After persuading Nagato and ensuring he had enough strength to keep Yuki Yoru occupied, Obito wasted no time. He headed straight for the Land of Grass, using Zetsu's intel to locate his next target—Shinnō, a remnant of the now-extinct Sky Ninja Village.
At this moment, Shinnō was far from the future villain who would wield the Zero-Tails and command flying fortresses. Right now, he was merely a rogue shinobi disguised as a kindly physician—wandering the nations to build goodwill while secretly stealing forbidden techniques from each village to gather strength for a future restoration and revenge.
Ever since the Sky Ninja Village had been destroyed decades ago, Shinnō had made it his life's mission to revive his homeland and destroy Konoha. In a way, he was the Murong Fu of the Shinobi World.
"Shinnō."
Space distorted.
Obito stepped out from the vortex, calmly sizing up the man before him. Once certain of his target, he fully revealed himself.
"Who are you...?"
The unusual arrival made Shinnō's expression tighten, but he quickly restored his façade of warmth and kindness.
However, the moment he saw the blood-red Sharingan behind the swirling mask, his smile froze.
That single glance dragged his mind back to the tragedy and despair of ten years prior. His face stiffened.
Am I exposed?
No... That can't be. I've been careful—very careful. Even though I've stolen secrets from multiple villages, I've never made any obvious moves. Konoha shouldn't have any intel on me...
But there was no mistaking the Sharingan.
In this era—under Uchiha Fugaku's rule—Sharingan meant Konoha.
"You... who are you, really?"
Shinnō tried to keep his face composed, quietly activating his sensory abilities.
No other chakra signatures nearby?
Just him?
Even a fully awakened three-tomoe Uchiha could be beaten, if he went all out...
"Remnant of the Sky Ninja—Shinnō."
Obito's tone was utterly cold and condescending, exposing Shinnō's deepest secret with a single breath.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just a traveling medic—die!"
Shinnō's denial came quickly, but his body moved even faster.
With a sudden motion, his hand—coated in Mystic Palm Jutsu—struck at Obito's vital chakra pathways, precise and lethal.
But Obito didn't flinch.
He stood completely still, his eyes filled with contempt.
Shinnō smirked internally.
Arrogant fool. Pay the price for underestimating me, Uchiha!
But instead of landing, his strike passed straight through Obito's body.
Then space twisted violently—and Obito's form sucked Shinnō into the void.
He had been pulled into the Kamui dimension.
That pitch-black, empty world sent a visible jolt through the so-called "old fox"—his confident mask cracking as panic rose.
The Kamui dimension was a closed space. The only way to escape it was either with Six Paths-level chakra capable of tearing it apart—or by Kamui itself.
Shinnō had survived ten years in hiding across many lands, building power and plotting revenge. He was undeniably a brilliant schemer—a true villain.
But even for such a man, there was no better way to break him than sealing him in a place of eternal darkness and solitude.
At first, Shinnō kept calm—cautiously watching for any attacks, wary of tricks.
But time passed.
There was nothing.
No ambushes, no exits.
Just an endless realm of floating cubic particles.
One day passed.
Then two.
Then a week.
By the end of the first month, Shinnō was mentally shattered.
"No... no... damn you, Uchiha... get out here!"
"I haven't obtained the power of the Zero-Tails yet... I haven't taken my revenge on Konoha... I haven't restored Sky Ninja... no..."
"Don't... please... please don't..."
He had no food. Not even a few ration pills.
The only thing keeping him alive was his own chakra reserves—but that couldn't stop the gnawing hunger, the emptiness, the hopelessness.
Day by day, his body weakened, and his mind decayed.
Eventually, Shinnō collapsed, staring up at the dim sky, his consciousness slipping into oblivion.
And the moment he lost himself—the world shattered like glass.
"Interesting."
Obito stood atop a floating platform, looking down at Shinnō's collapsed body, caught in the grip of his Genjutsu.
What had started as psychological torment to subdue the man had revealed something much more interesting.
While scanning his memories, Obito discovered some very useful things.
Shinnō's mastery of medical ninjutsu was far beyond expectations. Techniques like body activation and cellular regeneration allowed even an ordinary body to rival that of someone with Hashirama's cells.
Properly developed, these methods could be vital to Obito's future plan for Six Paths-level fusion.
And then there was the Zero-Tails.
"A pseudo-Tailed Beast that feeds on human darkness to grow endlessly..."
"Not as strong as a Bijū, but if I can recreate it, it could be useful…"
Obito's Sharingan spun slowly.
Shinnō—eyes dull—rose shakily to his feet.
Then with a twitch, the light returned to his eyes—but dulled, faded. Like a puppet given life again.
"Head to Amegakure. I'll help you reclaim the Zero-Tails ritual."
"Yes…"
...
The long-awaited peace had blanketed the Shinobi World.
But Obito soon realized—Konoha was no longer the open playground it used to be.
