Uchiha Obito was fighting for the Rinnegan in the Land of Rain, still unaware that his lair had already been emptied.
In a dim underground chamber.
Forbidden Technique: Chimera Jutsu!
As the wall of Sharingan eyes gradually lost their luster, Shirou let out a long breath.
"As expected, while quantity can't compare to quality, if there's enough, it can still bring about a qualitative change!"
He could feel the turbulence in his own eyes after absorbing so much ocular power.
It seemed as if a new force was being born—a sensation much like what Tsunade had described as the special eye force movement when ocular jutsu evolved.
"Evolution, huh! This power seems different from the previous stage of Mangekyo evolving into Rinnegan. It's more like a new power after the Mangekyo and Rinnegan have fused..."
Shirou murmured, feeling the stirring power in his eyes.
At this time, both Hinatas were very carefully and solemnly sealing up each Sharingan. They needed to take them back to Konoha for a proper burial.
Only Hikari stayed by Shirou's side.
"Lord Shirou, there are many ninjutsu scrolls and ninja tools here. Judging by the marks, they seem to be from the Warring States period a hundred years ago..."
Thanks to Bold Hinata's search, she reported back after discovering the items in the cave.
After seeing the items stored in this base by Obito, Shirou shook his head and said:
"So these are all scrolls and ninja tools once collected by Uchiha Madara."
He'd acquired these things in another world, inside Madara's cave.
At that time, it was an absolute windfall. But now, to him, they were just trivial.
However!
When Shirou laid eyes on the Uchiha Gunbai of this world, a smile appeared on his face. With a wave of his hand, and amidst Hinata's gasp, a mysterious force appeared.
The fan was instantly sucked into his palm—the power was his newly awakened ocular ability, the Heaven's Path power of the Rinnegan.
"Hikari, get familiar with this ninja tool. From now on, it's yours."
The Flame Fan wasn't of much use to him. With a big smile, Shirou handed it to Hikari, and the figure of Mikoto flashed through his mind.
The two of them, each with a Flame Fan, seemed quite interesting.
Hikari, holding the fan, smiled and nodded, "Lord Shirou, I won't let you down!"
What made her happiest wasn't the fan itself, but the fact that Lord Shirou had personally given it to her.
This scene made Bold Hinata a little jealous, her white eyes flashing blue as she glanced at Hikari, as if saying, "Lord Shirou cares about me too, not just you!"
Gentle Hinata just smiled kindly—her gentle, virtuous-wife nature never changed.
"Hinata, you two put away the ninja tools and scrolls here. Especially the ninjutsu scrolls. Even if you don't use ninjutsu much in battle, they're still very useful."
"Yes, thank you, Lord Shirou!"
Bold Hinata, seeing she got a gift too, was delighted, her byakugan shining, and she shot a subtle glance at Hikari, as if saying, "Lord Shirou has me in his heart too!"
Gentle Hinata just smiled warmly, always the gracious type who never fought for anything.
"Lord Shirou, where are we going now? To the moon?"
After packing up, Bold Hinata looked puzzled. Previously, it was she who'd discovered information about the Hyuga clan on the moon—something unique to this world.
"Not yet. First, we'll visit Amegakure, then we'll go to the moon."
With a calm smile, Shirou found the secrets of this world more and more interesting. No wonder Orochimaru was so fascinated.
This was not just a parallel world; both ninja worlds had their secrets.
On the surface, the worlds looked the same, yet this ninja world had Hikari and the Otsutsuki on the moon.
But none of that existed in the other world—he'd checked, and there was no Uchiha Hikari, nor were there these records in the Hyuga clan.
"Two worlds, seemingly identical, but with unique existences."
All of this made Shirou narrow his eyes. Achieving this likely wasn't the work of the Sage of Six Paths but rather of Otsutsuki Kaguya.
A world-changing ninjutsu—only Infinite Tsukuyomi could do this. In history, only the Rabbit Goddess Kaguya ever used it.
"Did Kaguya create Infinite Tsukuyomi just to produce White Zetsu weapons? Even a million White Zetsu couldn't handle the Otsutsuki!"
Once you reach the level of Gundam Battle, White Zetsu are mere ants. Even millions of them are just a minor nuisance.
"So for Kaguya, the real way to deal with the Otsutsuki must be connected to these two ninja worlds."
Shirou started to theorize.
In the anime, it was mentioned that Kaguya used Infinite Tsukuyomi to create White Zetsu—not to trap everyone, but to create a portion of White Zetsu.
Two identical ninja worlds—only the power of a god or Infinite Tsukuyomi could accomplish that.
And Kaguya could travel through different spaces—he was closing in on the truth.
"If that's true, then one ninja world is a decoy to protect the real one. This world will face the Otsutsuki's hunting. The other world is the final hiding place. Maybe the Sage of Six Paths was split between two worlds."
Thinking this, Shirou smiled. That explained a lot, but it didn't matter.
"Kaguya Otsutsuki, once I see you, all the mysteries will be solved."
...
Land of Rain, the Sea.
All Six Paths of Pain had fallen. Now, Konan revealed herself and activated her ultimate move with a roar.
"This is something I prepared specifically to kill you—Six Hundred Billion Explosive Tags! They'll explode continuously for ten minutes! In Konoha, you already used Izanagi with your other eye. If you use the last one to survive, you'll lose your Sharingan and be powerless!"
