Blood flowed freely, slipping from fingertips amidst screams.
Obito stared at the half eyeball in his palm, unsure if he felt anger or shock.
Just as he was about to succeed, Nagato had managed to turn his head. Though it was a tiny shift, the result was drastically different.
Not only did he fail to take both of Nagato's Rinnegan, but the one he did take wasn't even whole.
Half a Rinnegan obviously wouldn't have half its power; it was just a piece of useless rotten flesh.
"This guy... he wouldn't let me have it even if it meant ruining the Rinnegan?"
As a wave of anger surged through Obito, an overwhelming force slammed into him, driving him straight into the ruins of the collapsed black tower.
Coincidentally, a broken steel bar pierced through his chest, its fractured ends covered in blood.
Before Obito could even struggle, a strong hand grasped his throat, yanking him forcefully off the rebar.
"After doing something like this, how do you want to die?"
Nagato's roar echoed in Obito's ears. Obito opened his eyes, his mask shattered. Under the tightening grip, his windpipe ruptured, and blood spilled from his mouth.
The red-haired man before him had a ferocious expression, his right eye closed and shedding tears of blood.
At such close range, escape methods, even using "Kamui," were useless.
Yet, even at this critical moment of life and death, a sly grin spread across Obito's face.
Nagato startled and tightened his grip, squeezing Obito's neck. But Obito's body began to fade, causing his hand to grasp nothing but air.
"Kamui? No, this isn't Kamui..."
Almost simultaneously, Obito reappeared not far away, his face still holding a clear smirk. His injuries had vanished as if he had never been hurt at all.
However, Nagato noticed that one of Obito's eyes had turned completely grayish-white, devoid of any light.
"Izanagi," the ultimate dojutsu of the Uchiha. Once activated, it could revert unfavorable events within a certain period to as if they never happened, and manifest favorable ones as reality.
Making Nagato careless, provoking his anger, creating a sufficient opening, even a feint to evade Nagato's outburst – these were all minor tactics. Obito's true reliance was his own strength, the Uchiha's ultimate dojutsu.
With "Izanagi," no matter what happened, he had a way to turn the tables.
Therefore, after finalizing his plan, he had replaced Kakashi's Sharingan with one from Madara's collection.
Everything that had happened should have been within his plan. Yet, strangely, Nagato's left eye still bore a Rinnegan.
Obito opened his palm, looking at his spoils, only to find it was still just a piece of rotten flesh.
"Why..."
Obito glanced at the half eye in his palm, then at Nagato nearby, his gaze filled with deep confusion.
"Izanagi" had been successfully activated; all his injuries had returned to normal, which was the best proof. But the Rinnegan in his palm hadn't been taken whole.
In other words, he hadn't reached the future where he followed Nagato's head tilt and took both Rinnegan completely.
Having paid such a price, with his relationship with Nagato now completely shattered and years of effort ruined, all he had gained was a piece of rotten flesh.
Meanwhile, Nagato didn't know what trick Obito had used, but he knew Obito hadn't fully succeeded. His expression was a mix of anger and grim satisfaction.
"It seems your wish wasn't granted, Obito..." Nagato pointed a finger at Obito, his voice laced with suppressed anger. "The more you play with schemes and tricks, the more you fail unexpectedly. This is your own doing!"
These were angry words, but not purely a vent.
Nagato knew how troublesome Obito was. To resolve him now, he had to provoke Obito into attacking. For this, he hadn't even fully suppressed or expelled the black substance that had controlled his body previously.
But perhaps the blow of this failure was too great for Obito. He didn't say another word and simply vanished from above the Hidden Rain Village.
Nagato surveyed the surroundings, his immense sensory power spreading outwards from his body.
Obito flickered in and out of this perception, his location gradually moving further away until he was beyond its reach.
"He actually just left..."
A surge of anger burned in Nagato's chest, but he also felt a deep exhaustion. Far too much had happened today.
