From high above the battlefield, Hyuga Gakuya floated leisurely in the air, watching the fight below with great interest. Beside him, Namikaze Minato looked grim.
Thanks to the intel Gakuya had provided, Konoha's forces were holding their own against Obito. Under Shikaku's tactical guidance, they had nearly landed several decisive blows.
Suddenly, an opportunity arose. Shikaku's Shadow Imitation Technique extended through the hole left by Kakashi's Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu, linking to Obito's shadow.
"Shadow Imitation Technique—success."
Yamanaka Inoichi, the veteran of countless operations with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, acted without needing a cue.
"Mind Body Switch Technique!"
Obito's body stiffened. The half-formed Susano'o protecting him dissolved in an instant.
"Attack now! Don't worry about me!" Obito shouted, though his body remained under control.
Without hesitation, Kakashi surged forward, driving a short blade into Obito's chest.
Squelch. Blood sprayed as a gaping wound opened.
"Ugh—" Inoichi's consciousness snapped back to his own body, blood spurting from his mouth due to the backlash of his jutsu.
Obito clutched at his bleeding chest and leapt back.
"Kakashi… you're still just as ruthless with your comrades. But I'll let you in on a little secret."
He raised a trembling hand and pointed at Kakashi.
"Everyone thinks I learned about Kushina's location during childbirth through a deal with Hiruzen Sarutobi... but that's not it. You're the one who told me—yourself."
Everyone froze in shock.
Obito didn't let up. "Don't believe me? Let me jog your memory. Right in front of my grave, you said it yourself… remember?"
"You were my accomplice, Kakashi. I spared you so you could suffer in this world with me."
Kakashi's eyes widened as fragments of a distant memory surfaced—words murmured in guilt at Obito's gravestone.
The short blade slipped from his hand.
"Heh… good. Atone for your sins during what's left of your life…" With that, Obito activated Kamui and disappeared from the battlefield.
"What a show," Gakuya said from above. "Minato-senpai, we should get going too. Keep tracking Obito."
Though he hadn't heard their full exchange, Minato felt a wave of sorrow. "Understood."
...
Inside the Kamui dimension, Obito finished patching up his wounds. He stood before the crystal coffin, gazing quietly at the girl sleeping within.
"Rin… wait for me. I'll build a world of true peace. Then we can be together again." He pressed a hand to the glass, as if trying to reach her.
Memories of Rin washed over him, moments full of warmth and light.
"I've never stopped… for the sake of peace. For the world we dreamed of, Rin. That's my promise to you. My life's goal."
Taking a deep breath, Obito turned and exited the Kamui space.
But the moment he reappeared in the real world—Minato and Gakuya were already waiting. Minato had marked Obito with Flying Thunder God earlier and used it to teleport instantly.
Gakuya's long-prepared attack landed the instant Obito emerged.
Mangekyō ability: Toki no Kage – Lock.
Time froze inside the cave. Everything—every particle of dust, every ripple of air—stopped moving.
Except Obito's consciousness.
He couldn't move a muscle, but his mind kept racing.
Gakuya stepped forward and reached for the Sharingan beneath Obito's mask. A complete Sharingan was the key to Obito's full power—snatch just one, and he'd be neutered.
But Obito had predicted this. Just before the time-freezing jutsu hit, he activated Kamui.
Gakuya's hand passed harmlessly through him. Their bodies phased through each other, and they landed back to back.
Seeing no further use in wasting chakra, Gakuya released the time lock.
"You're betraying me? Don't you want the fruit of the God Tree?" Obito's voice was cold and lethal.
"Heh. Even if I kill you, the plan can move forward. I'll be the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki. I'll plant the God Tree. I don't need you anymore."
Gakuya flexed his fingers, buying time. He just needed one more minute for Toki no Kage's cooldown.
Obito had used a lot of Kamui time during the earlier battle. He should be close to his limit.
"You're not going to have a heart-to-heart with your old sensei?" Gakuya taunted.
