Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
On this particular day, under the drizzling rain, a lone figure walked into the abandoned town.
Inside a mountain cave, Nagato, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them wide.
"He's here!"
Not far away, Obito stood up. "What's next? Should we send the intel back first?"
Nagato got to his feet. "Let's confirm it first."
In the abandoned town, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki stopped in his tracks, tilting his head slightly upward. "Have I been discovered?"
"So, it's sensory ninjutsu. How amusing."
A spatial vortex appeared, and Obito and Nagato emerged from it.
"Sharingan and Rinnegan…"
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki observed the two calmly. "Just the two of you?"
"It seems you've obtained intel about me from Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. But I'm curious—how were you able to locate me?"
Even Kaguya shouldn't have known that he had taken residence within this host body.
However, neither Obito nor Nagato answered. Obito immediately activated his dōjutsu, attempting to use Kamui to twist off one of Isshiki's arms.
In the next instant, Isshiki vanished from their sight.
But with his Sharingan, Obito quickly noticed Isshiki, who had shrunk to a minuscule size. Without hesitation, he hurled a shuriken at him.
Yet again, Isshiki disappeared!
Escaped?
No!
Obito sensed spatial ripples behind him and immediately warned, "Behind!"
Shinra Tensei!
Nagato turned, raising his hand as an invisible repulsive force exploded outward.
Boom!
Two immense forces collided, creating a deafening roar and a terrifying shockwave that swept in all directions.
Obito and Nagato retreated quickly.
As the dust settled, Obito suddenly shouted, "Watch out!"
In the blink of an eye, a black rod pierced through Obito's body.
Nagato dodged swiftly but couldn't evade entirely—two black rods embedded themselves in his left arm.
Isshiki appeared mid-air, glancing at Obito. "A space-time ability…"
"It seems my abilities have already been exposed?"
Isshiki frowned, feeling puzzled.
Even Kaguya shouldn't have known about his specific powers.
The current situation struck him as peculiar.
"Well then, I'll capture them and figure out what's going on!"
Isshiki raised his hand, and in the next moment, countless black rods materialized.
Obito phased out of existence while Nagato, unable to dodge entirely, spread his arms wide to form a full-body repelling barrier.
Suddenly, a massive black cube descended, shattering the Shinra Tensei-created barrier.
Reacting quickly, Nagato summoned a defensive stone panda, but it was also crushed.
However, this gave him enough time to retreat from the cube's range.
Asura Path!
Nagato sprouted a third arm, which morphed into a series of rocket launchers firing consecutively.
Almost simultaneously, Obito once again activated Kamui, targeting Isshiki.
Isshiki shrank his body once more to evade Kamui.
But as the rockets exploded, flames engulfed the area. However, the blaze was quickly extinguished.
"As expected, he can absorb ninjutsu!"
"His ability is similar to Kamui…"
Obito shouted immediately, "Use that move!"
Nagato raised his hand, targeting the fading flames.
Banshō Ten'in!
Isshiki was drawn toward them, and Obito's Sharingan locked onto the miniature Isshiki once more.
However, a giant black cube appeared, blocking Nagato's gravitational pull. Isshiki moved rapidly, escaping Kamui's lock.
Returning to his original size, Isshiki glared at Obito with a slight frown.
"What an irritating ability!"
His techniques were ineffective against Obito.
And as long as Obito was present, taking down Nagato, the Rinnegan wielder, was near impossible.
"It seems I must find a way to deal with this Sharingan user first."
With this thought, Isshiki dove at Obito at high speed.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
In close combat, Obito was quickly outmatched and had to rely on phasing out again.
Nagato seized the opportunity, activating the Star Cursed Mark bestowed by Shūichi Hoshita, unleashing the full power of Shinra Tensei.
The black rods planted in the ground and the massive black cube were all blown away.
Even Isshiki's Byakugan abilities couldn't fully nullify such force, and he was sent flying.
Immediately after, Banshō Ten'in!
Isshiki was once again pulled toward them.
Obito used Kamui to target him once more.
