Chapter 459: The Bird That Broke Free and the Five-Tails
"The Uchiha Gunbai. I remember it was here."
While Kenichi and the four Kage were locked in an intense battle, Obito entered a desolate cave.
Looking at the cave before him, Obito suddenly felt as if his entire life had some strange connection to caves.
He had once thought he was going to die, but unexpectedly, he had met Madara and survived.
That, too, had been in a cave.
This cave was hidden beneath the rocks, blocking out the sunlight.
Obito rubbed his hands and vigilantly observed his surroundings.
Black Zetsu had not appeared yet. He was probably still monitoring the current Shinobi World War.
Thinking of this, Obito breathed a sigh of relief.
He had come this time to retrieve Madara's fan, but beyond that, Obito also wanted to do something else.
Remove the cursed seal near his heart.
This cursed seal had been used by Madara to restrain him, ensuring that Obito would serve the Eye of the Moon Plan wholeheartedly, like a bird trapped in a cage.
Obito himself knew this.
But previously, he had no way to deal with this cursed seal.
Now, however, he finally had an opportunity.
"I never thought I'd have to thank that bastard Kenichi one day."
Obito muttered as he stroked his chest.
Ever since he had been chosen by Madara to become his successor and carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan, Obito had diligently performed his duties.
That was until he met Kenichi, whom he considered the most detestable person in his life.
From the moment Kenichi appeared before Obito, that bastard had constantly caused him trouble.
Obito could no longer remember how many times Kenichi had disgusted him.
He had even been killed once by Kenichi during their previous battle.
If Black Zetsu had not given him an Izanagi eye as a precaution, Obito would probably have gone to the Pure Land to find Rin.
But that resurrection also brought Obito an excellent opportunity.
For some reason, after being revived, Obito discovered that the cursed seal near his heart had developed some issues. It was no longer as impregnable as before.
Now, Obito felt that he had found a way to break the cursed seal.
So strictly speaking, he truly did need to thank Kenichi.
Thank that bastard.
Because Kenichi had indeed brought him an opportunity.
An opportunity to break free from control and become his own person.
He had specifically come to this place to retrieve Madara's weapon precisely to buy himself enough time and space to remove Madara's cursed seal.
Previously, Obito had not had this thought because he wanted to create a world with Rin.
But now, this world already had Rin.
So he wavered.
Looking at that smiling girl shopping, Obito hesitated for the first time about carrying out the Eye of the Moon Plan.
If he were asked to kill Rin, Obito could not do it.
He had thought he could.
After all, this filthy world suffocated him.
But when he saw Rin, his courage deflated like a punctured balloon.
Obito's eyes grew solemn.
He wanted to be himself again.
He wanted to control his own life.
"Ahhh!"
A beast-like wail echoed through the empty cave.
That wailing continued for a while before slowly subsiding.
Obito panted heavily, his hands covered in blood.
The hole in his chest made his body tremble, but his eyes were filled with absolute joy.
He had succeeded.
He had successfully dealt with the restriction Madara had placed on him, and Madara had not activated the cursed seal to deliver a more fatal blow.
"Hehehe... hahahaha!"
Obito covered his eyes and let out a manic laugh.
Before, he could not do anything to himself.
But now, Obito had finally broken free completely from Madara's grasp.
Looking at the Uchiha Gunbai, a trace of hesitation flashed through Obito's eyes.
But then he still took the fan and hurried out.
This weapon must have had its unique qualities to be valued by Madara.
Obito needed power now.
Power to protect Rin.
As long as he could escape the Land of Flame, then in the vast ocean, Obito did not believe anyone else could find him.
Obito's eyes seemed to glow.
Now that he had successfully removed the cursed seal and broken free from Madara's restraints, he finally had the chance to forge his own path.
Thinking of Rin, who was smiling and shopping in the capital of the Land of Flame, Obito's eyes unknowingly welled up with tears.
He gripped the Uchiha Gunbai tightly in his hand, and his steps unconsciously quickened.
He wanted to see Rin.
Then he wanted to take her away and find a secluded place to live with her.
He did not need lavish material comforts.
He did not need status or power.
He only wanted to live a life meant for the two of them with Rin.
Obito only wanted to have a few children with Rin, care for them, and finally, while holding the hand of an equally white-haired Rin, sit in a chair and watch the sunset.
Then slowly close his eyes.
That would be enough.
Obito's mood was joyful, like a caged bird finally breaking free from its restraints and embracing freedom.
He ran without stopping.
At that moment, the dark cave was left behind him, and the bright, sunlit forest embraced him.
And just as Obito destroyed the cursed seal, Madara's hand, still inside the cave in the Land of Water, paused for only an instant.
But it was only that instant.
Then Madara continued with what he was doing.
He did not care what that useless Obito was doing.
Whether Obito died or broke free from the cursed seal's control, Madara did not care.
Just an ant.
Madara's eyes held a hint of excitement.
Although Edo Tensei had various issues, it had to be said that this ninjutsu was truly powerful.
Extremely powerful.
It allowed those revived by Edo Tensei to possess nearly infinite chakra.
Although it was still not as good as being alive, it was enough to alleviate boredom.
"Kenichi, let me see whether you can dance."
Battle intent boiled in Madara's eyes.
He wanted to see whether Kenichi, who possessed Hashirama's Wood Release and Sage Mode, along with his own clan's Mangekyo Sharingan, could truly become an opponent who excited him.
His improvements were almost complete.
After that, he would be able to unleash his original strength.
A trace of disdain appeared in Madara's eyes.
Without regaining his Rinnegan, even his Mangekyo Sharingan-era self was less than half of his peak.
But this was enough.
If that junior named Kenichi could not even defeat him in this state, then there was no meaning.
