Obito and Black Zetsu truly had not expected that damned man to have discovered their presence long ago.
Not only had he discovered them—he had already locked onto their exact position.
What made it worse was the chakra now erupting from his body.
That unmistakable power of Yin-Yang Release made both of them feel an indescribable shock.
They both knew exactly what kind of power Yin-Yang Release was.
Obito had, after all, been taught by Madara and Black Zetsu. In addition, he possessed half a White Zetsu body and a Mangekyō Sharingan.
Strictly speaking, he already had the qualifications to learn Yin-Yang Release.
In the future, he would also need to control the tailed beasts.
Because of that, Obito did know a little about Yin-Yang Release. Naturally, he could sense the change in Hikaru's power.
He was genuinely stunned.
Yin-Yang Release was so difficult to learn.
Why had this man mastered it?
Black Zetsu's expression was even uglier.
At this moment, he was even more certain that this damned man almost certainly had an Ōtsutsuki standing behind him.
In a shinobi world where tailed beasts clearly existed, this man had a Nine-Tails inside him.
The jutsu he used had once manifested the phantom of an Ōtsutsuki.
And now, he had even revealed the power of Yin-Yang Release.
All of this completely confirmed Black Zetsu's suspicion.
"This damned bastard… Where did he come from? How long has she been here? What is her purpose?"
Black Zetsu instinctively treated the phantom behind Hikaru's previous jutsu as an Ōtsutsuki.
But now, he had no time to think any deeper.
Because Hikaru had already moved.
Hikaru could have gone directly after Black Zetsu and Obito, but before that, it was better to sever the Fourth Mizukage's control and teach them a lesson.
With that thought, Hikaru charged straight toward the Fourth Mizukage without the slightest hesitation.
Although Obito had been startled by Hikaru's words, he had still been paying close attention to Hikaru's movements.
The instant Hikaru moved, Obito reacted.
Under Obito's control, Yagura Karatachi used the Body Flicker Technique and nimbly avoided Hikaru's approach.
This made Hikaru raise his brows slightly.
"You still want to struggle? In that case…"
Before his words had even fully fallen, Hikaru's speed suddenly surged.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared directly in front of Yagura.
"Yin-Yang Release: Nine-Tails Rasengan!"
He raised his hand slightly.
A black sphere had already formed quietly in his palm.
During this period, Hikaru had spent no small amount of time researching techniques better suited to his current combat style.
The Rasengan was clearly one of them.
After all, this technique had originally been developed by Namikaze Minato after taking inspiration from the Tailed Beast Ball.
It was extremely suitable for Hikaru's Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
Buzz!
Obito did not hesitate either.
Seemingly aware that the enemy before him was absolutely not easy to deal with, he instantly controlled Yagura to enter tailed-beast mode.
A scarlet tailed-beast cloak immediately covered Yagura's body.
At the same time, the bones of the tailed beast faintly emerged.
Behind him, three tails swayed continuously.
He crossed his arms in front of himself, and a massive amount of chakra gathered before them.
This defensive response was already the limit of what he could do.
His reaction speed was also fast enough.
Boom!
Unfortunately, the person he was facing was Hikaru.
The Rasengan filled with Yin-Yang Release and tailed-beast power slammed viciously into Yagura's crossed arms.
A deafening explosion instantly echoed across the entire area.
The violent impact turned into powerful gales, causing the already restless lake to surge wildly.
Countless trees snapped at the waist.
An unknown number of rocks were blown away.
The ground caved in violently with Yagura at the center.
A curved gap silently appeared across the earth, and Yagura himself flew backward, smoke rising from his entire body.
If not for the tailed beast's power protecting him, he would already be dead.
That smoke was the tailed beast's chakra repairing his body.
But the speed of recovery was already unable to keep up with the damage Hikaru had caused.
If Hikaru had not deliberately controlled the eruption of his power, then even the tailed beast might not have been able to save Yagura's life.
When the smoke finally dispersed, Hikaru calmly looked at Yagura, who lay collapsed on the ground, unable to move.
He could not help feeling a little emotional.
Several years ago, when he had come here to trouble Obito, he had spent a great deal of effort dealing with Yagura.
He had only succeeded because Obito and Black Zetsu had not dared to show themselves and interfere.
But now, in an instant, the opponent he had fought for so long back then had been pinned to the ground with no ability to resist.
