At dawn, the sky had just begun to lighten. Shi Xiu had also risen unusually early. The reason was entirely due to the string of troubling matters Nara Luling had brought about the night before, which had kept him tossing and turning all night, unable to sleep.
Shi Xiu sighed deeply, trying to shift his thoughts away from all those vexing matters.
After all, there was a more urgent and important task before him now: the system's mission to collect the Tailed Beasts.
Just then, the image of the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, whom Obito had once controlled, immediately came to mind.
Yagura wasn't just the Fourth Mizukage; he was also Isobu's Jinchuriki!
Without a moment's hesitation, Shi Xiu went straight to the next room and raised his hand to knock.
The door soon opened, and Obito appeared in the doorway, bleary-eyed and still half asleep. He was clearly at a loss as to why someone had woken him so early.
Without another word, Shi Xiu took Obito by the hand and hurried with him to a pavilion in the courtyard, where they finally stopped.
Obito was still groggy and had no idea what was going on.
"Lord Shi Xiu, what's the matter? Why did you call me out in such a hurry?" Unable to hold back his curiosity any longer, Obito asked.
Rather than beating around the bush or keeping Obito in suspense, Shi Xiu got straight to the point. "Do you remember that fellow, Black Zetsu?"
At the mention of Black Zetsu, the still-drowsy Obito instantly perked up, as if he'd been jolted awake.
A flash of anger blazed in his eyes. Fixing his gaze on Shi Xiu, he asked urgently, "Could it be... Lord Shi Xiu, have you already found out where Black Zetsu is?"
Shi Xiu gave a slight nod of agreement, then said slowly, "That's right. I do know where Black Zetsu is, but even so, there's nothing we can do about him for now. I came to see you because there's something else we need to discuss: the Tailed Beasts. Black Zetsu is also trying to gather them all to summon the Ten-Tails."
Obito understood at once. "Are you saying we should get all the Tailed Beasts before Black Zetsu does?"
Shi Xiu nodded again. "Exactly. If Black Zetsu wants to resurrect the legendary Kaguya Otsutsuki, he first needs to activate the Infinite Tsukuyomi and gather the chakra of the entire Shinobi World in one place. After that, Black Zetsu himself has to merge with the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki. Only then can Kaguya be reborn."
As he spoke, Shi Xiu couldn't help thinking of Madara Uchiha. Madara had accounted for everything and believed he had the whole situation under control, never imagining that Black Zetsu would ambush him from behind and leave him with nothing to show for all his efforts.
After hearing Shi Xiu's explanation, Obito nodded.
Then Obito spoke without hesitation. "Since things are this urgent, we can't waste a moment! I'll go to Kirigakure, kill the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, and bring back the Three-Tails!"
Shi Xiu merely waved a hand, a mysterious smile on his face. "There's no need to go to all that trouble. The Tailed Beasts and I go way back."
Back when Hashirama Senju distributed the Tailed Beasts, Shi Xiu had already forged a deep friendship with them. They were practically "best friends"! Just look at how Kurama treated him, and you'd get the idea.
Obito stared at Shi Xiu, still confused, and couldn't help asking, "Then what do you plan to do, Lord Shi Xiu?"
With a smile, Shi Xiu reached out and rested a hand lightly on Obito's broad shoulder. Then he said quietly:
"We still need to go to Kirigakure and find Yagura first. As for the other Tailed Beasts... I'll figure things out one step at a time, based on the situation."
Before he had even finished speaking, Shi Xiu decisively used the Flying Thunder God Technique and vanished from the spot with Obito. In the blink of an eye, the two had arrived in Kirigakure.
Deep in a dimly lit alley in Kirigakure, where a sinister air hung over the place, several burly Kirigakure shinobi had cornered a small, thin boy against the wall.
Their faces twisted into vicious sneers as they rained punches down on him, every blow filled with malice.
The poor boy clutched his head in both hands, curling up on the cold, filthy ground.
He silently endured the abuse without daring to fight back, even forcing down every pained moan before it could escape his throat.
"You filthy beggar! How dare you touch my clothes with those dirty paws! I'll beat you to death!"
One of the Kirigakure shinobi cursed under his breath as he swung his fist viciously. His voice echoed through the narrow alley like a demon's roar, sending a chill down the spine.
But just as the assailants grew bolder, two figures suddenly appeared before them like ghosts.
The unexpected arrival put the smug Kirigakure shinobi on alert. They stopped what they were doing, quickly drew sharp Kunai from their clothes, and took up defensive stances, shouting in unison, "Who's there?!"
Shi Xiu stood quietly, his gaze sweeping over the scene before him: the mess scattered across the ground, the little boy trembling on the ground, and the few Kirigakure shinobi who looked like villains out of a nightmare.
Shi Xiu shook his head helplessly and sighed. "Looks like we really picked the wrong time to show up..."
The Kirigakure shinobi noticed the Konoha Forehead Protector around Shi Xiu's neck. Their expressions changed abruptly, surprise flashing in their eyes before anger quickly took its place.
"So you're shinobi from Konoha! How dare you sneak into Kirigakure? What are you here for?"
The lead shinobi glared and shouted, then gave his companions a look, signaling that they should be ready to attack at any moment.
Shi Xiu furrowed his brow, growing irritated. He reached up and ran a hand through his hair, then scratched his head restlessly.
Then Shi Xiu gave Obito a firm pat on the shoulder and said sternly, "I'll leave this to you!" With that, he stepped back a few paces.
The Kirigakure shinobi's faces darkened at the sight.
They felt they had been insulted and looked down on, and anger flared in their hearts.
With a roar, they drew the Kunai in their hands and charged at Obito like hungry wolves.
Facing the oncoming attackers, Obito remained calm, his gaze cool and sharp.
Without a word, Obito swiftly grabbed the hilt of the long sword at his waist and yanked it free.
Just as the enemy's Kunai were about to pierce him, Obito unhesitatingly used Kamui to make himself intangible.
Then something astonishing happened: the Kirigakure shinobi's attacks passed straight through Obito's body as if they had struck thin air.
Their momentum carried them forward, and they stumbled several steps before managing to regain their footing.
When the Kirigakure shinobi turned around in shock, a razor-sharp flash of light greeted them.
The long sword in Obito's hand swept through the air in a graceful arc, whistling as it cut toward them.
With a soft swish, the flash of light passed by. In almost the same instant, before the Kirigakure shinobi could react, they had been decapitated.
Blood spurted from their severed necks, splattering across the ground and blooming into shocking red flowers.
The little boy who had been lying nearby looked up and watched the whole thing unfold, yet astonishingly, not a trace of fear appeared in his clear eyes.
Instead, he seemed unusually calm, as though he had long grown accustomed to scenes of such bloody brutality.
He quietly got to his feet and brushed the dust from his clothes, his movements composed and unhurried.
Shi Xiu had been watching the little boy closely. Seeing how calmly he reacted, he couldn't help becoming deeply interested in him.
So he slowly crouched down to meet the boy's gaze and asked softly, "Can you tell me your name?"
The little boy looked up and stared right at Shi Xiu for a long moment.
He seemed to be considering whether he should answer. Finally, after a brief hesitation, he spoke. "My name is... Haku!" His voice was quiet, but clear.