Leaving Without a Trace

"Is this his power? It's terrifying!" Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan stood atop a tall tower.

The disturbance from Obito and Danzo's battle had caught their attention. By the time they reached the battlefield, Hanzo and a crowd of Amegakure shinobi had already surrounded it, leaving them no choice but to watch from a distance.

Who would have thought that Hanzo, who was like a god, would be utterly crushed and defeated, left without a body to bury?

They couldn't help recalling what Obito had told them: their strength was still far too weak...

So he had been serious... Yahiko thought gloomily. Even Nagato wouldn't be a match for that guy, would he?

Obito was breathing a little heavily, too. Releasing several super-large ninjutsu in succession had taken a heavy toll on his chakra.

The Susanoo's wings beat, and it flew into the distance. He needed to find somewhere to rest.

Looking around, Obito spotted Yahiko and the others and changed his mind. Once he finished this last move, he could leave Amegakure.

Obito went over to the three of them. The Susanoo vanished, and he walked up to them in somewhat tattered clothes. Konan was the first to ask, "Obito, is Hanzo dead?"

"He should be. Unless he survived an attack like that." Obito shook his head.

"It's hard to believe... Hanzo has always been the god of Amegakure. He was so powerful..." Nagato murmured.

Hearing Nagato's words, Obito suddenly felt a little taken out of the moment. In the original story, the later Hanzo had barely put up a fight before Deva Path Pain killed him...

Could Nagato still become the powerful Nagato he'd once been without hatred driving him down a dark path? Obito suddenly wanted to find out!

"Yahiko, Danzo, the Konoha rogue ninja, has been killed by my hand. Before he died, he told me that Hanzo had decided to make a move against you. Whether you believe me or not, I could only kill Hanzo here for your safety. Now that this is settled, it's time for me to go."

"Without Hanzo, Amegakure will inevitably become easy prey in the eyes of the surrounding great nations. How to protect your village and fulfill the wishes you hold dear is up to you now. If you need my help, send a letter to Konoha, and I'll help you. Until we meet again!"

With a few Body Flicker Technique leaps, Obito vanished into the rainy night.

"It's our turn to act! Hanzo is dead. We can't let Amegakure descend into civil war. Konan, gather our people. Nagato, you and I will take control of the other Amegakure shinobi!"

Leaving aside how Yahiko and the others took control of Amegakure, Obito returned directly to his villa in the Land of Hot Water using Kamui.

The climate in Amegakure was unbearable—constant rain, gloom, and cold.

The two consecutive battles had weighed on Obito's mind. When people felt weighed down, they often found themselves longing for one place in particular: home.

The warm light and soothing hot spring washed away the strain from both his body and his mind.

Half-reclining in the hot spring, Obito reviewed the gains and shortcomings of his trip to Amegakure.

He'd unexpectedly found Danzo and eliminated him for good. He'd also made an impression on Yahiko and the others, laying the groundwork for winning them over in the future. Without top-tier strength, Amegakure was destined to remain without peace. If Yahiko and the others truly achieved their ideals through their own efforts, Obito would sincerely wish them well.

If they failed, and Nagato returned to the path of darkness, Obito would take that road again and win them over. If he couldn't, he'd simply take Nagato's eyes and settle the matter once and for all. He'd already given them their chance! This trip had served as reconnaissance; next time, he could use Kamui's spatial ability to go straight to Amegakure.

His shortcoming was that his combat experience still wasn't polished enough. If Hanzo had possessed eighty percent of his own power, Obito might have been the one to lose. He also needed to refine his fighting style and learn more essential ninjutsu.

Next, he'd go meet the old Madara, then capture a Tailed Beast...

The Rinnegan and the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki were necessary to revive Kaguya. Obito had decided to give Nagato a chance, so he needed to get his hands on one of the Tailed Beasts himself.

After soaking in the hot spring, Obito got dressed and stretched. His joints cracked and popped. He'd head back to Konoha and have a chat with big sister Tsunade...

He snapped his fingers with a flourish, and his figure slipped into the space, returning to Konoha in an instant.

Huh? What was going on?

Obito's Shadow Clone sat on the sofa, watching TV, with Little Kaguya and Shizune, now a young woman, on either side of him. One was feeding him potato chips while the other held out a drink. The Shadow Clone looked as if he never wanted to leave...

"Ah, I've had too much to drink. I'm going to the bathroom. You two keep watching." The Shadow Clone got up and headed for the bathroom, utterly reluctant to go... I only get to spend a few days with these adorable little girls and beautiful young women...

Obito was already waiting in the bathroom. He dispelled the Shadow Clone, and its memories from the past few days flowed into him. Nothing special had happened, except that the clone had been overly enthusiastic with the two younger ones and far too cold toward big sister Tsunade...

It looked like it would be hard to get big sister Tsunade to welcome him back with open arms tonight...

"Big brother~ Are you done yet? Did you run out of toilet paper?" Little Kaguya called.

"Coming, coming..." Obito turned off the tap, washed his hands, and put on a slight disguise before heading out. He returned to the sofa and sat down. Little Kaguya kicked him with her little foot and said, "Big brother~ I want another massage... Your massages feel so good!"

Damn that Shadow Clone! What have you been doing?!