Obito ignored Minato.
"You found me using the Flying Thunder God mark Minato-sensei left on me, right? Black Zetsu told you. He chose you as the new executor of the Eye of the Moon Plan."
After all, only Black Zetsu knew Obito's true identity—aside from a few White Zetsu under his control.
"It all makes sense now. You leaked my intel, got Nagato to drive me out of the Akatsuki, and kept the Eye of the Moon Plan for yourself, right?"
"That's right," Gakuya said coldly. "Killing you only makes it easier."
"You know, we're practically enemies. Thirteen years ago, you unleashed the Nine-Tails. My family died because of you."
There was murder in Gakuya's voice. He'd wanted to kill Obito since their first encounter—but the timing had to be right.
Obito didn't flinch. "Don't worry. You'll all be reunited in the world of Infinite Tsukuyomi."
"And here's a little secret of my own: Black Zetsu might not be Madara's will at all. He knows things even Madara didn't."
Minato stayed silent, absorbing every word. He didn't rage at seeing his former student condemned. Instead, he sought to understand the truth.
Gakuya dropped all pretense.
"Of course I know. He's not Madara's will. I also know the Eye of the Moon Plan is fake. So is Infinite Tsukuyomi. Everything you worked for? Just a smokescreen. All for my benefit."
His Mangekyō flared.
Toki no Kage – Lock.
This time, Gakuya poured even more chakra into the technique.
He blinked before Obito—too fast to react, and this time Obito had no chakra left to trigger Kamui.
Squelch.
Gakuya's hand plunged into Obito's eye socket. Blood gushed as his hand gripped the Sharingan.
He activated the seal planted in Obito's body—Obito's heart shattered with a sickening crunch.
Emotionless, Gakuya twisted Obito's neck.
Snap.
He withdrew his hand as Obito's body crumpled to the ground.
Minato stood over the corpse, torn inside. Obito deserved death. But… if only he'd saved Rin… maybe none of this would've happened.
Yet even more terrifying than Obito was the man before him—Hyuga Gakuya. A manipulator who had orchestrated even Obito's downfall.
Hopefully… his ambition really was for the sake of the shinobi world.
Gakuya shook the blood from his hand and collected both the Sharingan and Obito's body.
Obito may have died, but his image would live on. The world still believed he was alive. When the time came, Gakuya could always reanimate him with Edo Tensei—to take the blame again.
But now, Gakuya would need a new executor for the Eye of the Moon Plan—someone ambitious, strong… and controllable.
"Later," he muttered, snapping his fingers.
A white coffin rose from the ground.
"Minato-senpai, hop in. Our deal is done."
Minato stepped inside. The lid sealed. With that, Gakuya's work here was finished.
He retrieved the Sharingan and winced—his eyes throbbed from the overuse of his jutsu. Even with the dozens of Sharingan he'd integrated, there was still strain.
But no matter.
More eyes were on the way.
And Black Zetsu and Kabuto should have finished their part of the plan by now.
...
Back in Otogakure, Kabuto and Black Zetsu had made all the necessary preparations. A wall lined with Sharingan awaited Gakuya's arrival.
Without hesitation, Gakuya activated the Bloodline Seizure. Black flesh exploded from his body, crashing through the glass and devouring every last Sharingan.
His vision burned with pain—but his chakra surged. He had finally reached the threshold of the Mangekyō's limit.
"Prep the surgery. I'm going to integrate Obito's Sharingan."
"Yes, Lord Gakuya."
Kabuto, having studied Uchiha records extensively, found this procedure easy.
Three hours later, the operation was a success. But using Obito's eyes without being blood kin caused fierce rejection—Gakuya's vision felt like it was on fire.
"No wonder only family eyes can create the Eternal Mangekyō… this rejection is insane. Normal people would go blind."
Bandaged and pale, Gakuya sat up from the table. The pain made everything clear now—why the Eternal Mangekyō required a blood relative's eye.
