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"Who the hell are you? And why did you capture White Zetsu?"
Uchiha Obito felt a chill down his spine as Ron's gaze landed on him. His eyes were full of caution,
and he didn't dare deactivate Kamui.
The guy in front of him—he was a complete monster!
That speed, that attack power, and that insane perception ability!
How the hell could a ninja pull off something like that?!
Even the Five Kage weren't necessarily stronger than this!
If not for Kamui, he wouldn't have dared to appear in front of Ron at all.
"So, you're not concerned about Uchiha Madara anymore?" Ron chuckled.
Obito's expression shifted slightly, a bit awkward.
No matter what, even if he became completely ruthless later on, right now, he was only beginning
his descent into darkness.
His personality was still immature, and the transformation hadn't fully set in.
Madara did save his life, after all. Just asking about it so casually felt a bit ungrateful.
If this were later in the story, he wouldn't even hesitate. He'd say, "To create a world with only Rin, I,
Uchiha Obito, invite you all to die for me!"
"Sensei, you can go die first. I'll send Sensei's wife to join you shortly."
At that moment, Black Zetsu emerged, urging, "Obito! What are you hesitating for? Kill him already
and avenge Lord Madara!"
But the moment he looked up, he froze in shock.
Madara... was gone! Completely gone!!
What about his plan to revive his mother? He had been counting on that stubborn old man to pave
the way!
Now that Madara's body was gone, how was he supposed to resurrect him?
Uchiha Obito... you brain-dead fool!
Damn it! Do you not know that your Kamui has a time limit?! Instead of fighting, you're just
standing around chatting with the enemy!
Once time runs out, you won't even have the chance to escape!
Obito hesitated upon hearing this.
Of course, he wanted to fight, but he knew he wasn't a match for Ron. If he made a move, he
wouldn't be the one killing Ron—he'd be the one getting instantly obliterated.
Ron slowly stepped forward. "I know your Kamui has a time limit—five minutes, at most. You've
already used up two."
Obito's expression darkened, but Ron continued, "Do you want to see Rin again?"
With just one sentence, both Obito and Black Zetsu's expressions changed drastically.
The difference was—this time, one was terrified, while the other was shocked and ecstatic.
Black Zetsu hurriedly spoke up, "Obito! He's lying to you! Rin is dead! We agreed to create a world
where she exists!"
"In the Infinite Tsukuyomi, you will be together with a Rin who loves you—forever!"
Obito's face twisted with uncertainty.
Logically, Black Zetsu had saved his life—he wouldn't lie to him.
But looking at Ron's expression, Obito felt conflicted.
Because he was far weaker than Ron, and Ron had no reason to deceive him.
Ron glanced at Black Zetsu. "Infinite Tsukuyomi? Tell me, is it really to fulfill Obito's wish, or is it just
your way of breaking the seal on the moon and freeing a certain someone?"
"How do you—?!" Black Zetsu blurted out in shock.
But midway through his sentence, he realized—he shouldn't have said that! At least, not in front of
Obito!
It was too late.
Even half a sentence was enough for Obito to hear everything loud and clear.
Obito's eyes filled with fury as he glared at Black Zetsu. "You lied to me?!"
Ron, uninterested in their drama, interrupted, "Enough. He's lied to you plenty of times. If you want
the truth, I can tell you everything later."
"For now, just answer me—do you want to see Rin again?"
Did Obito even have a choice? No.
"I do!" He nodded without hesitation and even deactivated Kamui, standing directly in front of Ron.
Ron nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Bring Rin's body back. If it's too difficult, even part of it will do."
With Edo Tensei and White Zetsu as materials—not to mention Ron also possessing the Rinnegan
and being able to use Rinne Rebirth—it wasn't just a matter of summoning an undead Rin.
He could straight-up revive her.
Obito didn't hesitate for a second. He bolted out of the underground base, heading straight for
Konoha.
As long as he could see Rin again, he wouldn't just retrieve her corpse—if necessary, he'd destroy
Konoha itself.
As for Black Zetsu?
Who was that? A black, slimy, disgusting thing? Ew. Gross.
Damn it! Uchiha Obito! You traitor! Spineless bastard!
You've chosen your own death!!!
Black Zetsu seethed with rage as he watched Obito leave without even sparing him a glance.
Decades of scheming—ruined in an instant.
His fury was endless.
"Who the hell are you?! How do you know about the seal on the moon?!"
Ron smirked. "Not only do I know about the seal—I know exactly who's inside it."
Black Zetsu's eyes widened in terror.
Ron's grin deepened.
In the next instant, the Rinnegan emerged in his eyes.
"Do you want to save her? I can help you."
"Rinne... gan...?!"
Meanwhile, inside S.H.I.E.L.D.'s daytime training facility—
Grant Ward threw punch after punch, striking the heavy bag with such force that it swung high into
the air. Finally, with one last devastating blow, he tore straight through it.
The agents watching nearby—Brock Rumlow among them—stared in envy.
Originally, they had planned to have an ordinary HYDRA soldier test the super soldier serum...