Hikaru walked forward slowly.
He had already locked onto Obito and Black Zetsu's traces.
As he looked at Yagura, who lay motionless on the ground, Hikaru lightly crouched down.
Yagura was not dead yet.
But if Hikaru did nothing, he probably would die.
If this had been before, Hikaru would not have cared whether Yagura lived or died.
After all, Yagura had nothing to do with him.
But now, Hikaru could not ignore it.
After all, Yagura's value and meaning while alive were very real.
If he died, Hikaru would be the one who suffered the loss.
Yang Release chakra was instantly ignited.
Pale green chakra blossomed in Hikaru's hand.
He pressed his palm against Yagura's lower abdomen, and in an instant, the man's flickering life flame stabilized.
Hikaru was already extremely skilled at this.
After all, he had once used it to save Namikaze Minato's life.
As Hikaru's strength improved, this kind of operation became increasingly effortless.
He could easily accomplish what he wanted.
"Good enough. Next is breaking the genjutsu."
After stabilizing Yagura's life flame, Hikaru's next step was to make him lose control—but not completely.
Obito still needed to continue controlling him.
Otherwise, how could Hikaru drag Black Zetsu down as well and keep them both tied to Kirigakure?
"Yin-Yang Release: Release!"
Chakra containing Hikaru's Yin-Yang Release instantly rippled through Yagura's body.
In the distance, Obito's face darkened as he sensed Yagura beginning to slip out of his control.
He had known this might happen.
But he had not expected it to happen so quickly.
He also discovered that compared to several years ago, this damned man's power had increased.
And not just a little.
This filled Obito with disbelief.
Although he was not exactly afraid—after all, he possessed an exceptionally powerful space-time ability—this overwhelming pressure still chilled his heart.
"Damn him. Who the hell is he?"
Obito cursed angrily.
But in the next instant, an arrogant and icy voice sounded behind him like a ghost.
"You will know who I am soon enough. But that depends on whether a rat like you has the chance to know."
As the words fell, a vast chakra fused with Yin-Yang Release erupted behind Obito.
…
"Elder, are we not going to take a look?"
Inside Kirigakure, Mei and Genji remained in an office within the Mizukage Building, waiting for the result.
Unlike Genji, who remained calm, Mei was visibly restless.
Facing the current situation, she simply could not maintain the same composure as Genji.
After a long while, she finally could not help asking.
Every moment spent waiting for an unknown future felt like a torment that was difficult to describe.
It was almost driving her mad.
"Calm yourself, Mei."
Genji slowly opened his eyes and looked calmly at the young Mei.
In the end, he shook his head slightly.
"I know your heart is not calm. I know you are suffering.
"But right now, all we can do is remain calm.
"This is also a lesson.
"This lesson tells us that if we are too weak, we will forever be at the mercy of others.
"I hate waiting like this as well.
"I also dislike having someone grip our weakness and being forced to place our hopes in another person's hands.
"But this is reality.
"If you lack ability, this is all you can do.
"After all, this world is cruel. It has always been cruel."
After saying this, Genji closed his eyes again.
Mei fell into thoughtful silence.
After a long time, she sighed softly.
Although she truly did not want to admit it, reality was indeed this helpless and painful.
Right now, they were fish on that mysterious man's chopping board, completely at his mercy.
And the butcher was not only that mysterious man.
The Mizukage, and even the entire Kirigakure, could also become butchers who slaughtered them.
Mei sighed quietly and forced herself to calm down.
There was truly nothing she could do now.
She could only wait in silence.
Boom!
Suddenly, a piercing roar exploded in the distance.
Immediately after came continuous tremors.
Mei and Genji immediately stood up and rushed to the window, looking toward the direction of the explosion.
Far away, a mushroom cloud slowly rose.
Although they could not see what had happened there, it was obvious that a fierce battle had broken out.
"Elder, now we…" Mei asked nervously.
"Go organize personnel. Cooperate with them and investigate the matter."
Genji stared into the distance and spoke steadily.
"Yes, I will go immediately."
Mei nodded quickly and turned to leave.
"Wait."
At that moment, Genji called her back again.
He spoke slowly, his tone meaningful.
"Do not be too fast. Slow down. Do you understand?"
"This…"
Mei froze.
After hesitating for a moment, she nodded.
"Yes, Elder Genji."
