Chapter 219: Successful Capture of the Seven-Tails

After waiting for a while, Black Zetsu noticed Obito’s fingers moving slightly.

Obito finally woke up. He had been severely injured, and as soon as he regained consciousness, he heard some bad news.

He almost died out of sheer rage, so Black Zetsu decided not to provoke him further. If they kept pushing, Madara's successor might be lost.

“Water!”

Obito's first words were a cry for water.

Black Zetsu quickly approached and helped Obito recover some strength.

Obito hadn’t eaten anything in days, surviving only thanks to the cells of Hashirama.

Of course, another reason for his survival was that Tobi had been helping him regain his strength.

The details of the process didn’t matter; as long as Obito was alive, that was all that mattered.

Obito took a deep breath and felt much clearer in his mind.

Remembering his earlier conversation with Black Zetsu, a surge of anger almost overwhelmed him.

However, due to the hole in his heart, his blood couldn’t flow properly for a moment.

This sudden reaction startled Black Zetsu, who didn’t expect Obito to be so extreme.

But seeing Obito calm down, Black Zetsu relaxed.

This guy may be crazy, but he still had some sense.

As long as he didn't do anything irrational, they’d be fine.

“Black Zetsu, we’re heading back to Amegakure!”

At that moment, the previously silent Obito suddenly spoke, his eyes filled with killing intent. He planned to use Nagato to get rid of Uchiha Raijin and Kakashi.

Kakashi had become a slave to Uchiha Raijin, fooled for far too long.

Without seeing through Raijin’s true nature, Kakashi had even attacked him.

Now, Obito had no intention of holding back.

Even if the Uchiha clan were hiding at the ends of the earth, Obito would drag them out.

It was something he had to do!

“Return to Amegakure? Yes, that’s the only option we have right now.”

Black Zetsu was momentarily stunned, but then realized they were on the same page.

For the first time, Black Zetsu felt that Obito had started thinking clearly.

“By the way, Obito, here’s a Sharingan with three tomoe. Use it.”

At that moment, Black Zetsu handed Obito a Sharingan.

Obito only had one eye now, and Black Zetsu knew that Obito could use Izanagi, which would give him another life-saving technique.

Without Kamui, Obito’s power had diminished, so ensuring his safety was a top priority.

As for where the Sharingan came from...

The Uchiha clan's opposition to Konoha wasn't without reason.

Some Uchiha children who left the village hadn’t only fallen into Danzo’s hands. A few had ended up with Black Zetsu and Obito, and their Sharingan were the spoils of war.

“Hmph! I’ll make Kakashi pay for this one day.”

Without hesitation, Obito took the Sharingan and inserted it into his eye socket.

Thanks to the regenerative properties of Hashirama’s cells, even though Obito wasn't in peak condition, the Sharingan immediately fused with his nerves, allowing him to use it.

Still, Obito was somewhat resentful. This Sharingan was just a three-tomoe, nowhere near as good as his Mangekyo.

If he had known, he wouldn't have given his original eye to Kakashi. That idiot…

Obito calmed his breathing, trying not to get too angry.

“Let’s go! The White Zetsu that Uchiha Raijin sent to infiltrate us has been dealt with.”

“But I wonder if Amegakure has been compromised.”

Black Zetsu sounded worried.

“Uchiha Raijin doesn’t know our base is in Amegakure. He couldn’t possibly know what’s going on there.”

Obito spoke confidently.

He wasn’t stupid enough to reveal his secrets to just anyone. Uchiha Raijin had no idea that Amegakure was their hideout.

“This isn’t right, the White Zetsu by Uchiha Raijin’s side…”

Black Zetsu suddenly looked at Obito.

The two exchanged glances!

They had almost forgotten about that White Zetsu.

That White Zetsu had been with them for a long time and knew their basic information. Now that it was with Uchiha Raijin, what secrets did they have left?

Black Zetsu immediately dived into the ground and rushed toward Amegakure.

Obito didn’t hesitate either and ran toward Amegakure, praying in his heart.

At the very least, he hoped his last chance wasn’t ruined.

The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

When Obito arrived at Amegakure, he found the tower completely empty.

Only a few individuals assigned by Nagato remained, barely keeping the village running.

As for Amegakure’s financial struggles, they were no issue for Nagato. Every year, he used Hanzo’s name to demand money from the daimyos. Even with Kakuzu’s help earlier, they never ran short of funds, keeping a large portion in the underground black market.

To prevent Obito and Black Zetsu from causing trouble, they were only given a set amount each year, just enough to keep Amegakure functioning and prevent its collapse.

Nagato believed that once they completed their training, Amegakure would have a bright future.

Of course, Nagato didn’t think what Raijin had said was true.

But, with Konan’s life on the line, he had no choice but to trust Raijin.

When Black Zetsu and Obito reached the tower and saw their empty base, Black Zetsu was in a bad mood. After all, he had spent a thousand years sneaking into other people’s homes, but he hadn’t expected that one day, someone would sneak into his.

And it was one of Hagoromo’s descendants, no less.

It confirmed Black Zetsu's belief: Hagoromo’s bloodline was evil.

That guy was the source of all this trouble.

“Uchiha Raijin, Kakashi Hatake, Nagato—you all deserve to die!”

“I’ll kill you! I’ll rip you apart, slice you, chop you into pieces!”

Before Black Zetsu could speak, Obito’s eyes were already bloodshot with rage. He could only vent his anger on the empty cave, shouting in frustration.

Countless curses spewed from his mouth, but even that couldn’t calm the burning fury in his heart.

