Kakashi Hatake... it was as if he were Obito's destined nemesis.
According to Obito's original plan, the moment Kakashi found the prison holding the tailed beasts, Obito would teleport over and use the opportunity to seal them all into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
But—Kakashi had figured out his plan. He freed Gaara first, and together, they helped release all the other tailed beasts.
Clatter, clatter—
Chains shot out from the mouth of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Using his Rinnegan, Obito controlled the statue, forcing it to pull all the tailed beasts into its body.
"!!"
Kakashi raised his hand, forming a Chidori, and slashed at the chain wrapped around Gaara. But it was useless.
"Don't think you can stop me." Obito glanced at Kakashi's futile attempt and taunted coldly. "Once the Demonic Statue begins absorbing a tailed beast's chakra, nothing can stop it."
And just like that, the statue's chains yanked Shukaku out of Gaara. It was like a game of tug-of-war, and in an instant, the beast was swallowed whole.
"!!"
Gaara's eyes turned white and he collapsed to the ground. Once a Jinchuriki loses their tailed beast, there is only death. Kakashi leaped to Gaara's side but could only confirm that the Fifth Kazekage's heart had stopped completely.
But Shukaku was just the first. The Two-Tails, the Three-Tails, the Four-Tails… one after another, the tailed beasts were pulled into the Demonic Statue by Obito.
With no one left to stop him, Obito collected them all. Under the power of his Kamui Mangekyo Sharingan, not even a tailed beast could escape.
"Obito…" Kakashi stared at his former friend, a wave of unease washing over him. "I didn't expect you to seek control of this weapon of war, too."
"You think this is a weapon of war?" Obito couldn't help but laugh, mocking Kakashi's naïveté. "You're wrong, Kakashi. Letting the Demonic Statue absorb the tailed beasts just to revive it as a weapon would be the biggest waste! Let me tell you its real purpose!"
"Whether it's me, Madara Uchiha, or Emiya Shirou… we were never after a simple weapon! We intend to use its power to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi and create a new world where all ninjas can dream forever. This is our true goal!"
"In the new world of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, there will be no more war. The dead, like Rin, can be reborn and live forever in peace… This is the truth behind the Moon's Eye Plan! This is the true purpose of the Akatsuki!"
Obito stood on the statue's head. Its eight eyes were now lit up. With just one more step, his plan would be complete.
At this moment, Obito could finally reveal his true intentions. He was only one step away from success, so close he could almost seize it. From this point forward, control of the Moon's Eye Plan was truly his.
Underground, White Zetsu clones moved quietly. Each one had a look of urgency, desperate to report what was happening at the Akatsuki base to Madara and Emiya Shirou.
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In Konoha Village, the streets lay in ruins. The Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, knelt on one knee. She was battered, but her expression was stubborn as she faced the man in the wheelchair: Emiya Shirou.
The village was even weaker now than it had been during the last Chunin Exams. Tsunade had left only a small defensive force behind, hoping to avoid unnecessary casualties.
Shirou, his eyes covered by a black cloth, sat in his wheelchair, surrounded by Akatsuki members in their signature cloud-patterned cloaks.
"Where is Naruto Uzumaki?" Shirou asked quietly.
"Why would I ever tell you that?" Tsunade clenched her teeth, retorting coldly to her former teacher. "You'll never find where Naruto is hiding. Your plan will never succeed."
"You grew up with me. You should know how well I understand the ninja world. There's nowhere in this world I can't find." Shirou shook his head, as if he didn't understand her defiance. He simply named a place. "Mount Myoboku, right?"
"…"
Tsunade's heart tightened. She hadn't expected him to guess Naruto's hiding spot so easily. "You guessed wrong!" she snapped, a bit too quickly.
"Really?" Shirou frowned slightly and tapped the air with his finger. A pitch-black, space-time portal began to form at his side.
"Lord Shirou!" A White Zetsu clone suddenly burrowed up from the ground and whispered frantically in Shirou's ear, reporting everything that was happening at the Akatsuki base.
"Where is Madara?" Shirou asked casually.
"Lord Madara… is occupied with the First Hokage." The White Zetsu looked uneasy as it quietly added, "It won't be easy for him to break free right now…"
There was something else the Zetsu hesitated to say.
Even if Madara could get away now, it was probably too late. Obito had already captured eight of the tailed beasts. They wouldn't be able to stop him in time before he vanished again.
"So basically…" Shirou tapped the arm of his wheelchair, frowning.
He was clearly troubled by Obito's move. "If I don't get the Nine-Tails now, we'll never be able to do anything about him. If that guy gets the Nine-Tails before I do, or even a part of its chakra…"
"Lord Shirou," Kabuto suddenly bent down and reported quietly. "Some time ago, I found the corpses of Kin and Gin from the Cloud Village. I had no use for their power, so I gave them to Lord Orochimaru. However, their bodies contained a small amount of the Nine-Tails' chakra. Could this affect your plan, or Madara's?"
A look of fear crossed the White Zetsu's face.
"Black Zetsu?" Shirou turned to the figure beside him.
Black Zetsu's expression was grim.
It knew a great deal about the Ten-Tails and gave a serious answer. "If Obito doesn't care about the Ten-Tails being complete, he could use that piece of Nine-Tails chakra to fill the gap. He could just barely resurrect the Ten-Tails. If he really manages to control it…"
Black Zetsu paused, then concluded with certainty. "But he definitely can't do it! The power of the Ten-Tails is not something a fool like Obito can control!"