The moment Obito gritted his teeth and spat out the word "retreat," he could only swallow his frustration, glaring unwillingly at Uchiha Akainu before swiping his hand in front of himself. His body was instantly sucked into the swirling void of his Kamui dimension.
"What a bizarre ability…" Hozuki Suigetsu muttered, tongue clicking as he watched the so-called "Uchiha Madara" vanish. "Is that a space-time dojutsu? Talk about a cheating power."
"Hey! He left just like that? Couldn't he have given me a heads-up?" Swirly-faced White Zetsu, seeing Obito disappear, quickly put distance between himself and Jiro, dismissing the massive wooden figure he'd summoned.
Suddenly, White Zetsu tripped over a round branch, stumbling comically as if he were about to fall flat on his face. "Whoa!" he yelped, but just before hitting the ground, he steadied himself.
Standing upright, his feet began to meld into the earth. With a playful tone, he taunted Jiro, "You didn't fall for it? I thought you'd try to sneak attack me!"
"Next time I see you, I'm gonna find out if a cat's poop looks different from a human's. I've got plenty of experience spying on Lord Madara's bathroom breaks!"
With that, Swirly-faced White Zetsu didn't give Jiro a chance to respond, fully sinking into the ground.
"Uchiha Akainu."
Black Zetsu, now alone, fixed Akainu with a deep, wary stare, a flicker of dread in his eyes. "The next time we meet, we'll have a plan to kill you. You're out in the open, but we're in the shadows. You'll never know when we'll strike."
"In this ninja world, knowing too much isn't always a good thing. And spilling what you know to others? That's just asking for trouble."
With that…
Just as Black Zetsu's body began to sink into the earth, leaving only half his head visible, Akainu's left eye locked onto his.
A jolt of panic shot through Black Zetsu. He saw a vivid streak of scarlet blood trickle from Akainu's left eye!
That sinister Mangekyo Sharingan in Akainu's eye spun faintly.
"Judgment."
Black Zetsu's pupils shrank to pinpoints, the shape of Akainu's Mangekyo Sharingan reflecting in his eyes. The world around him was suddenly drenched in a crimson haze.
The sky itself seemed cloaked in scarlet, and when his gaze drifted upward, the full moon above morphed into the pattern of a Mangekyo Sharingan.
Abruptly!
Memories spanning a thousand years flooded Black Zetsu's mind like a relentless slideshow—not his own, but those of the countless people he'd wronged. The despair, grief, struggle, rage, and fury of those he'd harmed surged into his consciousness all at once.
Even for a non-human entity like Black Zetsu, who'd lurked in the ninja world for a millennium, his mind and soul felt like they were exploding.
Amplified a hundredfold!
It was as if six hundred billion explosive tags were detonating endlessly in his head.
A piercing, soul-deep pain he'd never experienced left Black Zetsu stunned.
This was an attack on his consciousness, his very soul!
This was the judgment of absolute justice from the depths of hell!
"Arghhh!!!" The unbearable, tearing pain forced Black Zetsu's hands to claw out of the ground, frantically clutching his head. His fingers dug so hard they broke through his skin, piercing into his skull. His black-and-white face twisted in agonizing torment.
The physical pain, mental anguish, and negative emotions of those he'd wronged replayed in his mind, forcing him to "relive" their despair as if it were his own.
The heavier one's sins, the longer the dojutsu's effect would linger—potentially weeks for someone like Black Zetsu.
A schemer as ancient as Black Zetsu, a true mastermind of the ninja world, would endure the full brunt of this torturous punishment for weeks.
When Shimura Danzo had faced Akainu's Judgment Eye, he'd collapsed in agony, losing control of his bodily functions without a shred of resistance.
Black Zetsu, lacking excretory organs, couldn't suffer that humiliation, but his pain was dozens of times worse than Danzo's!
Over a thousand years, how many atrocities had Black Zetsu committed? How many families had he torn apart, how many lives had he ended, directly or indirectly? Even he couldn't keep track.
And now, every ounce of pain he'd inflicted on others was being forced upon him alone!
"This is…" Suigetsu stared in shock at the surreal scene. From his perspective, Akainu had merely glared at the bizarre pitcher-plant creature with his crimson eyes, and it instantly lost all ability to fight.
This was a suspected Wood Release user, likely a core member of the Akatsuki!
Yet in the face of Akainu's eerie eyes, it seemed so utterly powerless?
"This is the Judgment Eye from hell," Akainu said, not bothering to wipe the blood streaming down his face. His voice was icy. "Against those who've never committed evil, it's useless. Even a hundred uses wouldn't affect someone pure of sin."
"But for a villain like you, it's hell's judgment on your crimes. As long as you have consciousness, as long as you have a soul, even if you're not a living being, you will be judged by me."
Amid endless pain and despair, Black Zetsu's last shred of clarity drove him to sink fully into the ground, fleeing in a pathetic, desperate scramble.
But he didn't notice that, just before he vanished, Akainu's right eye suddenly flared with visible bloodshot veins.
A streak of scarlet blood trickled from his right eye.
