Chapter 512: Engraved Tsukuyomi, Internal Beta Tester
Faced with the choice between life and death, Obito chose to live.
He returned to his prison cell.
He knew very well that, with injuries as severe as his, returning was his only chance to receive treatment and survive.
But he also knew that the moment he came back, his attempted escape would definitely be discovered.
The hope he had just gained would be crushed by Amegakure once again.
Even so, Obito didn't care.
He had almost given up completely, but fate had smiled on him. Kakashi had learned Sage Mode, allowing Sage Chakra to seep into him through Kamui.
His only bad luck was that Kakashi had transferred dangerous Explosive Clay this time.
If his luck had been just a little better, if Kakashi had transferred trash instead of the explosion, he would have escaped successfully.
Having experienced this failed attempt, Obito believed there would surely be another opportunity.
So he chose to keep living.
He even threw away his pride, using the last of his strength to call for help.
Since the prison was under constant surveillance, a medical team quickly arrived.
They performed emergency surgery on the unconscious Obito right there and immediately began treating him.
Hearing the commotion, Uchiha Madara immediately realized something was wrong.
If Obito had merely gone crazy, there was no way it would have drawn this kind of response.
So...has Obito really found a way out?
Madara hurried to the barred window of his cell and looked toward Obito's prison.
He saw Obito lying there like a corpse, his body mangled and covered in blood.
Madara had no idea what had happened.
There was nothing useful he could deduce from Obito's earlier outburst.
The only meaningful clue in those words was "Kakashi."
Whatever had happened involved Kakashi.
Other than that, there was nothing.
Since he couldn't figure it out himself, Madara stopped thinking about it and simply listened carefully to the medical ninja.
Maybe their conversation would reveal the answer.
...
After an unknown amount of time, Obito slowly regained consciousness.
But he didn't open his eyes.
Just as before, he pretended to be unconscious, hoping to overhear some valuable information.
Just as he expected, after the medical ninja finished treating him, another group immediately arrived.
They had discovered that Kakashi's Sage Chakra could seep into Obito through Kamui.
Although Obito had already been mentally prepared for this possibility, he still couldn't help feeling disappointed.
If only he hadn't been so impatient...
If he had waited until all the Explosive Clay inside the Kamui dimension had finished exploding before entering, he might already be free.
Unfortunately...
There were no second chances.
"Space-time ninjutsu truly is mysterious. Even without chakra, and even without being able to activate the Mangekyō Sharingan, the Kamui dimension can still transmit Kakashi's Sage Chakra over here."
Orochimaru wrote notes on a piece of paper while recording both the situation and his own analysis.
According to Orochimaru, the transmission between Obito and Kakashi existed because their eyes were originally the same pair of Sharingan.
Their connection was more than simply allowing both Mangekyō Sharingan to act as entrances to the same dimension.
Furthermore, according to the available intelligence, Uchiha Obito awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan after witnessing Kakashi impale Rin.
In other words, when Obito was crushed by the boulder, he only had a two-tomoe Sharingan.
Yet Uchiha Madara had claimed that half of Obito's body had phased through the rock.
And that was indeed what had happened.
The half of Obito's body that still had his eye remained intact.
The other half had been completely crushed and was later replaced with White Zetsu tissue and Hashirama's cells.
"Since his two-tomoe Sharingan already displayed unusual properties during that life-and-death situation, it's not surprising that some form of transmission still occurs even when he can't use chakra."
"But this also means that neither Fire Release: Heavenly Prison nor Scorch Release: Heavenly Prison can truly restrain him."
"Unless you find Kakashi and tell him never to use Sage Mode again."
"Or..."
Orochimaru paused.
"You could simply dig out his eye. That would solve the problem completely."
That was Orochimaru's conclusion and proposed solution.
In truth, Orochimaru had also noticed that this kind of long-distance chakra transmission resembled the connection between the Tailed Beasts.
They had gathered all nine Tailed Beasts inside Naruto, turning him into a relay station.
That allowed any one Tailed Beast to access the chakra of all the others.
Did that mean there is actually a "quantum channel" similar to the Kamui dimension between the Tailed Beasts?
Could it be connected through Kaguya's Expansive Truth-Seeking Ball dimension?
Orochimaru didn't know.
He simply wrote down the question without voicing it.
From the readings on the instrument, he could clearly tell that Obito Uchiha was already awake.
He only spoke what he wanted Obito to hear.
Everything else, even if it seemed unimportant, Orochimaru wouldn't reveal casually.
Obito had no idea he had already been exposed.
When he heard Orochimaru suggest gouging out his eye, he silently cursed him several times.
"Gouging out his eye really is the simplest solution."
Shiromo nodded in agreement.
Just as Obito thought, 'Don't tell me they're actually going to do it…'
Shiromo suddenly changed his tone and gave him hope.
"But this is actually the perfect chance to test that thing on him. While we're at it, we can modify it a little to keep him under control."
"That thing? You mean..."
Orochimaru didn't understand immediately.
"Tsukuyomi."
Shiromo gave him the keyword.
"Oh... I understand now. That would definitely work."
Orochimaru immediately realized what Shiromo meant.
What Shiromo was referring to was the project led by Uchiha Hikari.
It was based on Engraved Tsukuyomi and a VR game, with the goal of absorbing chakra from the entire ninja world.
Those earlier movies with slogans like "Lend me your energy" and "Lend me your light" had all been promotional material preparing for this project's launch.
Since the project required almost no technical support from Orochimaru, he hadn't paid much attention to it.
Ultimately, whether the plan succeeded depended entirely on whether Uchiha Hikari's dōjutsu could support it.
The equipment and game itself were merely a flashy exterior.
If an open-world game proved impossible, they could simply make a Naruto mobile game instead.
Or even a pixel-style 'Bleach vs. Naruto' game.
As long as people could connect to it, that was enough.
Orochimaru didn't even know how far the project had progressed.
"Alright then. I'll have someone bring it over."
Shiromo spoke to the medical ninja who were about to leave and asked them to notify Uchiha Hikari and the others.
Obito would serve as an "internal beta tester" to see whether the Engraved Tsukuyomi VR game had any dangers or bugs.
At the same time, the Yachihoko (Eight Thousand Spears) seal contained within the Engraved Tsukuyomi would continuously drain Obito's power.
The version given to ordinary players could be turned on and off at will.
But the version prepared for Obito...
As Shiromo had already instructed, it would be modified.
Obito would be unable to leave the game on his own.
Yachihoko (Eight Thousand Spears) would constantly absorb his strength—not only his chakra, but even Sage Chakra and natural energy would be drained away continuously.
(End of this chapter)