"Obito, there's been a slight complication with the plan." Zetsu emerged from the ground, his voice calm yet carrying a sense of urgency.
"What kind of complication?" Surprisingly, it wasn't Obito who spoke first, but a tall, burly man with bronze-toned skin, white hair, and a commanding presence. His voice was quick and sharp, reflecting his fiery and impatient temperament.
"Yo! Don't tell me the Rinnegan ran off! Damn it, you fools!" A rhythmic rap voice chimed in as Killer Bee, carrying seven swords on his back, approached with exaggerated gestures.
"Zetsu, what's the situation?" Obito asked, his tone steady.
"It's good news!" White Zetsu replied cheerfully.
Then came Black Zetsu's deeper explanation: "Deidara and Kisame didn't follow our expectations to capture the Four-Tails."
"This time, the ones heading out to capture the Four-Tails are Nagato and Konan."
"That is good news," Obito murmured.
Though the reason Nagato chose to act personally remained unclear, this development was far more advantageous for their plan than Deidara and Kisame being lured away.
Originally, their attack on the Village Hidden in Rain would have required facing Itachi Uchiha and numerous Rain ninja. Now, with Nagato and Konan leaving the village, and with the addition of the Four-Tails—a Kage-level combatant—the odds were heavily in their favor.
"In that case, let's move out immediately!" The Fourth Raikage, known for his impatience, charged forward without hesitation. The Cloud ninja team followed closely behind.
This operation was led personally by the Fourth Raikage and included the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki Killer Bee, the Two-Tails Jinchūriki Yugito Nii, and a thousand elite ninja.
Their goal was clear: to claim the Rinnegan at any cost.
This was typical of the Cloud Village's opportunistic and aggressive tactics—wherever there was something valuable, they would stop at nothing to seize it. The same had been true in the Land of Keys and during the Hyūga incident in Konoha.
In the Land of Grass, Nagato and Konan easily located the Four-Tails Jinchūriki. The beast was in a state of rampage, wreaking havoc without restraint.
As for the Grass ninja, they wouldn't dare interfere with a Tailed Beast.
"Nagato, something seems off about the Four-Tails' condition," Konan observed.
"Hmm!" Nagato nodded in agreement.
It wasn't unusual for a Jinchūriki to lose control and allow a Tailed Beast to rampage. However, the Four-Tails' behavior lacked any sense of purpose or reason, as if its consciousness had been stripped away entirely.
Konan was about to use her Paper Release to create a camouflaged tree as usual, but Nagato stopped her. Placing his right hand on the ground, he summoned a real tree that grew rapidly to shield them.
Then, the Animal Path of the Six Paths of Pain darted forward, stopping not far from the rampaging Four-Tails.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
The Animal Path didn't summon the other five paths but instead called forth three massive creatures: a rhinoceros, a hellhound, and a giant bird. They were nearly as large as the Four-Tails itself.
"Roar!" The mindless Four-Tails let out a furious bellow, punching the hellhound and sending it flying. It then spewed a stream of molten lava, engulfing the hellhound entirely.
"Roar!"
The Four-Tails pounded its chest with both fists, displaying its primal dominance. But the rhinoceros charged forward and knocked it to the ground.
The Sharingan?!
Nagato's Animal Path finally got a clear look at the Four-Tails' eyes—they were Mangekyō Sharingan.
Who's controlling the Four-Tails?
Nagato was momentarily stunned but quickly deduced the truth. Other than Itachi, the only person capable of controlling a Tailed Beast with Sharingan was the mysterious man claiming to be Madara Uchiha.
Itachi could be ruled out, leaving only "Madara."
But what was his purpose in controlling the Four-Tails?
"Konan, be careful. This situation is more complicated than it seems," Nagato warned. However, he didn't consider retreating. After all, he believed himself to be invincible.
Especially now, with his strengthened body, he was doubly invincible.
A god fears no challenge!
"Roar!"
The Four-Tails roared again, rising from the ground. It grabbed the rhinoceros by the head and hurled it away. Meanwhile, the hellhound, previously engulfed in lava, emerged unscathed, now sporting three heads instead of one.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground trembled under the hellhound's rapid movements, while the giant bird swooped down from above, its sharp beak aimed at the back of the Four-Tails' head.
"The Four-Tails isn't so tough after all," the Animal Path remarked.
"You're not so tough either!"
Suddenly, a loud, rough voice came from behind the Animal Path. A flash of lightning streaked through the air, and everything went black—Nagato lost all connection to the Animal Path.
"What happened, Nagato?" Konan asked, noticing his sudden change in expression.
"The Animal Path has been taken out."
"But it's fine. The other five paths are here as well. I'll go investigate."
The remaining five paths of Pain, which had been guarding Nagato, now moved toward the scene.
On the other side, Obito watched as the Fourth Raikage destroyed the Animal Path with a single punch, allowing the Cloud ninja to seal it. Obito, knowing Nagato's abilities well, wouldn't give him the chance to use the Naraka Path to revive it.
With the Animal Path defeated, the three summoned beasts disappeared. The previously rampaging Four-Tails suddenly calmed down—it had been under Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan control all along and wouldn't attack its own allies.
"Have you all memorized the Rinnegan's abilities?" Obito asked the Raikage and his team.
Since they had openly declared their intentions, Obito saw no reason to hold back. He planned to reclaim the Rinnegan himself and personally execute his plans. Zetsu supported this idea.
Of course, whether or not to sacrifice himself using the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to revive Madara Uchiha was a separate matter of strategy.
"Don't worry!" The Raikage replied confidently.
"Now that we've learned the Rinnegan's secrets, there's nothing to fear. With my speed, even the Deva Path's Almighty Push won't matter."
"I can easily kill him during the cooldown period of his ability."
"Yo! The legendary Rinnegan! A foe like no other! An exciting battle! How could Killer Bee miss this, brother! Yeah!"
Obito nodded. With such thorough preparations, there was no way Pain's Six Paths could turn the tide.
"As for his companion, leave that person to me."
With that, a swirling spatial distortion appeared, and Obito, along with the Four-Tails, vanished.
What Obito hadn't told the Raikage was that the true Rinnegan resided in Nagato's real body.
Now, Obito's priority was to locate Nagato's true body while the Six Paths of Pain were occupied with the Cloud ninja, and reclaim the Rinnegan.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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