"Damn it, I—!"
Black Zetsu thrashed violently, struggling against the sealing array binding him.
His body was notoriously difficult to destroy. But precisely because of that abnormal constitution, sealing techniques were his greatest weakness.
He simply didn't possess the brute strength to break free.
That said—
A schemer who had survived for a thousand years would never leave Obito without a failsafe.
"Sealing Art: Binding Curse Tag!"
Black Zetsu shouted.
Obito's body suddenly stiffened.
Several black rods burst outward from inside him.
These were the contingency measures Uchiha Madara had implanted within Obito's body—control mechanisms that could seize his movements with a single thought.
And as the so-called "will of Madara," Black Zetsu naturally held authority over those curse seals.
Obito's arms trembled against his will, slowly lifting as if to tear off the sealing tags restraining Black Zetsu.
"Stop struggling, Obito," Black Zetsu sneered.
"You cannot defy Madara-sama's power."
Obito clenched his teeth, pouring every ounce of concentration into resisting. He couldn't even spare breath to reply.
Seeing this, Black Zetsu increased his control.
"Did you forget I'm still here?"
Jin's voice sounded beside him.
Black Zetsu's pupil shrank.
Too late.
"Four Symbols Seal!"
Jin's palm slammed into Black Zetsu's abdomen.
Dark sealing scripts surged outward, spreading across his body and locking down his internal energy.
"Not enough."
"Sealing Art: Crimson Red Lotus."
Jin would never trust a single layer of sealing against a creature that had plotted for millennia.
The Four Symbols Seal—an Uzumaki clan technique—was powerful, but not unprecedented. Someone like Black Zetsu might very well have studied ways to counter it.
So Jin added something new.
Crimson Red Lotus was his own creation—built upon sealing principles but fused with his fire-based chakra.
A seed of flame formed inside the target's dantian.
Rooted there.
Fed by the target's vitality.
It bloomed into a burning red lotus, draining strength, spirit, and chakra until resistance became impossible.
"Binding Formation: Reinforce!"
Jin strengthened the restraining array one final time.
Now Black Zetsu was locked down in layers.
"…Uchiha Jin. I didn't expect you to turn Obito against us."
Surprisingly, Black Zetsu had calmed down.
He understood now.
That earlier "genjutsu standoff" had merely been misdirection. Jin and Obito had spoken privately inside an illusion beyond his perception.
He just didn't know how Jin had convinced him.
"Oh?" Jin tilted his head. "You know me?"
Black Zetsu answered evenly:
"When Madara-sama was selecting his successor, he did observe you."
"But your talent was too mediocre. That is why you were not chosen."
"Later, however, you shone brilliantly in the war between Konoha and Kirigakure. Madara-sama was briefly puzzled."
"By all logic, you shouldn't have achieved what you did."
"But by then, events were already set in motion. He did not investigate further."
"Who would have thought you'd appear here and disrupt everything?"
Jin didn't deny it.
The "him" Madara had evaluated was the original body—before transmigration.
Three-tomoe Sharingan. Jōnin. Impressive by normal standards.
But to Madara?
Mediocre.
Obito, now freed from control, frowned.
"Madara's judgment must've been terrible. Jin-sensei is on par with Minato-sensei!"
"If that's 'mediocre,' what does that make me?"
Black Zetsu glanced at him.
"That's not what I meant."
"As a ninja, Uchiha Jin is indeed talented."
"But as an Uchiha—he was mediocre."
Jin spoke calmly.
"You mean I was emotionally detached."
"Exactly."
Black Zetsu nodded.
"Your parents died early. You formed no deep bonds. You walked alone."
"Without intense love, without powerful attachment, you should never have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."
He turned his gaze to Obito.
"On the other hand, this boy—"
"His emotions burn too brightly. Love practically overflows from him."
"With a slight push, someone like him will awaken Mangekyō."
"He is the true genius of the Uchiha Clan."
Jin did not refute that.
The original Jin had sealed off his heart after losing his parents.
No bonds.
No overwhelming emotional catalyst.
No path to Mangekyō.
But this Jin—
After fully accepting his identity…
After choosing to change…
Whether it was the violent mental shock, the fusion of two souls amplifying spiritual strength, or simply fate—
His Mangekyō awakened instantly.
And his emotions?
Far from cold.
They burned fiercely.
Obito snorted.
"One day I'll properly repay you and that old man Madara for your 'gifts.'"
"But for now—whatever you say is meaningless."
If given the choice, Obito would never have wanted to be chosen.
One misstep.
A lifetime of consequence.
He hadn't yet committed unforgivable sins—
But his heart was no longer the same.
The boy he once was—
Was already gone.
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