This thing, which looked like a Wood Release creation, in reality possessed a strength and bizarre nature that even surpassed the original cells of Senju Hashirama. It was something far beyond Danzo's comprehension—he had never seen such a terrifying creature before.
What was most crucial was that this thing was alive. Not in the sense of individual cells retaining vitality, but alive in the truest sense—a complete living organism!
Moreover, the chakra contained within this monster's body was incomparably vast. The very reason Danzo dared to tell Hiruzen Sarutobi that he could provide enough chakra for two people to undergo the Chimera Technique Ritual was because of the existence of this creature.
This small being, appearing no more than a Wood Release construct, was in fact akin to… a tailed beast!
"You need not concern yourself with such things," Jigen said calmly. He lifted his palm slightly, and several figures dropped from his hand as though beans scattered to turn into soldiers.
The sapling seemed to sense something. Originally still like an ordinary tree, its leaves and roots suddenly began to writhe.
The next instant, over a dozen wooden tendrils, each as thick as a man's arm, twisted like enormous deformed hands. They swept up the chunks of flesh and limbs on the ground, stuffing them into gaping, toothy maws that chewed greedily.
As those bodies were devoured, the once-curled sapling spread slightly, its form swelling as though it had been strengthened.
The wooden tendrils, having finished consuming flesh, swayed in the air as if still hungry for more. After a moment without new offerings, they trembled reluctantly before retracting into the earth, burrowing deep and beginning to devour something unseen below.
"…What a monster," Danzo muttered, narrowing his eyes. He could clearly feel what this thing was drawing ceaselessly from beneath the ground.
Natural energy!
To directly consume natural energy from heaven and earth for its own use—this was something utterly shocking.
The power of natural energy was beyond question. But cultivating in such a mode required not only immense strength but also extraordinary talent. Even across all of Konoha—no, across the entire shinobi world—those who had successfully mastered Sage Mode were few and far between.
In the end, it all came down to the ferocity of natural energy: a single misstep, and one would be eroded, even devoured by it.
Yet this creature could drink natural energy like water, eat it like food…
"When do you intend to begin the ritual?" Jigen's words pulled Danzo back from his thoughts. After a brief moment of contemplation, Danzo made up his mind.
Now that all the conditions for the offering were fulfilled, and his comrade had agreed to advance and retreat alongside him, he truly possessed heaven's timing, earth's advantage, and human harmony all at once.
To hesitate now would only invite unforeseen changes. Better to begin the ritual immediately!
"Tomorrow!" Danzo declared.
"Tomorrow?" Jigen glanced at him in mild surprise, but after a pause, he nodded. "Very well. Tomorrow it shall be. I will take you to the ritual site then."
"Excellent!"
The commotion of the Chimera Technique Ritual was bound to be enormous. With the present shinobi world practically blanketed by Yuki Yoru's watchful eyes, holding it within Konoha was absolutely impossible.
Since Jigen was willing to use his elusive space–time ninjutsu to select a site for the ritual, that was naturally the best outcome.
"By the way," Danzo suddenly asked, "that man slaughtered the Uchiha clan this time and gathered so many Sharingan. Do you know why? You should be aware of his background."
Jigen's identity was steeped in mystery. The only reason Danzo chose to cooperate with him was not only because of the terrifying power Jigen displayed—power Danzo couldn't hope to resist—but more importantly because of the knowledge and intelligence Jigen possessed.
With only a few words, he had revealed countless hidden matters from the past decade of Konoha, including the incident of the White Fang. Even darker scandals from the Warring States era and the founding of the village had been laid bare: such as the Second Hokage's covert schemes against the Uchiha, or the Senju clan's decline and eventual extinction…
Though Danzo had once collaborated with the masked man, he had precious little information on him. This most recent cooperation in orchestrating the Uchiha's downfall had, in truth, left Danzo with a handle firmly in the masked man's grasp. Naturally, this made him wary. If he could extract more information, he might prepare in advance.
"His goal is the same as yours," Jigen replied after a short pause. He lifted his hand toward the Ten-Tails sapling before him.
