Obito murmured, as if hypnotizing himself.
"Yes. Eternal beauty only exists within illusions."
Black Zetsu grinned silently, his gaze at Obito full of... mockery?
After a long while, Obito said, "I have a feeling Pain may fail. If that happens, we'll use the backup plan."
Black Zetsu said, "What a pity. As a substitute, Nagato has always done well. But what matters is those eyes..."
Obito said, "Don't worry. I prepared for this long ago. I sealed a space-time ninjutsu onto his eyes, set to activate the instant Nagato dies."
Black Zetsu asked, "How did you tamper with the Rinnegan? That's no easy task."
Obito said, "He agreed to it willingly."
"Huh?"
"I merely told him there was a chance of failing to capture the Nine-Tails, then told him that those eyes were needed to bring pain to this world. That was all. Now, the stage and actors are ready. All that remains is to await the ending."
As he spoke, space rippled, and Obito vanished from the Kamui dimension.
"How naive."
It was unclear whether he meant Nagato or Obito. Swaying slightly, Zetsu slowly sank into the ground.
The underground base once again fell into deathly silence.
Hayato sat atop Konoha's high walls, feeling restless.
Was it because he had used the secret technique—the Getting Handsy Technique—on Sarara? Was divine punishment coming for him?
Well, thinking of Sarara blushing and glaring at him in anger was actually a little exciting.
Hopefully, it would be another peaceful day.
Just then, Hayato's heart stirred, and he looked toward the other side of the village. He remembered that area was under Kakashi and Yamato's watch. In Hayato's view, it was one of the more reliable sectors.
Under the Tenseigan's vision, aside from Kakashi and Yamato's chakra signatures, Hayato also saw an