Outside Konoha, space suddenly warped above a towering tree.
Obito stood silently in its branches, gazing down at the thousand-meter-long gorge. For a moment, he said nothing.
"..."
Could a human really have unleashed a slash like that?
He had only had one eye left when he awakened his Mangekyō, and he had never seen Madara fight at full strength.
But he had a feeling that even at his peak, Madara could not have delivered a slash this breathtaking.
One stroke had cleaved the Nine-Tails in two. From above, it looked as though the entire forest had been split open by a massive wound.
Even now, lightning still lingered in the man-made gorge, refusing to fade.
By comparison, his Kamui felt like a rookie's trick.
Apart from fooling bumpkins who had never seen Space-Time Ninjutsu, it was only good for running away.
"What's wrong, Obito? Afraid of your fellow clansman?"
A figure half black and half white quietly emerged from the tree. With something like a Venus flytrap around his head, he looked deeply unsettling.
It was Black Zetsu, possessing White Zetsu.
Black Zetsu gazed at the gorge stretching beyond sight and could not help but marvel.
He had never expected someone capable of rivaling Uchiha Madara to appear in this era besides the reincarnations of Indra and Asura.
I misjudged him. That traitor Hagoromo's descendants always manage to spring surprises like this.
Obito snorted and shot Zetsu a hostile look.
"How many times do I have to tell you? When we're out, call me Uchiha Madara!"
Black Zetsu, still possessing White Zetsu, spread his hands helplessly.
Have it your way. A mere puppet of my own puppet could never escape my control.
It was only a matter of pride. For his grand goal of freeing his mother, he could let it go.
After scolding Black Zetsu, Obito looked down once more at the scar through the forest. His face darkened behind his mask.
"He only has a pair of Mangekyō. If he burns through his ocular power so recklessly, he'll go blind sooner or later."
"Someone like that poses no threat to our plan."
Black Zetsu agreed with Obito's assessment.
Unless their wielder was a reincarnation of Indra's Chakra, even the strongest Mangekyō had limits.
He did not know how an ordinary pair of Mangekyō had produced an attack powerful enough to rival Uchiha Madara at his peak.
Perhaps it has something to do with the special ocular technique he awakened?
An enhancement technique for ninjutsu, or one that strengthens Susanoo outright?
There was not enough evidence to say. But using Susanoo and a Mangekyō's unique ocular technique at the same time consumed an enormous amount of ocular power.
Without the Eternal Mangekyō to protect him from blindness, that Uchiha was probably already on its brink after unleashing such a powerful slash.
The Uchiha Family truly was troublesome. The slightest emotional shock could awaken a Mangekyō, making one of them stronger and turning him into an unpredictable threat.
And Susanoo was not even the worst of it. The unknown ocular techniques were.
They knew nothing about the man who had unleashed that slash, which left them in such a passive position now.
Descendant of Hagoromo, that traitor who betrayed Mother... A chill entered Black Zetsu's eyes.
"How do you plan to deal with that Uchiha, Uchiha 'Madara'?" Black Zetsu asked mockingly, trying to steer Obito toward a particular course of action.
Obito thought for a moment, then said:
"The plan hasn't begun yet. We'll leave the Nine-Tails in Konoha for now."
"Once his Mangekyō goes blind, we'll kill him and wipe out the entire Uchiha Family while we're at it."
In truth, the breathtaking slash worried Obito less than the moment Susanoo had first appeared.
No matter how powerful the slash was, he could evade it perfectly with Intangibility.
But the other man had torn space apart with a wave of his hand. Then there was the Eye of Thunder Punishment Evil Radiance stretching across the sky, and that Susanoo weapon that seemed to have been drawn from the shattered void.
Those were enough to unsettle Obito.
He had no proof, but if that Susanoo weapon could strike him while he was intangible, Uchiha Genya's threat level would rise several notches.
Until that man died or went blind, Obito would not sleep soundly.
The Uchiha Family was too uncontrollable. It had to be dealt with as soon as possible.
Black Zetsu gave a cold smile.
Madara chose a useful pawn. A little nudge, and he reached exactly the conclusion I wanted.
The Uchiha Family was far too difficult to control. Better to snuff it out before it could grow.
Otherwise, more uncontrollable Mangekyō might appear.
By the time the Anbu took charge of the scene, Xuanye was already preparing to leave.
Members of the Anbu and Security Division were handling disaster relief and restoring order, while reinforcements from the other clans and the Anbu were rushing over.
The Nine-Tails had been subdued. All that remained was the relief effort.
On his way over, Sarutobi Hiruzen had seen the gorge carved by Susanoo and could scarcely believe his eyes.
It had not looked quite so staggering from a distance. Only up close could he grasp how terrifying that power was.
It hardly seemed like the power of a mortal!
If Konoha made an enemy of the Uchiha, that slash would fall on Konoha...
Sarutobi Hiruzen shuddered and immediately resolved that Konoha must never break with the Uchiha.
Seeing Xuanye about to leave, Sarutobi Hiruzen called out to him.
"Xuanye, wait."
Xuanye turned back, a trace of impatience in his eyes as he looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Third Hokage, please address me as Captain of the Security Division."
He's a grown man. Does someone really have to remind him to use my title while we're on duty?
Sarutobi Hiruzen faltered. After a moment, he decided to let it pass. "Let the village care for Minato's child."
As expected, Sarutobi Hiruzen's attention had gone straight to the child in Xuanye's arms.
From what he knew of Namikaze Minato, if he had resorted to the Dead Demon Consuming Seal at the end, he had likely sealed the Nine-Tails inside his newborn child.
The child also had the Uzumaki Bloodline, making him an ideal Jinchuriki.
The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki could not be allowed to fall under the control of an ambitious family like the Uchiha.
Xuanye narrowed his eyes.
Even he had lines he would not cross.
Blatantly turning a newborn child into a weapon went against his principles.
"Before the Fourth Hokage died, he entrusted his orphaned child to my care," Xuanye replied flatly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned. "But the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki must remain under the village's control!"
This time, Xuanye turned fully around and met Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze.
A dangerous glint had crept into his eyes.
"...I'm not asking for your permission."