Even with most of its chakra extracted, the One-Tail Jinchūriki—the Fifth Kazekage—wasn't on the verge of death. What was truly astonishing was that the One-Tail itself might die, permanently, if the majority of its chakra had already been absorbed by the Geto Statue.
Obito formed the seals, undoing the incomplete seal on the One-Tail. He quickly created a contract seal linking the tailed beast to its Jinchūriki. This time, however, survival didn't depend on the human; the One-Tail itself had to rely on Gaara just to avoid complete disappearance.
"You bastard! You used my power… I'll never forgive you!"
Shukaku's voice was sharp, tinged with a childish tone. If it had been at full size, such threats might have been intimidating—but now, shrunken to the size of Gaara's head, with violet markings, the tanuki-shaped beast stomped on Gaara's chest, all bark and no bite, domineeringly shouting at Obito.
"Sorry. We truly need your power. You won't die, and neither will the Fifth Kazekage," Obito said calmly. Shukaku froze in shock at the apology, and before it could protest, both it and its host vanished from the cave.
When Obito stepped back onto solid ground, it was no surprise to see Kakashi, a bit disheveled and gasping, along with some of their former Konoha comrades. Obito couldn't remember all their names—just a few like Might Guy, Kakashi, and the utterly incapacitated Uchiha Sasuke. Several younger shinobi also lay powerless nearby. Opposite them stood a figure cloaked entirely in shadows—no face, not even a strand of hair visible.
"Wh-what… happened? Are you… okay?"
The stammering, soft-toned question could only come from Nagato.
Obito twitched, saying, "Raikage Strike, big sis… if I hadn't dodged quickly, half my body would have been gone!"
"You're… Obito?!" gasped Might Guy. Obito turned and saw his younger self, clad in green.
"Ah, long time no see! And Kakashi, you jerk! Don't throw stuff into my space-time dimension! Cleaning's exhausting!"
A friend-like complaint. Nagato, sheathing her naginata, knew from Obito's words that the operation had concluded.
"Obito! What the hell is Akatsuki trying to do?!"
Kakashi's voice carried pain, but Obito didn't respond. When the space-time dimension reactivated, both the barely-living Fifth Kazekage and tiny Shukaku emerged. As the mini tanuki landed, its sharp voice roared.
"Bastard! What do you mean?! You think an apology spares you?!"
The scene became almost absurd. Not just because of Shukaku's piercing squeak, but because the tiny, chibi version was oddly… cute.
Still alive, Nagato thought.
"Kakashi, the Fifth Kazekage is alive. He'll recover fully after a short rest. As for what we're doing… that's none of your business."
Before Kakashi could respond, Might Guy's Leaf Hurricane attack struck, but Obito didn't even flinch, letting it pass through as he spoke calmly:
"Even if you fought, you couldn't win. Return and heal, and no one dies."
"Hey! Bastard! I'm talking to you! Don't ignore me!" Shukaku's high-pitched, bouncing shouts made Obito embarrassed.
Nagato sighed. So this is what the tailed beast looks like…? She had never seen it before.
"Remember this: I will come back to settle scores!" Shukaku's own awareness told it staying here was unwise—its current strength meant no one could defeat it. Better to retreat.
The tension lifted. Obito ignored it, putting on a serious face to impress his old comrades.
"You should give up. Tailed beasts shouldn't even exist in this world. What we're doing merely follows fate. You—"
This time, Sasuke interrupted. His Sharingan glared, a chill radiating from his Chidori. It pierced Obito, though it passed through harmlessly. Obito sighed—he finally understood why Itachi avoided Sasuke. Impulsive, arrogant, and unpredictable… frustrating.
But the tension was broken in the most ridiculous way.
Thinking it had sneaked away unnoticed, tiny Shukaku landed ungracefully in the center of everyone, drawing attention. About five meters from Gaara, its weak, shrill voice made the scene utterly bizarre.
"Wh-what…?"
Nagato sighed, realizing Obito's attempt to look cool in front of old friends had failed. She patted his shoulder for comfort, then walked toward Shukaku, ignoring Sasuke's anger or any residual grudges.
Chidori vanished. Sasuke felt immense pressure—not murderous, just complete exposure in front of this shadowed figure whose gender and features couldn't be discerned.
Snap.
Nagato bent down, grabbed Shukaku by the tail. The tanuki screamed:
"You humans dare… treat me like this?!"
Nagato was indifferent. She returned to Gaara's side, releasing the tail. Shukaku, now restored somewhat, kicked toward Nagato's face.
Pop.
A light slap, and the rotund tanuki landed precisely on Gaara.
Obito groaned, giving up on looking cool.
"Shukaku, ever heard of a contract link? You and the Fifth Kazekage are now one. If he dies, so do you—permanently. If you stray too far from him, you die. You're interdependent. Maintaining even one-twentieth of your original power is your limit. Don't cause trouble."
"Obito, what are you doing?!" Kakashi asked cautiously. Obito had long since lost patience for explaining.
"None of your business. Isn't your mission to rescue the Kazekage? He's here. Mission accomplished," Obito said, placing a hand on Nagato's shoulder, gradually disappearing. Yet he left one warning:
"Kakashi, tell Tsunade—if you don't want Konoha flattened, hand over the Nine-Tails."
When their feet touched solid ground, Nagato stumbled slightly. Coordinating combat while protecting lives and hiding identities—even she found it taxing. The cloaked figure seemed immovable, yet beneath the cloak, her face was pale, breath ragged.
"You alright?" Obito asked, helping Nagato to sit in Orochimaru's base. She shook her head slightly, took some remaining pills, and soon her complexion returned to normal aside from minor panting.
"Was… it smooth?"
"Yes. They're gone for now. Next week, we capture the Two-Tails. Kakuzu and Hidan's team will handle it. Itachi and Kisame will assist, as will Deidara." Obito said. Nagato nodded, adding, "The Three-Tails… there's no Jinchūriki. You'll handle that."
Without a host, a tailed beast with only one-twentieth of its chakra would dissipate. If fully absorbed by the Geto Statue, that would be disastrous. A proper host was essential.
Obito shrugged. "I can't. The Sealing Jutsu: Nine Phantom Dragons requires ten people. Nine people already take three days. One less… longer. Plus, I don't care about pets."
Voices of children approached from afar:
"—Eh, first Orochimaru, then Orochimaru again. Kimimaro, you're so annoying!"
"Shut up! Say one more word against Orochimaru, and I'll kill you!"
"You'd have to manage first."
The five, including Kimimaro and Mizukage's experiment Hozuki Suigetsu, entered the base and saw Nagato and Obito.
"My deepest apologies, Lady Nagato, for the intrusion," Kimimaro bowed, then withdrew respectfully, Suigetsu following suit.
Obito looked at Nagato. "Okay?"
Nagato nodded. "After… let her stay in the village."
"That child probably wants to stay with you, training all this time to help. Is that okay?"
Nagato said nothing, stood, sheathing her weapon, and walked out.
"Where are you going?"
"Rest."
After three sleepless days and a half-day of skirmishes, even a normal person would be exhausted. Nagato certainly was.
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