Konoha had also sent its defense force, led by Mimura Hamaki, to fight the Iwagakure shinobi. The Namikaze Minato squad, on its way to reinforce them, broke away from the support force and headed for the battle zone ahead of schedule.
Li Yu wore a black robe and a dark-patterned mask. Using his sensory ability, he tracked the Namikaze Minato squad from the trunks of trees and the ground, keeping more than two kilometers behind them.
"Teacher, are we really leaving the group to go support the others up ahead?"
"Yes, Obito."
"Everyone, pick up the pace."
A black figure was hard to make out, with only half its body showing from a tree trunk. It peeked around furtively, occasionally poking its head out of the ground or a tree trunk. The sight was downright eerie.
At that moment, Li Yu detected the shadow with his sensory ability and followed it from afar, keeping an eye on it.
Judging by some of its behavior, Li Yu was certain the shadow was Black Zetsu.
Looks like I'll have to be even more careful not to let Black Zetsu or White Zetsu discover me.
With the Namikaze Minato squad leading the way, they quickly reached the front line and engaged the Iwagakure shinobi.
Namikaze Minato flung a handful of specially made Kunai and activated the Flying Thunder God, flickering from place to place several times in quick succession.
Thud, thud!
The sounds of bodies hitting the ground rang out one after another. Dozens of Iwagakure shinobi pursuing Konoha's defense force dropped like stalks of wheat under a scythe.
He successfully rescued the last four members of Konoha's defense force, led by Mimura Hamaki.
Li Yu followed in their wake, keeping a distance of more than two kilometers. He watched the Namikaze Minato squad prepare to destroy Kannabi Bridge and split up to carry out their mission.
Nohara Rin was knocked unconscious by Taiseki of Iwagakure, who used Ninja Art: Camouflage, and successfully abducted.
Li Yu couldn't pass up such a good jutsu, of course, and copied it with his Sharingan. He immediately put it to use, making his work as a stalker much easier.
With this invisibility jutsu and the Kamui in his left Mangekyo, even if someone noticed something amiss while he was invisible, he could use the Kamui Dimension to warp away or phase through attacks. It made him as elusive as a ghost.
By then, they had reached a cave. Obito and Kakashi were locked in a fierce battle with Iwagakure shinobi outside it, and the sounds of roaring flames and clashing weapons rang out from time to time.
Bang, bang!
Clang, clang!
Black Zetsu slipped into the cave from a corner, then poked half his head out of a patch of shadow to enjoy the sight of Obito and Kakashi fighting.
"Obito, Obito, don't die so soon by accident. I'm still waiting for your big show."
There was something truly satisfying about pulling the strings from behind the scenes and watching the show from the sidelines. Seeing his target follow the path he'd laid out, step by step, gave him a thrill beyond compare.
Meanwhile, thanks to the invisibility jutsu, Li Yu was bolder than ever. He sauntered right up beside Black Zetsu, propped his chin on his hand, and examined him closely, nearly pressing his face against his.
"You're pitch-black, like you've been coated in charcoal. Even darker than our African brothers."
"Getting this close to schemer Black Zetsu makes me quite the character in the Naruto World."
Li Yu couldn't help clicking his tongue as he thought to himself.
"His eyes are like little lightbulbs, blinking on and off."
Seeing Black Zetsu so pleased with himself, the corners of his mouth stretched almost to his ears. Li Yu wanted nothing more than to shove something in that charcoal-black mouth to shut him up.
Suddenly, in the middle of the fight, Obito's Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu missed its target, sending sand and rocks flying in Li Yu and Black Zetsu's direction.
Black Zetsu had a decent sense of things. Seeing that the stones wouldn't come anywhere near him, he didn't budge, just kept grinning as he watched the fight. He was counting on Obito possibly getting killed by accident so he could go help him.
Seeing his chance, Li Yu waited as Black Zetsu focused on the battle. He curled his fingers into a bow shape. After the flying rocks struck the cave wall with a sharp crack, he tensed his fingers and snapped them forward.
Pfft, pfft, pfft!
With a whistle through the air, five stones of various sizes shot straight into Black Zetsu's gaping mouth.
"Ah!"
Black Zetsu immediately clapped a black hand over his mouth. His cry of "Ah!" was drowned out by an explosion from the battlefield.
