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While the forces on Pale Moon Island prepared to use the Seven Stars Lantern Array to awaken the inverted form of the Death God within Orochimaru, and use that power to revive him…
Obito, having deciphered the island's spatial coordinates through the shared anchor points of Kamui and Futodama, was poised to strike.
After a full month of preparation, he now commanded a fighting force of unprecedented power.
Within his cavernous base, Obito rallied his troops.
The former Seven Ninja Swordsmen and previous Jinchūriki, all summoned via Impure World Reincarnation.
Using his convenient spatial abilities, Obito had tracked down nearly every Edo Tensei survivor from Sasuke's faction. With control talismans provided by Inoichi, he turned them into his pawns.
Beyond the reincarnated dead, Obito had also used Sharingan genjutsu to seize control of powerful, well-known shinobi from every nation.
Ao of Kirigakure. Kitsuchi of Iwagakure. Darui of Kumogakure. Baki of Sunagakure. Asuma Sarutobi of Konoha.
Even Mifune, the leader of the neutral Land of Iron, had not been spared.
Following the Ninth Battle, the remaining eighty-seven thousand White Zetsu clones would also be deployed.
After mustering his forces, Obito turned to Shikaku.
"Shikaku. Can our current strength raze Pale Moon Island to the ground? Annihilate Sasuke and the others completely?"
Shikaku pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
"Total annihilation is unrealistic. But pinning down their main combatants to hunt the Nine-Tails? That is far more feasible."
"Is that so. Seems we need to raise the stakes."
His gaze shifted to the coffin at the far end of the base.
The ace among all his Impure World Reincarnation pawns.
In the crowd, Inoichi's expression was grim.
He knew the identity of the person within that coffin. And their history.
That one had the foresight before death. To prevent being exploited by the Impure World Reincarnation, they booby-trapped their tomb. Forced entry would have destroyed the body instantly… Yet Obito used Shikaku's intellect to decipher the trap's code and successfully obtained their genetic material!
In the Warring States Period, there were two legends: Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. The mightiest warrior beneath them was the one in that coffin. If she enters the fray, the balance of power will shatter.
Inoichi, of course, was not cooperating willingly.
He had insisted that due to the coffin occupant's immense power, he could not yet craft a perfect control talisman.
With the deployment imminent, Obito issued his ultimatum.
"Inoichi. I command you… have that talisman ready by dawn."
Inoichi paled. "That… is asking the impossible."
Obito's eyes narrowed, the threat blatant. "If you dare sabotage my plans at this critical juncture, I won't hesitate to have your precious daughter replace you."
"You—!" Inoichi's eyes blazed, his fury enough to tear Obito apart with a glare.
Shikaku stepped forward. "Lord Obito. Allow me to speak with Inoichi."
Obito frowned. "Speak? You think I don't see he has his own agenda?"
"I know," Shikaku said calmly. "It would be strange if he didn't. What matters is achieving our objective. Rest assured, I will persuade him. You know Inoichi's sensory abilities. To avoid antagonizing him, do not monitor them with White Zetsu."
"Do not disappoint me."
In a separate room.
Confident in his genjutsu, Obito truly did not have White Zetsu monitor the conversation.
A sliver of hope remained in Inoichi's heart. "Shikaku… You didn't expose my stalling. Does that mean you aren't fully under his control?"
Shikaku shook his head. "At this moment, my mind is completely loyal to Obito. But my loyalty to him and watching him purge my closest comrade are two different matters, are they not?"
"I know," Inoichi said, his voice strained. "But I can't take much more of this! What that man plans threatens the entire shinobi world! When this comes to light, Shikaku, you'll be branded a villain in history!"
"A villain," Shikaku stated, his voice steady. "The moment I voluntarily submitted to Obito's genjutsu to save Lady Tsunade's life, I was already prepared to become one."
"What!?"
Inoichi was stunned. Only now did he understand.
"You… you submitted willingly?"
"The situation was critical," Shikaku explained. "He could have used the Human Path ability of the Rinnegan at any moment to forcibly extract intel from Lady Tsunade's mind and take her life. The only thing I could do was bend to his will."
"Of course, it wasn't just the resolve to become a villain. I also foresaw that once controlled, I would spare no effort in helping him oppose Sasuke and Orochimaru, potentially causing consequences far graver than Lady Tsunade's death."
Inoichi slowly clenched his fist. "You're known for your absolute rationality… Why? Knowing all that, why would you still…"
"Because the me from before the genjutsu took hold," Shikaku replied with eerie calm, "judged that even with my full assistance, Sasuke and the others still possessed the capability to handle this situation and stop both Obito and myself."
"Why… How could you be so certain?"
"Think of Sasuke's actions this past year. He's clashed with powerful opponents at regular intervals, even assaulted the Five Kage Summit. If annihilation wasn't the goal, then it could only have been a trial."
Inoichi gasped. "Ah…!"
"Strengthening his enemies, creating a mirror to test himself against—this aligns with Orochimaru and Sasuke's interests. So, what I'm doing now coincides with Orochimaru's own methods. In the long run, we aren't abetting a tyrant. Of course, our honor as shinobi will be sacrificed. But all things require trade-offs. I chose to forsake my honor for Lady Tsunade's life and gamble on the future of the shinobi world. That was my reasoning. Even now, with Obito's genjutsu interfering, my heart may not be pure, but my logic stands by this assessment."
"Inoichi… you have your own mission to fulfill, don't you? Enduring this humiliation as a reincarnated soul, waiting for the day you can return to Konoha and reveal the truth of how Black Zetsu framed Sasuke."
Shikaku clenched his own fist, driving his nails into his palm, using the pain to fight the voice inside compelling him to speak for Obito.
"That day may not be far off. Please… endure a little longer!"
Inoichi gritted his teeth. "Fine! I'll endure! I already endured death! What's a little more of this half-dead state!"
Before dawn, Inoichi handed the kunai with the control tag to Obito.
Obito finally smiled, satisfied. "Well done."
Inoichi saw that the former Jinchūriki, now reanimated, were impaled with black rods, their eyes a hybrid of Sharingan and Rinnegan.
He asked, "What have you done to them?"
The memory of the Demonic Statue being pierced by Sasuke's arrow still haunted Obito.
"Rather than risking the Demonic Statue directly, it's better to use a method that transfers risk while still utilizing the Tailed Beasts' power. Hence, these new Six Paths of Pain. And it's not just new eyes."
RIIIP!
Obito tore open Yugito Nii's left chest, revealing the unmistakable face of Hashirama Senju embedded within.
"As you can see, I've used the Six Paths technique to replicate the power of the Outer Path's artificial Hashirama bodies."
"Add to that… my trump card. Heh."
"The Nine-Tails is as good as mine."
A smile of grim determination spread across Obito's perpetually tormented face. He slung the Bashōsen fan over his back.
—"Move out. We raze Pale Moon Island."
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