Shinigami in the Ninja World

Chapter 233: Ridiculous Reason

The emotion of "anger" doesn't always have to be expressed with shouting or rage.

Naruto's expression and tone were calm.

But no matter how well emotions are hidden, there will always be some "leakage" that people can detect.

The natural energy being forcefully drawn in demonstrated this clearly.

It was rough, chaotic, and... massive.

An unconventional way of utilizing power.

His spiritual pressure alone could be felt manifesting, covering the entire mountainous area, as if the sky was about to fall with an overwhelming weight.

This wasn't spiritual energy.

It was pure, physical pressure.

Obito's short hair fluttered.

Kabuto couldn't help but bare his teeth, unable to close his mouth as the wind swept over him.

"Naruto Uzumaki." Obito Uchiha was the calmest. There was a strange chakra flowing through him that allowed him to withstand the immense pressure crushing down on his body. "At last, we meet."

Naruto chuckled coldly, baring his teeth slightly. "Do you really think you have the right to say 'at last'?"

"Hiding in the shadows…"

"We should've met long ago in the Land of Rain."

Golden light gleamed over Naruto's body, and with a casual swing of his blade, the chaotic air currents wrapped around it, adhering neatly and rotating smoothly, contained without scattering.

"Naruto Uzumaki…" Obito Uchiha raised his hand, and as he spoke, five saw-like ridged spikes emerged from his back. His body began to float in the air, standing in the sky just like Naruto.

"I was just waiting for the right moment, like today."

Obito clenched his hand, eyes burning with desire.

"You inherited my teacher's talent, and even surpassed him. Before, I wasn't confident that I could defeat you."

"But now, it's different."

"This immense chakra... it comes from the Sage of Six Paths…"

"I am now stronger than ever."

He turned his gaze, scanning Naruto and the person next to him, his expression suddenly becoming serious.

After becoming the Ten-Tails' jinch?riki, Obito had instinctively gained a powerful sensory ability, one that allowed him to discern the abilities of others.

He could see it all clearly—Madara Uchiha's Edo Tensei body, Kabuto, and even Karin, who stood behind Naruto.

But when it came to Naruto himself…

He couldn't see through him. He couldn't read him.

All he saw was a living person, nothing more.

"Interesting." Naruto sneered, sizing up Obito, with Karin standing right behind him. "You dare to call my father 'teacher'? How can you even bring yourself to say that?" ?

A flash of white light suddenly burst forth.

"Had? #4. Byakurai (??, Pale Lightning)."

A bolt of lightning shot across the sky, heading straight for Obito.

He didn't dodge. The technique passed through his body as if he weren't there and struck the cave wall behind him, exploding with a deafening roar, sending stone and rubble flying.

He turned his head, glancing at the dark impact crater. "Impressive power."

"Although… it's true that I did orchestrate those events, and it was my plan that led to them."

"But Minato Namikaze was always a teacher I respected."

"That was simply a necessary sacrifice for the greater good."

Naruto narrowed his eyes.

That ability to "become intangible," huh?

According to Konan, Obito could only maintain it for up to five minutes.

But that was back when he only had one Sharingan. Now that he had reclaimed his other eye from Kakashi, he could probably keep it going for longer.

But…

"What a self-righteous excuse," Naruto spat, reversing the grip on his sword in front of his chest.

If intangibility could protect Obito from harm, and since Naruto couldn't know exactly how long Obito could maintain it with two fully functioning eyes...

Then there was no point in worrying about it.

"Disrupt, Vortex."

Naruto swung his blade.

The sword disintegrated mid-swing, dissolving into blue particles.

Winds picked up inside the cave, scattering the particles.

Unlike the natural energy-induced winds from before, these currents were free-flowing yet controlled by Naruto. Several gusts swirled around Obito Uchiha, forming the vague shape of a human silhouette.

Waiting…

For the moment when Obito's intangibility would fail, these seemingly gentle winds would transform into the sharpest blades, ready to pierce his body.