…
"You run quite fast."
Standing atop a field of ruins, Hikaru calmly looked at Obito, who stood not far away without a single injury.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"As expected of a rat in the gutter.
"Half of your power is your own. The other half was stolen.
"Your own power lets you hide in the gutter like a rat whenever you wish.
"And the stolen power strengthens your body and gives you the possibility of mastering Yin-Yang Release.
"I can sense Yin-Yang Release inside you.
"Although it is weak, it still exists.
"You really are quite interesting."
"You talk as if you can defeat me!"
Obito glared at Hikaru angrily.
At that moment, he felt as though everything about him had been seen through.
He was like a clown, stripped bare before this man.
It made him feel unbearably humiliated.
"Who are you, then? Hiding your head and covering your face—are you not also a rat in the gutter?"
"You may call me Kuroha. You may also call me Kuro."
Hikaru directly took out the nonsense identity he had prepared long ago.
He looked at Obito with disdain and smiled faintly.
"Do not compare me to someone like you.
"And tell the fellow hiding underground to come out.
"If I cannot sense such a pure fusion of Yin-Yang Release, then I am truly hopeless."
Kuroha?
Kuro?
Obito's mind rapidly searched for the meaning of these names and who their owner might be.
Unfortunately, he could not recall any information related to either name.
He suspected that this man might have made the names up.
But he also felt that someone with such strength would probably disdain doing something like that.
So where had this man come from?
What was his purpose?
What kind of effect would he have on their plans?
Before Obito could think any further, the ground suddenly shifted.
Soon, Black Zetsu emerged from beneath the earth.
This made Obito pause slightly.
Although he was already shocked that someone had discovered Black Zetsu, what shocked him even more was that Black Zetsu had actually chosen to come out.
That was something he had never expected.
But very quickly, humiliation surged in his heart.
This feeling of being pressed completely into the ground, with no power to resist, was truly awful.
"Oh? I did not expect you to be more interesting than I imagined."
Hikaru noticed Obito's unstable state, but he did not care.
His attention was focused more on Black Zetsu—and on the White Zetsu half attached to him.
"Did the master who created you not give you power?"
"No… no."
Black Zetsu's expression remained calm.
He guessed that this man had likely seen through something about him.
But Black Zetsu had lived for a thousand years.
His mind moved extremely quickly.
He immediately twisted the concept and said,
"I exist to assist him, so there was no need to give me power.
"My purpose is to revive my master."
"Is that so?"
Hikaru seemed to understand and nodded lightly.
He looked as if he had realized something.
Black Zetsu quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed he had narrowly passed this danger.
He could not reveal the truth, and he absolutely did not dare reveal it.
Otherwise, everything would be ruined.
But at that moment, Hikaru spoke again.
Black Zetsu's heart instantly turned cold.
"Then who is your master? Why did he not use a Karma?"
…
Black Zetsu naturally knew what Karma was.
It was precisely because he knew that his heart was now filled with terror.
The person before him was definitely an Ōtsutsuki subordinate.
There was no doubt.
He now truly felt that his luck had become terrible.
To encounter such a person at this stage—was this not asking for his life?
If this person exposed everything, then Black Zetsu truly would not be able to do anything.
That made him feel despair.
He also could not understand why such a person had appeared in the shinobi world.
Could this person have come from somewhere outside the shinobi world?
Black Zetsu could not figure it out.
Nor did he have time to think about it.
Especially when he sensed Obito's gaze turning toward him.
He knew he was facing another difficult trial.
Taking a deep breath, Black Zetsu looked at Hikaru with great seriousness and said,
"I believe this matter has nothing to do with you.
"And Your Excellency has repeatedly come to trouble us. That does not seem like a friendly gesture."
"Do I need to be friendly toward you?"
Hikaru smiled at Black Zetsu.
Then he suddenly asked,
"And what qualifications do you have to say such things to me?"
With that single sentence, both Black Zetsu and Obito could barely maintain their expressions.
They both knew that what this man said was essentially true.
But they were both proud people.
Now, being dismissed so completely—even looked down upon—how could they endure it?
Obito in particular was almost unable to contain his anger.
If Black Zetsu had not quietly held him back, he truly would have attacked.
"You want to attack?"
Hikaru keenly sensed Obito's thoughts.
He shook his head and looked at Black Zetsu.
