Chapter 203: Cracking the Memory Obelisk
After much effort, Uchiha Obito finally reached the hidden end of what seemed to be Black Zetsu's spiritual world.
Unexpectedly, Black Zetsu had set traps here as well.
The area was filled with countless identical sealed obelisks, making Obito's head ache just looking at them.
Finding the right one among so many targets was no easy task.
"And there's a good chance that none of them are the real one," Uchiha Dali remarked—not to discourage him, but to state a real possibility.
Hearing that, Obito felt an even bigger headache coming on.
Still, since he was already here, and because he desperately wanted to uncover the truth, he had no choice but to push forward no matter how difficult it was.
After a moment's hesitation, he quickly formed hand seals, using the Shadow Clone Technique to create over a thousand clones to begin searching in different directions.
That way, the search time could be greatly reduced.
But Uchiha Dali had an even more efficient method.
He directly activated his Observation Haki.
In an instant, the powerful Observation Haki enveloped every target.
Soon, Dali could tell the subtle differences between these seemingly identical sealed obelisks and quickly pinpointed the most unusual one.
But before he could tell Obito, his expression suddenly changed.
"These pillars are trapped! Don't break those seals!!"
Dali had detected the self-destruct mechanisms embedded into the seals.
He quickly warned Obito, but unfortunately, he was one step too late.
The moment he spoke, Obito had already broken the seal on one of the obelisks.
The sealing technique was simple enough—any ninja with a basic knowledge of fūinjutsu could easily undo it.
So Obito hadn't thought much of it.
But the instant the seal on that obelisk was released, the entire structure exploded apart.
Not only did it turn to dust, but it also destroyed all the surrounding obelisks nearby.
Obito froze in shock at the sight.
Though he was unharmed, he immediately realized just how insidious this trap was.
"These pillars are all fragments of Black Zetsu's memories," Dali explained.
"He's categorized his memories into different levels and types, mixed them together for storage, and reinforced them with seals that trigger self-destruction."
"This way, no matter who interrogates him, finding truly important intel is already difficult. And even if they do find it, breaking the seal without knowing the risk will cause exactly what just happened…"
"In the end, the interrogator will gain nothing."
Even Dali couldn't help feeling a headache coming on.
Black Zetsu really was the kind of guy who could play someone like Uchiha Madara for a fool.
His meticulousness surpassed most shinobi.
Just the way he had protected the memories in his mind was something ordinary people could never manage.
"The data we just lost probably wasn't the most important," Obito said, partly to comfort himself. "I could see it was the same as many of the surrounding sealed pillars."
Dali glanced at him, feeling a bit impressed.
He hadn't expected Obito to be able to spot the differences.
"Mm. We'll have to proceed carefully now. If we destroy the truly important memories, we'll never learn the truth—unless…"
Dali trailed off.
If Black Zetsu erased the memories in his mind, leaving no way for anyone to view them, then there would only be one way left to verify his claims.
That way would mean personally helping the enemy complete the Eye of the Moon Plan, casting the Infinite Tsukuyomi over the world, and resurrecting Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
Dali wasn't nearly foolish enough to do that.
His words made Obito's face grow grim as well.
At that moment, Obito noticed Dali walking straight toward one of the farthest sealed obelisks.
He watched curiously as Dali approached it and placed his hand on its surface.
In an instant, all the obelisks blocking their view were blasted back.
"You found it?" Obito asked in surprise, using the Body Flicker to rush over.
By then, he saw Dali already working to undo the seal.
"You said these seals were… tricky?" Obito asked, puzzled.
"Tricky doesn't mean impossible to break," Dali replied casually.
With the aid of his powerful Observation Haki, he could clearly sense every key point of the traps hidden within the sealing technique.
It was as if his mind had switched to a god's-eye view, easily "seeing" both the visible and hidden lines of the seal's design.
The key lay in those hidden lines.
Whether applying or undoing the seal, chakra had to be injected along those exact pathways.
Ordinary people could only see the surface patterns and wouldn't notice the hidden ones, leading to failure when trying to break the seal.
Chakra had to be infused into both the visible and hidden lines at the same time to undo it successfully.
What was more, each pathway required a different amount of chakra.
Some differences were so minuscule that even the slightest mistake could trigger the trap.
Obito watched as Dali calmly dismantled most of the seal, the lines on the obelisk gradually fading. He couldn't help but feel amazed.
This man… was like an all-rounder in every way.
No matter how he looked at it, Dali was far beyond his own level.
After a short while, Dali had completely broken the seal.
The moment the sealing patterns vanished, the obelisk burst into a dazzling light.
When the light faded, scenes began to unfold before them.
They played slowly, like the two of them were watching a recording of Black Zetsu's life story.
"So these… are the truths buried deep in that guy's mind?" Obito asked, his expression growing solemn as he stared at the images before them.
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