Chapter 422: Obito's Resurrection Plan
Sword light and wood shadows intertwined.
Sakumo's swordsmanship was steady and fierce, advancing steadily at every step; Obito's Wood Release was unpredictable and difficult to gauge. Although his space-time abilities were restricted and his activation was not as swift and free as before, they remained his most troublesome tools, used at every critical moment to evade fatal attacks or switch positions.
However, as the fight progressed, Sakumo keenly sensed something was amiss.
Once again, Obito used his intangibility to let Sakumo's blade pass through his body as if hitting a phantom.
According to the previous rhythm, Obito would usually launch a counterattack immediately after the intangibility ended, or pull away to regroup.
But this time, after the intangibility, Obito's figure vanished directly... and never reappeared.
Sakumo held his sword on guard, his sharp gaze scanning the surroundings.
Aside from the remnants of the 'Hell of Flowering Trees' stakes still slowly writhing in the distance, there was no sign of Obito.
"Did he run?"
Sakumo frowned slightly. He didn't lower his guard, but he had already reached a conclusion in his heart.
"Space-time Ninjutsu really is a hassle."
He couldn't be sure if Obito had used Kamui to flee far away or was hiding, waiting for an opportunity.
But since the opponent chose to disengage, they must have a purpose.
Sakumo didn't chase blindly. In an environment where the situation was unclear and the opponent's abilities were bizarre, rushing in recklessly might lead to a disadvantage. He sheathed his sword and decided to follow the original plan to find the other Hokage first.
Several miles away, in an area piled with countless broken weapons and armor remains, resembling a mass grave.
Uchiha Obito's figure emerged from the Kamui Dimension.
He hadn't simply fled to escape Sakumo's pursuit.
During the process of repeatedly using Kamui's intangibility to dodge attacks just now, something he had previously overlooked suddenly dawned on him.
Even after arriving in the Pure Land, his intangibility still involved entering the Kamui Dimension!
This discovery made him stop fighting instantly and retreat quickly.
The essence of 'Kamui' is connecting to an independent alternate dimension.
This dimension doesn't exist because of him; rather, the Kamui Mangekyo communicates with that world.
Reasonably, after his death, once his Soul entered the Pure Land, this dimension should have dissipated or become unreachable.
But now, not only could he still enter, it felt no different from when he was alive!
Then, did this mean... his 'Kamui Dimension' had, to some extent, become a special node connecting the 'Ninja World' and the 'Pure Land'?
Or, since both he and Naruto—who had taken his eye—possessed the ability to enter the same Kamui Dimension, did it mean the two of them had the potential to become a 'bridge' between the two worlds?
"How... interesting."
The outline of a bold, even insane plan began to rapidly take shape in his mind.
He no longer hesitated. With a thought, his body became illusory again, completely entering the 'Kamui Dimension'.
The interior of the dimension was exactly as he remembered: rows of massive cubic stone pillars and a flat ground.
But at this moment, Obito's mindset was different.
He was no longer the'savior' desperately wanting to create a dream world, nor was he a mere fugitive escaping pursuit; he was an opportunist who saw an unprecedented 'possibility'.
He looked around the empty space and even had a slightly ironic hope: "It would be much more convenient if that guy Naruto still had a Shadow Clone left here."
If Naruto really had a Clone here, then Obito would instantly have a channel to speak directly with the Ninja World's strongest Sixth Hokage.
"Bargaining chips..."
Obito whispered to himself, his mind racing.
"Naruto lost his parents at a young age and has an obsession with family that exceeds normal people. The Souls of Minato-sensei and Kushina-shimu should also be somewhere in the Pure Land right now, right?"
The outline of a 'deal' became clear: he could use his potential to be a 'bridge between two worlds' and his limited knowledge of the Pure Land as bargaining chips.
He could 'help' Naruto by allowing the Souls of Minato Namikaze and Uzumaki Kushina to return to the Ninja World through the Kamui Dimension to reunite with Naruto, making up for the regrets of his childhood.
And the price... let's set it as 'Living Corpse Reincarnation'.
He recalled Orochimaru's chilling Forbidden Jutsu.
Back when Orochimaru was still in the Akatsuki Organization, White Zetsu had used his unique infiltration and intelligence-gathering abilities to obtain quite a bit of core information about Orochimaru, which included 'Living Corpse Reincarnation'—an evil Ninjutsu that allowed one to seize another's body to achieve a form of 'immortality'.
Although he hadn't obtained it then, Obito truly didn't need Living Corpse Reincarnation at the time and hadn't let White Zetsu continue gathering related intel. He hadn't expected it would come in handy now.
"After I learn Living Corpse Reincarnation, I'll use this technique to possess a White Zetsu body."
Obito's plan became increasingly specific.
"White Zetsu himself is cultivated from the First Hokage's cells, has tenacious vitality, and has extremely high compatibility with my Wood Release and Sharingan. Then, I'll use 'Izanagi' on this new body."
This would prevent him from being killed immediately after being resurrected through Living Corpse Reincarnation.
"Since the opponent will be lying in wait, this time, I'll adjust the 'timer' of Izanagi to its maximum limit."
This was an extremely risky plan with a massive cost: possess a White Zetsu body, consume one Sharingan to activate Izanagi at its maximum limit, and bet that the curse seal could take effect while crossing the boundary between life and death to 'resurrect' himself back into the Ninja World.
Back then, Madara used Izanagi to fake his death and fool the First and Second Hokage; he, Uchiha Obito, could do it too!
As long as he succeeded, he could bypass the rules of the Pure Land and truly 'return to the human world'.
By then, possessing a White Zetsu body, Wood Release abilities, the Sharingan, knowledge of Living Corpse Reincarnation, and rich combat experience, he would still be a fearsome force capable of stirring up the Ninja World.
The Eye of the Moon Plan might no longer be feasible, but being alive offered more chances to change that broken world than being dead.
Thinking that he might return to that familiar yet strange Ninja World once more, a twisted sense of anticipation ignited in Obito's heart.
However, Obito did not know that his every move, even his 'bug-exploiting' plan, had not escaped a pair of eyes that were constantly watching the Pure Land.
In a higher, more fundamental dimension of the Pure Land, the Six Paths Sage's consciousness was like the Heavenly Dao of this place, quietly looking down at everything happening below.
He didn't care much about Uchiha Obito, this Soul that constantly flipped sides and had an active mind.
Yin-Yang Release itself can act upon the Soul. When the Six Paths Sage guided Obito, he had conveniently modified Obito's eyes. The Kamui Dimension Obito thought he was in was merely a small area partitioned off within the Pure Land by the Six Paths Sage.
No matter how hard Obito tried, he could not escape the Pure Land. Otherwise, if the Kamui Dimension could serve as a bridge between the Ninja World and the Pure Land, life and death would lose their meaning for the Hidden Leaf Village high-level officials.
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