"Puppetry? No, this is more than just puppetry."
Ignoring Shadow's protests and struggles, Obito picked her up and studied her from every angle for a long while, his scarlet Mangekyo wide open.
Obito exclaimed, "Incredible. Truly incredible. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I'd never have believed that puppetry like this could exist. Aside from being made of wood, she's no different from a living person."
Obito asked White Zetsu, "Where did you find her?"
"In the forest over by Konoha, near the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."
"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?"
Obito froze. How was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki involved in this?
By all rights, a puppet and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki... should have nothing to do with each other.
The sun sank below the horizon, and night fell.
An unfamiliar sensory presence swept rapidly across the whole village of Konoha, completely unrestrained.
"Who is it? Releasing their sensory abilities so brazenly inside the village—aren't they afraid of dying...?"
The ninja who sensed it were stunned.
Everyone knew there was a sure way to get yourself killed: knowing too much.
That was especially true for ninja.
In an occupation where secrecy was paramount, countless ninja in the Ninja World had died because they knew too much.
Konoha was home to a large number of ninja, and naturally had plenty of secrets that couldn't see the light of day. The Konoha High Command had the most secrets of all...
If even one or two were leaked, it could seriously damage Konoha's interests or reputation.
That was why Konoha strictly forbade ninja from using their sensory abilities indiscriminately inside the village. This applied especially to the Hyuga. If you saw something you shouldn't, you could consider yourself dead.
"It's in the sky!!!"
A sound whistled down from above.
The Konoha ninja looked up and saw a tiny white speck streaking across the dark night sky at high speed.
"What is that? Is it an enemy?"
"It's too fast. I couldn't make it out. Can anyone see it?"
"Hyuga! Only the Byakugan can see it clearly. Where are the Hyuga Clan members?"
The Hyuga Clan.
Hiashi activated his Byakugan and looked toward the figure about to disappear into the distance.
Then he was shocked, unable to believe his own eyes.
"How can that be him?!"
It was impossible. He was only a seven-year-old child. How could he suddenly be flying through the sky?
Who'd given him a cheat? When had he gotten one?
There were no answers.
Beside him, Hyuga Tokuma saw the clan head's disbelieving expression and asked curiously, "What did you see, Clan Head?"
Hiashi looked puzzled. "You didn't see it?"
You have the Byakugan too, don't you?
Tokuma lowered his head, embarrassed. "It was too far away. It was beyond the range I can see."
The Byakugan's range varied with the purity of the eye and the user's strength.
Clearly, Tokuma, a Special Jōnin from the branch family, couldn't match the range of the Elite Jonin who led the Hyuga Main Family.
Hiashi thought for a moment, then said, "If you didn't see anything, don't ask about it. Remember, I didn't see anything either."
The waters were too deep. Hiashi had no intention of getting involved.
Tokuma understood what Hiashi meant. He paused, then couldn't help asking, "What if the Hokage asks...?"
A cold glint flashed through Hiashi's eyes.
"I didn't see anything!"
He wasn't foolish enough to go out of his way to warn Konoha that there was something wrong with its Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. He hadn't forgotten Hizashi's death four years ago—not for a second.
"By the way, Tokuma, gather the clan members and ask if anyone got a clear look at what was in the sky. If they did, tell them not to say a word and bring them to me..."
Hiashi took a meticulous approach to planting a landmine for Konoha.
The Hokage Building.
"No one got a clear look at what was in the sky? In that case, Zo, go ask the Hyuga Clan."
The Anbu left at her command.
The Third Hokage stood by the window, pipe in his mouth, gazing in the direction of the Uchiha Clan Compound as he sighed inwardly.
Troubled times...
"Will this affect Danzo?"
Konoha advisor Utatane Koharu strode over. She looked into the distance, worry in her eyes...
The other advisor, Mitokado Homura, was there too. He suggested, "Should we send more people?"
The Third Hokage hesitated, smoking irritably as he struggled to make a decision.
Just then, an Anbu rushed in with an urgent report.
"Lord Hokage, this is bad! The Jinchuriki has gone missing!"
"What?!"
The advisors and the Hokage all paled. Could it be the Uchiha...?
Flying through the sky had been far too conspicuous. Naruto hadn't meant to draw attention.
However, if he wanted to find and rescue the Raiden Shogun quickly, he had to finish searching Konoha as soon as possible.
If he took too long, they might move her.
Flying was the fastest way.
In a matter of moments, Naruto sped across Konoha, sweeping his and the Nine-Tails' sensory abilities indiscriminately over the village below.
But he found nothing. It was as if the Raiden Shogun had vanished completely.
As he flew toward a corner of Konoha's outskirts,
the Nine-Tails suddenly said, "Found her! Stop! She's right below!"
Naruto hit the brakes hard, his golden Rinnegan looking down at the silent buildings below.
"The Uchiha?"
"What's your relationship with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?"
"Does the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki know about you?"
"Who's your master?"
"What's your purpose?"
Obito looked at the puppet in his hands and kept asking questions.
The consciousness controlling the puppet was the Shogun. No matter how many times Obito questioned her, her answer was always the same.
"Unable to answer."
Her voice held no emotion, perfectly matching the general impression of a puppet.
But Obito wasn't fooled. He had seen Shadow's consciousness before. She was as quick-witted as a living person.
"A pity I can't hypnotize her..."
Obito was rather disappointed, but he didn't have many options for the moment.
He'd put her away first and decide what to do once he got back.
With that thought, Obito was about to send the puppet into the Kamui Dimension.
Boom!
A terrifying repulsive force came crashing down from the sky, breaking through the sealing barrier surrounding the Uchiha Clan Compound.
The next second—
Banshō Ten'in!
Gravitational force erupted. The puppet in Obito's hands shot uncontrollably into the air and landed in the hands of a muscular old man with a full head of white hair.
"The Rinnegan?!"
The moment Obito looked up and saw the old man's eyes, he was utterly shocked.
There was no mistaking them. The pressure those eyes gave off could only come from the Rinnegan.
But how was this possible?
Wasn't it said that only Madara and the Sage of Six Paths from a thousand years ago had the Rinnegan?
Then who was this man before him?
The old man was Naruto, of course. He had used the Transformation Technique to take on an old man's appearance, then asked the Nine-Tails to alter his Chakra signature.
Unless someone with the Byakugan was present, not even the Mangekyo could see through it.
Naruto landed and tucked the Raiden Shogun into his pocket, warning her, "Stay put. Don't go wandering off again."
"I wasn't wandering off."
It was Shadow who answered. As soon as Naruto arrived, she had pushed the Shogun out of the way.
Shadow replied to Naruto's admonition with a hint of grievance. "I was captured."
"Who captured you?"
Shadow pointed at White Zetsu, who had been about to sit back and enjoy the show.
White Zetsu froze. Then his body quickly sank into the ground.
"Quick reaction, but not quick enough!"
Before you continue