito of the past, though he would occasionally challenge Uchiha Yusuke beyond his own capabilities, had never drawn any ill will from Yusuke; in fact, after every sparring session, Yusuke would secretly offer him a few pointers.

While Yusuke knew of many famous events within the world of Naruto, he was not clear on the exact timing of these occurrences, such as the Battle of Kannabi Bridge that would alter Obito's fate. Furthermore, as an ordinary ninja, he was unable to influence the unfolding of these events.

Yusuke had also considered how he would face this clansman of his, who had already fallen into darkness, should they ever meet in the future.

Looking at the increasingly cold and murderous gaze of the Obito before him now, Yusuke knew that the other had completely abandoned everything from his past; to him, no one else held any meaning anymore, save for Rin—not even his former teacher, Namikaze Minato!

Let me put an end to your sins right here! Yusuke thought to himself. Once the killing intent arose, Yusuke no longer hesitated, using a Fire Style Body Flicker to appear instantly before Obito.

Obito had not expected Yusuke to strike with such decisiveness. Based on his understanding of Yusuke, this clansman of his who loved to show off would always confidently let others make the first move; this was the first time he had seen Yusuke take the initiative in a fair duel.

Their eyes met, and Yusuke struck fiercely, swinging Ryujin Jakka horizontally, the blade dragging a long trail of flames through the air. Just then, a falling leaf touched the fire on the trail and was instantly reduced to ash.

Obito immediately activated the power of Kamui, phasing his body into intangibility; Yusuke's strike passed right through Obito's waist, yet it failed to inflict even the slightest injury.

Watching Yusuke, who had ended up at his side after the horizontal slash, Obito did not see a hint of surprise in the other's eyes. This left Obito slightly taken aback; in the past, any enemy who saw this technique would display disbelief and then panic, not knowing how to respond, and he had grown accustomed to savoring that look of frantic desperation on his opponents.

"But it doesn't matter anymore. Uchiha Yusuke, you have already lost!" The corners of Obito's mouth curled up beneath his mask.