"Cough, stop listening. Just focus on the mission." The captain of the Anbu's Team Two coughed lightly and reminded them in a hushed voice.
This was someone else's family matter, and no matter how much they eavesdropped, it wouldn't do any good. Besides, they had to maintain confidentiality.
The atmosphere in the Hyuga Clan's compound had a freezing point. Even Neji, who had heard the news, wasn't willing to approach directly. He is now staying on the outskirts, waiting for the tension to die down before making his move.
Meanwhile, Konan was trailing the two from a distance, careful not to be detected.
After a long journey, Naruto seized every opportunity to hurl sarcastic remarks at Obito, which ironically made Obito lower his guard.
Even though Obito and Naruto was extremely fast, it was already afternoon of the second day by the time they reached the border of the Land of Fire.
The sky was dyed crimson by the sunset, stretching endlessly like a sea of blood. The vast pine forests swayed like waves under the cool breeze.
Then, Naruto turned to Obito.
"Right here?"
"Yeah." Obito responded, "I hope you'll keep your promise."
"What promise?" Naruto suddenly asked back.
Obito: "…"
"Resurrection is a complicated process. To put it simply, I am responsible for the extradition of souls." Naruto then pointed at Obito, "And you are responsible for resurrecting the extradited souls and returning them to flesh and blood."
"In short, you'll expend your lifespan to perform the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique, using your life to extend Nohara Rin's."
Now Obito understood that Naruto wanted him dead. He didn't know whether it was truly a life-for-life exchange, but the resentment in Naruto's tone was practically overflowing.
"You want me dead, so you set this up?" Obito asked coldly.
"Do I need to set anything up?" Naruto looked at him with a sneer on his face. "You can choose not to go through with it. Or try resurrecting Nohara Rin yourself."
"I already told you that if you use this method, you will definitely die."
"So you deliberately left this as the only option, forcing me to die willingly?" Obito questioned.
"That depends on whether your constant talk about Nohara Rin is genuine or just a way to satisfy your own selfish desires."
Naruto shot him a glance and said bluntly.
"There's no point pretending now. Without Nohara Rin, you'd have almost no weaknesses left. Stop acting like some victim, face the reality."
"You're not some savior. You're not doing this for Nohara Rin. You're just a f***ing twisted monster."
Obito's eyes turned cold, but he didn't say anything. He just assumed Naruto was just trying to provoke him, and besides, he knew how filthy this guy's mouth was, so he didn't bother engaging further.
"Shut up." Obito glared at him, "What's the point of saying all this now? Hurry up and start. Dragging it out benefits neither of us."
"Heh." Naruto didn't bother arguing.
This wasn't some underhanded scheme, it was an open challenge. Naruto didn't believe someone as cunning as Obito wouldn't have a backup plan. Now, it was just a matter of who outmaneuvered whom.
Obito thought the same. He had full confidence in his own intellect and didn't think this young punk had much tactical skill, and he was just being brave and fierce right now.
And in truth, he wasn't wrong. Naruto hadn't put much thought into scheming. In fact, Obito overestimated Naruto's strategic mind and his moral limits.
[Pure Land]
Naruto stretched out his hand and pretended to form hand seals. Suddenly, the blood-red sunset glow trembled as if rippling in the air. It was as if someone dropped a small stone from high in the sky, sending waves through the sky.
A moment later, a crack split open in midair, and a chilling wind rushed out. Faint, ghostly wails echoed as countless strands of white mist surged toward the rift.
But strangely, the mist just wouldn't come out.
Obito looked at Naruto with a puzzled look, as if waiting for an explanation. But Naruto had no intention of indulging him. Instead, he forcibly extracted a soul from the Pure Land.
A blinding white light flashed, and a wisp of gray energy materialized in the forest.
"This is Nohara Rin's soul. It'll completely disperse in five minutes." Naruto said indifferently, "What you do next is up to you."
Five kilometers away, Konan circled silently in the night sky.
According to the previous plan, Naruto was responsible for contacting Obito and acting according to the plan, while she was responsible for supporting him from behind. If anything went wrong, she'd intervene immediately.
As soon as she entered the border of the Land of Fire, she saw that Naruto and Obito were surrounded by White Zetsu. They were so densely packed in the forest that it made her scalp tingle.
Konan quickly used the mental communication ability of the Jashin's Contract to relay the situation to Naruto. Through their shared vision, Naruto also saw the hordes of White Zetsu.
The dense swarm of White Zetsu surged up from the ground like a tidal wave, sprouting endlessly like bamboo shoots after rain. They piled together, forming a veritable ocean.
Naruto's expression didn't change. If Obito didn't have a backup plan, that would have been surprising. Deploying so many White Zetsu to block him likely meant there were plenty lurking in Konoha as well.
He could only hope that Yugao would be capable enough, and it was worth it that he had informed her in advance. If the people in the village couldn't even deal with a few White Zetsu, they might as well just bash their heads against each other's and die.
Up in the night sky, Konan received Naruto's reassuring response, signaling her to stay calm and stick to the plan.
After receiving the response, Konan was slightly baffled, 'Even now, they're still following the plan? What about the overwhelming horde of White Zetsu? Obito obviously planned to seize the Rinnegan and Nohara Rin after the resurrection ceremony was over.'
Even if she thought so, Konan didn't question further and silently acknowledged the order.
The process of reviving Rin wasn't complicated. Naruto just stood by, watching as Obito prepared to activate the Rinnegan's Special Ninjutsu. Suddenly, Naruto spat at him.
Obito turned his head sharply and looked at him, "What?"
"Nothing." Naruto shrugged shamelessly, which made Obito even more annoyed.
Thinking that he was about to revive Rin, Obito suppressed his anger and his Rinnegan contracted slightly. A thread of vibrant green light descended from the clouds above, falling onto Rin's faint, gray silhouette.
At the same time, Obito's eyes dimmed instantly, and his body withered visibly. Life force couldn't be created from nothing, and it had to be transferred.
The price of reviving Rin was Obito's own life. Although Obito was a despicable beast, his feelings for Rin were at least real. One life for another, without any hesitation.