Under the power of Bankai, the spiritual pressure radiating from Shamon surged to terrifying levels. His crushing attacks made Rasa feel as if he were lost at sea — a single ripple could overturn him.
But even with this terrifying and immense power, after Shamon unleashed his full-power attack, he was fatally struck and directly killed by Obito.
"Im…Impossible…"
Staring at the black staff piercing his chest, Shamon's thoughts were overwhelmed. He wanted to resist, but Obito's strike, imbued with the power of the Six Paths, had caused a fatal wound that could not be healed.
He couldn't even say a word before his body shattered and crumbled into sand-like fragments, disappearing into the wind.
Obito was expressionless, but the light of the Sage's eyes under the white mask dimmed slightly.
"Shamon-sensei…in Bankai…was defeated…"
Rasa muttered in disbelief, unable to comprehend how someone as powerful as Shamon could be killed by Obito so easily.
Spiritual power shimmered, and a glowing blue crystal hovered before him, transmitting everything that had just happened. Suddenly, Rasa's eyes snapped open.
Obito's real target wasn't Shamon at all — it was him, the Jinchuriki of Shukaku. Now that Shamon had fallen, didn't that mean…?
Rasa instinctively tried to retreat, but before he could move, a shadow loomed over him.
"Where do you think you're going, my puppet?"
Unstoppable ocular power erupted — Rasa didn't even have the chance to resist before his consciousness was completely swallowed by those blood-red eyes.
Obito did not immediately put Rasa, who was already his captive, into the Kamui dimension. Instead, his eyes turned toward the gently glowing spiritual crystal.
"So this technique allows for real-time long-distance communication, huh? How convenient, Yuki Yoru."
The Sharingan spun. Obito's hand grabbed the spiritual crystal. Under the activation of his chakra, the crystal burst forth with an extremely brilliant light.
At the same time, Rasa, who was controlled by genjutsu, slowly spoke in a completely different tone...
...
Inside Kirigakure (the Hidden Mist Village):
Because of the activation of spiritual power, the target of Tenteikūra changed from just Yuki Yoru to all the Shinigami in the entire shinobi world!
The moment it was activated, all the Soul Society Shinigami in Kirigakure looked up and frowned.
Even Yoru, who was in the Mizukage's office, couldn't help but lower his eyes slightly.
The crystal he had left for Shamon contained an extremely large amount of spiritual power. Under normal circumstances, when Tenteikūra was used, the target would only be him.
It was obvious that that guy Obito had over-activated the spiritual power in the crystal, causing all the Shinigami to receive the signal.
"…Yoru," The female secretary Mei Terumī's eyebrows were tightly furrowed. She put down the scroll in her hand.
Yoru shook his head. "Don't worry. He can't cause any trouble."
...
Elsewhere, in a yakitori shop:
Kushina, who was drinking sake with Tsunade and talking about the various interesting things her son had done in the village recently, said in surprise. "That voice… is that the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa? That guy's a Shinigami now too?"
"That shouldn't be right. When I saw him in the Land of Rain a while ago, wasn't he still a pure human? He hadn't even come into contact with spiritual power." Tsunade shrugged and drained the cup of sake: "Besides, with Sunagakure's current attitude toward Kirigakure, that guy wouldn't dare to speak to Yuki Yoru in that tone."
"Right now, there aren't many people in the entire shinobi world who would dare to speak to the Fourth Mizukage like that."
At a nearby table, Orochimaru's cold, raspy voice slithered through the air. As a former Akatsuki member — personally invited by Obito — he was all too familiar with that tone.
Thinking of who it might be, Orochimaru glanced at Kushina with a strange expression and chuckled lowly.
"And this person… I think you know him, Kushina."
"You mean…"
Kushina's expression froze. She seemed to understand something and quietly closed her mouth, raising the sake cup in front of her.
Obito's true identity had long since been revealed in the Shinigami records of Soul Soceity. When Kushina first found out who the man behind the mask was, she had stared in stunned silence for quite some time.
