The moment Sara screamed, Hoshiyomi's expression changed sharply — because his senses told him that in that very moment, a new chakra signature had suddenly appeared right behind him!
Who is it?!
He immediately activated The Dance of the Startled Swan, narrowly dodging Mukade's "Super Ryūmyaku Great Fireball."
At the same time, he twisted around midair, trying to see who that sudden, unfamiliar chakra belonged to.
But the moment he turned his head—
Hoshiyomi froze.
The figure gripping Sara by the neck had half a face that Hoshiyomi knew all too well.
That half-face belonged to—Shimura Danzō!
A chill ran down Hoshiyomi's spine. Impossible! Danzō had died long ago when the First Hokage's cells inside him went berserk — so how could he suddenly appear here?
Then Hoshiyomi noticed the other half of the man's face — the swirling, spiral pattern — and realization struck like lightning.
"Tobi…!"
That bastard had stolen Danzō's corpse without anyone noticing, taking control of his body — and the Hashirama cells within it.
Seeing Hoshiyomi's stunned expression, Tobi let out a crooked, mocking grin.
"How does it feel to see this face again, Gekko Hoshiyomi?"
Hoshiyomi's expression turned grim as he glared at Tobi, who still held Sara hostage.
"Why are you here? Was all of this… your plan?"
Tobi's grin widened even further, dripping with arrogance.
"Ya-re ya-re~ So you're not all-knowing after all. Since you didn't see through my plan… I'll just say this—"
"Gekko Hoshiyomi, your death has already been decided!"
"Death…?"
Hoshiyomi's gaze sharpened. In the next instant, his figure vanished and reappeared a short distance away from Tobi — the second stage of Dance of the Startled Swan.
Although there was still some distance to Tobi, it was close enough for him to use Shunpo to rapidly close in.
Just as Hoshiyomi was thinking that he would immediately use Heavenly Rift Flowing Light upon landing to eliminate the threat permanently, he was horrified to discover that he couldn't move after landing!
No, it wasn't that he couldn't move; rather, it was a terrifying spatial fluctuation enveloping him.
Within this distorted space, even someone as powerful as him found it difficult to make any significant movements.
In this moment, a storm of shock raged in Hoshiyomi's heart. It wasn't due to the drastic change in the plot, but because he clearly saw the pair of Mangekyō Sharingan in Tobi's eyes that he had never seen before.
Watching Hoshiyomi immobilized, Tobi's previously stiff posture relaxed completely. He no longer bothered to hide his glee and broke out into manic laughter.
"Everything has gone exactly as we predicted, Gekko Hoshiyomi! You thought you were the only one who knew of our existence?"
"In truth, we've been watching you all along — studying every move you've made. We know all about your spatial ninjutsu."
"It's because we anticipated your every trick… that I dared to appear here in person."
Tobi's grin widened into something almost feral.
"From the very moment I revealed myself… your chances of survival dropped to zero."
Just then, Mukade's voice rang out from the distance:
"Hey, masked man! You've caught Gekko Hoshiyomi — now hand over Sara and the Ryūmyaku, as promised!"
At those words, the grin instantly vanished from Tobi's face.
He turned toward Mukade, the crimson glow of his Mangekyō Sharingan locking onto him.
The moment those eerie eyes met Mukade's—
Mukade fell completely silent.
It was clear: with just a glance, Tobi had already cast him into the depths of a Mangekyō genjutsu.
Mukade was nothing more than an ordinary rogue shinobi from Sunagakure. Even after gaining the power of the Ryūmyaku, his mental energy hadn't increased at all—so Tobi easily trapped him with a simple Mangekyō Sharingan genjutsu.
Not only that, but the chakra of the Ryūmyaku within Mukade's body began to surge violently. As his chakra fluctuated, the Ryūmyaku's core—the floating stone suspended above the stone bridge—started to tremble as well.
It was a clear sign: Mukade was preparing to detonate the Ryūmyaku.
After ensuring everything was in motion, Tobi turned back toward Hoshiyomi, his expression bright with mockery.
"Surprised, aren't you? Confused? Can't make sense of what's happening? Don't rush—today, I'll let you die understanding everything. I'll tell you my entire plan—no secrets held back."
He tilted his head, pretending to think.
"Where should I start? Ah, right… these eyes."
He pointed to the Mangekyō spinning in his sockets.
"You could say they're a gift from you. If you hadn't sacrificed those Uchiha clansmen while chasing after Madara Uchiha, we never would've obtained such a fine pair of eyes."
"Thanks to these eyes—and the power of the Ryūmyaku—we've been able to craft the perfect plan."
Tobi's grin widened.
"You thought the letter from the Queen of Rōran reached Konoha all on its own? It was me who ensured that message made it safely to the village—right into your hands."
"After all, if you hadn't seen that letter, our entire carefully laid plan would've gone to waste."
"At first, we thought we'd have to kill off several Konoha shinobi to draw your attention here—but who could've guessed you'd come alone, without any help? You saved us so much trouble, Gekko Hoshiyomi!"
As Hoshiyomi struggled within the distorted space, Tobi shook his head, feigning pity.
"Ah, are you feeling it? The seal's weakening a little, isn't it? Still, I'd advise you not to waste your strength."
"I don't mind telling you — these eyes' ability is 'Maboshi (Star Eater)', the power of spatial distortion. With enough ocular power , they can crush anything completely out of existence."
"But… against someone of your level, that's a bit difficult. Realistically, if I gave you enough time and space, you could break free."
"So why am I still here, taking the risk of showing myself to execute this plan?"
Tobi's single visible eye narrowed, glowing with a malicious red light.
"Because of the Ryūmyaku."
"We discovered long before you did that the Ryūmyaku's energy contains special temporal and spatial fluctuations. When it finally loses control and collapses, it'll unleash a violent time-space storm."
"When that happens, my spatial distortion—combined with the Ryūmyaku's temporal chaos—will twist this entire space-time dimension into shreds. In that level of distortion, not even you will escape. You'll vanish along with this shattered dimension."
Watching Hoshiyomi continue to struggle, Tobi sighed dramatically.
"Tsk, tsk… how touching, such persistence. Too bad it's meaningless."
He glanced at the Ryūmyaku's trembling core and smirked.
"Fifteen seconds until total collapse."
"Now then, allow me to personally watch you disappear."
With that, he yanked Sara by her hair and dragged her toward the far edge of the chamber, a cruel grin plastered across his face as he prepared to witness Hoshiyomi's annihilation.
As Hoshiyomi continued to fight against the crushing spatial pressure, the Ryūmyaku's core finally cracked apart.
A blinding purple light burst upward, swallowing the chamber whole—
—and Hoshiyomi's figure vanished completely into that light.
Tobi cautiously scanned the room. When he confirmed that there was no trace of Hoshiyomi left anywhere, he finally relaxed and let out a satisfied laugh.
"From this day on… no one will stand in the way of the Eye of the Moon Plan."