Several months passed in the blink of an eye.
Diarmuid remained within the borders of the Land of Rain, never venturing out. The "Outlaw" who once shook the shinobi world seemed to have vanished, stirring no further waves.
In contrast, Orochimaru and Sasori were extremely active during these months. The two traversed the globe, capturing individuals with Kekkei Genkai lineages and plunging into a frenzy of sinister research.
Meanwhile, Kakuzu and Juzo took on numerous high-risk missions, continuously bolstering the presence of the Yorozuya. By now, the entire shinobi world understood one simple truth: If you have trouble, find the Yorozuya. As long as the pay was right, there was nothing they wouldn't dare to do.
The only slight disappointment was that Orochimaru didn't seem to have any administrative talents to recommend, forcing Diarmuid to solve his management issues himself. Fortunately, he discovered someone usable: Shiramu Ameri.
As a former high-ranking noble of the Land of Water, she was a textbook administrative model, she just lacked experience. But that didn't matter; Diarmuid didn't care if she made mistakes, so long as she didn't collapse the Land of Rain or cut off the resource flow to the Yorozuya. Thus, Shiramu Ameri began to play her part, stumblingly managing the operations of the Land of Rain.
One day, Diarmuid was on a rooftop practicing the Spirit Transformation Jutsu.
Over the past few months, he could clearly feel his soul strength increasing. This was thanks to his training of the secret technique. Before learning this jutsu, he couldn't even sense the existence of his own soul, as he lacked any innate ability in that field. Now, however, he could control his soul, leave his body, and wander about at will.
Because his physical energy, Chakra, and Natural Energy were so potent, his progress with the Spirit Transformation Jutsu was exceptionally rapid. In just a few months, he had achieved results that would take others two or three years.
"Hmm?" Sitting on the roof, Diarmuid suddenly opened his eyes and looked toward the gates of Amegakure.
The constant rainfall from the sky informed him via the Rain Tiger at Will Technique that guests he had been watching for had arrived.
His younger associate, Juzo, was currently away from the Land of Rain and couldn't act as a "welcoming party" for Diarmuid. But it didn't matter. Diarmuid closed his eyes again. A second later, a ghostly green phantom, seemingly composed of invisible energy, drifted out of his body.
The phantom rapidly solidified until its appearance was identical to Diarmuid's physical form, not a single detail was different. In the next instant, the phantom flickered and flew away at extreme speed.
…
At the gates of Amegakure, Black Zetsu and the masked Obito had just finished their registration.
"Even my Kamui won't work?" Obito asked, walking behind Black Zetsu.
The question was abrupt, but Black Zetsu knew exactly what he was asking. He replied, "Likely not. The entirety of Amegakure is shrouded in a special sensory method by Diarmuid. Your Kamui might allow you to sneak in, but the moment you materialize, he will definitely sense you. Even White Zetsu's near-imperceptible presence was discovered by him. There is no point in doing something meaningless that would only serve to provoke and offend him."
"You make him sound so mysterious. Is he really that formida—" Obito's words cut off abruptly.
He saw a strange figure step out of a wall not far away, appearing as if it had no physical substance. This left Obito deeply shocked.
What is this? Who is he?
While Obito was reeling, a flash of surprise crossed Black Zetsu's eyes, though he quickly masked it. He bowed respectfully to the figure. "Diarmuid-sama, forgive our intrusion."
"Calculating the time, I figured you were about to arrive... and who is this?" Diarmuid's soul looked toward Obito, asking a question to which he already knew the answer.
Black Zetsu smiled thinly. "This is the executor of Madara-sama's will. His true name is not worth mentioning. If you don't mind, you may simply refer to him as 'Madara'."
It seems he doesn't intend to reveal Obito's identity... but it doesn't matter, Diarmuid thought to himself.
He had no intention of exposing the ruse, nor was there any need to grill Black Zetsu. If he pressed further, Black Zetsu would simply weave more lies to introduce Obito, making the effort pointless.
Diarmuid nodded and looked at Obito. "Then I shall call you 'Madara' for now. I hope you can live up to the name."
Obito stared at Diarmuid, still struggling to understand the man's state. Why does he feel like he has no body? Hearing Diarmuid's words, Obito, despite being younger, mimicked a mature and composed demeanor. He gave a slight nod and said in a low, muffled voice, "I will. Thank you for your well-wishes."
Diarmuid didn't say much more to him. Instead, he looked back at Black Zetsu, a touch of mischief rising in his heart, though his face remained an impassive mask. "Since you've come, why not have a seat? We can discuss your business."