The creature that fed on natural energy twitched unwillingly, then slowly disgorged several brown, pill-like nodules from its maw.
"The existence of the Sharingan allows the Uchiha's forbidden ocular arts to be unleashed, thereby increasing the success rate of the ritual," Jigen explained. "And if my guess is right, he too will be conducting his ritual during this time."
"…Izanagi, huh," Danzo muttered darkly. With this revelation, hesitation was no longer an option!
...
The Land of Whirlpools.
Once, this shinobi nation flourished at the height of its power. Allied with the Land of Fire, it had stood proudly atop the shinobi world.
In the Warring States period, the Uzumaki clan of the Land of Whirlpools became renowned for their extraordinary stamina, remarkable vitality, and chakra reserves far exceeding those of ordinary shinobi. This alone made their name resound throughout the ninja world.
Added to this, they possessed the strongest sealing techniques in existence—so advanced that they had developed an entire hereditary system of fūinjutsu. On the strength of these arts, the Uzumaki clan established their own hidden village after the Warring States came to an end: Uzushiogakure.
The marriage alliance between the Uzumaki princess and the First Hokage only deepened ties between Konoha and Uzushiogakure. Even Konoha's very insignia bore the Uzumaki clan's spiral crest.
But—
Prosperity leads to decline.
Sometime after the First Shinobi World War, Uzushiogakure was struck by a catastrophic force. With Konoha making no move to intervene, the once-mighty village was annihilated.
The battle, it was said, had been unspeakably brutal. Every member of Uzushiogakure perished in defense, their resistance so thorough that not even an egg's yolk remained intact. Only scattered survivors of the Uzumaki were left wandering the world.
Some suspected Kirigakure, yet the Mist had little motive. Even coveting the Uzumaki's sealing arts, the logistics of striking from overseas across such vast distances made it unlikely.
Iwagakure was a more plausible culprit—after all, it was only after the Uzumaki's fall that the jinchūriki of the Four-Tails and Five-Tails fully emerged on the Stone's stage.
The same reasoning applied to the other great villages. But within the shinobi world, a darker rumor persisted:
That it was Konoha itself who struck.
Konoha, in the chaos of the shinobi wars, allegedly destroyed Uzushiogakure with its own hands—seeking to hoard the clan's unparalleled sealing arts, ensuring they existed only within Konoha.
But as the saying goes, "the mantis stalks the cicada, only for the oriole to strike." In the aftermath, the sealing techniques of the Uzumaki inevitably fell into the hands of the other villages regardless.
The truth of these events has long been lost. Uzushiogakure has become nothing more than dust in history. Its ruins, scarred by war, have after decades begun to show signs of new life.
Yet just as fresh sprouts began to grow… Uzushiogakure today welcomed an uninvited guest.
"So this is the place you've chosen?"
Space twisted. The swirling, single-eye mask that Obito once wore was now replaced with a pure white mask, behind which glimmered a pair of blood-red, grotesque Mangekyō Sharingan. He cast his gaze around.
This place didn't appear all that special. Compared to the hidden treasure site he himself had discovered in the Land of Earth, it was far inferior.
But since Black Zetsu had brought him here, there was naturally a reason.
"This is the Sea-Tide Cliff, located outside the Land of Whirlpools," Black Zetsu explained, staring at the crashing surf against the cliffs. "Every ten years, a colossal tidal surge occurs here. It may not be some rare natural phenomenon, but the natural energy it gathers is still considerable."
"Furthermore, your chakra leans toward fire-natured. With the tidal surge's water attribute, it can balance out your elemental bias."
"A colossal tidal surge?" Obito was taken aback. If not for Zetsu, he might never have discovered such a place in his entire life. Yet the waves before him seemed no different from any ordinary sea.
"The next surge is in one day," Black Zetsu continued. "You have that time to arrange every detail of the ritual and to adjust your state of mind. It's best to succeed in one go. Otherwise, the toll on your chakra, your sacrifices, and your body and spirit will be immense."
"Heh… don't worry."
Obito gave a confident smile. If even Hiruko could endure the ritual, how could he possibly fail?
