When Lin Ye woke, he was lying on the tatami in a tearoom. The fragrance of tea drifted through the air, and the bamboo grove outside rustled in the wind. He sat up and found that his wounds had been carefully bandaged, and the black cloth over his eyes had been replaced.
"Awake?" The old woman came in carrying a bowl of tea. "Drink this. It'll restore your chakra."
Lin Ye took it and drank it in one gulp. The tea was bitter, but once it passed his throat, it became a warm current that rapidly healed his body. He could sense special herbs mixed into it-a variation of Medical Ninjutsu.
"You are..."
"The owner of the Three Bowls Pavilion, Uzumaki Ashina." The old woman sat down. "Though these days, I go by Tea Granny. That girl Mito told you where to find me in the end, huh?"
"Are you the last Uzumaki survivor?"
"More or less," Tea Granny said. "I've lived ninety-seven years. I saw Uzushio Village flourish, and I saw it destroyed. Back then, I fled here and opened this tea pavilion. I've been hiding for fifty years. I thought I could live out my remaining days in peace, but someone found me after all."
"You knew I was coming?"
"I sensed it when Mito's lingering soul dissipated," Tea Granny said. "She really was reckless, using the last of her strength to reinforce that red-haired girl's seal. But thanks to her, the girl's slumber was shortened. She should be waking up soon."
"Karin's going to wake up?" Lin Ye asked, delighted.
"Yes, probably in another month. But that isn't what matters. You are." Tea Granny stared at Lin Ye's eyes. "Your eyes are only one step away from the Rinnegan. But to take that step, you need the complete Counter-Kāma. Otherwise, even if you synthesize the Rinnegan, it'll be corrupted by Kāma, and you'll become an Otsutsuki puppet."
"I have two fragments. I only need the last one."
"I have it." Tea Granny took a sachet from inside her clothes. Inside was a red crystal identical to the one Lin Ye possessed. "I've kept this for fifty years. Now, I'll give it to you. But before that, I need you to fulfill one final wish."
"What wish?"
"My final wish," Tea Granny said. "Before I die, I want to see the cherry blossoms of Uzushio Village one more time. Not an illusion-the real thing. Take me there with your Space-Time Ninjutsu."
Lin Ye froze. "Space-Time Ninjutsu? I only know Kamui. Its teleportation range is limited. I can't go overseas."
"No, you can," Tea Granny said. "Your Kamui is nearly complete. With the power of the Counter-Kāma fragments, you can teleport over immense distances. Besides, there's a Flying Thunder God Mark in Uzushio Village that I left when I was young. I can sense its location."
Lin Ye considered it for a moment, then nodded. "All right, I'll take you there. But your health..."
"Don't worry. I can still hold on. Once you've finished three bowls of tea, we'll leave."
Each of the three bowls of tea held a special meaning. The first was "remembrance." After drinking it, Lin Ye saw Tea Granny's memories-her childhood in Uzushio Village, her clansmen's smiling faces, the horrors of the Night of the Massacre, and the hardships of her escape.
The second was "understanding." After drinking it, his understanding of Sealing Jutsu deepened. Everything Tea Granny had learned over fifty years was passed on to him.
The third was "farewell." After he drank it, Tea Granny's presence began to weaken. She was burning through the last of her life to power the teleportation.
"Young man, take my hand," Tea Granny said. "Picture Uzushio Village, and use Kamui to connect to that Flying Thunder God Mark."
Lin Ye did as she said. Kamui activated, and space twisted. This teleportation took him farther and demanded more effort than any he had attempted before. But Tea Granny's life force sustained it, and the two passed through a spatial passage, emerging on a beach.
The Uzushio Village Ruins. Yet what lay before them was not rubble, but the scene from fifty years ago-Tea Granny had used the last of her chakra to create a memory barrier. Cherry blossoms bloomed, the streets bustled, and her clansmen laughed.
"I'm home... I'm really home..." Tears streamed down Tea Granny's face as she reached out to catch a falling cherry blossom. Her body was fading. The memory barrier was consuming the last of her life.
"Granny..."
"It's all right. I'm happy." Tea Granny handed Lin Ye the Counter-Kāma fragment. "Take it. Synthesize the Rinnegan and break the curse. The future of the Uzumaki Clan, the future of the Uchiha, the future of the shinobi world-we're entrusting them to you all."
She dissolved into cherry blossoms, and the memory barrier vanished with her. Lin Ye stood amid the true ruins, holding three Counter-Kāma fragments.
[Obtained Counter-Kāma fragment ×1] [All three fragments collected. Complete Counter-Kāma can now be synthesized.] [Synthesis cost: Rinnegan Fragment ×300, final wish completion ×100] [Proceed with synthesis?]
"Yes."
[Consumed Rinnegan Fragment ×300. Remaining: 70/1000] [Consumed final wish completion ×100. Remaining: 212/1344] [Synthesis complete] [Obtained Counter-Kāma · Complete] [Effect: Can completely eliminate Kāma's corruption, but must be used while the target is conscious and requires an immense expenditure of energy.]
He still needed 930 Rinnegan Fragments and 1,132 final wishes. But at least he now had the ultimate weapon against Kāma.
Lin Ye sat quietly in the ruins of Uzushio Village all night. Early the next morning, he used Kamui to return to the Land of Tea. The Three Bowls Pavilion was still there, but its owner was gone. He left some money and a letter thanking Tea Granny for her tea, then departed.
His next stop was Konoha. Sasuke's Kāma needed to be suppressed, Karin would wake soon, and he needed to fulfill final wishes and synthesize the Rinnegan as quickly as possible.
But as he was leaving the Land of Tea, someone unexpected blocked his path.
It was Obito Uchiha, without his mask. His right eye was a Sharingan, and his left was a Rinnegan-no, it resembled a Rinnegan, but its pattern was different. It looked more like... Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's eye.
"Lin Ye, we meet again," Obito said. "This time, no puppets, no White Zetsu. Just you and me."
"Your eyes..."
"A gift from Orochimaru," Obito said. "He used half of the Eight-Tails' chakra, along with my Hashirama cells, to awaken this pair of Pseudo-Rinnegan for me. They aren't as powerful as the real Rinnegan, but they're enough to deal with you."
"You think having the Rinnegan means you can win?"
"No, I'm not trying to win. I only want to hold you here and buy Black Zetsu time." Obito smiled. "Black Zetsu has gone to Konoha to collect Sasuke. The Kāma inside Sasuke is already more than halfway awakened. With just one more push, he'll become Isshiki's perfect vessel. By then, even if you have the Counter-Kāma, it'll be too late."
Lin Ye's expression changed drastically, and he immediately tried to use Kamui to teleport back to Konoha. But Obito activated his Pseudo-Rinnegan, sealing off space and rendering Kamui useless.
"It's no use. I've already sealed off this space. Unless you kill me, don't even think about leaving." Obito formed hand seals. "Now, let's begin round two. This time, I'll fight seriously."
The storm intensified once again.
Meanwhile, in Konoha, Black Zetsu had already slipped into the hospital and stood beside Sasuke's bed.
"Indra's reincarnation, Isshiki's vessel, awaken. Your mission has begun."
Sasuke opened his eyes, but those eyes were not his-they were cold and golden, the eyes of Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.
Kāma's awakening was complete.
Before you continue