Shinji's gaze shifted between Obito and Black Zetsu before finally settling on the latter.
Sensing Shinji's stare, Black Zetsu let out a sinister, eerie chuckle, his inky form writhing unnaturally as he scrutinized the young man before him.
This person was a massive variable.
For a thousand years, he had remained hidden in the shadows, silently observing the Uchiha Clan. Only in recent decades had he finally grasped a sliver of an opportunity to resurrect his mother, Kaguya Otsutsuki.
He had secretly altered the Uchiha's inherited stone tablet, guided Madara to awaken the Rinnegan, and then, posing as his will, monitored Obito as he advanced the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan step by step.
But now, this once-perfect scheme had encountered an unforeseen change.
Shinji, as if deliberately, always seemed to appear before them, obstructing their plans.
This was something he absolutely could not tolerate.
"If you dare attack me, this man might just die along with me."
Black Zetsu, controlling Fugaku's hand, pointed at Fugaku himself, attempting to use the clan head's life to force Shinji into hesitation.
In his view, as a member of the Uchiha Clan, Shinji could not possibly disregard the clan head's survival.
This was also the strategy he and Obito had previously agreed upon; Obito alone might not be enough to suppress Shinji.
They would first severely injure Fugaku, then have Black Zetsu take control of his body. This way, Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan could be used for their purposes.
Before his words even faded, a blazing orange-red fireball suddenly shot toward Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu's expression changed drastically, hurriedly manipulating Fugaku into a clumsy dodge.
The fireball grazed Fugaku's body and exploded violently behind him, stirring up a raging shockwave.
Shinji slowly lowered his hand; that Great Fireball Technique had been launched by him.
He certainly didn't wish for Fugaku to die like this, but if it meant putting himself in danger, he could not compromise no matter what.
"If the clan head sacrifices himself because of this, I will retrieve his body and return it to his family."
"I believe the clan head would rather die than be controlled by you. He will surely understand my intentions."
Shinji placed a hand over his heart, his face showing a mix of pity and apology.
But the three present—Yahiko, Konan, and Obito—all stared at him, dumbfounded.
If you cut this guy's heart open, it probably wouldn't be red.
Fugaku seemed to have heard these words as well. His body struggled violently, his eyes glaring fixedly at Shinji, his arms desperately lifting as if pleading for help.
Just as he was about to break free from Black Zetsu's control, cold sweat beaded on Black Zetsu's temple, and he immediately strengthened his restraint. Fugaku's raised arms then fell back down, powerless.
"This guy is definitely not normal!"
"The Uchiha Clan has truly fallen."
At that moment, the ground churned, and dozens of White Zetsu burst forth from the earth, densely surrounding them.
The lead White Zetsu grinned weirdly. "I'll join the fun too."
Shinji was instantly surrounded.
"Black Zetsu, now!"
Obito turned his head and barked the order.
"Right!"
Black Zetsu held back no longer. Controlling Fugaku's body without a shred of pity for the Uchiha clan head, he frantically channeled ocular power into his right eye.
The black flames of Amaterasu erupted forth, following his line of sight.
Obito lowered his stance, two sharp wooden spikes extending from his palms.
He waited patiently, for the moment when Shinji would be forced to release Susanoo.
If he could seize that instant of vulnerability, he might completely cripple Shinji's combat ability.
However, to Obito's surprise, this time Shinji did not release Susanoo.
Bottom Spring Fate in his left eye suddenly activated.
Thick, eerie Black Water spread from within Shinji's body and, under his control, slowly coated the surface of Susanoo.
The moment the Black Water collided with Amaterasu's black flames, it was as if two inherently opposing forces clashed violently.
The black flames sought to burn everything to ashes, while the Black Water aimed to decompose and devour all. These two incompatible forces slammed into each other, erupting in a piercing, discordant noise.
"What is this?"
Obito's pupils contracted sharply as he watched in shock. The black flames on Susanoo were actually being extinguished and dissipated bit by bit under the erosion of the Black Water.
Shinji took in this scene, a slow smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
Ever since awakening Bottom Spring Fate, he had suspected that, as another Mangekyō ocular power, his Bottom Spring Fate might just happen to be able to counter Amaterasu.
And today, this conjecture was finally confirmed.
Shinji held back no longer, suddenly increasing the output of Bottom Spring Fate.
The viscous Black Water instantly transformed into towering waves, sweeping toward Obito, Black Zetsu, and the numerous White Zetsu.
Obito and Black Zetsu flickered, nimbly evading, but the White Zetsu clones lacked such agility.
The Black Water instantly submerged all the White Zetsu, and the sharp, sizzling sound of decomposition abruptly rang out.
"Ah!"
Miserable screams echoed throughout the entire valley as the White Zetsu clones melted away one after another.
Shinji raised his hand and guided the Black Water. As if receiving a command, it instantly split into two torrents, shooting toward Obito and Black Zetsu respectively.
The Black Water was extremely fast and covered a wide area. In an instant, their front, back, left, and right were sealed off, leaving them nowhere to hide. They were directly enveloped by two spheres of water condensed from the Black Water.
Black Zetsu, seemingly inspired by the earlier events, manipulated Uchiha Fugaku to frantically activate Amaterasu.
Tendrils of black flames ignited once more, continuously canceling out with the Black Water of Bottom Spring Fate.
Obito, however, was far more composed than Black Zetsu.
With Kamui Intangibility activated, he effortlessly passed through the black water sphere, appearing unscathed to the side.
Seeing his relaxed and confident demeanor, Shinji cursed inwardly.
Space-Time Ninjutsu could sometimes be utterly unreasonable like this.
Without further hesitation, Shinji flashed forward, quickly arriving before Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato.
"Stay close to me. Don't run off."
Yahiko, carrying the severely injured Nagato on his back, looked up at Shinji and nodded expressionlessly.
The current battle had long surpassed their level. If they were accidentally injured by stray black flames or Black Water, they would have no chance of survival.
Konan bit her lip tightly, unable to hold back from asking, "Is there anything we can do to help?"
So far, the three of them owed Shinji too many favors. If he hadn't intervened and saved them multiple times, they would already be dead. But now, as Shinji fought fiercely with the masked man, she could only stand by and watch. This sense of helplessness filled her with guilt.
Shinji shook his head. "Just stay close and keep up."
With that, he said no more, turning his gaze back to the battlefield.
If Konan had those six hundred billion Explosive Tags in hand, she might have been able to lend him a hand. But the current Akatsuki Organization's resources were probably even thinner than his own.
Shinji silently complained in his heart.
Within the valley, the sky suddenly darkened.
Dark clouds gathered from nowhere, layering upon each other to blot out the sky. Deep within the clouds, the first muffled thunder rolled, and a raindrop fell—in an instant, a torrential downpour began.
Shinji pressed his palms together, his Mangekyō Sharingan operating at full power as Chakra surged wildly from him.
A semi-transparent, semi-solid spiritual skeleton rapidly grew, with shoulder armor, arm bones, and torso forming in succession. An orange, half-bodied spiritual giant slowly stood tall, its massive form shielding everyone within.
Susanoo, second stage.
Shinji controlled the spiritual giant, slowly drawing the longsword from its back.
The longsword came crashing down, its sharp blade momentum stirring up a hurricane that howled and swept through the entire valley.
Shinji looked at Obito and spoke in a low voice:
"Next, let's have a proper fight."
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