Obito at the Pinnacle of the Shinobi World

The rain in Amegakure never stops, but today's rain carries a different smell—the acrid smell of paper burning before it dies, and the resolute determination that ninjas call a "fight to the death."

Konan stood atop the highest tower, the six hundred billion Explosive Tag already transformed into a sea of paper surrounding Amegakure. Each tag trembled slightly in the rain, as if breathing. Her eyes were calm, a calm that had long since disregarded life and death. Nagato was dead, Yahiko was dead, the Akatsuki had degenerated, and all that remained was the reckoning with that imposter "Madara Uchiha."

"You've come." She didn't turn around, but she knew he was already behind her.

Obito Uchiha —wearing Spiral Mask that revealed only one Sharingan —stood atop another tower. A gust of wind whipped his black robes, and rainwater eerily passed through him the instant it touched his body.

"Konan, hand over Nagato's eyes." His voice came through the mask, low and distorted. "For the sake of our former comrades, I can let you die a quick death."

Konan finally turned around, paper wings unfurling behind her, the pure white paper starkly contrasting against the gray sky. "Comrades? From the moment you manipulated Nagato and caused Yahiko's death, we were already mortal enemies."

Obito was silent for a few seconds. Then he laughed, a laugh full of sarcasm, "You people always take ideals too seriously. Yahiko's death was inevitable, Nagato's suffering was nourishment, and you... you're just a superfluous supporting character in this play."

"Then let me, a mere supporting character, send you to hell."

As Konan prepared to form hand Hand Seals, Obito's expression remained unchanged beneath his Obito, while the Tomoe in his Sharingan spun wildly.

"Kamui!"

Space was distorted. It didn't suck him into spacetime, but rather locked and dragged Konan's entire location. Konan felt the surrounding scenery spinning wildly, the tower spires, the rain, the sea of Explosive Tag —everything was being swallowed by some invisible Uzumaki.

"No—!" She tried to activate the spell, but it was too late.

The Kamui Dimension. A gloomy world, a suspended platform, endless silence. Konan's paper wings are useless here; six hundred billion Explosive Tag are isolated in the real world and cannot follow her in.

Obito's figure slowly coalesced before her. This time, his body was solid, because in this space, he did not need to maintain his intangibility.

"In the real world, your technique might actually kill me a hundred times over." Obito approached step by step, "But here, you are nothing more than a paper crane with broken wings."

Konan gritted her teeth and rapidly Hand Seals. Paper fragments poured out from her sleeves, transforming into countless sharp paper spears that shot towards Obito. But in the Kamui Dimension, Obito was the ruler. He didn't even dodge; the paper spears were swallowed up by the spatial rift the instant they touched his body.

"Give up." Obito had already reached her, his right hand gripping her throat. "Tell me where the Rinnegan is, and I can give you a quick death."

Blood trickled from Konan's lips, but she smiled, "You... you wish, Uchiha Clan... Madara. You... will never get the Rinnegan."

Without hesitation, Obito snapped Konan's neck. The movement was clean and swift, without any hesitation. Konan's body went limp, and the light in her eyes gradually dimmed, but in that final moment, there was no fear in her eyes, only relief.

Obito threw Konan's body onto the ground in the Kamui Dimension and turned to leave.

In the real world, Obito was removing the Rinnegan from Nagato's eye socket when he suddenly sensed the activation of a technique involving six hundred billion Explosive Tag.

He could already sense the destructive power. Amegakure would be completely wiped out in this explosion, including Nagato's corpse and the Rinnegan.

No, we can't do that.

Beneath Obito's mask, his left Sharingan closed forever. This Sharingan —a simple Three-Tomoe Sharingan he had collected on the night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre —had lost its light forever.

"Izanagi."

To transform unfavorable realities into dreams, and favorable dreams into reality. A forbidden technique of the Uchiha Clan, costing the permanent blindness of one Sharingan.

In the Kamui Dimension, Obito's figure blurred for a moment. When he regained consciousness, Konan's body was gone, and his memory of strangling Konan was also blurred. In its place was the "reality" that he had detected the trap in advance and taken the Rinnegan before the Explosive Tag detonated, Konan committed suicide in despair.

This is a modified reality. It's the "truth" that Izanagi forcibly distorted.