Every major clan had set up new barriers. Even the village gate was now protected by spatial-restricting seals, preventing space-time jutsu users from freely entering or leaving.
Even Obito was forced to abandon any stealthy methods.
Instead, he used Genjutsu on the gatekeepers and strode in through the front entrance.
After a brief exploration, he quickly grasped the new state of the village.
With the war over, life had gradually returned to normal.
Aside from the punishment of a certain old monkey, Konoha's rebuilding was proceeding steadily.
Thanks to new alliances with three allied nations, industries, infrastructure, and commerce were thriving.
Konoha residents walked the streets smiling, though many still spat curses when passing by the Sarutobi Clan compound.
Even so, their faces were calm and content.
This enraged a certain twisted youth watching from the shadows.
But then, when he saw those same smiling villagers crying alone in their dark houses at night, he grinned coldly.
"See? This is reality. This is the despairing truth of the world!"
"War, death, hatred… You smile through the pain, forcing those disgusting fake grins every day... pathetic!"
Satisfied with the hypocrisy, the hate-filled youth made a brief stop by the Uchiha Clan before finally heading—beneath the shroud of night—toward the Sarutobi Clan grounds.
Once one of the most prosperous clans in Konoha, the Sarutobi still remained in the top tier despite the fall of their former leader.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, the former Third Hokage, had been publicly tried by Uchiha Fugaku.
Though he was cleared of directly colluding with Kumogakure's traitors, he was still condemned by the people of Konoha as a scapegoat for their rage and loss.
After being stripped of his title as village elder, he relinquished his role as clan head and retreated into complete isolation.
He shut himself in his home, refusing to step outside.
For Konoha's ANBU, who were secretly observing him, and for the Sarutobi clan itself, this was a relief.
The ANBU feared a cornered Hiruzen might lash out.
The clan feared he'd bring them further disgrace.
So this self-imposed confinement was ideal—for both sides.
The night was dark. The moon veiled in clouds.
Inside the house, candlelight flickered.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat at his bedside, staring blankly at the moonlight beyond the window.
Just a few years ago, he had stood proudly in the Hokage's office, leading the village with confidence.
Now, he was a pariah—the shame of both Konoha and the Sarutobi clan.
The shift was staggering—too great to truly accept.
A breeze passed through the window, making the candle waver.
Suddenly, Hiruzen's dull gaze sharpened.
He looked up.
Before him, space rippled.
Then it twisted into a vortex.
A figure began to materialize.
A man in a spiral mask and black cloak—a presence everyone in Konoha's upper echelons would recognize immediately.
Hiruzen's pupils contracted sharply.
"You?!"
He instinctively gathered chakra but didn't strike first.
"The Sarutobi clan's barrier was recently updated. Even space-time jutsu shouldn't be able to pass through easily. How did you—"
"Foolish tricks."
Obito lifted his head slightly. The Mangekyō Sharingan gleamed beneath his mask.
Hiruzen fell silent.
He had seen this power in Fugaku—and he knew this intruder was beyond simple barriers.
"Say what you came to say," Hiruzen said bluntly.
He had nothing left.
Scorned by villagers, loathed by his clan, stripped of all authority—only his strength remained.
If this man wasn't here to kill him, then he must want something.
Obito glanced around the room, then smirked.
"How pitiful. Once the longest-reigning Hokage—builder of the greatest Hidden Village—and now you've fallen to this."
"I have no patience for idle chatter."
"Tell me, Lord Hokage," Obito said with feigned curiosity, "how does it feel to be replaced—by the very clan you hated most?"
"Anger? Bitterness? Or... maybe resignation?"
"Ah... I can see it in your eyes already."
He chuckled.
"But sadly, with Yuki Yoru behind them, no matter how much you rage or sulk, you can't change what's happened."
"You're done, Hiruzen. Your power and status stripped. Soon, it won't just be you. The Sarutobi Clan... and even Konoha itself... will fall next."
"What are you getting at?!"
"Have you forgotten who Yuki Yoru truly is?" Obito sneered.
"He's a soul devourer. The more people die, the stronger he gets. Why do you think he allied with Fugaku? Why did he stop the war between Konoha and Kumo?"
"It wasn't peace. It was bait. He's fattening you all up—for the slaughter."
"A little fear, and you all submit. A little kindness, and you praise him as a god. When he finally raises the blade... you'll probably offer your necks willingly."
"Lies and poison," Hiruzen growled. "You're just trying to use me to fight him."
"Call it lies if you like. But you know it's true. Especially about Yoru."
Obito's tone was cold.
"He was just an elite jōnin during the Third Shinobi War. Yet after one war, he rose to the level of the First Hokage."
"With that kind of growth, plus those freaks from Soul Society—what kind of future do you think this world has?"
"You..."
Hiruzen clenched his fists.
But he couldn't deny it.
He had been watching Yuki Yoru's rise for years.
A man who surpassed every shinobi in recorded history, in just a few short years.
If left unchecked—if given even more time—
A chill crept into Hiruzen's heart.