Even after understanding why Obito had changed, it was still difficult to reconcile that the boy who used to mess around with her had now become someone trying to kill her — to destroy the very village she once loved and vowed to protect.
But Kushina had no choice.
Because she knew full well… all of this began with her husband.
If Minato hadn't killed Rin, that boy named Obito might never have become what he is now.
Her most respected teacher killing the girl he loved most… then witnessing the death of his closest friend — even just imagining it made Kushina feel like breaking down.
"To be honest,"
"I've had plenty of encounters with you so-called Shinigami… and with Yuki Yoru too. But I've never had the chance to sit down and talk. To tell you about my goals — my plan."
The people around remained silent, wisely choosing not to interrupt.
Instead, Obito's voice slowly echoed, breaking the eerie silence in the tavern.
"My name is Uchiha Obito, the successor of Uchiha Madara.
And my plan… is the Eye of the Moon Plan."
"A plan to merge all of existence with myself — to become a god, united with heaven and earth."
"There is a stone tablet passed down through generations in the Uchiha clan, located beneath the Naka Shrine. It records secrets left behind by the Sage of Six Paths. Without ocular power, it's unreadable — but with the Sharingan, Mangekyō, and Rinnegan, one can decode its secrets step by step."
...
Outside Kirigakure — Kirisumi Island
Shisui Uchiha, who was sitting on a rock on the island, looked up at the sky. His gaze seemed to cross the distance of space and land on the person who was using Tenteikūra to tell them everything.
"Obito…"
"Back in the Sage of Six Paths' era,
he once saved the world from a monstrous creature. A being so terrifying and powerful, it surpassed your imagination — the Ten-Tails."
"Later, the Sage sealed the Ten-Tails inside himself, using the moon as a shell to imprison it. In his final days, he split its chakra into nine parts — the tailed beasts you know today."
"What Yuki Yoru said back then wasn't wrong.
The Akatsuki's true goal was always to collect the tailed beasts."
"We aim to resurrect the power of the Ten-Tails — to use its strength to complete our plan, to fulfill my vision."
"That is… Peace!"
"Peace? Are you kidding me?"
In Soul Society, many Shinigami were so angry that they laughed.
First, controlling the Third Mizukage…
Then the Fourth Kazekage…
Now gathering an entire organization made of rogue ninja?
And now he claims it's all for peace?
What a joke.
What Obito Uchiha had done was simply the most terrifying war crime since the start of the shinobi village era decades ago!
"Maybe many of you scoff at me,
think everything I've done is for selfish reasons…"
"But you're wrong."
"This world is already full of holes. Shinobi have brought nothing but hatred and destruction to the world and no positive change. The so-called peace is just a fantasy."
"Only by using the Ten-Tails' power to reshape the world can we give this world a new life, which is to create a world of true peace, the 'Eye of the Moon' world."
"The Eye of the Moon,"
"is a world shaped by casting an infinite genjutsu onto the moon — using the Ten-Tails' power and the Uchiha's Sharingan."
"It will plunge the entire world into a dream… where only peace and beauty exist."
"A perfect world."
"Peace? In a genjutsu dream world?"
"What kind of nonsense is that!"
In the tavern, Tsunade's fist slammed into the table. Bowls and bottles rattled and flew from the impact.
"…Obito," Kushina muttered. "He wasn't like this before…"
"I know you're blaming yourself, Kushina," Tsunade said loudly, "but fake peace means nothing."
"Real peace — the kind we truly seek — can only be built in reality."
"And that man… he's no longer the Obito you once knew."
"Now, he is Uchiha Madara — a man bent on bringing the entire world to its knees."
"Whether it's you… or the Fourth Hokage — neither of you were wrong.
Neither of you owed Obito anything.
Even if you think Minato killing Rin was what caused Obito to become this way…
Don't forget what that man did to Konoha — to your entire family!"
"…I know."