This time, Isshiki didn't shrink. Instead, he summoned several massive black cubes.
One resisted Banshō Ten'in, while the rest were all hurled at Uchiha Obito, forcing him to abandon his attempt to use Kamui on Ōtsutsuki Isshiki. Instead, he had to phase his body to avoid being crushed into a pulp.
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's form vanished instantly.
Obito's phased body emerged slowly from within the black cubes.
Suddenly, black rods appeared on Obito's body.
Spurt!
Obito coughed up blood, stumbling as he dropped to his knees. "This guy… He deliberately made me use Kamui and then entered my Kamui dimension through space-time ninjutsu…"
Nagato's expression changed drastically. "Kamui has been countered?"
Banshō Ten'in!
Nagato immediately pulled Obito to his side.
But just as he was about to remove the black rods from Obito's body, Obito shouted, "Watch out!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A barrage of black rods appeared. Nagato dodged repeatedly, and when he could no longer evade, he used Shinra Tensei to deflect all the rods. However, the next moment, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki suddenly appeared and delivered a powerful punch, sending Nagato flying as he coughed up blood.
"What immense strength…"
Nagato couldn't control his falling body, and before he could recover, Isshiki caught up with him, delivering a series of punches that completely incapacitated him. Nagato's body fell, landing in a black sealing pot.
"This isn't good—it's a sealing artifact…"
Nagato gritted his teeth and tried to use Shinra Tensei, but before he could, several black rods pierced through his body. The pot's lid fell shut, sealing him completely.
On the other side, Obito watched Nagato get sealed in an instant. Without hesitation, he activated the Seal of Nature.
With a roar, an immense chakra burst forth. A full-body Susanoo took shape, and the black rods embedded in Obito's body snapped apart.
"Oh?"
"The power passed down through the Uchiha lineage… Looks like you're finally taking this seriously."
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki regarded the towering Susanoo with newfound seriousness. "If that's the case, then I'll get serious too."
Obito took a deep breath. Susanoo's massive hands gripped tightly as a blade extended from them, slashing toward Isshiki.
The battle resumed.
But with his unleashed power, Isshiki was faster and stronger than before.
Amid the roars of their clash, Isshiki repeatedly dodged Susanoo's attacks with ease.
"Too slow…"
Isshiki mocked with a trace of disdain, appearing behind Susanoo in an instant.
Obito turned quickly, swinging Susanoo's blade, but Isshiki shrank his body to evade. His speed exploded as he charged toward Susanoo's head, delivering a devastating punch.
Boom!
Susanoo shattered. Obito, shocked, immediately phased his body to let Isshiki pass through him.
But Obito quickly deactivated his intangibility—he dared not remain phased for too long, fearing Isshiki would exploit the opportunity.
Just as Obito reverted to his solid state, a swarm of black rods materialized.
Obito landed and dodged continuously, but in the end, he had to resort to phasing again.
Isshiki repeated his strategy—dropping black cubes from above.
Obito glanced at the descending cubes and then cast a quick look at the sealed pot in the distance. Internally, he muttered, "I leave this to you…"
Obito knew full well that he was no match for Isshiki in his current state. If the fight continued, he would only expose more weaknesses for Isshiki to exploit.
Without hesitation, he activated a space-time distortion, pulling himself into the Kamui dimension.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Black cubes crashed to the ground. In the air, Isshiki snorted coldly. "Escaped, huh?"
"It seems I'll need to change my plans…"
Deactivating his current state, Isshiki retracted all the black cubes and approached the sealing pot.
Opening the lid, Isshiki looked at Nagato and said, "You, who once served as the Jinchūriki for the Ten-Tails, are barely suitable to become my vessel."
Nagato's pupils contracted as he instantly understood Isshiki's intent—he planned to use him as a vessel for his resurrection, much like Uchiha Madara had done with Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
"This is trouble…"
Nagato's heart sank.
…
Konohagakure, Hokage's Office
The busy Namikaze Minato suddenly looked up to see Uchiha Obito appear.
"Obito?"