"It seems your judgment in choosing people is truly difficult to describe.
"But that is your business, and I cannot be bothered to care.
"I came to you for my own purpose.
"My purpose is simple.
"I need something you can provide. That is all."
"You want something from us, and this is your attitude?"
Obito asked in a low voice, clenching his fists as he stared at Hikaru.
"What if we refuse? What can you do?"
"Then I may do something unpleasant."
Hikaru shook his head casually.
He found Obito childish to a terrifying degree.
Did this brat truly think his Kamui could not be countered?
But that was fine.
It gave Hikaru a chance to make use of the situation.
"Black one, your goal is simply to gather the Ten-Tails and summon the God Tree.
"If you anger me, do you think you will still have that chance?
"Also, you are hiding in this place like rats, controlling this village's Kage and destroying it from within.
"That proves your power is not enough to deal with a shinobi village directly.
"It also proves that you hate this village to the bone.
"But I am different.
"I have the ability to deal with an entire village.
"I also have the ability to save one.
"You hate this village to the bone, so I will save it completely.
"What can you do about it?
"The genjutsu on that Kage has already been broken.
"Not completely, but that is not difficult."
At this point, Hikaru paused slightly.
He looked at Obito, whose head had lowered slightly, and at Black Zetsu, whose expression had turned unreadable.
The smile on Hikaru's face became brighter.
He did not like using strength to pressure others.
But when facing enemies, that habit naturally disappeared.
The more miserable he could make his enemies, the more uncomfortable he could make them feel, the less psychological burden Hikaru had.
And he also intended to thoroughly disgust Obito—or rather, give him a warning.
"And you, one-eyed one.
"Do you truly think your technique cannot be dealt with?"
Hikaru folded his arms across his chest, displaying that arrogant posture to the fullest.
"Although I have not interacted with you much, I can roughly sense the principle behind your power.
"You may have learned Yin-Yang Release, but you do not understand it.
"You cannot use Yin-Yang Release to explore the essence of techniques.
"But I can.
"Your technique allows you to enter a dimensional space and project your own state outward to create confusion.
"But in essence, you have already left this space.
"You cannot attack across space.
"In other words, while avoiding my attacks, you cannot launch your own.
"And once you attack, you are in this space.
"That means you will be hit by my attack.
"I do not know how long your technique can last, but every technique has a limit.
"In the end, it is nothing more than a contest of reaction speed and attack speed.
"Tell me, am I wrong?"
After Hikaru finished speaking, he quietly looked at Obito and Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu's expression remained calm, but his heart was full of doubt.
Since when did Yin-Yang Release have this kind of ability?
However, although he thought this, he did not voice his doubts.
Who knew? Perhaps when Yin-Yang Release reached a certain level, it truly could achieve such an effect.
And this man's analysis was indeed correct.
Obito's mood was also terrible.
He had never expected his technique to be seen through.
If his own teacher had seen through it, or if his former friend Senju Hikaru had seen through it, that would be because they had fought him enough times.
But with this mysterious man before him, they had barely exchanged blows.
Yet this man had already grasped his secrets completely.
How could Obito accept that?
How could he endure it?
Beneath his mask, he clenched his teeth and silently stared at Hikaru.
After a long while, he finally sighed.
"What exactly do you want?"
…
What exactly did he want?
The fact that Obito asked this question proved one thing.
Obito had completely run out of options.
It could even be said that Hikaru had completely broken his defenses.
He could not win in a fight.
His trump card had been instantly seen through.
This suffocating humiliation was indescribable for Obito.
All he could do now was work hard to calm himself and see what this man wanted.
Black Zetsu did not speak when he saw Obito like this.
He knew exactly how uncomfortable Obito felt.
But even Black Zetsu himself felt infinitely stifled.
What could he do?
He could do nothing.
Thinking of this, Black Zetsu also felt somewhat numb.
Anyone who encountered such a powerful and unreasonable person would feel an endless headache.
Fortunately, this man did not continue talking about the Ōtsutsuki.
"What I want is very simple. You have it on you."
Hikaru knew his pressure had succeeded.
Although this fight had given him pitifully few chances to act, leaving him unable to further adapt to his new tailed-beast chakra, avoiding a real battle was not unacceptable.
After all, from that brief exchange earlier, he had already confirmed something.
Even if they truly fought, it would not hold much meaning.