He couldn’t believe Uchiha Raijin had done something so despicable.

That guy wasn’t even human!

What Uchiha would do something like this?

Where was his Uchiha pride?

“Obito, calm down. There’s still a chance!”

Black Zetsu spoke up, trying to soothe Obito. They weren’t at a dead end yet.

There was still one glimmer of hope.

“Black Zetsu?”

Obito was stunned for a moment, unsure of what kind of turning point Black Zetsu was referring to. But as he saw Black Zetsu heading into a dark cave, Obito suddenly realized something and quickly followed.

The two of them walked silently through the dark tunnel, neither saying a word. Eventually, they saw a faint light ahead, rekindling their sense of hope. As they emerged from the tunnel, a huge, menacing statue appeared before them. Instantly, both Black Zetsu and Obito's eyes lit up.

"Hahaha! Uchiha Raijin, no matter how much you planned, you never expected this—you didn't even take the Gedo Statue with you," Obito laughed maniacally, as if losing his mind. "You only took Nagato and left the Gedo Statue behind. What a fool!"

Seeing the Gedo Statue, Obito's previously anxious heart calmed down. He wasn’t as agitated as before and regained a sense of peace. If Uchiha Raijin had taken the Gedo Statue, their hope would have been entirely shattered, and they would have had no choice but to rely on information about Raijin’s movements. But with the statue still here, Obito could think clearly again. This was his one remaining trump card.

The Gedo Statue was the key, not Nagato. As long as they could awaken it, Obito believed he would gain power far beyond the Sage of the Six Paths. At that point, even Uchiha Raijin would be nothing more than a small obstacle.

"Let's move the Gedo Statue," Black Zetsu quickly suggested. "The Akatsuki members we originally recruited have all been taken by Uchiha Raijin. We need to find some new people and let the statue absorb the power of a few tailed beasts."

"Yes, yes! It's no longer safe here," Obito agreed. "As for finding people capable of sealing the tailed beasts, let White Zetsu search the ninja world for suitable candidates. There are plenty of rogue ninjas—there must be some capable of this level of work. For now... we’ll have to lie low."

A trace of hesitation flashed in Obito's eyes, but he had no other choice. They needed to go into hiding. The Gedo Statue was the foundation of everything. As long as they had the statue, there was still hope to turn things around.

Obito began controlling the Gedo Statue, moving it. Madara had taught him how to control the statue long ago, so even without the Rinnegan, it was a simple task.

"..." Black Zetsu watched Obito’s actions, a hint of resignation in his eyes. Obito had been beaten down so much that he no longer had the courage to face Uchiha Raijin head-on. The only option left was to resurrect Madara. They would need to use the Edo Tensei. Black Zetsu thought it was time for Obito to learn this technique. Once Madara was truly resurrected, Uchiha Raijin would be easily dealt with.

---

"Was capturing the Seven-Tails really this easy?" Raijin looked at the defeated group around him with some confusion. Was the defense of Takigakure and Kumogakure really so weak?

"Kaidou doesn’t care much about tailed beasts, so he probably underestimated their importance," Kakashi replied lazily, glancing at the little girl standing beside Raijin. "It worked out perfectly for us, completing the mission without much effort."

Seeing the young girl, Kakashi felt that Raijin opening a school had been a wise decision. Without it, what would they do with all these children? They would be impossible to manage.

"Next are the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails. Orochimaru said he could take care of the Two-Tails and would capture the One-Tail as well. Let's check in on the situation in Konoha—I'm curious whether Hiruzen Sarutobi is still alive," Raijin said with a nod, placing his hand on Fu’s head. The little girl had been quite obedient. Despite receiving similar treatment to Naruto in Takigakure, her abilities were far superior. She was almost a perfect jinchuriki, able to communicate and work in harmony with the Seven-Tails, a rare feat among jinchuriki. So far, only Kumogakure had produced jinchuriki of this caliber. It seemed that letting them endure hardships helped forge a strong character.

"You go ahead. I plan to check out the Land of Water next," Kakashi said. "There are still two tailed beasts there—Three-Tails and Six-Tails. I’ll try my luck."

"The Land of Water has been isolated for a long time. There's no need to make a move there just yet," Raijin replied, stopping Kakashi. "They still have internal conflicts. It’s not the right time to strike. We’ve been in the ninja world long enough—no need to waste time on the Land of Water."

---

"Attack Konoha!"

"Charge!"

From all sides of Konoha came the sounds of furious battle cries. Konoha’s last line of defense had only 3,000 troops remaining. This was the village’s final stand. If this defense was breached, Konoha would fall.

In the Hokage’s office, Hiruzen Sarutobi’s face was deathly pale. His wounds had not yet healed when he was forced to leave the hospital after receiving urgent news from the front lines: Jiraiya’s team had been defeated by the Raikage, despite the assistance of two Hokage advisors. Even so, they had lost. Hiruzen was aware of Kaidou’s presence and knew that Tsunade had confronted him. He never imagined that Tsunade now possessed such immense power, though he suspected it had something to do with the Uchiha clan. However, there was no time to investigate further. Right now, he needed to figure out how to protect Konoha.

"Where is that damn Danzo?" Hiruzen asked darkly. "He only managed to summon the First and Second Hokage with Edo Tensei? Why not summon the Fourth or Sakumo Hatake as well? Couldn’t he even summon a whole army of the undead? The Senju and Uchiha clans had powerful members. Even the Third Raikage from Kumogakure could be summoned. We must do whatever it takes to stop these invaders, even if we have to resort to extreme measures. But Danzo has made a mess of things, and he can’t even hold out for a single day."