Minato was surprised but quickly realized something. "Have you found Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's trail?"
Uchiha Obito nodded. "Indeed, and I've already fought him. His strength is beyond imagination. Nagato has been captured by him."
"What?"
Minato shot to his feet, ready to head straight to Shūichi, but stopped mid-step. "Hayate, summon Shūichi here immediately."
Minato frowned. Just days ago, they had confirmed that Konan was pregnant. Hearing that Nagato had been captured now didn't bode well.
Moments later, Shūichi arrived at the Hokage's office. Upon seeing Uchiha Obito, he was momentarily stunned. Hayate hadn't mentioned Obito's presence.
"Obito... Seems like there's trouble?"
Shūichi already had a hunch.
Obito nodded. "Nagato has been captured by Ōtsutsuki Isshiki."
Shūichi raised an eyebrow.
He had to admit, Obito was efficient—finding Isshiki so quickly.
Shūichi scratched his head slightly. "This is indeed troublesome…"
His brows furrowed.
Minato's expression darkened. "Shūichi, is there no way to eliminate Ōtsutsuki Isshiki?"
Shūichi shook his head. "That guy is far more difficult to deal with than Kaguya Ōtsutsuki."
Obito added, "He has the ability to shrink all matter and a variety of ninjutsu, storing them in a space similar to my Kamui dimension, only to enlarge and release them later."
"Techniques like Shinra Tensei might be the only thing effective against him."
"Physical attacks might work, but only taijutsu seems viable."
Shūichi shook his head again. "That's not the issue. The real problem is... Ōtsutsuki Isshiki is searching for someone who can bear his power."
"Now that we've discovered him, he'll be forced to lower his requirements."
Minato's expression changed. "Shūichi, are you saying Nagato…"
Shūichi nodded. "Nagato carries the bloodline of the Sage of Six Paths, which means he has Ōtsutsuki blood. Add to that his experience as a Jinchūriki for the Ten-Tails, his body has already undergone transformation, and he possesses the Rinnegan."
"While not the most ideal candidate, for Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, Nagato is highly suitable right now."
"Especially since he knows my strength is considerable."
"Of course, Isshiki's power surpasses even Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's. Nagato likely cannot fully withstand it either."
Minato quickly understood. "If that's the case, we need to act immediately and gather our forces. We can't give Isshiki any more time."
Shūichi interjected, "We don't need too many people."
"Just bring Shisui along."
"Conventional ninjutsu, even senjutsu, won't be of much use against him."
Minato nodded but reminded him, "Be extremely careful."
"If you find yourself at a disadvantage, retreat for now and regroup."
Shūichi smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, Sensei. I'm not alone anymore."
With Pakura and Tenka about to give birth soon, Konan pregnant, and even Asuka working diligently to bear fruit, Shūichi felt confident.
---
Forest of Death
Uchiha Shisui, who was training with Uchiha Itachi, suddenly halted.
"Brother Shisui?" Itachi asked curiously.
Shisui offered an apologetic smile. "Looks like I won't be able to continue training you for now. An urgent mission just came up. We'll continue when I return."
Itachi was startled.
An urgent mission that required someone like Shisui? It must be extremely significant.
However, his mature mindset prevented him from prying into the mission details. Instead, he nodded. "Then you'd better go, Brother Shisui. There are others in the Root who can train me in the meantime!"
Shisui patted Itachi's head before vanishing.
Left alone, Itachi couldn't help but wonder, What kind of mission could be this urgent and critical?
---
Hokage's Office
Once Shisui arrived, Obito immediately activated Kamui, transporting himself, Shūichi, and Shisui into the Kamui dimension.
Shūichi, unable to sense Nagato's presence, had no choice but to rely on Obito's marked location from the previous battle.
Exiting the Kamui dimension, they arrived at the abandoned town where the earlier battle had taken place.
"Shūichi, can you directly enter that alternate dimension?" Obito asked.
"My Kamui can only resonate with it when he opens his dimension," Obito explained further.
Shūichi sensed the surroundings for a moment and nodded. "No problem."
(End of Chapter)