The opponent before him was simply a little weak.
"What do you want?"
Black Zetsu had grown wary of Obito and directly spoke before him.
Their earlier exchange had nearly ruined the atmosphere between both sides.
Although Black Zetsu admitted that the man before them was excessive, this man had the qualifications and ability to be excessive.
What did Obito have?
Obito's strength was indeed decent, and when paired with his eye, he could display power difficult to imagine.
But against this man, Obito was clearly not enough.
"First, I want that white half of yours."
At this moment, Hikaru finally revealed his true objective.
"You have a white half containing a Yang Release power that people deeply desire.
"I know how it was created, but I am very interested in how you modified it.
"I need experimental subjects.
"And I want the best ones. Living ones."
The White Zetsu body was extremely important to Hikaru.
He was waiting for it to extract Fusion Power so he could continue fusing his chakra.
In that sense, he was indeed conducting an experiment.
That was not really deceiving Black Zetsu and Obito.
As for living White Zetsu, those were preparations for resurrecting Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama.
Hikaru knew very well what could be obtained by using White Zetsu bodies as sacrifices.
He truly looked forward to seeing the standard of those two in their prime.
"You want White Zetsu?"
Black Zetsu froze slightly after hearing Hikaru's words.
Then he silently nodded to show that he understood.
Hikaru said that he knew how White Zetsu had been created, and Black Zetsu did not doubt it.
After all, as someone connected to the Ōtsutsuki, it would probably be harder for him not to know.
For him to sense that Black Zetsu had modified White Zetsu was also not strange.
After all, Ashura's power had been injected into it.
Otherwise, Black Zetsu would not have been able to deceive Uchiha Madara back then.
"I understand. I will prepare two or three living bodies for you.
"And I will prepare ten to twenty finished bodies.
"How does that sound?"
"Only that few?"
Hikaru raised his brows, seeming dissatisfied.
"I do not believe these things are that difficult to make.
"After all, the Ten-Tails is here."
"Sorry, there truly are not many."
Black Zetsu immediately shook his head.
Clearly, he was bargaining.
"Although these things are easy to produce, making them possess this level of Yang Release power is clearly not simple, is it?"
"That is your problem."
Hikaru snorted coldly.
As someone from the future, he naturally knew how many White Zetsu would exist in the future.
Although the quality of most future White Zetsu could only be described as poor, they were all still White Zetsu mixed with Hashirama's power.
"Ten living bodies.
"One hundred unconscious finished bodies.
"Remember, there is no room for bargaining between us."
After thinking for a moment, Hikaru gave his current price.
This was not particularly many.
But he had considered his own extraction and planting efficiency.
Also, just because there were so many White Zetsu during the Fourth Shinobi World War did not mean there were that many now.
Hikaru did not know whether those White Zetsu from the Fourth War had been forcibly cultivated using the Ten-Tails' husk.
So requesting the quantity he actually needed right now was the wiser choice.
"Very well. I understand."
Hearing Hikaru's final "offer," Black Zetsu could only grit his teeth and nod.
"What else do you want?"
He had clearly heard Hikaru's earlier use of "first."
Although he had truly been irritated by Hikaru's lion-like appetite, these "specially made" White Zetsu were indeed not easy to obtain.
Now that Hikaru had taken so many, Black Zetsu almost wanted to weep.
But to survive this crisis, he had to endure.
He only hoped Hikaru would not make an even more terrifying demand.
"The second is very simple.
"To punish your agent, I have decided to increase the difficulty of what you are doing."
Hikaru smiled at Black Zetsu and slowly stated his second condition.
"You want to act against this village. Naturally, I have no objection.
"But now, I intend to let you play properly.
"For five years, you cannot move against the group opposing you.
"Give them time to develop.
"Give them time to gather strength.
"Of course, how you gather your own strength is your own business.
"After five years, you may do whatever you like."
At this point, Hikaru paused slightly.
His gaze moved from Black Zetsu to Obito.
Looking at Obito's faintly trembling body and sensing his humiliation, Hikaru's smile deepened.
"If you say the wrong thing and do the wrong thing, you naturally have to take responsibility.
"This is only a small punishment.
"You want to destroy this village. You can.
"But I want you to know one thing.
"With just one word from me, the difficulty of everything you want to do will double.
"And if I truly wish it, you will achieve nothing at all."
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