At that moment, Konan flew to Nagato's side, her wings fluttering. Seeing Nagato's injured right eye, she immediately understood what had happened. A deep regret and hatred flashed in her eyes.
"Nagato, Obito did this, didn't he? I'm going to kill him..."
"We'll talk about this later." Nagato shook his head and turned to Konan. "Take me to Yakushi Kabuto. My eye injury needs his attention."
"...Right, your body is the most important thing now." Konan gritted her teeth and said no more.
...
Deep underground, Black Zetsu's eyes also showed a trace of annoyance.
Obito didn't understand why "Izanagi" hadn't worked, but Black Zetsu, with his vast knowledge and nearly all of Ootsuki Kaguya's memories, had a few suspicions.
Sharingan dojutsu, in essence, was an application of mental power. Yin release, originating from nothingness, was fundamentally a distortion of reality.
But this distortion clearly had limits. The power of the Sharingan could not affect the Rinnegan.
When complete, the Rinnegan possessed unfathomable power, but once damaged, it was no different from a piece of rotten flesh, not something that could be restored by simple healing.
To create something from nothing, to imbue a piece of rotten flesh with Rinnegan abilities, let alone a normal Sharingan, even a Mangekyo Sharingan might not be able to do it.
Therefore, Obito could recover from his injuries, but the stolen Rinnegan remained only half.
"Such useless trash..."
Black Zetsu's face darkened, almost dripping with water, having failed to steal the chicken and lost the rice.
His anger had a deeper reason. A millennium of planning had nearly been ruined. Now, with only one Rinnegan left, he didn't know if it could still be used to complete the "Moon Eye Plan."
"No, the other plan must also be put into motion quickly."
Black Zetsu knew that the story Obito had fabricated might have earned Nagato's trust, but with their relationship now broken, Nagato's nature meant he would verify the truth of these messages.
This made the content of the stone tablet at Naka Shrine crucial. He had to change it as soon as possible.
In other words, he needed to enter Konoha, enter the Uchiha territory... that was Orochimaru's domain.
"Orochimaru... can he even track my movements?"
Black Zetsu's eyes narrowed slightly, filled with confusion.
In his thousand years in the ninja world, aside from Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, Orochimaru was now the most remarkable figure. To think that a mere mortal had grown to a point where even the power of the Rinnegan couldn't control him was simply unbelievable.
What would happen if this continued, Black Zetsu could not imagine.
Therefore, the millennium-long plan had to be accelerated.
But Black Zetsu didn't want to take risks. "Orochimaru isn't always in Konoha. Perhaps I can find another good opportunity."
After a long period of contemplation, Black Zetsu sank into the ground. He was going to see Obito.
The number of pieces he had left to play with was dwindling, and he couldn't afford to lose any more.
...
In the Hidden Rain Village, in the underground laboratory of the black tower.
Yakushi Kabuto glanced at Nagato, who had just fallen asleep in the nutrient tank, then turned his attention to a small culture vessel.
Inside was a bloody hemisphere, Nagato's removed Rinnegan.
Yakushi Kabuto was very interested in it. After all, this was possibly the most powerful eye in the ninja world, and even for Orochimaru, it held great research value.
But after a moment, Yakushi Kabuto regretfully chose to give up.
While it might still be a living organ, its essence power had completely drained. It wasn't like the First Hokage's cells, which could proliferate limitlessly under suitable conditions or even maintain vitality permanently.
"What a shame..." Yakushi Kabuto pushed his glasses up and said to Konan, "This eye is ruined. There's no possibility of recovery."
Konan bit her lip, her fist clenching tightly. After a moment, she replied, "I understand..."
"By the way, aren't you going to check on what's happening outside?"
Yakushi Kabuto raised an eyebrow. "I heard that commotion just now, it seemed to be quite a big deal."
"Those are just minor matters." Konan looked deeply at Yakushi Kabuto. "As long as Nagato is alright, whatever they do is just them being clowns."