Kabuto handed him a vial. "A custom formula to reduce rejection and accelerate fusion."
"No need," Gakuya muttered.
Instead, he poured his own chakra into Obito's eyes, dominating and fusing them through sheer force of will.
Moments later, he tore off the bandages.
His eyes—Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. Crimson. Radiant. And the tomoe pattern was far more intricate than before.
"Incredible… he fused them through willpower alone!" Black Zetsu whispered from the shadows.
"Hyuga Gakuya…" White Zetsu murmured. "He's nearing Sage of Six Paths level. Can we still control him?"
Black Zetsu didn't waver. "As long as he craves more power, he's still our puppet."
Gakuya's chakra surged. His vision cleared, restored to full strength—no, beyond. His old reserves returned in full.
But to go further, to awaken the Rinnegan, he needed chakra from Ashura and Indra—the ones reincarnated in Naruto and Sasuke.
Sure, he'd absorbed some of their chakra in the past… but guiding the two powers to merge would take time. Even Uchiha Madara took twenty years.
And Gakuya estimated he'd need twice as long.
"So why not just eat Kaguya Ōtsutsuki?"
With that thought, he began experimenting with Kamui.
He opened his Eternal Mangekyō and used Kamui on the medicine bottle—warping it into the pocket dimension.
Then he followed it in.
The Kamui dimension remained unchanged—because these were still Obito's eyes, and they shared the same space.
Originally, Gakuya had planned to revive Obito later—let him enjoy some time in the Pure Land with Rin. But on second thought, it was better to Edo Tensei him now.
If someone else revived him, they'd have a weapon capable of countering Gakuya's own powers.
Landing in the dimension, Gakuya spotted the crystal coffin in the distance.
One jump brought him to Rin's side.
"So this is Rin…" he murmured, watching the subtle rise and fall of her chest. "Her soul's already returned to the Pure Land. The Hashirama cells are keeping the body alive."
"Keep her. Might be useful for threatening Obito later," he thought coldly.
With that, he left Kamui's space.
The technique was ridiculously convenient—even if Konoha had figured out its weaknesses, it still made for an ideal escape and transport jutsu.
Outside, Kabuto was waiting.
"Congratulations, Lord Gakuya, on evolving your Mangekyō."
Recruiting Kabuto had been one of Gakuya's smartest moves. A skilled, all-purpose subordinate who could also deliver praise on cue—perfection.
"Gladly. Prepare a White Zetsu for me. I can't leave Obito in the Pure Land—he's connected to my Kamui space. I won't risk letting someone else get a hold of him," said Hyuga Gakuya.
He couldn't guarantee that Black Zetsu didn't have some of Obito's cells. On the surface, he and Black Zetsu seemed to be cooperating well, but in truth, it was just mutual exploitation.
And who knew when that fragile alliance would fall apart? Gakuya couldn't afford to let that kind of weakness fall into someone else's hands.
...
"Is it over?" Obito kept his eyes shut. He never imagined things would end like this. From beginning to end, the Eye of the Moon Plan had been nothing but a lie.
Just then, a soft voice called out, laced with a playful tone:
"Still refusing to open your eyes and look at me? I've been waiting for you a long time."
That familiar voice made Obito's eyes fly open.
"Rin!"
There she was—the girl he'd longed for day and night. His heart skipped a beat. But after everything he'd done... could she ever truly forgive him?
"Sorry I kept you waiting."
Rin reached out and gently took his hand.
"You've been down a twisted path, haven't you? Will you tell me about it?"
"...Yeah..." Obito nodded, guilt flickering in his eyes.
Just then, a bright light shone down on him.
"The Edo Tensei... it's that guy... damn it," Obito muttered.
"Sorry, Rin... I might have to—"
Rin smiled, cutting him off.
"It's okay. I'll always be waiting for you. That's my promise."
"...Rin..."
In that moment, Obito felt like the biggest fool in the world. The one person he wanted to see had been waiting for him all along.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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