Black Zetsu immediately thought of Nohara Rin, who was still alive and nearby. If this kid Obito saw her, even if she was in disguise, there was a chance he might recognize her.
He definitely did not want to go in.
However, the plan was to invite Diarmuid to cause chaos in Konoha, and he couldn't very well avoid introducing the two of them. He had reluctantly brought Obito along, but at least his calculations had been successful so far. The moment they entered Amegakure, Diarmuid had sensed them and come to meet them immediately. This eliminated many unstable variables.
The second step was to decline the invitation and get both himself and Obito away from here as fast as possible.
Hearing Diarmuid's invitation, Black Zetsu immediately shook his head. "Next time. Definitely next time. We were delayed by some matters earlier. By my count, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in Konoha is only days away from giving birth. In these matters, it's better to be early than late, so..."
Indeed, with childbirth, timing was everything. Going early meant a few days of waiting, but arriving late would be awkward, the mother wasn't going to just pop out another one to accommodate your schedule. Black Zetsu had timed this perfectly, arriving at a point that was safe yet urgent enough to justify a hasty departure.
"Therefore, I ask for Diarmuid-sama's understanding. If your schedule allows, could you please accompany 'Madara' on this journey?" Black Zetsu said cautiously, fearing Diarmuid might change his mind.
"Oh? Is that so?" Diarmuid looked at Black Zetsu, then at Obito.
He realized Obito truly placed immense trust in Black Zetsu; he hadn't noticed anything amiss. In fairness, while Black Zetsu's behavior was slightly odd, it was within the realm of reason.
Deciding not to tease the creature any further, Diarmuid said, "Wait for me here a moment."
Black Zetsu let out a sigh of relief. "Very well, Diarmuid-sama."
The moment he spoke, Diarmuid's figure began to blur. It dissolved into countless flecks of fluorescent light and vanished before their eyes.
Once Diarmuid was gone, Obito asked curiously, "What was that? Why did he feel so strange... like he wasn't a living person? What kind of jutsu is that?"
Black Zetsu hesitated, then shook his head. "I don't know the exact name of the jutsu, but without a doubt, what appeared before us was Diarmuid's soul projection!"
"Soul projection!?" Obito's expression was blank. "What does that mean? That was his soul body?"
"Yes. He used some unknown technique to project his soul here." Black Zetsu nodded gravely, a hint of solemnity in his eyes. "And... didn't you feel it?"
"Feel what?" Obito asked.
"Deep within his soul, there seems to be an endless, terrifying darkness," Black Zetsu said, swallowing hard.
He couldn't be certain. It was only because he was ancient, having lived for thousands of years and tracked the reincarnations of Asura and Indra, that his knowledge of the soul allowed him to detect a trace of it. It even seemed that Diarmuid himself hadn't discovered this issue.
As Black Zetsu pondered this, Obito shook his head. "I don't know much about souls, so I didn't feel anything. But isn't that dangerous? Leaving one's body like that?"
"It's not particularly dangerous. In fact, it's often safer than being in a physical body. There are many ways to threaten flesh, but very few that can harm a soul. Besides, the fact that he dares to leave his body proves his soul strength is far beyond the average person. Capturing or harming a soul is extremely difficult. Did you see how he left? That method allows the soul to return to the body instantly. Could you match that speed?" Black Zetsu said calmly.
Obito nodded, halfway understanding. He gathered that there were few effective ways to hurt a soul, making the method quite safe while allowing for total freedom of movement.
About five or six minutes later, the two stopped talking and looked toward the street.
Diarmuid, dressed in a haori and hakama with a sword and a tobacco pipe at his waist, walked slowly toward them.
As he walked, the rainwater on the ground seemed to retreat of its own accord. The raindrops falling from the sky appeared to be deflected by an invisible force, unable to touch him. Even on a street shrouded in misty rain, he looked perfectly dry and crisp.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Diarmuid smiled.
In that instant, Obito's eyes betrayed a hint of shock and trepidation.
Diarmuid had only practiced the Spirit Transformation Jutsu for a few months. Even if his progress was fast, he only had a few years' worth of training. While his soul had strengthened, it was still within certain bounds. When Obito saw the soul projection, he hadn't felt anything overwhelming.
But now, seeing Diarmuid's true body, Obito felt as if a colossal predator was prowling toward him, even though Diarmuid wasn't actively releasing any pressure.
An inexplicable, invisible fear washed over him, alongside an indescribable sense of power.
This man... is a tiger, Obito thought, quickly regaining his composure and marking Diarmuid as a top-tier threat.