"Divine Punishment."
A fire of divine retribution from hell would sear a deep mark into the soul of the guilty, at a random point. Unless Akainu chose to lift the mark, the flames of Divine Punishment would pursue the target to the ends of the earth, burning their body to ash and condemning their soul to the Pure Land's hell!
Even in the Pure Land's hell, the flames would cling to the target's soul, subjecting them to endless burning torment!
---
"Damn it, how did he know? And why did that bastard Jiraiya show up at the worst possible moment? If I'd had just a little more time, I could've figured out a way to kill Uchiha Akainu for good!"
Miles away, Obito was fuming, his face dark as a storm. This was the second time he'd been forced to flee from Akainu in such a humiliating way.
He hadn't gained a single advantage over him!
Back when he'd faced his teacher Minato, Obito had initially held the upper hand.
It wasn't until later that Minato discovered a flaw in his Kamui ability.
"Ugh! He got away," a quirky voice chimed from beside Obito.
Swirly-faced White Zetsu whined in his odd tone, "Why didn't you guys warn me? I only realized I needed to run when I saw you bolt. If you'd left me behind, I'd have been scared shitless!"
"Oh, wait, I forgot—I don't have that function…" Obito watched as White Zetsu dramatically crouched, looking genuinely upset, as if not being able to poop was a tragedy.
Obito's lips twitched.
Before his death, Uchiha Madara had left him three unique "Zetsus." One claimed to be Madara's will manifest; the other two were peculiar White Zetsus.
The swirly-faced one before him was one, with a vibrant personality. The other, an aloe-like White Zetsu, was also distinctive but quieter.
When Obito had been gravely injured years ago, these two White Zetsus had cared for him.
But the aloe-like White Zetsu had merged with Black Zetsu.
Obito had no interest in entertaining Swirly-faced White Zetsu's crude "poop and pee" banter.
Frowning, he suddenly asked, "Where's the other one?"
Swirly-faced White Zetsu blinked, looking around. "He should've run with us, right? He's the one who told you to retreat!"
As they exchanged confused glances, a black-and-white figure suddenly emerged from the ground.
Obito's frown eased, but before he could speak, a blood-curdling scream stopped him cold.
"Arghhh!!!" Black Zetsu clutched his head, writhing in agony on the ground, his fingers tearing his skull to shreds.
"I—I got hit by the Mangekyo…" Black Zetsu forced out through his tortured screams.
Obito was stunned.
This was Uchiha Akainu's Mangekyo ability? This was the dojutsu he'd narrowly escaped?
Watching Black Zetsu writhe in unbearable pain, barely able to move, Obito's forehead broke out in a cold sweat.
"Wait, isn't your body supposed to be immune to pain? Is this… pain from the soul?!"
Obito felt a chill run down his spine.
His body, infused with White Zetsu cells, was largely unaffected by physical pain or injury. Slashes, burns—none of it fazed him much beyond mild discomfort.
But a Mangekyo dojutsu that attacked the soul directly?
It was a perfect counter to his unique physiology.
Swirly-faced White Zetsu moved to help Black Zetsu up, but as he reached for the white half of his body, a sudden pang of dread made him yank his hand back instinctively.
In that instant, a terrifying flame erupted from Black Zetsu's left arm, scorching it mercilessly. Black Zetsu, already screaming on the ground, widened his eyes so much his yellow orbs nearly popped out.
"It's burning my soul!!!" Black Zetsu's desperate, distorted roar sent shivers through Obito. "This dojutsu will kill me! Help—help me!!!"
Help? How? Suck half his body into the Kamui dimension? Would that even work?
But what if those eerie flames followed into the Kamui dimension and burned his soul?
Obito hesitated.
In that brief moment of indecision, the Divine Punishment flames spread, engulfing Black Zetsu's arm and shoulder. His agonized writhing made Swirly-faced White Zetsu stumble back in panic.
"If you can split your soul, do it now—separate the left half from the right. That's how Shimura Danzo avoided this ability. It'll at least stop the flames from spreading."
A young, cold voice cut through the chaos, startling Obito and White Zetsu. They turned to see a short Anbu ninja, masked, perched on a nearby tree.
The ninja continued, "You can choose not to trust me, but it's the only way to save him."
Obito gave the figure a hard stare before barking at Black Zetsu, "Hurry, detach from that body!"
At his command, the black half of the black-and-white body receded like a tide. Black Zetsu separated, becoming a strange, viscous black mass with eyes and a mouth.
As Black Zetsu detached, the aloe-like White Zetsu rolled wildly on the ground, its left arm and much of its body consumed by the Divine Punishment flames.
"Huff… huff…" Black Zetsu, with wide, yellow eyes, gasped heavily, staring in shock at the burning aloe-like White Zetsu.
The next moment, the endless despair and pain in his consciousness overwhelmed him again, sending him writhing on the ground, screaming just as miserably as the aloe-like White Zetsu.
"Why is he still like this?!" Obito snapped, glaring at the Anbu ninja on the tree.
