Dark clouds hung low, weighing the whole world down with gloom. Rain fell in torrents, fat drops pounding the earth and splashing water everywhere.
Beside a towering cliff, Zetsu's strange figure appeared without a sound. His lower half was rooted firmly in the earth, while his upper body emerged without warning, like some strange plant sprouting from underground.
"Obito, it seems your plan has gone a little off course."
Zetsu grinned, revealing a chilling smile. His voice was hoarse and eerie, drifting through the wind and rain with a shiver-inducing quality.
In the distance, behind the curtain of rain, Uchiha Shisui was locked in a fierce battle with Salamander Hanzo's men, his figure appearing and disappearing amid the shifting light and shadow.
Obito stood at the edge of the cliff, his black cloak snapping in the gale. His gaze was cold and deep as he stared down at the battlefield through the fine veil of rain. A sneer curled his lips, as though everything in the world lay under his control.
"It's only a minor problem," Obito said, his voice strikingly similar to Uchiha Madara's and filled with unquestionable authority. "I'll find a way to awaken the Rinnegan."
He narrowed his eyes slightly, the Sharingan in them slowly turning as it gave off a shadowy gleam.
"But that man actually betrayed Konoha and joined Akatsuki. Perhaps he can become one of my pawns, too."
Obito continued, his gaze fixed on Uchiha Shisui as if he were looking at a tool to be toyed with at will. The possessiveness and ambition in his eyes were enough to make anyone shudder.
Even with the plan having gone slightly awry, he firmly believed that everything remained within his calculations, and that everyone and everything would proceed as he had intended.
"Heh. Do as you see fit, Obito."
Black Zetsu's laughter echoed through the wind and rain, carrying an indescribable chill.
As soon as he finished speaking, Zetsu's body began to sink slowly, as though the earth beneath him were swallowing him. His upper body gradually disappeared into the soil.
At the same time, Salamander Hanzo swiftly unleashed Fire Style. Countless Explosive Tags suddenly appeared across the ground, crawling up Nagato's ankles like parasites.
The next instant, flames burst forth in an enormous explosion. The deafening blast sent fire soaring into the sky, lighting up the entire gloomy firmament.
The powerful shock wave surged outward like a raging tide, sending rocks flying and soil scattering wherever it reached.
The earthen cliff buckled under the bombardment. Cracks spread rapidly across it like a spiderweb, then a muffled rumble sounded as the cliff began to collapse.
Salamander Hanzo's eyes narrowed. He sprang backward, escaping the blast's reach.
He landed steadily in the distance, his clothes fluttering in the wind. His eyes showed a trace of tension.
He stared at the thick smoke billowing outward and slowly asked, "Did it work?"
The heavy smoke was quickly beaten down by the dense rain.
Clutching Konan tightly, Nagato emerged indistinctly through the hazy rain and staggered back to Yahiko's side.
His feet were bloody and mangled, and his clothes were in tatters. The burns from Salamander Hanzo's Fire Style had left his flesh split and raw, blood dripping steadily as it mixed with the rain.
Dark red stains spread across the muddy ground. Every step felt like walking on blades, the pain so sharp it made him tremble, yet his eyes were filled with resolve.
Elsewhere, Uchiha Shisui darted across the battlefield like a ghost.
A murderous aura radiated from him. His Sharingan spun eerily, and the Kunai in his hand flashed coldly. Every swing drew blood as he cut down Salamander Hanzo's Rain Ninja with deadly precision.
One Rain Ninja after another fell beside him, while the rain washed away the blood and churned the ground into mud.
Watching this unfold, Salamander Hanzo's eyes flashed with malice.
He knew this was the perfect chance to eliminate Yahiko, the leader of Akatsuki. If he let it pass, it would bring endless trouble.
He immediately raised a hand and bellowed an order: "Attack!"
In an instant, Rain Ninja poured out from every direction. Dressed in yellow raincoats and masked, they revealed only their cold eyes as they surged toward Uchiha Shisui like a tide, their footsteps splashing through the muddy water.
Yahiko watched Uchiha Shisui hold back the Rain Ninja swarming toward him all alone, his heart twisting with worry.
He turned sharply to Nagato, his eyes filled with determination and resolve.
"Nagato, I'm leaving Konan in your hands for now. I'm going to help Shisui!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yahiko shot forward like an arrow, muddy water spraying beneath his feet as he raced through the rain.
In the blink of an eye, he plunged into the crowd of Rain Ninja, moving nimbly like a ghost.
He darted up to a Rain Ninja nearby and, before the man could react, slammed a fierce elbow into his stomach.
The Rain Ninja grunted and flew backward like a kite with its string cut.
Yahiko bent down and snatched the Kunai from his hands. He turned his wrist, and the weapon gleamed coldly in his grasp.
Now Yahiko was like a beast driven into a frenzy, fury blazing in his eyes as he swung the Kunai without hesitation and attacked the Rain Ninja around him.
Amid the rain, bloodshed and slaughter intertwined. Uchiha Shisui fought his way through a crowd of Amegakure shinobi, blades flashing as several of them fell beneath his fierce assault. Just as he focused on the enemies before him, a strange presence crept up behind him.
A hand, pale as paper, slowly emerged from warped space without warning. It carried a faint chill as it settled lightly on Uchiha Shisui's shoulder.
For an instant, Shisui's body stiffened.
Then a low, cold voice rang in his ear, carrying an unquestionable authority. "You're an unpredictable variable. Until I've completed my plan, you'll have to stay inside for a while."
Uchiha Shisui's heart jolted. He didn't need to turn around to know that the one who had appeared was Obito.
As soon as the words left his mouth, a terrifying pull erupted from Obito's eyes. His gaze was like a deep black hole, devouring everything around him.
The rain in the air was dragged along by the force, forming twisting trails of water that streamed toward Obito's eyes.
Uchiha Shisui felt his body tipping backward against his will, as if he had fallen into a swamp.
With the terrifying pull surging toward him like a tide, about to drag him into Obito's strange dimension, Shisui's gaze suddenly sharpened. He shouted, "I won't go down without a fight! Ame-no-Iwato!"
In an instant, a mysterious and powerful force burst from his Mangekyō Sharingan.
An eerie glow spread across his body, which then gradually turned black, like a phantom fading away.
At almost the same moment, Obito's vision suddenly went black. The rain, the sounds of battle, and the Amegakure shinobi vanished, replaced by an endless dark space.
The place was terrifyingly silent, without a glimmer of light or the faintest sound, as if time and space themselves had come to a halt.
"So this is it! The power of his eyes really is troublesome."
Obito's voice echoed through the darkness, carrying a trace of surprise.
He hadn't expected Uchiha Shisui to possess a visual jutsu on par with his own, one capable of dragging Obito into this unknown space in so little time.
Still, he was confident that the power of Kamui would be enough to deal with this unknown threat.
Outside the space, with Uchiha Shisui no longer holding them back, Yahiko was surrounded by layers of Rain Ninja. Seeing him in danger, Nagato hurried to his aid.
As if fate were playing a cruel trick, not long after Nagato charged into the crowd, someone shoved Yahiko toward him. Caught off guard, Nagato drove his Kunai straight into Yahiko's heart.