Chapter 71: Obito Returns
More than half a month later.
In the very center of the Rain Village, five new Pain Six Paths had been created, but the one guarding this location was still the original Deva Path (Tendō Pain).
A black vortex appeared behind him, and soon, Uchiha Obito stepped out of it.
"Long time no see, Madara. You didn't manage to find the Shadow Ninja this time either," Deva Path Pain said as he turned to look at Uchiha Obito. His eyes were completely emotionless, making it impossible to guess his thoughts.
Perhaps that was one of the advantages of being a puppet—it allowed one to remain calm in the face of any situation.
But when it came to maintaining a mysterious appearance, Uchiha Obito wasn't to be outdone—Pain had a cold puppet face, and he had a swirling mask. Neither of them showed their true emotions.
"He won't stay hidden for long. One day, I'll make sure he joins the organization," Uchiha Obito said coldly. "I'm not someone whose efforts can be easily stolen."
"It's already too late," said Deva Path indifferently. "I fought with the Shadow Ninja half a month ago."
"What?! The Shadow Ninja came to the Rain Village?" Uchiha Obito was shocked, then quickly realized the situation.
Because of Nagato's limited mobility, the Pain Six Paths rarely left the Rain Village. So, it made sense that the Shadow Ninja would have to come here personally.
"Did you kill him?" Obito asked in a deep voice.
"Of course not. He's quite powerful. The Akatsuki is in need of strong people right now. He's a bounty ninja and holds a deep grudge against Konoha, so naturally, I had to subdue him," Pain replied.
Obito remained silent for a moment, clearly irritated. He had been tracking this so-called Shadow Ninja for some time, but had never found him. And now Nagato had already brought him into the organization.
Although both Obito and Nagato were members of the Akatsuki, their alliance was more of a front. In reality, they constantly remained wary of each other. As the organization expanded, subtle factions began to form—Obito and Zetsu on one side, Nagato and Konan on the other.
Now, with this Shadow Ninja brought in by Nagato, he was clearly under Nagato's camp.
Based on battle records alone, the Shadow Ninja's performance during the Konoha invasion wasn't necessarily weaker than Obito's. Obito had only managed to release the Nine-Tails because of the summoning contract passed down by Uchiha Madara. Otherwise, the Uchiha clan head—who had hidden his Mangekyō Sharingan—would have easily suppressed Obito's own Mangekyō with genjutsu. The Nine-Tails would've been taken back.
In truth, the chaos and destruction Obito caused in Konoha stemmed largely from coincidence. His only one-on-one encounter had been with the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze—and he lost outright.
If not for the Nine-Tails' destruction distracting Minato, Obito wouldn't have escaped alive.
By contrast, the Shadow Ninja infiltrated Konoha during the same chaos and fought head-on against several shadow-level ninjas—defeating each of them. All of those victories were earned directly.
When Obito had White Zetsu analyze the battlefield, they discovered that the "Dark Release" the Shadow Ninja used had spatial properties, which made Obito especially wary.
Worse yet, Kakashi's Kamui Sharingan was now in that ninja's hands. If the Shadow Ninja figured out how Kamui worked, Obito would be completely exposed.
But now, with the situation what it was, there was nothing he could say. On the bright side, at least he didn't have to fight the Shadow Ninja personally.
Although Obito's Kamui was one of the most broken abilities of the Mangekyō Sharingan, it was still spatial in nature. Regular shinobi couldn't understand it, but anyone else who had spatial powers could see through its secrets.
Once someone discovered the truth behind Kamui, its intimidation factor would vanish. And since Obito's overall strength was, at best, ordinary Kage-level, getting exposed and defeated by the Shadow Ninja would be humiliating—especially for someone still hiding behind the name of Uchiha Madara.
"The last time you went to Konoha, your attempt to control the Nine-Tails failed," Pain continued. "That proves the Five Great Nations are still quite powerful. I plan to focus on developing the Akatsuki further during this time. Have you found any leads on the S-rank rogue ninjas with White Zetsu's help?"
Obito frowned, clearly uncomfortable with Nagato's growing influence. "Let me handle recruiting the S-rank rogue ninjas. Given your situation, it's not wise for you to be moving around."
Pain stared coldly at Obito, as if seeing through his very soul. "What's wrong, Uchiha Madara? Are you afraid of being replaced? You're getting old."
Obito nearly snapped. This damn chuunibyou bastard really knew how to get under his skin. Still, he swallowed his anger. Pain waved his hand, dismissing him.
…
"Do you really think you're a god? You think I'm your sidekick or something?" Obito muttered to himself as he walked away, grumbling but complying all the same.
He had no choice. Obito knew that while he could rely on Kamui's tricks, if Nagato's real body was in even decent condition, the Rinnegan would overpower him. That was why Nagato remained the Akatsuki's leader.
Kamui's strength was rooted in secrecy. Once someone figured him out, Obito's "invincibility" would vanish. That's why he always operated from the shadows, never on the front lines.
But just as he reached the exit, he spotted a tall ninja dressed in black, arms folded, leaning against the wall—clearly waiting for him.
The ninja's cold gaze flashed like lightning as he scanned Obito from head to toe. Then, in a chilling tone, he asked, "So you're Uchiha Madara? Were you the one who caused the Nine-Tails Rebellion in Konoha?"
Obito instantly recognized him—the black clothes, the mask, the aura of confrontation. It was the Black Shadow Ninja, Ayaan.
And worst of all, he didn't seem respectful—just suspicious. Obito was immediately irritated.
What made it worse was that Ayaan's words struck a nerve—Obito wasn't really Madara. That fake identity was a sore spot for him.
"Hmph, what's the matter, kid? You don't believe me?" Obito kept up the facade, speaking in a deep, mysterious voice.
"I really don't," Ayaan replied flatly. "Anyone who hides his face and calls himself Uchiha Madara... is a coward."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ayaan struck.
With a flash, his fist rocketed forward like a thunderbolt.
Swish!
It passed straight through Obito, smashing a massive hole into the stone wall behind him.
Obito's Kamui had activated just in time.
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