Obito appeared in the ruins of Amegakure. The explosion of six hundred billion Explosive Tag had turned the place into scorched earth, all the buildings were razed to the ground, and there was only a huge crater a hundred meters deep on the ground, with molten rock and vitrified soil at the bottom.

But Nagato's body lay intact at the bottom of the pit. This is because the rule of Izanagi is that when altering reality, the caster can retain certain "advantageous" fragments of reality. Obito retained the reality where the Rinnegan was "safe."

He leaped into the giant pit, landing beside Nagato's corpse. Those purple Rinnegan were still in their empty sockets, as if gazing at something.

That damn Konan changed the trigger condition to "the moment the Rinnegan leaves Nagato's body"—meaning that no matter where the Rinnegan is, the technique will activate as long as it is removed from Nagato's eye socket.

"Finally..." Obito reached out, his fingers touching the cold eyeball.

The transplant process was quick. He gouged out his left eye—the ordinary Sharingan that had been forever blind—and then pressed the Rinnegan into its socket. The power of the First Hokage Cells rapidly activated, connecting nerves and repairing blood vessels. A few seconds later, the Rinnegan opened in his left eye, purple ripples slowly rotating.

Power. A boundless, ocean-like power surged into his body. He could feel the call of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, he could feel... the feasibility of Infinite Tsukuyomi.

"Lord Madara." Zetsu emerged from the ground, his striking black and white body standing out against the scorched earth. His voice, with its usual thick tone, said, "There's news."

Obito —now he should be called Obito Uchiha the Rinnegan —slowly turned around. His right eye was the Kamui Mangekyo Sharingan, and his left eye was the Rinnegan; this combination qualitatively changed his aura. Even just standing there, the surrounding space was slightly distorted.

"Explain."

"Sasuke killed Danzo. But before Danzo died, he activated the Reverse Four Symbols Seal, almost taking Sasuke with him. It was 'Sake' who saved him using the Flying Thunder God Technique."

Obito's Rinnegan twitched slightly. "Flying Thunder God... As expected, that 'sake' is not simple. Continue."

"What's more troublesome is that 'Sake' seems to be one of Orochimaru's people. And Orochimaru has already been resurrected and removed the Spore Technique from Sasuke. Their whereabouts are currently unknown."

A moment of silence followed, broken only by the hissing sound of raindrops falling on the scorched earth.

Then, Obito laughed. It was a genuine laugh, full of mockery and absolute confidence.

"Orochimaru also dares to covet the power of the Ten-Tails?" His voice came through the mask, yet it carried an unprecedented majesty. "That thief who always hides in the shadows, coveting the power of others like a rat."

The White Zetsu chuckled, "What Orochimaru wants is still unclear. But 'Sake' and Sasuke have escaped our control. Should we do something?"

"No need." Obito raised his left hand, palm facing upwards. The raindrops were repelled by an invisible force the instant they touched his palm. "No matter what Orochimaru wants to do, no matter how many ants are still lurking in the shadows, no one can stop the Eye of the Moon Plan."

He clenched his fist. The surrounding air hummed under the strain.

"Now, even if I'm alone, I can accomplish everything. The Rinnegan controls the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, and Kamui ensures my invincibility. Collecting the Tailed Beast? No need. With the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and the Rinnegan, I can forcibly extract the Tailed Beast from the Jinchuriki's body, even if they're incomplete."

He looked at Zetsu, whose black and white figure was reflected in the Rinnegan: "Begin a full-scale search for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. As for Orochimaru and 'Sake'... if they dare to show up, I'll make them understand what true despair is."

Jue lowered his head—a gesture that felt somewhat strange to him, but it was indeed a sign of obedience. "Understood, Lord Madara."

Obito took one last look at the ruins of Amegakure. This place had once been the headquarters of the Akatsuki, the stage where he manipulated Nagato and Konan. Now, it had fulfilled its final mission—providing him with the Rinnegan.

He turned around, and space began to distort.

"The dawn of the Shinobi World is approaching. And the darkness before dawn," his figure gradually disappeared into the vortex, "Will be written by me."

Zetsu stood alone amidst the ruins, rain streaming through his translucent body. The Black Zetsu part emitted a low laugh, while the White Zetsu part hummed an off-key tune.