The news that the Fourth Mizukage had been completely controlled by the Sharingan's genjutsu was almost unbelievable.
Even among the most seasoned ninja of Kirigakure, few could believe that their own Kage — the symbol of the Village's pride — had become nothing more than a puppet.
Elder Genshi frowned deeply, still unsure whether to trust Neji Hyuga's words entirely. It was hard to accept that one Uchiha could control an entire nation from the shadows. Yet, the evidence in front of him left little room for denial.
To confirm the truth, they had brought the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, out from the depths of confinement so that Genshi could personally evaluate Ao's testimony and Neji's report.
But time was not on their side.
At that very moment, the rebel forces were on the verge of collapse. If Zabuza Momochi fell, the rebellion that had cost them so many lives would crumble entirely. And if the rebellion failed, Kirigakure's decline would be complete.
They had no choice but to seek assistance from the Hidden Cloud Village — and from Neji himself.
Mei Terumī, sharp and composed even in chaos, understood this better than anyone. She sighed inwardly.
Genshi's hesitation wasn't cowardice — it was diplomacy. Still, it was bitter to admit that their village's survival might depend on outsiders.
All of this turmoil, all this blood, all for a single truth: the Mizukage had been a puppet all along.
---
Underground Chamber — The Battle with Obito
"Buzz!"
The sharp hum of chakra reverberated through the dim chamber as Neji's palm strike pierced through empty space. His attack passed harmlessly through Obito's intangible body.
The masked man sneered, but before he could counter, an immense red chakra burst through the doorway.
Yagura, cloaked in the ominous power of the Three-Tails, lunged forward with a furious roar. The beast's chakra claws erupted from his body, slashing toward Obito — only to collide with Uchiha Hikari's towering Susanoo blade in an explosion of sparks.
"He's here," Obito muttered, eyes narrowing behind his mask.
Normally, facing opponents as powerful as Neji and Hikari together, Obito would have escaped into his Kamui dimension without hesitation. But this time was different. Their words — sharp, cutting, and deeply personal — had pierced something inside him.
Rage clouded his judgment.
Now, he wanted blood.
---
A fiery blaze filled the room as Obito swung his flaming gunbai toward Neji. Neji met the strike head-on, his right palm clashing against the gunbai with a deafening crack. The impact threw both combatants backward, the ground beneath them fracturing like glass.
Then, from behind Obito, the ground exploded. Massive roots of living wood burst forth — two colossal hands reaching out to seize Neji from both sides.
"Wood Release…" Neji murmured, twisting midair. With a flick of his fingers, two chakra rosaries shot out, slicing cleanly through the grasping hands in a spray of wooden shards.
But Obito was relentless.
"Wood Release: Binding Roots!"
From beneath Neji's feet, thorned vines erupted, coiling up around his body like serpents. Within moments, he was completely bound.
A cruel smirk spread beneath Obito's mask. "You're finished."
Neji's pale eyes narrowed. Now.
He struggled violently, feigning panic as Obito approached. The vines tightened, and the masked man extended a gloved hand, pressing it firmly onto Neji's shoulder.
"I told you," Obito whispered darkly, "you'll die after tasting the agony of the Bloody Mist."
Chakra swirled violently around his palm as the space beside Neji's body distorted into a spiraling vortex — the pull of Kamui beginning to consume him.
---
But Neji wasn't afraid.
This was the moment he had been waiting for.
The instant Obito initiated Kamui at close range, Neji's eyes changed — the deep blue glow of the Tenseigan morphed into the shape of Hikari's Mangekyō Sharingan. The triple-bladed tomoe began to spin rapidly, radiating a crimson light.
"Transfer Seal: Tsukuyomi!"
"Transfer Seal: Amaterasu!"
Both ocular jutsu, sealed within Neji's eyes by Uchiha Hikari himself, activated at once.
Obito's body froze. "What… what is this?!"
He tried to dematerialize again, but it was too late. The instant the Tsukuyomi took hold, his consciousness was dragged into an illusionary space — a world drenched in red.
---
Inside the Tsukuyomi
Obito blinked, finding himself standing within Kamui's pocket dimension. But this time, it wasn't under his control.
Before him stood Uchiha Madara — his cold expression carved into the fabric of the illusion. Behind him, Black Zetsu held the body of another host, its voice dripping with malice.
"You are all my pawns," Madara's voice echoed. "To prevent rebellion, I placed a cursed seal upon your hearts."
Obito's eyes widened. "You… what?"
"You used the same cursed method I created — to control others. Fitting, isn't it?" Madara sneered.
Obito's face twisted. "Rin… was it you who—"
Madara interrupted him sharply. "Yes. I arranged for her to become the Three-Tails' Jinchūriki. I wanted her to lose control in Konoha — but that girl defied me. She chose death… and in doing so, ruined my plans."
Madara's gaze turned cruel. "You saw it all, didn't you, Obito? Her death… and your weakness."
The illusion shattered.
---
Back in reality, Obito's scream tore through the chamber.
Black flames burst across his head and shoulders — the Amaterasu, summoned by the same transfer seal. The fire of gods devoured him mercilessly.
"Ahhhhhh!!!"
He fell to his knees, clutching his face as the flames consumed his mask. The black fire clung to his chakra, inescapable.
Even someone with a Sage's body, like Hashirama, would have been fatally burned if struck this way.
Neji stood motionless, his pale eyes reflecting the inferno. He didn't dare relax — not for a second. He knew this man. He remembered the story.
In the original timeline, Obito had been hit by Itachi's Amaterasu in the exact same way — and survived. The only explanation was Izanagi, the forbidden jutsu that could rewrite reality itself.
Neji couldn't afford to give him that chance.