"You don't understand our ambition." Obito Uchiha raised his hand.

The winds, almost as if they were intelligent, followed his movements, tracing his form without touching him, framing his ribs precisely.

"Trying to bide your time?" Obito smirked as he examined the faintly glowing streams of air. "A clever strategy…"

"If it had been before I regained my other eye, I might've been helpless."

"But now…"

He exhaled softly.

The space in front of him twisted, centered around his right hand, pulling in and devouring the air, dragging the chaotic winds into the vortex.

Obito's expression filled with smug satisfaction. "Useless."

"This alone won't defeat me."

Naruto glanced at Karin and asked calmly, "What ambition?"

Karin nodded, forming hand seals.

Obito and Madara both noticed the small gesture.

But the red-haired girl only performed a summoning technique, creating a dull thud with no significant chakra reaction or threat.

Besides…

Even if she could do something, what could a mere jonin-level ninja possibly achieve?

"War, hatred, slaughter…" Obito sneered, his voice rising. "These vile, sinful things…"

"Have you ever wondered why they persist in this world?"

Naruto remained silent.

"It's the villages, the ninja system," Obito declared, his voice growing more passionate. "That outdated system is the cause."

"What truly made me despair was this world itself."

"This false world is beyond saving."

He paused.

"So… I'm going to fix it. I will bring peace to the world." After a brief moment, his tone became even more fervent. "That is the Eye of the Moon Plan!"

"The ultimate technique of the Uchiha—'Infinite Tsukuyomi'!"

"I will cast everyone into their own perfect dreams. In that world, there will be peace, happiness, and those we've lost…"

"They will return."

Obito stopped once more, his gaze intense as he stared at Naruto, arms spread wide. "So, Naruto, in that world, you will have back everything you've lost."

"Your parents, your family, the acceptance you sought…"

"You'll have it all."

Naruto's voice remained calm, unmoved. "Infinite Tsukuyomi…"

"It's just a genjutsu, isn't it?"

Unlike Madara's grand ideal of a world ruled by the Uchiha, this was a world shaped by personal desires.

Obito didn't deny it.

"A genjutsu that deceives everyone into believing everything's perfect. Do you really think that solves the problem?" Naruto asked.

Obito opened his mouth to respond.

"And besides, the first half of what you said is a lie." Naruto pointed at him. "This world may have filled you with despair."

"But your real reason for casting Infinite Tsukuyomi has nothing to do with peace."

Obito froze, staring at Naruto as his voice finally calmed. "Is this…"

"Kagura's Mind Eye? You can see lies and truths?"

Naruto continued, "You're obsessed with the people you lost, aren't you?"

Obito's face tightened.

"You and Madara destroyed the Uchiha clan yourselves." Naruto thought aloud, voicing the conclusions he had drawn. "So it's not your family that you care about."

"A friend, then?"

"Other than the Uchiha, it seems the only person who could be called your friend is Kakashi-sensei… and…"

"There was that other person in your squad, the girl named Rin Nohara."

When Naruto learned that the "Madara Uchiha" leading the Akatsuki was actually Obito, Kakashi had told him everything about his former comrade.

Obito's emotions slipped, his face twisted in anguish as he shouted, "You have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Rin was an innocent casualty!"

"I will create a world where Rin exists again."

Naruto looked at him coldly.

Kagura's Mind Eye fed back that these words, though true, were tainted with something rotten.

"How sad." Naruto sighed.

Obito's rage exploded. "Sad?"

"You brat…"

Naruto cut him off, his gaze filled with disdain. "I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about all the people you've 'sacrificed.'"

"Iruka-sensei's parents…"

"My parents…"

"And countless other innocents."

"I'm saying *they're* the sad ones."

"All because of your ridiculous, selfish reason, you've caused so much chaos, taking lives just to create some illusion of a perfect world."

Obito raised his hand, chakra gathering and forming.

