Chapter 201 – Betrayal
Seeing Uchiha Obito actually leap toward him, clearly intending to attack, Black Zetsu's face was instantly filled with shock.
In a low, guarded voice, he asked, "Did you take the wrong medicine?"
"Don't tell me… you—"
In that instant, he guessed at a possibility.
But before he could finish, Obito was already in front of him. Several sharp wooden spikes suddenly erupted from the soil beneath Black Zetsu's feet, piercing him through with multiple clean holes.
Seeing that Obito really was attacking him without the slightest hesitation, Black Zetsu's face again showed utter disbelief.
He glanced down at the wounds on his body, then looked up at Obito, unable to comprehend how this man, who had always been so obedient to Uchiha Madara, could dare strike at him—the so-called embodiment of "Madara's will."
"What on earth is wrong with you, Obito?"
Black Zetsu didn't fight back.
In truth, he couldn't.
After impaling him with Wood Release, Obito had also bound him tightly, leaving him completely immobile—never mind resisting.
Off to the side, Konan and Uzumaki Nagato were both stunned, staring in disbelief.
The man they had once regarded as Uchiha Madara was now fighting Black Zetsu—and Black Zetsu was calling him "Obito."
From this, it seemed highly likely that what Black Zetsu had said earlier was true: the real Uchiha Madara was someone else entirely, not the masked man before them.
Realizing they had been deceived for so long, Konan and Nagato had no intention of intervening.
They simply stood by, watching Obito's every move as if observing a spectacle.
Ignoring Black Zetsu's questions, Obito walked straight up to his bound opponent and pressed one hand onto his head.
A mere interrogation technique—he could do that too.
And thanks to the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, the Uchiha clan's methods of extracting information were far more efficient than most ninja.
As the Mangekyō Sharingan's genjutsu invaded Black Zetsu's mind, Obito's brows furrowed.
Normally, a simple flick of his fingers was all it took to break a trained Anbu operative and extract whatever information he wanted.
But this time, as his chakra entered Black Zetsu's mind, Obito discovered that it was like an unimaginably vast labyrinth.
Not only was it massive, but it was filled with countless different entrances.
Only by making it through this labyrinth could one reach the sealed memories hidden in its depths.
But that was easier said than done—first, he had to find the correct entrance.
Staring at the towering walls of the mental maze and the tens of thousands of possible openings, Obito's expression grew heavier.
"You've built quite the mental defense."
"But so what?"
With that, Obito used the Shadow Clone Technique—not ordinary clones, but ones empowered by his Wood Release Bloodline Limit.
Back when Uchiha Madara transplanted the First Hokage Senju Hashirama's cells into him, and he survived, Obito had gained that overwhelming power.
Not only that, but he had also acquired a chakra reserve far beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Now, with hundreds, even thousands of shadow clones charging into different entrances, Obito began rapidly probing the secrets within Black Zetsu's mind.
Taking advantage of the fact that Black Zetsu's main body was severely weakened, Nagato fought back with all his might and finally managed to destroy and expel the Black Zetsu clone attached to him.
"You alright, Nagato?"
Seeing he had defeated his attacker, Konan stepped forward in concern.
"I'm fine."
Nagato's gaze was grave as he looked toward Obito and the restrained Black Zetsu.
Undergoing this mental interrogation, Black Zetsu's mind was under enormous strain—his eyes had already rolled back.
"Who exactly are you?"
"Black Zetsu told us the real Uchiha Madara isn't you. So what is your true objective?"
Konan couldn't stop herself from asking.
The Akatsuki had been founded by her, Nagato, and Yahiko. Over time, it had grown stronger and stronger, its original goal being to capture the nine tailed beasts, turn them into weapons of war, and inflict unbearable pain on the world's nations—forcing them to learn from that pain and willingly establish a lasting peace.
But now, it seemed they had been used all along.
This man claiming to be Uchiha Madara, and Black Zetsu—everything about them was shrouded in suspicion.
"Now's not the time for explanations."
"Because just like you, I'm full of questions myself."
Obito answered casually, all while sending more shadow clones into Black Zetsu's mental labyrinth.
Most of the clones ended up in dead ends.
Worse yet, many of the tunnels were filled with all manner of traps and hidden weapons.
The moment his clones entered, they were ambushed and destroyed, resulting in heavy losses.
Although this was the mental world and losing a clone didn't directly harm him physically, the cumulative damage did wear down his spirit and will.
In other words, navigating the maze and avoiding the traps was, at its core, a contest of mental strength between Obito and Black Zetsu.
Whoever's willpower broke first would lose.
If Black Zetsu won, he could continue guarding the secrets within his mind.
If Obito won, he would gain all the information he sought—including the ambition Black Zetsu had hidden for a thousand years.
Seeing that Obito was interrogating Black Zetsu, Konan and Nagato fell silent, watching quietly.
After much effort, Obito finally found a correct entrance.
Slashing through obstacles and forging ahead, he eventually reached the true end of the maze.
But just when he thought he was about to obtain the information he wanted, a boundless chasm appeared before him.
The abyss was so deep that its bottom could not be seen, and the opposite side was completely hidden from view.
Above it, layers of mist swirled, adding an air of mystery and dread.
After a careful search, Obito found no way forward.
If he wanted to continue exploring the secrets within Black Zetsu's spiritual sea, he would have to find a way to cross this abyss.
"This guy… really is cunning to the extreme…"
He couldn't help but sigh—when suddenly, a change erupted before his eyes.
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