At that moment, atop a distant mountain peak.
Dark clouds filled the sky, and rain poured down in dense sheets.
Wind howled between the cliffs, carrying the scent of earth and blood. Bolts of lightning split the sky, illuminating the ink-black night with streaks of silver.
Several figures stood silently in the rain, motionless as statues, their gazes fixed on the heart of the distant battlefield, now reduced to ruins.
Black Zetsu quietly emerged from the damp soil amid a series of eerie gurgles.
Half his body remained beneath the ground, leaving only his stark black-and-white head exposed.
His voice was low and hoarse, as though it came from the depths of hell, carrying a sinister chill:
"The Six Paths of Pain... four of them destroyed in just a few breaths."
Black Zetsu's words struck their hearts like icy raindrops, drawing a heavy silence.
Beside him stood Obito Uchiha in a black cloak. The wind lifted one corner of his hood, revealing the slowly rotating spiral pattern in his Sharingan.
His brow furrowed deeply, as though some indescribable force had tightened its grip on his mind.
Obito Uchiha spoke in a low, hesitant voice:
"This guy... is he really this strong?"
For the first time, genuine unease crept into his tone.
He stared at Yemu's figure, still standing tall, those purple eyes that seemed capable of piercing the soul continuing to glow faintly.
"And those eyes..."
The Sharingan in Obito's eye subtly contracted.
"Do you know what they are?"
At last, he could no longer resist asking.
Obito had a powerful hunch that those were not the Rinnegan, nor any kekkei genkai he knew.
That oppressive presence surpassed even the shock he had felt when he first faced Nagato.
"I don't know."
Black Zetsu answered darkly, though his voice betrayed