A Truth-Seeking Ball took shape.

The black orb shot out, aimed straight at Naruto.

Naruto raised a finger.

"Bakud? #39. Enk?sen (???, Round Lock Fan)."

A spinning golden shield of spiritual energy formed just before the black sphere made contact.

For a moment, they clashed—then, with a loud crack, Enk?sen shattered.

But in that instant, another spell activated.

"Had? #54. Haien (??, Abolishing Flames)."

A cylindrical blast of purple flames shot from Naruto's hand, colliding with the Truth-Seeking Ball.

A sharp, ear-piercing sound rang out as the flames and the black orb met, both dissolving into nothing in an instant.

Obito was shocked.

Even Madara, for a moment, appeared surprised, his usually composed eyes twisting in disbelief.

That was a Truth-Seeking Ball, the pinnacle of chakra, containing all seven elemental natures—the very essence of chakra's ultimate form.

And yet, it could be destroyed?

Naruto considered this for a moment.

The Truth-Seeking Ball wasn't invincible. It naturally countered chakra, but against other forces, like spiritual energy or natural energy, it held no special advantage.

As long as the power was strong enough, it could overcome the Truth-Seeking Ball's high-density attack.

Obito spread his arms, gritting his teeth as he unleashed another technique.

The Truth-Seeking Ball returned to his hand, reshaping itself into a black staff, similar to a shuriken, which he gripped firmly.

Naruto raised his sword to meet him.

In just a few exchanges, it was clear—the black staff was a product of the Truth-Seeking Ball.

But Obito hadn't yet mastered the full extent of his newfound powers. Aside from the Truth-Seeking Ball, he struggled to utilize his new techniques effectively.

Just then.

Karin suddenly looked up and called out, "Naruto, I've finished calculating."

Obito was taken aback.

Calculating?

What calculations?

Kabuto and Madara both raised their eyebrows, though their reactions were vastly different—one was curious and intrigued, while the other grew solemn and doubtful.

Karin recited a string of coordinates.

Obito was still bewildered, unsure of what was happening.

Naruto extended his hand, grasping the air, causing ripples to form as the space warped. He tore it open, revealing a scene beyond the tear.

Pitch-black darkness. The ground was made of square blocks, stacked at uneven heights.

Obito's pupils dilated in shock.

This space…

He knew it all too well.

The Kamui dimension.

But how could this be? Only his own Sharingan could access the Kamui dimension. How was it possible that Naruto, who didn't possess a Sharingan, could enter?

Was it because of those spatial coordinates?

"Well done, Karin." Naruto praised her.

Karin grinned.

Yesterday, she had spent the entire day learning alongside Naruto about spatial calculations. She'd barely scratched the surface of the concept, and if she had been left to perform yesterday's calculations alone, she would've been completely lost.

But…

Compared to the space between life and death, the Kamui dimension was much simpler. With Obito as an anchor, calculating its location wasn't as difficult.

Naruto locked eyes with Obito's 'Mangeky? Sharingan' and spoke softly, "Now, you don't even have a place to run."

He reached into the rift.

Obito's gaze shifted to the tear in space, blood trickling from the corner of his eye.

Kamui was his domain.

No matter how powerful an external force might be, he still had the ability to repair any breach in his dimension.

"You can't enter!" Obito growled, his voice strained.

Naruto smiled slightly. "Is that so?"

"But this is enough."

Obito froze. That confident tone…

It was about that.

He suddenly remembered what he had sent into the Kamui dimension earlier.

The wind and the air currents.

The particles that had scattered when Naruto's sword dissolved.

"Figured it out?" Naruto continued to smile, his hand within the rift making a gentle motion.

In the silent, dead Kamui dimension…

A breeze began to blow.

The power of the vortex swirled.

It howled freely, and in an instant, it found its way to Obito's body.

Like knives, like axes, like chisels, like blades.

Tearing away at his flesh.

~~~

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