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!" He spat out the stones, then felt the two holes they'd punched through him. Looking thoroughly annoyed, he scanned the area, but noticed nothing amiss.
Li Yu stood nearby, bold as brass, yet Black Zetsu hadn't noticed him even at this distance. Seeing Black Zetsu's baffled, black-face expression, Li Yu struggled to hold back his laughter. It was hard not to laugh out loud.
"Earth Style: Rock Lodging Destruction!"
Rubble tumbled from the cave ceiling as the place shook and thundered. Taking advantage of the commotion, Li Yu made a few jumps while invisible, putting some distance between himself and Black Zetsu. Then he activated the Kamui Dimension in midair and vanished from the cave.
Once inside the Kamui Dimension, Li Yu couldn't hold it in anymore. He clutched his stomach and burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha!"
"I was about to die holding it in. Black Zetsu's face was such a baffled black-face expression!"
"Black Zetsu is hilarious!"
After laughing, Li Yu took a few breaths and stood up. He quietly made a decision: a long pursuit was dull, especially when he already knew how the Naruto story unfolded. Following along would only mean going with the plot.
"Black Zetsu, old Black, old Voldemort, old schemer. I'll find some fun in this boring chase."
"I've made up my mind. You're the one."
"The Death God Is Coming series: Black Zetsu Has Been Targeted by the Death God. I'll also make a little research project out of observing Black Zetsu's abilities."
Having made his decision, Li Yu activated the Kamui in his left eye. Space spiraled and twisted, and the invisible Li Yu appeared beside the fallen rubble.
Kakashi replaced his left eye with Obito's two-Tomoe Sharingan and escaped the cave with Nohara Rin. Iwagakure shinobi surrounded them, but Namikaze Minato arrived using the Flying Thunder God, killed every last one, and took them away.
There was no need to keep following Namikaze Minato's squad. Li Yu watched them leave, then waited quietly where he was for Black Zetsu to appear again.
Some time later, Black Zetsu suddenly emerged with a group of White Zetsu and came to the collapsed cave to move the rocks and rescue Uchiha Obito.
They were working up a storm. Li Yu went back to Black Zetsu's side and listened as he directed the White Zetsu.
"Come on, hurry up! Don't let that kid Obito die!"
"You, yes, you! Stop slacking off!"
"Move it! Get a move on!"
Black Zetsu really did look like a crooked construction foreman, constantly barking orders. Li Yu felt sorry for the White Zetsu nearby.
Just then, four White Zetsu carried a huge boulder past Black Zetsu, one team after another.
Seeing this, Li Yu came up with a plan. He found the team ahead and, relying on his invisibility, waited until the boulder reached Black Zetsu before suddenly applying force with Super Strength.
The boulder plummeted toward Black Zetsu like a thousand-jin weight. There was a loud crash.
Bang!
The boulder shattered, kicking up a cloud of dust along with a scream.
"Ah!"
Li Yu immediately hopped backward a few times to put some distance between them. It was like hitting Black Zetsu with a punch enhanced by Strength of a Hundred. He planned to watch from afar and see how it went.
From the dust and rubble came one furious scolding after another, delivered in a booming voice.
"You bunch of idiots!"
"You can't even move a rock properly!"
The White Zetsu scrambled around in a panic, pulling Black Zetsu out from under the rock. He'd been flattened.
He got to his feet and twisted a few times, then returned to normal.
From a distance, Li Yu gave a cold laugh. "Black Zetsu really isn't easy to get rid of."
"Too bad I don't have Amaterasu. I wonder if that would work."
"Found him, found him!"
A group of White Zetsu pulled the half-bloodied Uchiha Obito out of the rubble. Several White Zetsu quickly burrowed into his body, helping stabilize the crushed half.
Black Zetsu, who had been raging nearby, saw that they'd found their target. He ordered the White Zetsu to merge into the ground, leaving one White Zetsu to carry Uchiha Obito toward the Land of Grass.
"Oh, White Zetsu can do that too? They can even save someone who's barely breathing."
"Where's Tobi? I don't think I've seen that goofy White Zetsu, Tobi."
Li Yu decided to keep following Uchiha Obito, hoping to track him to Lord Madara's hideout.