But as soon as Grant Ward found out about it, he immediately volunteered to take the serum—no
hesitation whatsoever.
Seeing how persistent he was, "Pierce" only gave him a brief warning before agreeing.
After all, he was the one who created it. If there were any side effects, wouldn't he be the first to
know?
Within minutes of absorbing the serum, Ward wasn't just different—he was completely
transformed.
When he wasn't using his strength, he still looked normal. But the moment he exerted force, his
muscles bulged like coiled pythons covering his entire body.
Just a little effort, and his clothes were torn apart.
Seeing that Ward looked fine, Rumlow and Sitwell couldn't wait to put him through some tests.
Boom! Keep in mind—at peak human performance, the absolute strongest individuals can only generate about 10 tons of force in a single burst.
Ward? He was now several times stronger than that.
Next, they tested his regeneration. A deep 10-centimeter wound—no treatment, no medical aid—
and within minutes, the bleeding had stopped. In just over ten minutes, it had already started
scabbing over.
While it wasn't fast enough to heal instantly before their eyes, at this speed—combined with
SHIELD's specialized field medicine—unless it was a fatal wound, he could probably survive even
without immediate medical attention.
After finishing these two tests, they ran a full-body examination.
And the final results? Just as "Pierce" had said—zero side effects.
After that, Ward was free to test his newfound power however he wanted.
The sudden surge of strength made him feel like he could punch straight through a city.
(This kind of feeling only happens when someone isn't fully in control of their own strength.)
Rumlow and the others were watching with undisguised envy.
"Damn, Pierce! You got any more of that serum? Give me a dose!"
"Pierce" spread his hands. "Nope, all out."
Rumlow was impatient. "Then go get more! Ask Ronan!"
"Pierce" gave him a look. "You do realize we're partners, not subordinates, right?"
"I want one too, but Ronan already gave us a free dose. We haven't even done a single thing he
asked us for yet. So how do you expect me to ask for more?"
"Then just take him—" Rumlow started but abruptly stopped himself.
...Shit.
He'd forgotten.
They couldn't beat Ronan.
If they actually tried to kidnap him, SHIELD itself would probably be drowned.
That tsunami—dozens of meters high—just thinking about it still sent shivers down his spine.
Was that something a human could even do?
Was Ronan even human?
Among mutants, only Professor X and Magneto could even compare.
So, to sum it up—Ronan was, at best, "probably" human.
They couldn't beat him. They had no way to counter him. And if they tried to use brute force, they'd
just be digging their own graves.
"You get it now?" "Pierce" shot him a cold glance. "Think before you open your mouth next time."
Damn idiot. You really thought you could lay hands on my real body? You must have a death
wish.
Sitwell, seeing the awkward tension, quickly jumped in. "Rumlow just wants what's best for us."
Then he turned to "Pierce." "Sir, how can we get as much of the serum from Ronan Stark as
possible?"
"Or—do you think we can reverse-engineer it and make our own?"
"That's a good idea." "Pierce" nodded and shot Rumlow a glance. "See? Learn from Sitwell."
"Something like this should always be under our control."
"Sitwell, you handle it. Start by analyzing Ward's blood."
"See if we can extract and replicate the serum from his system."
"If that doesn't work, I'll find a way to get another dose from Ronan Stark for research."
Sitwell's eyes lit up. "Yes, sir!"
Seeing how excited they all were, "Pierce" smirked inwardly.
You think I'd create this serum without built-in restrictions? No way.
And you want to copy it? Even if you brought Erskine back from the dead, you still wouldn't
succeed.
"Alright, let's put this aside for now." "Pierce" spoke again.
"I just got a distress signal from Nick Fury. Ward, take a team and assist him at Xavier's School for
Gifted Youngsters—Iron Man will be there too."
"Yes, sir!" Ward saluted and left.
Sitwell hesitated for a moment. "Pierce" noticed.
"Something on your mind?"
Sitwell adjusted his glasses. "Sir, sending Ward straight to Fury... Isn't that a bit risky?"
"Pierce" patted him on the shoulder. "Fury sees Ward. What do you think he'll want?"
Sitwell nodded. "The serum."
"And what do you think he'll do?"
Sitwell pushed his glasses up again. "...He'll do everything in his power to get his hands on it."
"Pierce" smirked. "Exactly. So, we let him."
"Let Fury acquire the serum, and then we use it to enhance our own people."
Sitwell's eyes gleamed with understanding. "Got it, sir. We'll use his resources to grow our own
strength!"
"Good. Now get to work." "Pierce" patted his shoulder again, looking satisfied.
Once everyone had left, his expression turned cold.
You want more serum?
If I don't hook you like fish on a line, you really think you'll get any?
The real me should be in the ninja world by now... Who knows when he'll be back.
From what Fury and Tony reported, Stryker is behind this mess.
Trying to make Professor X kill all the mutants in one go?
With Fury sticking his nose in, that plan has almost no chance of success.
But Stryker seems to be working on Sentinel robots… That's something worth looking into.
"....."