"Heh, couldn't resist making a move, huh?"
Using his Byakugan, 'Seimei' caught a glimpse of the scene behind him and let out a cold smirk. He immediately stopped inspecting the corpse on the ground, ducked low, and dodged Zetsu's sneak attack.
Zetsu's arm grazed over his head, failing to land a single hit.
Not only that, but 'Seimei' seized the opportunity. With a quick spin, he slid along Zetsu's arm and thrust out his right hand.
"Rasengan~"
The thought flashed through his mind, and 'Seimei' unleashed this A-rank, no-hand-sign ninjutsu.
In an instant, a basketball-sized, high-density chakra orb formed in his palm. He pushed it forward, aiming straight for Zetsu's chest.
Even with Zetsu's reaction speed, 'Seimei' caught him completely off guard.
With a loud BOOM, Zetsu—who had only half-emerged from the tree trunk—was slammed back into the tree by 'Seimei's Rasengan, crashing hard against the bark.
Through the dispersing chakra smoke, 'Seimei' could vaguely make out Zetsu's contorted expression.
But that didn't mean he'd dealt a serious blow.
Zetsu's body was uniquely structured. An attack of this level wasn't enough to cause fatal damage.
Even now, 'Seimei' couldn't sense any weakening in Zetsu's aura.
In fact, he faintly felt that the half of Zetsu's body made up of Shiro Zetsu was rapidly absorbing his chakra.
This was both a faint ability tied to the Shinju and a trait of the Mokuton derived from Hashirama's cells.
But that didn't matter. 'Seimei' hadn't expected this single strike to heavily injure or kill Zetsu. This move was just to buy time.
The next moment, as their eyes locked, 'Seimei' activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Seeing 'Seimei's pupils suddenly turn into black suns, even Zetsu—who had seen his fair share of storms—felt a jolt of unease.
True, the part of him that was Kuro Zetsu carried the will of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. Its essence was extraordinarily high, with mental resistance far beyond that of ordinary ninja. Regular genjutsu couldn't affect him.
But the problem was, the Mangekyō Sharingan's power wasn't to be underestimated either. While it wasn't on the same level as the Rinnegan or Kaguya's mental will, it was still a top-tier force in the ninja world.
If 'Seimei' went all out and used genjutsu without caring about the cost, he could absolutely influence—or even briefly control—Zetsu.
And if that happened, Zetsu's secrets might be exposed.
No way. My plan's so close to succeeding. Mother will soon break free from her cage. I can't mess up here.
That thought raced through his mind, and Kuro Zetsu immediately took control of the body. He subtly used Yin-Yang Release to disrupt 'Seimei's genjutsu.
Then, he fully merged back into the tree trunk, breaking contact with 'Seimei'.
On the other side, 'Seimei' felt a slight mental haze, and Zetsu's figure vanished from his sight.
Without a moment's hesitation, he activated his Byakugan again to track Zetsu's movements.
And there it was—Zetsu was using the underground network of roots formed by the trees in the forest to escape into the distance.
"Didn't dare take the gamble, huh?" 'Seimei' muttered to himself.
Truth be told, the moment he seized the chance and activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, he'd already half-expected this outcome.
No surprise there. Kuro Zetsu had been hiding in the shadows for far too long.
Against weaker enemies, he might stand his ground. But against stronger ones, his instinct to lurk in the dark would push him to avoid direct conflict.
And the Mangekyō Sharingan, to some extent, was a power that could counter him. It made sense he'd choose to retreat.
Of course, 'Seimei' dared to take this gamble for two reasons. First, he was just a Kage Bunshin—even if he lost the bet, it wouldn't affect his real body. Second, his Mangekyō Sharingan had already evolved into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, allowing him to fully unleash its power.
That was something Zetsu definitely hadn't anticipated.
After all, 'Seimei' didn't have any siblings to swap eyes with.
So, the odds of winning this gamble were high.
That's why he went all in, confronting Zetsu head-on.
And now, he'd won.
Watching Zetsu flee, 'Seimei' didn't hesitate. With a flash, he moved forward, ready to strike again and force Zetsu out from underground.