"However... I still need my fan back."
Madara twisted his neck.
Did Obito take his fan?
Had he taken it, or had he left it there?
He hoped that fool was sensible enough to bring it to him.
Otherwise, he would have to waste time looking for it.
The cave fell silent once again.
"Enemy attack!"
The roars of Iwagakure ninja rang out constantly, but the attacking monster, that gigantic monster, still lifted its foot and strode forward.
Countless ninjutsu continuously tried to attack this enormous thing, but the effects were not particularly obvious.
This rampant wave of ninjutsu attacks quickly came to an end.
Although this giant was huge and ninjutsu attacks could basically hit it, a group of ninja followed behind the giant.
To deal with the threat posed by those ninja, Iwagakure's ninja had to divert their attention and fight them.
These ninja wore strange forehead protectors with an odd symbol that did not belong to any Ninja Village.
Iwagakure's ninja did not pay attention to those details.
They only needed to know that these people were enemies.
Enemies needed to be fought, torn apart, defeated, and then...
The ninja leading the charge quickly met the first wave of fatal strikes.
The moment they looked at those ninja, these spirited Iwagakure ninja collectively saw red eyes.
Dense red eyes.
Within those eyes, strange patterns rotated.
Iwagakure's ninja inevitably fell into the genjutsu of the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Even powerful individuals like Orochimaru had once suffered losses when facing Mangekyo genjutsu.
Although Orochimaru at that time had also been weakened spiritually, the power of Mangekyo genjutsu was undeniable.
Almost instantly, the ninja who saw the Mangekyo Sharingan stared blankly.
Then the attacking ninja from the Land of Flame pierced their hearts, and they fell to the ground in vain.
"Don't look at their eyes!"
Kitsuchi shouted anxiously.
He had not expected so many of the attacking ninja to possess Sharingan.
Were these people all Uchiha Clan ninja?
But had the Uchiha Clan not either defected or been annihilated?
Why were there so many of them?
Sasori controlled the giant Unit-01.
He stomped down, and the Iwagakure ninja, who would normally have reacted quickly enough to avoid being stepped on, were instantly crushed into a bloody mess.
There was not even the slightest sense of obstruction.
Their bodies merged with the earth.
Although they were panicked, Iwagakure's ninja quickly followed Kitsuchi's instructions and stopped looking into the eyes of these enemies, haphazardly unleashing ninjutsu.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
The ninja from the Land of Flame at the front collectively opened their mouths and quickly formed hand seals.
Under the control of the parasites, they unleashed this ninjutsu almost simultaneously.
Overwhelming flames instantly surged toward Iwagakure's ninja.
At that moment, in Kitsuchi's eyes, these Fire Release techniques seemed to ignite the entire world.
A mud wall quickly rose, blocking the fierce flames.
The spreading mud wall demonstrated the immense chakra of the user.
"Truly a troublesome opponent."
A man in red armor stood at the front, his eyes focused.
"Han."
Kitsuchi breathed a sigh of relief.
Although the Tsuchikage had gone to battle, it was good that Han was still here.
However, Kitsuchi immediately began organizing the ninja of his village to counterattack.
The enemy ninja had already rushed past the mud wall.
"Jinchuriki?"
Sasori's brow furrowed as he looked at the figure below.
The Akatsuki Organization had a great deal of intelligence, and information on Jinchuriki was even more detailed.
Even Sasori knew some things about Jinchuriki.
Like the one before him.
Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki.
The Jinchuriki of Iwagakure.
Jinchuriki were all monsters.
Inside them was an even more terrifying monster.
Sasori manipulated his puppet.
The giant puppet raised its hand, drew the heavy sword at its waist, and swung it down.
The powerful heavy sword sliced through the air, as if it were splitting the air itself.
"Hmph!"
Han snorted coldly.
A tail appeared behind his body.
He quickly dodged the attack, but then a group of ninja from the Land of Flame rushed over.
Han quickly shifted his gaze, only to notice that many black threads had appeared on his body.
"Hehehe, this is a big catch!"
Kakuzu's eyes seemed to glow with money.
He had finally waited for these damned Jinchuriki.
According to Orochimaru, the bounty for killing a Jinchuriki was very generous.
There was no need to capture them.
Just killing them was enough.
Facing Kakuzu and Sasori, Han's expression became extremely grim.
Neither of these two was weak.
Even a one-on-one fight would have an uncertain result, let alone facing both of them at once.
And he could not rely on the ninja from his own village at all.
Those people were being beaten down by the enemy ninja.
Thinking of those red-eyed madmen, Han knew he could not hold back now.
If he tried to hold back, he would be killed directly by the enemy.
So...
"Roar!"
A deafening roar made the forest tremble.
"..."
Inoichi and Shikaku exchanged glances, a trace of shock flashing through their eyes.
They saw the formidable presence in the distance.
That was Iwagakure's camp.
Iwagakure had actually released a Tailed Beast.
"This is bad. Iwagakure must be under immense pressure. Otherwise, why would they release a Tailed Beast so quickly?!"
Shikaku suddenly stood up and stared intently into the distance.
"..."
Inoichi continuously organized Konoha's ninja.
The moment he saw the Five-Tails, he knew that no matter what the commander wanted to do, they could not just stand by.
To instantly force Iwagakure to release its Tailed Beast, one could imagine how troublesome the enemies they faced were.
Meanwhile, on Kumogakure's side, Darui scratched his head as he looked at the fully transformed Five-Tails.
"Things are getting troublesome, Killer Bee-sama."
Darui sighed.
He was under a lot of pressure now.
Thankfully, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer Bee, was right beside him.
"Things are getting interesting."
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and revealed a pleased smile.
.....
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