Having made a mistake once, Konan would not repeat it. Though she knew that even if she had been there, she might not have been able to do much. Still, she wanted to face any difficulties together with Nagato.
"Oh, then you can stay here and watch." Yakushi Kabuto advised. "He wasn't seriously injured this time, but he's quite drained and might need a long period of rest before he wakes up."
Konan nodded, offering no further response. It seemed she intended to stay until Nagato awoke. Yakushi Kabuto said no more.
At this moment, Hiruko approached and said to Konan, "Could you give me this half Rinnegan? Perhaps there's a way to restore it."
Konan frowned slightly. "Are you serious?"
Restoring half an eye to a whole one was as good as a fantasy. She had only asked Yakushi Kabuto out of a sliver of hope.
"Don't underestimate me."
Hiruko tilted his chin up. "Directly restoring it to a whole eye is, of course, very difficult. But if the internal cells can be reverted to embryonic cells, and then cultivated to form... and finally, a complete eyeball is retrieved from a new human body, it would be much simpler."
Konan's brow furrowed, completely confused. Many of the technical terms were too obscure. She cast her gaze towards Yakushi Kabuto.
Although she was still hurt by Obito's betrayal, Yakushi Kabuto had been trustworthy so far. He had had multiple opportunities to betray them before but hadn't, and had even helped Nagato achieve his current status.
Yakushi Kabuto nodded to Konan. "...Hiruko's plan does have some possibility, but it's easier said than done. There are several technical challenges involved that even Orochimaru-sama hasn't solved, or at least, I can't do them with my current abilities..."
"Hmph, Orochimaru learns too many things and isn't as proficient as me."
Having witnessed Orochimaru's and Nagato's equal strength before, Hiruko admired him but also knew that Orochimaru was someone he currently had to look up to. Upon learning of Orochimaru's weakness, he naturally felt a sense of superiority.
Of course, he still restrained himself somewhat. After all, if he insulted Orochimaru now, he himself, being below Orochimaru, wouldn't look good either.
Hiruko stated definitively, "As long as the funds are sufficient, I have at least an eighty percent chance of cultivating a new human body from this eyeball."
"Why make it so complicated?" Yakushi Kabuto pushed his glasses up and smiled. "Directly cultivating cells with low differentiation from Nagato's body would require fewer steps and less time. Wouldn't that be better?"
"Although you say that... uh, well, the cells within the Rinnegan are different." Hiruko glared at the undermining Yakushi Kabuto. "If any cell from Nagato's body could be cultivated into an eye with that kind of power, that would be truly incredible."
"I'm just trying to ensure the highest success rate..."
There was also a bit of personal ambition involved, like having a pair of Rinnegan for himself, but Hiruko felt that didn't need to be stated explicitly.
They were all ninjas and researchers. While pursuing strength, they also wanted precious materials. This was an unspoken understanding, so why state it so clearly? Didn't Orochimaru teach you well?
Yakushi Kabuto sensed the meaning in Hiruko's eyes and smirked. He said to Konan, "Indeed, as Hiruko said, it's quite difficult to regain a Rinnegan. Using this fragment of the eye offers the highest probability."
Konan listened and fell into thought. After a moment, she asked, "But if a human body is truly cultivated, will it be alive? Or will many Nagato bodies be cultivated?"
Konan, on one hand, wanted Nagato to regain another Rinnegan, but on the other hand, she had concerns.
She didn't want this to involve the constant killing of clones, nor did she want Rinnegan to be readily available.
"Don't worry, the cultivation method used here produces vegetative state individuals without souls."
Yakushi Kabuto smiled, a hint of mockery in his eyes. "The same applies to the Rinnegan. Only in Nagato's eyes will they be Rinnegan; for ordinary people, even if they receive them, they'll just get good eyesight."
If Rinnegan were that easy to obtain, he would have already taken some cells from Nagato.
Hiruko might not understand this principle, but as a mortal, he was unwilling to accept it.
Konan nodded upon hearing this. "Alright then."