But just then, a faint ripple in space appeared behind him. 'Seimei' furrowed his brow, immediately ducked, and rolled away from his position.
The next moment, an arm passed through the afterimage he'd left behind, grasping at nothing but air.
'Seimei' stood up, leaping back a few times to put distance between himself and the newcomer.
Only then did he have a chance to observe his attacker.
The figure appeared out of nowhere, clad in a black robe with a white, swirling mask covering their face. Only their right eye was exposed, revealing the distinct pattern of a Mangekyō Sharingan.
Everything matched what his now-dispelled Kage Bunshin had seen earlier.
In other words, the newcomer was Uchiha Obito.
'Seimei' wasn't surprised by his sudden appearance.
Earlier, when his Byakugan couldn't locate Obito, he'd suspected he was hiding in his Kamui dimension.
That's why he'd kept a sliver of caution for his surroundings.
And because of that, Obito's attempt to pull him into the Kamui dimension—just like before—had failed.
---
Rustle, rustle, rustle~
The two stood facing each other in the forest.
Time ticked by, second by second.
An indescribable pressure lingered between them, making the air around them feel almost solid.
The occasional chirping of insects and birds from moments ago had completely faded.
At one point, a faint breeze blew through, sending a chill through 'Seimei's body.
"Heh~"
Suddenly, 'Seimei' let out a soft chuckle.
In that moment, the nearly frozen air began to flow again with his laugh, and the tense atmosphere eased, no longer as charged as before.
No doubt, in this standoff, 'Seimei' had been the first to let his guard down.
If Uchiha Obito seized the chance to attack, he could—at the very least—gain the upper hand for a short while.
But he didn't.
Why? Because Uchiha Obito didn't believe 'Seimei' would so easily give up the initiative.
Looking at the now-relaxed 'Seimei', an inexplicable sense of unease crept into Obito's heart.
He recalled the Kage Bunshin he'd caught not long ago.
"Could it be…?"
Suddenly, Obito activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and carefully studied the 'Seimei' before him.
But the Kage Bunshin technique was a bug-level ability. Forget the Mangekyō Sharingan—even the Rinnegan might not see through it.
Case in point: Naruto's Kage Bunshin could still function freely in front of Nagato.
So, Obito could only rely on the amount of chakra to distinguish between 'Seimei's real body and his Kage Bunshin.
The problem was, the last time they met at the Konoha cemetery, the chakra in 'Seimei's real body was only slightly stronger than this Kage Bunshin. There wasn't a clear difference.
Without engaging in combat, Obito had no way to tell if the 'Seimei' before him was a clone or the real deal.
Meanwhile, 'Seimei' had already picked up on Obito's thoughts from the changes in his gaze.
With a light chuckle, he said, "Heh, yup, you guessed it. The one standing here is still just one of my Kage Bunshin."
Hearing 'Seimei' admit it, the expression under Obito's mask turned grim.
This operation had been planned for a long time.
In fact, days ago, he and Zetsu had completed their initial investigation, confirming that the theft of Takigakure's Seven-Tails was likely 'Seimei's doing.
So, they'd come straight for him.
But over the past while, 'Seimei' had stayed in the frontline camp.
Sure, both Obito and Zetsu had the skills to infiltrate the camp unnoticed, but they weren't confident they could take 'Seimei' down in one go.
If a full-scale battle broke out, their movements would be exposed to the world, which would ruin their future plans.
So, they waited patiently, finally getting their chance when 'Seimei' returned to the village.
They'd thought they could take him down in one fell swoop, figure out why he was capturing Tailed Beasts, and maybe even claim two Tailed Beasts for themselves.
But they never imagined that the 'Seimei' in the camp had been a Kage Bunshin all along.
Not only did their ambush fail, but it also tipped him off.
Still, knowing 'Seimei' had access to the Flying Thunder God Technique, Obito and Zetsu discussed and decided to set a trap and wait.
Now, they'd caught their rabbit.
But this rabbit was too cunning—what they'd caught was still just a Kage Bunshin.
After all these twists and turns, it was a miracle Obito's composure hadn't completely crumbled.
(Chapter End)