With a burst of chakra, he shattered the binding vines and raised his hand, nine glowing chakra orbs spinning rapidly around his palm.
"Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!"
A blinding white vortex erupted, swallowing the entire half of the underground chamber. The explosion roared like a storm, tearing through stone and steel alike.
When the light finally faded, the chamber was unrecognizable — half collapsed, the air thick with dust and smoke. The Amaterasu flames still flickered here and there, turning molten debris into glowing rivers of metal.
Neji's gaze scanned the wreckage carefully.
"No one could survive that," he muttered. Then his eyes hardened. "Unless…"
He remembered — Izanagi.
That single jutsu could turn death into illusion, rewriting the very fabric of existence.
Madara had once used it to fake his own death and deceive both the First and Second Hokage. If Obito had mastered even a fraction of that power, he could still be alive.
Neji clicked his tongue, glaring into the shadows. "Coward. Just like before — hiding in the dark."
There was no response. No movement.
Still, he couldn't take chances. Turning sharply, Neji sprinted toward the data corridor. He had to regroup.
---
The Fourth Mizukage's Awakening
The moment Obito's chakra signature vanished, the Fourth Mizukage — Yagura Karatachi — suddenly froze midair. The red cloak of the Three-Tails flickered and dissipated, leaving only confusion in its wake.
Uchiha Hikari saw his chance. "Now!"
He drove Susanoo's massive blade downward, slamming Yagura across the room.
The Mizukage landed heavily, dust rising around him. His eyes, once vacant and glassy, now burned with raw emotion — shame, fury, and disgust.
He remembered everything.
Every order he had given under Obito's control. Every innocent killed. Every drop of blood spilled in the name of madness.
He had been conscious through it all — a prisoner in his own body.
"Damn you… Uchiha!" Yagura hissed, trembling.
"Language," a calm voice interrupted. Neji floated down before him, arms crossed, eyes glowing faintly with Tenseigan chakra. "You should be thanking me, not cursing."
Yagura's jaw tightened, but he said nothing. His gaze flicked between Neji and Hikari — two warriors radiating power that dwarfed even his own.
Finally, he lowered his head slightly. "You are from Kumogakure… aren't you?"
Neji nodded once.
Yagura drew a slow breath, then spoke solemnly. "I, Yagura Karatachi, am in your debt. For freeing me, and for saving my village, I swear this — Kirigakure will form an alliance with the Hidden Cloud Village."
Neji smiled faintly. "An alliance? No, no. That's not enough."
Yagura blinked, confused. "What… what do you mean?"
"The Three-Tails," Neji said quietly, eyes narrowing. "Its power is too great. It must be sealed."
The Mizukage froze, disbelief spreading across his face. "What…?"
Neji's voice dropped to a whisper, but it cut through the air like a blade.
"The Three-Tails' chakra is too unstable. It's a threat not only to Kirigakure — but to the world. I'll handle the sealing myself."
---
Meanwhile — The Battlefield Above
"Damn it! Why are there Uchiha here?!" Kanryū roared, staring into Izumi's crimson eyes, the spinning tomoe glowing like dying stars.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Izumi inhaled deeply and exhaled a roaring sphere of flame. The explosion illuminated the night sky, forcing Kanryū to shield himself with a wall of ice.
Nearby, Sasori controlled ten puppets with one hand, their metal claws clashing with Benimaru's blazing strikes. His specialized chakra sensors made him immune to Benimaru's illusionary tricks.
Wind howled. Two shadowed figures moved at impossible speed — Zabuza and another Mist swordsman locked in a furious Taijutsu duel.
Pakura, Izumi, and Sasori joined forces under Neji's command, turning the tide. With their coordinated attacks, Zabuza's side quickly gained the upper hand.
Kisame Hoshigaki, watching from the edge of the battle, gripped his sword tightly. "This is bad," he muttered. "This shouldn't be happening…"
He swung Samehada defensively, sensing the overwhelming chakra surge approaching from the corridors.
It was Yagura — but something was wrong.
Kisame stepped forward. "Mizukage-sama! Three enemy elites are here. We can't hold them off for long—"
Yagura's eyes flashed with hatred. "Kisame," he growled, "you deserve to die."
The sudden killing intent made Kisame's skin crawl. He barely had time to react before Yagura's iron staff swept upward.
"Water Release: Water Mirror Technique!"
A perfect clone of Kisame emerged from the mirrored surface of the water and charged at him, Samehada in hand.
Kisame's expression darkened. "You've got to be kidding me…"
The two collided, blades grinding in a shower of sparks.
Meanwhile, Benimaru, Ku, and Kanryū arrived on scene. "What's happening?" Ku demanded.
Benimaru activated his red eyes, scanning Yagura. His voice trembled. "The genjutsu… it's gone. He's free."
"What?!" Ku gasped.
Yagura roared, "You dare betray the village that raised you?! You traitors!"
Ku smirked coldly. "Only fools remain loyal to the Bloody Mist."
Benimaru laughed harshly. "Yagura Karatachi — for over ten years, you've slaughtered your own people while under foreign control. And now you lecture us about loyalty?"
Yagura's face contorted in rage. "Enough! Then die!"
He lunged forward, swinging his iron hook, chakra swirling violently around him.
---
Far away, in the observation post, Ao watched through his Byakugan. "It's him," he whispered. "The Fourth Mizukage… he's entered Tailed Beast Mode."
Beside him, Genshi's expression hardened. "Are you certain, Ao?"
"There's no mistaking the chakra of the Three-Tails," Ao said solemnly. "It's real."
Mei Terumī tightened her gloves, her expression calm but resolute.
"In that case," she said softly, turning toward the battlefield. "Let's go meet him."
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)