Kushina Uzumaki sighed softly. How could she not understand, and how could she not figure it out?
"Of course, I fully understand that you all won't just let me do as I please."
"As Kage, as rulers of great nations — as those standing at the top of the world, enjoying its privileges — you'll never allow me to carry out my plan."
"So... are you ready to face war?"
Beneath the ruins of the Gold Sand Fortress, the white-masked Obito gripped Rasa tightly, his voice cold and unwavering.
"Yuki Yoru… I hereby declare war on you.
On all Shinigami.
On all the rulers of the Great Nations.
On this decaying, sorrowful world corrupted by power and ruled by desire!"
"The Fourth Great Shinobi War… begins today!"
"The Fourth Great Shinobi War, huh…"
In the Mizukage's office, Terumi Mei's expression was more strange than solemn.
The name "Shinigami Yuki Yoru" had long since spread across the entire shinobi world — a being who grew stronger by devouring souls.
In the Third Shinobi World War alone, his war against Konoha allowed Yuki Yoru to grow from an ordinary, nameless Jōnin ANBU into this level.
This terrifying ability caused all of the shinobi world to treat him with extreme caution.
And now you dare to declare war on him?
"Don't underestimate our enemy, Mei."
"Underestimate?" Mei smirked. "I always thought that guy had Nyctophobia."
"Nyctophobia?"
Yoru blinked in surprise, his smile faltering a bit. He coughed lightly and then spoke seriously:
"Enough joking. That guy's no lightweight."
"He defeated Shamon and captured both Rasa and Shukaku, his current strength is at least captain-level."
"Plus, with Kamui being so unpredictable, if he really plays guerrilla warfare with us, he can really cause us huge trouble."
"What are you going to do?" Mei asked curiously.
"His goal is the Tailed Beasts, and five of them, including the Three-Tails, Four-Tails, Five-Tails, Six-Tails, and Seven-Tails, are in our hands." Yuki Yoru said calmly: "We'll set up a Garganta and wait for the fish to bite."
It had been two or three years since the last time he grinded Tailed Beasts for points. Since detecting the same chakra fluctuations of Indra and Asura on Naruto and Sasuke, Yoru had not made a move on the Tailed Beasts and instead held them in his hands.
The Tailed Beasts were fragments of the Ten-Tails, the absolute core of this world's chakra, and the most valuable bargaining chips.
Holding these bargaining chips was extremely valuable, whether it was to deal with Obito, the Sage of Six Paths, or other Ōtsutsuki.
"Still, since our enemy's declared war so openly, we can't sit back."
"Tell Konoha and Kumogakure to be prepared. Once they find something wrong, they can open the Garganta at any time."
"Also, is there any news from Nagato?"
"Not yet, but he sent intelligence three days ago that he seems to be unable to summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path anymore." Mei Terumī shook her head.
She knew Nagato had been given a special task by Yoru.
After defeating Second Division Captain Shisui Uchiha, the Akatsuki leader had joined Yoru's forces.
Although Nagato did not lead the Akatsuki to directly join Kirigakure but instead claimed that his organization was a 'meaning' and would become a completely neutral organization that hunted evil, Yoru still gave Nagato a mission.
That was to find Jigen!
Yes.
Compared to Obito's little commotion, what Yoru was truly concerned about had always been Jigen and the Sage of Six Paths in the Pure Land!
Especially Jigen.
That man's strength was immeasurable. If he had found a suitable "vessel" decades ahead of time and returned to full power…
He would be Yoru's true enemy.
Now that Jigen had approached Nagato, it proved one thing:
Nagato held value in his eyes.
Nagato's unique body, combined with the Rinnegan, made him a "Mini Sage of Six Paths."
Even if he couldn't become a full vessel, he could still hold a significant amount of chakra.
And so, Yoru decided to let Nagato roam free — bait to lure Jigen in.
But it seemed Jigen had seen through Yoru's intentions.
He never contacted Nagato again…
As if he had completely abandoned him.