At the edge of the ceremonial platform, Nagato looked up. "Mr. Yu, do I need to summon the Heretic Demon first?"
Obito—who had transmigrated into the body of Uchiha Obito, though he still retained memories of his former life as Yamato Arata—nodded slightly, amused by the formality.
He thought to himself, Heh. Technically, it's not necessary. But to keep up appearances… sure, let's put on a show.
"Ah, yes. Since this will stir up quite a bit of movement, it's best to conduct the summoning and sealing rituals in my personal time-space dimension."
With a whoosh, Obito activated his Mangekyō Sharingan. A vortex of divine energy swirled out from his right eye, engulfing Nagato and Konan, pulling them both into his private realm.
"Agh! Argh! Necromancy Style—Heretic Golem Summoning!!"
With gritted teeth, Nagato endured the painful channeling process. Then—Bang!—with a puff of thick smoke, the massive Heretic Demon Statue materialized behind him.
In truth, the demon statue had already been stored within Obito's time-space dimension. If it hadn't been, Nagato's current power wouldn't have been enough to perform a cross-dimensional summoning like this.
"Hah… Hah… Mr. Yu, I'll leave the rest to you." Nagato was panting heavily, drenched in sweat.
Obito turned to Konan, who stood nearby with a wary expression. "Konan, stay back. If you get caught up in this, you'll die."
Konan hesitated, then nodded. "Understood." She backed away, though chakra surged at the soles of her feet, clearly prepared to react at a moment's notice.
Obito chuckled inwardly. She's cautious, but unnecessary.
Once the preparations were complete, Obito placed his hand firmly on Nagato's abdomen.
"Sealing Technique: Six Paths Ten-Tails Coffin Seal – Body Seal!"
A dreadful howl tore from the Heretic Demon Statue as it began to twist and collapse, its immense chakra being forced into Nagato's body.
"AAAAAHHHHHHH!!"
Nagato screamed in agony, his body trembling under the strain.
"Nagato!" Konan started to rush forward, but then stopped in shock.
"This… this is…"
Before her eyes, Nagato's thin and sickly body began regenerating rapidly. His pale skin regained color, his limbs filled out, and he stood straighter than he had in years.
When the heretic demon's essence was fully absorbed, a massive wave of chakra burst from his body like a storm, shaking the very fabric of Obito's time-space realm.
"AHH!" Konan was flung backwards, caught off guard by the blast.
Obito, meanwhile, stood unaffected in the middle of the storm, like a rock in a raging sea. He watched calmly, thinking, As expected of the Uzumaki bloodline. Their life force and physical endurance are second only to the Senju.
Sssss…
Obito formed a hand seal and branded Nagato's abdomen with a half-complete sealing pattern. Smoke hissed up from the seal as it burned into his skin.
Nagato looked down at his hands in disbelief. They were no longer frail. They were powerful.
"How do you feel?" Obito asked.
"I feel… like I can do so many things now…" Nagato's Rinnegan eyes sparkled with new energy.
"You'll come to see that it's not a feeling—it's reality," Obito replied with a small smile.
"Hm?" Nagato's gaze drifted into the distance, into the void beyond the dimension.
"What is it?" Obito asked.
"There's… something out there. A massive chakra presence, far away in this space…"
Obito raised a brow. Oh? He can sense it now? So the connection to the Heretic Demon lets him detect the Eight-Tails' chakra…
"Don't worry about it," he said. "Let's go back."
"Okay."
With another surge of his right eye's power, Obito brought them back to the tower outside Amegakure.
Obito turned to Nagato. "Although your legs have healed to some extent and you can move around, you still lack full mobility. In future battles, you'll need to continue relying on the Six Paths of Pain."
Nagato bowed slightly, gratitude in his eyes. "Mr. Yu, I can never repay you. You've given me back more than I ever imagined."
Obito spoke without hesitation. "Repay? There's no need. You're the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths. My mission is to guide the Sage's reincarnation, fulfill his final will, and bring true peace to the ninja world. We are comrades with the same vision. There's no debt between us—only purpose."
"Mr. Yu…" Nagato was overwhelmed, eyes shimmering with emotion.
"Just focus on completing what I asked you to do. Build Akatsuki into the strongest mercenary force in the ninja world. And when the Three-Tails is revived… the operation to collect the Tailed Beasts begins."
Obito pulled his hood back over his head.
"I understand, Mr. Yu," Nagato said respectfully.
Behind his mask, Obito's Sharingan lingered briefly on Nagato and the silent, watchful Konan standing at the edge of the room.
"I'll return when the time is right. Until then… farewell."
Whoosh! With a swirl of divine energy, Obito vanished into the thunderclouds above Amegakure.
Back at the Akatsuki base, Maoyue Xiyan and Tobi (the cheerful façade of Zetsu's counterpart) were already prepared for departure.
"Let's go," Obito said. "It's time to move to our new home."
He hoisted Uchiha Madara's iconic fan on his back and walked out of the cave.
BOOM!
The base erupted behind him, reduced to rubble. Every trace of their existence—gone.
Meanwhile, in the Land of Waterfalls – Takigakure
A meeting was underway in the village hall.
"Everyone, this is the message Uchiha Yu asked me to deliver. He'll arrive here at the same time tomorrow. I await your response…"
With that, White Zetsu vanished underground, clearly wanting no part in what came next.
The senior leaders of Takigakure stared at one another in stunned silence.
"Village Chief! He's bluffing, right? We haven't provoked him in any way!" one elder protested.
All eyes turned toward the aging man on the throne, cane in hand—Shibukio, the long-serving village chief. Though never officially granted the title of Kage, his strength was widely acknowledged.
"I'm afraid… it's real," Shibukio said gravely. "He's left traces across the Land of Fire, the Land of Rain, the Land of Water, and even the Land of Lightning. No one understands what he's planning. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if he attacked the Five Kage Summit itself."
His words sent a chill through the room.
"Then what should we do? Step down just because Uchiha Yu says so?"
"My title as village chief is meaningless in comparison. The problem is him. He's already a wanted threat among the Five Great Nations. The entire Kage Summit is centered on how to eliminate him. No matter how strong he is, he can't stand against the combined might of all five."
"If we surrender to him," Shibukio continued, "we'll be siding against the Five Nations. That's suicide. We cannot bow to him."
His cane slammed into the floor with authority.
"The village chief is right! Since ancient times, Takigakure has survived without fear of the Five Great Nations. We won't cower before a single Uchiha!"
"That's right! We still have the power of our Tailed Beast!"
Yet Shibukio's eyes remained shadowed with concern. "Just to be safe… evacuate the civilians."
"Village Chief, are you sure?"
"Do as I say!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Should we request backup?" another elder asked.
"With the Kage away at the summit, we have no one to appeal to."
"Then what can we do?!"
Shibukio gripped his cane tightly. After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"…We'll have to bring back Kakuzu."
Gasps filled the hall.
"Kakuzu? But after what happened… he's a rogue shinobi now. He severed all ties with us."
Shibukio's eyes narrowed.
"I know that man. He's someone who can abandon hatred, loyalty, even his own past—for the right price. No matter what it costs, we must bring him back. We can't survive this without him."
He paused, then added coldly:
"After all… he was once chosen by this village to assassinate the First Hokage."