On the shattered battlefield—
Just as Rinjin's fist was about to smash down on Obito's skull, the last thing anyone expected happened.
Behind him, the Sage of Six Paths appeared out of thin air, sitting cross-legged in the void. His staff struck with lightning speed, slamming into Rinjin's back.
Where the staff landed, a deep blue void was knocked free from within Rinjin's body—his soul torn loose.
Two kilometers away, at the edge of the chaos—
Sakumo lay flat atop a dirt mound, nerves taut as wire.
Beside him, Uchiha Kagami peered through the newest Rain Village binoculars, eyes locked on the battlefield's center.
"Kagami, what's the situation?"
"Deep blue soul," Kagami murmured, still watching. "Give me three more seconds to confirm."
"Alright!"
Three seconds flashed by.
Through the lens, a deep blue soul speckled with black hovered in midair.
"Confirmed—it's the real soul! Plan B, second protocol!"
"On it!" Sakumo nodded, quick as a fox, pulling a scroll labeled '2B' from his belt and laying it out.
He bit his finger, smeared blood along the scroll, and with a soft puff, the storage seal released.
Out tumbled a long scroll, a White Zetsu trussed up like a rice dumpling, and a small black bottle.
Sakumo grabbed the big scroll, spread it in front of him, and unscrewed the bottle in one swift motion.
"I'm starting!"
"Go!" Kagami nodded, eyes wary, scanning for threats.
Sakumo tossed White Zetsu onto the scroll, then poured the bottle's crimson blood over it.
Tiger—Snake—Dog—Dragon.
He flashed through four hand seals, slammed his palms together, and barked:
"Impure World Reincarnation!"
The scroll blazed with light.
On the distant battlefield, the stunned soul vanished in an instant.
The Sage of Six Paths, who'd just ambushed Rinjin, felt a chill run down his spine. He whipped his gaze toward Sakumo and Kagami.
"Damn it!"
But before he could react, a monstrous aura erupted from the battlefield's edge.
Worst of all, Rinjin's main body began sprouting black tentacles at a terrifying speed.
Below, Obito watched as Rinjin's eyes turned jet black—his soul shrieking in terror.
Every cell screamed one word:
RUN!
Obito didn't hesitate. All his Truth-Seeking Balls morphed, and while Rinjin's body was still dazed, Obito landed a desperate punch, sending him flying.
The Sage of Six Paths' face twisted with wrinkles—this was bad!
He hadn't managed to snatch Rinjin's soul.
With him in play, could the "inferior breed" even be sealed?
Then, from the distant edge of the battlefield, a roar full of rage thundered out:
"Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, fuck your ancestors!"
A blue flash tore through the night and shot straight toward Tsunade in the center of the battlefield—ignoring the Sage entirely.
A split second later, the thunderous boom of colliding fists echoed.
The Impure World Reincarnated Rinjin's massive fist smashed into a monster that appeared in front of Tsunade.
The monster—without Eight Gates active—was instantly blasted away.
Two Rinjins now stood on the battlefield.
The Edo Tensei Rinjin planted himself in front of Tsunade, roaring at the tentacle-covered original:
"Get lost! Don't make me use the Spiritualization Technique!"
A hundred meters away, the tentacled beast staggered up, spreading its gaping maw at Rinjin and Tsunade, howling mindlessly.
Tsunade was frozen in shock.
Rinjin stepped back, shielding her behind him, his hawk-like gaze locked on the monster.
"What the hell is going on?! Rinjin, are you really Rinjin?"
Rinjin nodded, face grim.
"Long story short—the monster's loose! You've got the Origin in you. Whatever happens, do NOT leave my side."
He kept his voice low, then glared sharply at the beast:
"Go find your real enemy. Go devour the other seed. Get the hell away from me!"
Another guttural roar echoed.
As the standoff held, far off on the edge, Shisui caught up with his grandfather and Sakumo, who were packing scrolls.
"Grandpa, what's going on? Can you finally tell me?"
Kagami nodded, but Sakumo cut in. "Let me explain. Kagami, keep your eyes on the field."
Sakumo paused, then said, "Your Grandpa Rinjin was worried the Sage would screw him over, so he made three big plans and nine backups. Right now we're running Plan 2B. The details are complicated. All you need to know is:
Rinjin's soul is Edo Tensei, and that body is possessed by a monster.
So the Edo Tensei Rinjin? He's on our side."
"Got it!" Shisui nodded. "When do we jump in?"
"Wait," Sakumo replied. "If the Sage gets tied up, tell Rie to bring the team. Otherwise, we stay put."
"Understood!" Shisui vanished with a Body Flicker.
Back on the battlefield, the tentacle monster Rinjin was going berserk.
He looked brainless, but he wasn't stupid.
The original body was blocking his path to reclaim the Origin. If he tried to snatch it by force, he had no confidence.
If he opened Seven Gates, he'd only break even. If he went Eight Gates, Edo Tensei Rinjin would just use Flying Thunder God to escape with Tsunade.
If he used Flying Thunder God to snatch Tsunade, Edo Tensei Rinjin would counter with Flying Thunder God Mutual Instantaneous Rotation to swap places.
For the first time ever, the monster realized how annoying he was.
This skill set was absurd!
His mind raced, and his vicious, mindless gaze turned toward Uchiha Obito in the distance.
That guy looked like a soft, juicy persimmon—ripe for the picking.
Screw it, he thought. I'm going after him!
Blood-red steam erupted, space twisting around his tentacled form.
In the distant sky, Obito felt the monster's gaze and broke out in a cold sweat.
This wasn't just terror—he was sure the thing would chew him up, piece by piece.
But as Rinjin saw the red steam rise, he actually relaxed.
Nobody knew him better than himself.
Once his body opened the Gate of Death, it didn't matter if others could handle it—space itself couldn't.
But!
Opening the Gate of Death was like casting Silence on himself.
No Flying Thunder God, no jutsu outside pure taijutsu—he couldn't use any of it.
Which meant Kamui's dimension was absolutely safe.
Just as Rinjin breathed a sigh of relief, on the other side of the battlefield, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo was utterly lost.
His plan was to trick Rinjin into helping seal the Ten-Tails, then secretly seal Rinjin and the Ten-Tails—his own mother—together.
The seed had bloomed and borne fruit; he only wanted the harvest.
His mother was a withered tree, fruitless. Rinjin was an inferior breed who'd rather die than bear fruit.
He didn't want either of them!
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