After countless trials and near-disasters, Kaito finally succeeded. The fusion of Yin and Yang with wind, lightning, water, and fire chakra flowed smoothly, leaving only one final piece—earth nature.
Steeling his focus, Ayanami Kaito drew the last chakra strand into balance. The sphere in his palm pulsed violently, bursting into radiant light that soared skyward like a blade piercing the heavens.
The Wet Bone Forest, normally cloaked in shadow, blazed bright as day. Then, with the light fading, a single black orb hovered before him.
The Truth-Seeking Ball.
Kaito's lips curved slightly. Its will resonated with his own, responding to his thoughts as naturally as the Lightning Fruit coursing through his veins. He restrained his joy and began forming another.
With the first success, the process became smoother. Days passed in disciplined rhythm until, finally, nine orbs spun calmly in orbit around him.
At that moment, his body transformed.
A flowing gray-white robe of chakra cloaked him, its collar marked with nine magatama. The orbs aligned behind him, circling like silent guardians. He had stepped into Six Paths Sage Mode.
"So this is what it feels like," Kaito murmured, studying the change. "But… it seems something's missing."
His gaze drifted to his hand. The legendary scepter associated with the Sage of Six Paths did not appear.
With practiced hands, Kaito shaped his own weapon instead—not a scepter, but a gun-like staff, better suited to his style. At last, everything was in place.
Unlocking the mode, he allowed his body to relax, his mind absorbing the principles of Yin-Yang Release and Six Paths chakra. Days blurred into weeks. A month within this space passed—ten months by the training dimension's measure. Nearly a year of relentless refinement sharpened his grasp of these powers, each Shadow Clone contributing to his rapid growth.
One day, while suspended in the void, Kaito's eyes snapped open. His brow furrowed.
A voice—no, a cry for help—echoed in his mind. Only his summoning partners could reach him this way. Katsuyu had a gentle resonance, but this was deeper, heavier… it was the Three Tails.
His eyes gleamed, rinne-sharingan patterns flickering as space folded into sight. With a single step, he vanished.
In the next heartbeat, he stood outside Konoha. Space nodes lit the air before him like lanterns, and he leapt through them effortlessly, each stride carrying him a kilometer closer to his destination.
The roars grew louder. Shockwaves ripped across the land, toppling trees and hurling debris. Even an elite jōnin would struggle to endure the storm of chakra.
Kaito narrowed his eyes, releasing a surge of electromagnetic perception. Two signatures flared—familiar ones.
Obito. Kisame.
His expression darkened. So the Akatsuki found Isobu… But why was Kisame with Obito instead of Itachi?
By the time he arrived, the battle had ended. Obito's Sharingan flared as he bent the Three Tails to his will, while Kisame performed the sealing technique, locking the beast away.
"Fortune's on our side," Kisame chuckled, serrated teeth flashing. "No one from Konoha came."
"True," Obito replied, his tone grave. He sealed the scroll, tucking it away. "But we should leave. With such a commotion, reinforcements may already be on their way."
The two turned to leave, but Kaito's voice cut across the clearing.
"You think you can take my summoning beast and walk away without consequence?" He appeared before them in an instant, calm yet dangerous. "Surely you intend to leave something behind."
Obito's Sharingan contracted. "Ayanami Kaito…" His chest tightened. He knew the truth from Black Zetsu—this man had defeated Uchiha Madara more than ten years ago. If Kaito was formidable then, how much more terrifying was he now?
"Kisame, hold him off. I'll take the scroll and go." Obito's voice was low, urgent.
Kisame blinked at the command but smirked. "Got it. You go, Tobi."
Obito wasted no time. His Sharingan whirled, space distorting to swallow him whole.
Kaito's hand lifted, chakra compressing into a black Tailed Beast Bomb. His voice was cold. "Leaving? Did I give you permission?"
He hurled the sphere. Space rippled like water, the attack slipping into Obito's distorted dimension.
Inside his pocket realm, Obito's face tightened. He hadn't expected this. Against Kaito, even Kamui's safety was questionable.
Under different circumstances, perhaps he would've tested Kaito's strength directly, with Kisame at his side. But not here. Not within Konoha's reach. Tsunade now ruled—not the pliant old Hiruzen—and reinforcements would come swiftly. The risk was too great.
For now, retreat was his only option.
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