The surging sea split open. As Obito fell, he stared in shock at the countless explosive tags.
"All of them are explosive tags! Only Konan's Paper Release could create and store so many!"
As a fellow Akatsuki, Obito had always focused on Nagato, underestimating Konan.
Konan's Paper Release could produce this many explosive tags, but only she could use them. If separated from her for too long, they'd lose effect.
To store them, Konan also had to recharge them with her Paper Release chakra periodically, or they'd be useless. Not even the five great nations had this many explosive tags.
"Izanagi! Heh, you know nothing about me!"
As he saw the fire from the tags, Obito grinned wickedly. Luckily, he'd swapped out one eye before coming.
Otherwise, a single mistake would have cost him dearly.
But!
No one knew he had a wall of Sharingan in his base—enough for endless use. With a snap, he broke off a piece of his mask, revealing his ugly face and a scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan.
Overhead, Konan spread her angelic wings and, with a swing of her arm, detonated all six hundred billion explosive tags at once.
The thundering explosions drowned out the roar of the waves. In distant Amegakure, countless people stared at the sea in shock.
From afar, it looked like a natural disaster.
Just how spectacular was an explosion of six hundred billion tags?
It seemed like the sea itself was being blown apart—leaving an enormous crater in the water.
Even Nagato, with his Rinnegan, was shaken by the sight.
"Even I couldn't withstand the power of six hundred billion explosive tags!"
Konan had cemented her reputation as the most powerful kunoichi in the ninja world.
She'd shown everyone: if numbers can't defeat your enemy, you just don't have enough!
A single tag isn't much—but 10,000? A million? Ten million? A billion? Still not enough? Akatsuki's Konan showed everyone: go for six hundred billion!
"No one can survive six hundred billion explosive tags!"
Konan, wings glowing white, gazed down at her strongest attack, eyes full of resolve.
She was confident no one would survive.
Even she was shocked at the destructive force—boiling the sea, blasting a gap in the waves.
Panting, Konan stared in awe at the power of her attack, her chakra was almost depleted.
"I didn't expect detonating six hundred billion explosive tags to consume so much chakra..."
With her chakra drained, even Konan's Paper Release wings were barely holding her up.
Just then, a similarly exhausted Nagato in the distance shouted:
"Look out!"
Whoosh!
Konan's pupils shrank as a shadow appeared behind her—the sinister masked man.
"You thought I was dead, didn't you!"
A metal rod stabbed from behind. Konan had no time to dodge. As Nagato watched in fury, Obito thrust the rod at her vital point.
Rip!
Instead of blood, sparks flew in the rain. The exhausted Konan crashed into a warm embrace.
A hand had caught the rod—sparks flying from the friction.
"Six hundred billion explosive tags—truly terrifying. I almost missed a great show."
A relaxed laugh echoed in the sky. As Konan looked up in shock, the clouds parted, sunlight shining on the figure before her.
To Nagato and the Hinatas in the distance, it was a beautiful sight.
Beneath the first ray of sun breaking through the clouds, on the sea, a figure held a fallen angel, her white feathers drifting gently in the light.
Bold Hinata's eyes turned red with envy, gritting her teeth: "Talk about timing!"
"You are—!"
Obito stared in shock. He was about to say the person was Senju Shirou, but the Mangekyo in those eyes stunned him.
Wasn't he supposed to be a Senju with Wood Release?
But the Mangekyo made it clear—Wood Release was just a cover; his real identity was Uchiha.
He didn't know exactly who, but anyone who could freely open and close the Sharingan had to be a true Uchiha.
"Impersonating Uchiha Madara, and destroying your clan—must be you, right?"
A frosty voice echoed, making Obito hastily retreat.
"You!"
Konan, drained of chakra, couldn't maintain her wings. She stared in shock at the newcomer.
"Last time, you left a space-time ninjutsu mark on me!"
Konan wasn't just a pretty face. Her first thought wasn't the hug, but how he'd appeared instantly—a space-time jutsu mark.
And to appear before her, she had to be marked.
"Konan, you lost the bet."
Shirou smiled lightly. He'd never said he wouldn't do anything else when he showed them the other world with genjutsu last time.
The Flying Thunder God mark had been placed then—on both Konan and Nagato.
"Konan!"
Seeing her rescued, Nagato breathed a sigh of relief—he'd already lost Yahiko; he couldn't lose another comrade.
"Who are you!?"
Obito, standing on the sea, asked coldly. The Mangekyo proved he was a Uchiha, but the clan was supposed to be extinct!
"Who am I?"
Landing on the sea with Konan in his arms, Shirou stared at him coldly.
"And who are you? Do you even deserve the Uchiha name? Did the clan that raised you abuse you or bully you?"
Obito, already heartless, was unfazed.
"I am Uchiha Madara!"
"Since when did Madara become a rat who hides in the dark? Since when did Madara keep a girl's corpse in his base?"
Obito was about to taunt back, but when the corpse was mentioned, his face changed drastically.
"Rin!"
He'd always kept Rin's body in the base, using Kamui space for battle and storing her here to avoid defiling her.
He never imagined someone would know this. Instantly, his face twisted in rage—Rin was in trouble!
But Shirou just scoffed. Mentioning clan drama had no effect, but bringing up the girl he never even held hands with—a corpse, no less—broke him instantly.
What else can you call someone like that—beast, or less than a beast?