The young-voiced ninja replied, "At least the flames that could've burned his soul to ash didn't reach him, right?"
"Uchiha Akainu's left eye makes you feel extreme pain—Danzo's reaction made that clear."
"His right eye releases a strange flame that, once it touches you, can't be extinguished unless you split your soul."
Looking at the black mass that was Black Zetsu, the ninja paused before adding, "Looks like that body had two souls. Akainu's flames marked the white soul, and when the souls split, the flames didn't follow the black one. My suggestion saved him, didn't it?"
"As for why the left eye's effect lingers, I don't know. My intel comes from analyzing Akainu's use of the Mangekyo against Danzo."
"Speaking of which, you guys are… weird. Not even human-like." The Anbu ninja studied Black Zetsu. "It's more like some kind of unique summoning beast."
Obito's brows furrowed beneath his mask. This young Anbu brat's haughty tone irritated him.
Still… he could tell Black Zetsu wouldn't burn to death. The aloe-like White Zetsu, however, had stopped screaming, its body reduced to nothing but ash by the eerie flames, as if erased from existence.
Obito's gaze darkened.
The aloe-like White Zetsu, strange as it was, had once cared for him. Watching it die in such agony wasn't something he could shrug off.
Exhaling heavily, Obito regained his emotionless facade and looked up at the Anbu ninja.
In a hoarse, weathered voice, he asked, "What's your goal, Uchiha kid?"
The figure on the tree—Uchiha Itachi—froze for a moment.
He leaped down, approaching Obito as he asked, "How did you know I'm an Uchiha?"
"Hmph!" Amid Black Zetsu's pained screams, Obito crossed his arms and sneered. "I know the Leaf inside and out. There's only one Anbu ninja as young as you—the only Uchiha in the Anbu, Uchiha Itachi."
"I know your type, kid. You wouldn't help for no reason. Spill your purpose before I decide to kill you. Otherwise, you're not making it back tonight."
Itachi paused for half a second before removing his Anbu mask, revealing a youthful face that tried too hard to look mature, creating an awkward contrast.
"I can tell you want to deal with Uchiha Akainu," Itachi said coolly. "Or rather… you want to kill him. You may know the Leaf well, but you don't know Akainu as well as I do. Maybe, in some ways, we could work together."
"Oh?" Obito's interest was piqued. "Go on."
Itachi's voice was cold. "For example—working together to eliminate Uchiha Akainu. Or even… the entire Uchiha clan."
Obito: "???"
---
Meanwhile…
"The great Sage Jiraiya has arrived! Everyone, stand down! Outside the Leaf is no place for your chaos!" Jiraiya descended dramatically from the sky, landing firmly and bellowing with authority.
But the scene before him, though scarred and clearly the aftermath of a fierce ninjutsu battle, was oddly calm. The intense fight he'd expected wasn't happening.
All he saw were two people and a cat.
Uchiha Akainu, Hozuki Suigetsu, and Jiro.
Jiraiya blinked, stunned. "Why is it you guys?"
"It's already over, meow," said Jiro, now back to his normal size, his eyes weary. Maintaining such a massive form must've drained his stamina and chakra fast.
Jiro shot Jiraiya a disdainful look, hissing, "Is this your resolve to change the ninja world? You can't even show up on time, and you think you can find some savior or mold them into what you want?!"
Jiraiya: "…"
He hadn't even said anything yet, and this ninja cat was already tearing into him! Why did it have such a grudge against him? Was he just naturally bad with cats?
As one of the Sannin, though, he couldn't stoop to arguing with a cat.
Forcing a straight face, Jiraiya turned to Akainu. "Akainu, I saw a wooden figure from miles away, and the tree roots here are all torn up. Who used Wood Release just now?"
Before Akainu could answer, Jiraiya caught Suigetsu glancing at Akainu out of the corner of his eye.
What was this guy looking at Akainu for?
Wait!
Jiraiya's eyes widened in disbelief. "You used Wood Release?!"
"Not just him," Suigetsu said, brushing off the dust on his clothes with lingering unease. "There were two other weird-looking guys who could use Wood Release too."
He couldn't help but grumble, "What's with the Leaf's bloodlines? It's like everyone in the ninja world can use the legendary Wood Release now. It's practically being handed out for free!"
Jiraiya: "…"
Suigetsu's words carried a ton of shocking info.
—Uchiha Akainu really could use Wood Release.
—Akainu had just fought at least two enemies from outside the village, both of whom could also use Wood Release.
Jiraiya's heart sank.
Wood Release…
This was the bloodline limit the First Hokage had used to dominate the ninja world. Since his death, no new Wood Release users had emerged in the Senju clan.
The old man had mentioned Orochimaru's research into Wood Release, even achieving one success, but that success was hidden away.
Wait!
Could this be connected to Orochimaru?
The name snapped Jiraiya into focus, and he urgently pressed Akainu, "Was it Orochimaru you fought? Or his subordinates? Or… his disciples?!"
Akainu's voice was flat. "Your grand-disciple."
"Huh???"
Jiraiya froze, completely thrown off.