389. The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind

The thick fog, dark as ink, hung heavily over Kirigakure, seemingly ready to swallow the entire village.

The massive form of the Three-Tails had eerily quieted down, and standing before it was the elder of Kirigakure, Genji, who struck the ground heavily with his cane.

"Wake up, Yagura!!" Genji's voice boomed, his murky eyes suddenly gleaming with intense light.

Ancient seals, like agile silver snakes, rapidly spread from the surrounding wooden stakes, intertwining to form a massive net that tightly enveloped the enormous Three-Tails.

A powerful sealing force erupted, gradually compressing the surging chakra of the tailed beast.

"Dammit, that old man actually had this trick up his sleeve!" Obito Uchiha, hidden in another dimension, frowned beneath his mask.

He hadn't expected Genji, who had always kept a low profile and seemed almost invisible within the village, to make such a move at this critical moment.

Through Yagura, Obito could feel the immense sealing force.

If this continued, not only might the Three-Tails be forced back into its jinchūriki form, but the genjutsu he had cast on Yagura could also be disrupted and vanish.

If that happened, all his plans for Kirigakure would be ruined.

"I can't let this happen!" Obito quickly made his decision.

Just as he was about to use Kamui to personally eliminate this meddling old man, Zetsu, under Black Zetsu's direction, acted first.

As a schemer who had lived for over a thousand years, Black Zetsu's mind was far more meticulous than Obito's.

Long before this assassination attempt, he had already planted Zetsu spores within Genji's body... And so, just as Genji was on the verge of successfully sealing the Three-Tails, he suddenly felt his chakra rapidly draining.

Not only that, but strange, white, green-haired humanoid creatures began sprouting all over his body.

These White Zetsus, rapidly growing by absorbing Genji's chakra, let out eerie, giggling laughs.

Although Genji was willing to sacrifice his life to seal the Three-Tails, his chakra was now critically depleted due to these strange creatures.

Seizing the opportunity, Obito quickly manipulated the Three-Tails to break free from the now-weakened seal.

He also deactivated the tailed beast transformation, reverting Yagura to his human form to gain greater mobility and avoid being caught by the sealing technique again...

As the massive tailed beast chakra dissipated into the air, the calamitous beast vanished, replaced by the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, wielding a strange, flower-adorned hook-like weapon.

Obito had initially planned to deal with Genji first, but seeing Mei Terumī arriving with a large group of opposition elites, he ultimately abandoned the idea.

"Forget it, I'll just find a suitable spot to destroy this damned village," Obito thought, not giving up on his plan to annihilate Kirigakure.

Instead, he chose to retreat, seeking a vantage point from which he could continue to use the tailed beast's bomb to deliver a fatal blow to the village.

He was certain Mei wouldn't stand by and watch Kirigakure fall.

If she didn't want the village destroyed by the Tailed Beast Bomb, she'd have to protect it with her own body, just like that fool Hōzuki Mangetsu...

How foolish, such pointless sacrifice and devotion, Obito sneered inwardly, before manipulating Yagura to disappear into the surrounding mist, quickly putting distance between himself and his enemies.

Meanwhile, Mei hurried to the battlefield with her troops.

Seeing Genji entangled by the strange white humanoids, Mei quickly spat out a cloud of acidic mist, carefully corroding and removing the creatures.

"Don't worry about me, go after Yagura," Genji urged. "I suspect that boy has been manipulated by the enemy."

As the eldest elder of Kirigakure, Genji had watched Yagura grow up and knew his character well.

However, given Yagura's previous dominance, Genji had hesitated to expose him.

After today's battle, Genji was almost certain that now was the best time to save Kirigakure and the Land of Water.

Missing this opportunity would mean the village would once again fall under bloody rule—something he absolutely could not accept.

Under Genji's urging, Mei hesitated for only a second before ordering a few subordinates to stay and tend to the elder while she quickly pursued Yagura.

"Whatever has happened to you, I will bring you back today, Yagura!" Mei clenched her teeth, her face filled with determination.

If he truly was being controlled, she would find the mastermind behind it and make them pay dearly!

However, by this time, Yagura, under Obito's control, was already swiftly moving through the thick fog, heading toward the outskirts of the village.

There, a mountain overlooked all of Kirigakure. By taking that high ground, Obito could freely unleash the Tailed Beast Bomb and wreak havoc.

Just as Obito was gleefully envisioning this, a glint of cold light flashed. A kunai silently shot out from the dense fog, aimed directly at Yagura's throat!

Due to the momentum of his high-speed movement and the suddenness of the attack, Yagura had no chance to dodge.

He could only watch as the sharp kunai hurtled toward his throat.

At the critical moment, the space in front of him seemed to tear apart as if by an invisible hand, the air screeching as a dark vortex appeared.

The kunai, defying physics, stretched and twisted like dough before being swallowed by the abyss-like vortex...

The attacker, realizing the vortex's appearance, immediately let go of the kunai and used the Body Flicker Technique to create distance, narrowly avoiding being sucked into the other dimension.

"It seems I must intervene personally," Obito's voice echoed coldly as his masked figure, clad in a black robe, emerged from the vortex, his gaze fixed on the assassin.

"Zabuza Momochi, I didn't expect you to betray me as well."

"Betray?" Zabuza's bandaged face revealed a mocking smile. "I don't recall ever pledging loyalty to a sewer rat like you, hiding in the shadows."

Having been informed of the truth by Danzō beforehand, Zabuza's hatred for Obito ran deep.

If not for him, Kirigakure wouldn't have fallen into its current state...

Hearing the term "sewer rat," Obito, as a former Uchiha, couldn't tolerate such an insult.

"You're dead!" he roared, swinging his arm as a spiked chain shot out like a venomous snake, flying toward Zabuza.

Zabuza swiftly swung his kunai, deflecting the chain.

As the kunai and chain collided, a bright spark flashed.

In the next moment, Obito's figure silently appeared behind Zabuza.

Though Zabuza sensed it, his lightning-fast counterattack passed straight through Obito's body.

This is... the "intangible" ability Danzō warned me about, Zabuza thought, realizing the danger.

However, Obito, having dodged the attack, immediately closed in, preparing to ensnare Zabuza with his chain.

But just then, a strong sense of unease washed over Obito.

He instantly abandoned his plan to kill Zabuza, leaping into the air and returning to Yagura's side, his eyes locked warily on the mist ahead... as if something within it filled him with dread.

Sure enough, under Obito's gaze, an old man slowly emerged from the fog, leaning on a cane.

It was... Danzō!!

"I didn't expect your instincts to be so sharp," Danzō said, one hand resting on the hilt of his katana.

Had Obito hesitated even slightly, Danzō's blade would have struck.

Seeing Danzō appear, Obito's expression turned grave.

"So it's you again, you old schemer," he spat, glaring at the man known as the "Darkness of the Shinobi."

He had been wondering how the disorganized forces of Kirigakure had suddenly united.

Now it was clear—this was all Danzō's plan. But what was his goal?

Could it be... to lure me out??

The thought sent a chill down Obito's spine.

At the same time, Danzō's eyes transformed into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

In an instant, Obito felt a terrifying killing intent.

Without hesitation, he activated Kamui, swiftly transporting himself and Yagura into another dimension.

Once there, no one could harm them.

Danzō, however, had anticipated this move.

As the spatial vortex appeared, a faint smile curled his lips.

"Divine Severance!!"