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The Impure World Reincarnation… After the incident with Gold and Silver, Obito hadn't planned to use it a second time, and had destroyed the notes.
But this tooth piqued his curiosity once more.
He closed his eyes, dredged the technique's seal patterns from memory, and began to trace them in the dirt.
Then… he released the sole surviving White Zetsu from his Kamui dimension.
The creature laughed heartily. "Hahaha! Obito, your timing is impeccable! I almost didn't make it!"
Obito offered a thin smile and handed over the tooth. "This little thing nearly got you killed."
Crunch!
The White Zetsu popped the tooth into its mouth and ate it. It was crunchy, with a faint, unpleasant odor.
Obito stepped back outside the seal circle. His hands formed a cold, deliberate sequence of seals.
― Edo Tensei!
"AaaaAAAGGHHHHHHH—!!!" The White Zetsu's scream tore from its throat, a raw, wrenching sound of agony as dust and debris swarmed its body, engulfing it. "O-Obito… what are you doing!!!"
Obito's face was a mask of grim resolve. Madara's final words echoed in his mind.
"These White Zetsu are products of Hashirama's cells. Flawed, of course. You can treat them as disposable pawns. To be used and discarded."
"Ah…"
The Zetsu's cries were smothered by the swirling dust.
Yes. Tobi was gone. White Zetsu were nothing more than pieces on a board to him now. And this was how a pawn was meant to be used.
Obito lowered his hands. He watched the dust coalesce into a human shape, his eyes narrowing.
The man who formed was… not quite a stranger, but not an ally either.
Inoichi Yamanaka.
A flicker of disappointment crossed Obito's face.
"Tch. And here I was hoping for someone interesting. What a waste."
Behind Obito, Shikaku stood. His reaction was the polar opposite of Obito's casual dismissal—his eyes were wide with profound shock.
Inoichi… I never imagined our reunion would be like this.
Inoichi's mind churned the moment his consciousness settled into the earthen vessel. Edo Tensei. So Shikamaru… that boy really did decipher my death message. Impressive. But…
Then he saw the face before him.
Uchiha Obito.
Him?! Why him?!
And… Shikaku? What was this? Why was he standing alongside one of Konoha's greatest enemies?!
Years of partnership with Shikaku had sharpened Inoichi's mind. He connected the dots swiftly.
Madara used Naruto to destroy Konoha. Shikaku was accompanying Lady Tsunade to the Daimyo's court for her report. They were isolated. Ambushed by Obito. Given the situation… Lady Tsunade's fate is likely grim.
"Inoichi. Let me summarize the situation concisely."
Shikaku stepped forward.
"Konoha is destroyed, but not extinguished. The Hokage lives, but her whereabouts are unknown. As you can see, I currently serve Lord Uchiha Obito. This is the result of a genjutsu he placed upon me. However… I feel no sense of discord with this reality."
Inoichi's gaze shifted to the seal circle. "And this Edo Tensei?"
"Lord Obito is the caster," Shikaku stated flatly. "Your existence is bound to his will. You were my closest comrade. You understand what must be done now."
Edo Tensei bodies were inherently immune to most genjutsu, save for the likes of Kotoamatsukami. Furthermore, Obito's grasp of the technique was rudimentary; he couldn't produce the brain-altering control tags.
If Inoichi disobeyed… it would mean a true, final death.
Inoichi weighed his options. The tooth I left… my last physical remnant. If this body is destroyed, I can never return. I'm already dead, that's meaningless… but then the truth about Black Zetsu framing Sasuke would die with me. For now… I must endure this humiliation. It's the only path to revealing the truth.
His decision was made.
"I understand," Inoichi said, his voice firm. "But Obito, know this: my loyalty is to Konoha. I am not your follower. Within the bounds of not harming Konoha's interests, I will use my abilities to assist you… judiciously."
"…" Obito remained impassive. In his eyes, the Yamanaka clan's mind-reading jutsu was a pale imitation of the Rinnegan's Human Path, which could extract thoughts and souls directly. He saw little value in Inoichi.
"Lord Obito," Shikaku interjected. "Inoichi's abilities are potent. For instance… he is capable of producing the very control tags used to dominate an Edo Tensei subject's mind."
Obito's attention sharpened. "Is that true?"
Inoichi frowned, then shrugged. "It's child's play. Anyone with half a brain could manage it."
A faint, cold smile finally touched Obito's lips. "If Shikaku vouches for you, you may remain. But harbor no foolish thoughts of betrayal."
"I have enough sense for that," Inoichi replied evenly. "You can see I'm not a dullard. I won't make any… unwise moves."
"See that you don't."
Outside the cave, a gloomy sky wept a steady, cold rain.
The three emerged.
"What are your plans now?" Shikaku asked.
Obito lifted a hand, letting the raindrops patter against his palm. His gaze was dark, absorbing the dismal weather.
"Our options are limited. Track Naruto's whereabouts. Locate the main base of Sasuke's group. If your assessment is correct—if both Sasuke and Orochimaru are currently incapacitated—then this is the perfect opportunity to crush them all in one stroke."
"Still," Shikaku cautioned, "their remaining combat power is significant. Kabuto alone nearly—"
Whish! Obito's head snapped around. A single, icy glare silenced Shikaku mid-sentence.
"…My apologies. I spoke out of turn."
Obito slowly turned his gaze back to the rain.
"No… you're not wrong. Setting aside Sasuke and Orochimaru, each of them possesses at least one ability that can threaten me. In a coordinated team… they would be a genuine nuisance."
He clenched his fist, crushing the collected rainwater.
"Which is precisely why I need more pieces on the board."
A deep, unsettling grin spread across his face.
"The Sharingan can control the living. Edo Tensei commands the dead. With these two powers, dominating anyone in this world is trivial. And my Kamui… is peerless. I have spatial markers across the Five Great Nations and countless minor countries. I am everywhere and nowhere. If I wish it…"
He raised his clenched fist, water dripping between his fingers.
"…I can raise an army that would make the Akatsuki look like child's play. In no time at all!"
CRACK!
"And this time…" he whispered, his voice dropping to a manic, fervent pitch. "…they will have no will of their own. No personality. They will all be perfect puppets. Dancing solely to my strings!"
Watching Obito's descent into near-madness, a cold realization settled in Inoichi's heart.
The gods first make mad those whom they wish to destroy.
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