The only truly critical factor was the fusion of souls. But so long as he maintained composure, carefully wielding the power of Yin–Yang Release to guide the process, he believed he could achieve it.
With Hiruko's ritual as a reference, preparations progressed smoothly. In less than half a day, everything—including the construction of the altar—was complete.
The diligent White Zetsu laborers built the ritual altar on top of the cliff according to Hiruko's ritual. At the same time, they set up sealing formulas and complex chakra transmission lines on the cliff face to ensure that the natural energy caused by the giant tidal wave could be used by Obito.
Obito sat quietly on the cliff's edge, watching the distant sea rise and fall under the sunset glow.
"All preparations are complete," reported White Zetsu.
Obito slowly rose to his feet, turning toward Black Zetsu. "Your tidal surge seems not to have arrived yet."
"Patience." Black Zetsu's gaze stretched far into the horizon. Having lived through countless centuries of the shinobi world, he knew he would not be mistaken.
The colossal tidal surge occurred once every ten years. In the Warring States Period, it had even been a famed spectacle of the Land of Whirlpools.
Everyone fixed their eyes on the sea ahead. At first, nothing seemed unusual—only faint ripples stirred by the ocean breeze.
But when dawn's glow spread across the eastern sky, a thunderous roar split the air, like lightning exploding across the heavens. The rolling rumble continued without end.
The sheer force of the sound threw the White Zetsu into a panicked frenzy. Obito narrowed his eyes, staring into the distance.
In Obito's sight, the waves below seemed suddenly stirred by some unseen force. Whitecaps rolled and churned, swelling ever fiercer, until by the time they reached the cliff, they had transformed into a raging sea storm.
The tallest crests towered nearly a hundred meters high, crashing heavily against the rocky precipice beneath their feet.
The vast, overwhelming might of nature itself left even the White Zetsu clones trembling like frightened insects. Save for the main body, most collapsed weakly to the ground, staring blankly at the spectacle.
Even Obito felt his heart jolt at the sight.
"Now, Obito!" Black Zetsu's voice rang deep and urgent. "The colossal tidal surge is drawing natural energy endlessly into this cliffside—but the phenomenon won't last long. Seize the moment!"
The reminder snapped Obito from his awe. Drawing a deep breath, he swung his arm, releasing five long-prepared sacrifices from the Kamui dimension.
The White Zetsu clones, eager to comply, swiftly bound the five to the altar.
Unlike Hiruko's choices—Steel Release, Swift Release, Dark Release, Magnet Release, and the Sharingan—Obito's sacrifices were carefully, deliberately selected with full knowledge of the "correct version."
A top prodigy of the Hyūga clan, grandson of the Hyūga elder!
A descendant of the Golden and Silver Brothers, bearers of the purest Six Paths bloodline!
The most gifted elite of the Kazematsuri clan!
A Kaguya elite jōnin awakened to the Shikotsumyaku!
And at last, a surviving orphan of the Uzumaki, with a body of unmatched vitality and the Kagura Mind's Eye!
There were better candidates still—Kimimaro of the Kaguya, Hinata of the Hyūga—but circumstances beyond his control left these as the best Obito could gather.
His gaze, cold and unflinching, lingered on the five bound to the altar. Then he moved to the chakra transmission device, retrieving from Kamui a trove of black crystals and a gourd-shaped device.
The crystals contained the chakra he had siphoned from Iwagakure's Rock Guard Project. The gourd, meanwhile, held the dark chakra painstakingly collected through "Sora," his pseudo jinchūriki vessel.
Both reserves were immense. And with the colossal tidal surge now flooding the area with natural energy, Obito's confidence in the ritual's success rose to absolute certainty.
The sea roared, waves hammering the cliffs in endless fury.
Once everything was arranged, Obito stepped onto the center of the altar.
Below, Black Zetsu directed the White Zetsu in operating the ritual apparatus, activating the mechanisms that drew in the natural energy.
"All preparations are complete." Once the chakra flows had been fully connected, Black Zetsu gave Obito a firm nod.
Obito slowly opened his blood-red eyes. The twin Mangekyō turned within their sockets, calm yet resolute.
"In that case," he said evenly, "let us begin."