[On the screen, Konan transformed into a torrential
downpour of countless paper shards, all surging towards Tobi.]
[Facing the relentless assault, Tobi calmly activated his unique space-time ninjutsu, the ability to warp any object into another dimension.]
[But in the next fraction of a second,]
[He abruptly abandoned the idea. Mixed within the millions of paper fragments were a staggering number of exploding tags. Inhaling that volatile mass into his dimension would almost certainly result in mutual annihilation with Konan.]
[Helpless, his only recourse was to endure the inevitable detonations.]
[BoooooooooooooM!
The cataclysmic explosion ripped through the air and sea. Tobi's right arm was severed, and his mask was cleaved in half, falling onto the water's surface and revealing a glimpse of his wrinkled right face.]
[Konan, though gravely wounded, floated on the turbulent sea, her unwavering gaze fixed on Tobi.]
The fleeting glimpse of Tobi's exposed face instantly ignited a firestorm of speculation across the entire Ninja World.
Everyone was desperately trying to decipher the identity of this enigmatic masked figure. If this battle in the deluge could offer a clear view of his true features, it would undoubtedly be invaluable intelligence for the future of the Ninja War.
-------------------------------------------
In Konohagakure,
Kakashi's keen Sharingan caught sight of the exposed eye of the masked man, a sensation of profound familiarity washing over him.
The Sharingan in the masked man's right eye… it felt like it belonged to the same set as the Sharingan in his own left.
But he quickly dismissed the notion.
Obito had perished more than a decade ago. It couldn't possibly be him behind the mask.
Furthermore, considering the sheer magnitude of the masked man's malevolent actions across the ninja landscape, Kakashi refused to believe it could be his former teammate.
Obito was a shinobi who embodied the Will of Fire, always willing to help, deeply devoted to Konoha Village. How could he have instigated the Nine-Tails' attack and murdered their beloved sensei, the Fourth Hokage Minato?
"Obito," Kakashi murmured, a pang of longing in his voice, "if only you were still alive… Perhaps my current position as Hokage should rightfully be yours."
"I believe you would have guided Konoha Village to even greater heights."
"After all… you loved this village so much."
["Thanks to my intervention, you managed to survive," Tobi sneered, his voice dripping with cold arrogance. "Running out of pathetic tricks now, are we?"]
[Unexpectedly, Konan subtly manipulated the paper beneath Tobi's feet.]
[The very sea beneath him transformed into a terrifying expanse of densely packed exploding tags. Then, the ocean violently parted into two colossal sections, revealing a bottomless chasm.]
[Without any means of escape, Tobi plummeted into the abyss.]
[Just as he attempted to utilize his space-time ninjutsu to flee, Konan unleashed her final, desperate gambit, directly adhering countless exploding tags to his body, denying him any chance of escape.]
["This," Konan declared, her voice strained but resolute, "is the culmination of six hundred billion exploding tags I prepared specifically to kill you. They will detonate for a full ten minutes!"
"Even your intangible 'Hollow' ability can only last for five minutes. Therefore…"]
[Konan's eyes blazed with grim determination.]
["You will die!"]
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The moment this scene unfolded, a member of the Akatsuki organization base abruptly fainted, collapsing onto the ground as if struck by a sudden shock.
Hidan frantically cried out, "Kakuzu! Kakuzu! What in the hell is wrong with you?!"
Deidara, equally bewildered, exclaimed, "Kakuzu-danna! What's the matter? Even if someone was going to faint from fright, it should be Tobi! What are you doing collapsing here?! Huh!"
Itachi, ever the observant one, pondered aloud, "I think… perhaps this guy fainted because of Konan's ninjutsu, right?"
Kisame, feigning innocence, interjected, "What do you mean? Why don't you understand a simple, honest person like me?"
Uchiha Itachi, his gaze sharp, remarked dryly, "Kakuzu, as Akatsuki's esteemed treasurer, seeing Konan casually spend such an astronomical sum on exploding tags… wouldn't that cause you to experience some… internal bleeding? After all, you painstakingly earned all that money through sheer exhaustion."
Hidan, Deidara, Kisame: "…"
On the side, a faint blush of embarrassment crept onto Konan's face. Six hundred billion exploding tags was, after all, an exorbitant amount.
At this moment, the prone Kakuzu slowly regained consciousness, but a single, silent tear escaped the corner of his eye. It was a soundless lament, a poignant expression of his hard-earned savings being so lavishly squandered in a final, explosive act.
"I recall someone predicting that Kakuzu diligently amasses wealth only for it to be frittered away by spendthrift old women," Itachi continued, his tone laced with amusement. "It seems that prediction has tragically come to pass!"
"Poor Kakuzu-danna," Deidara sighed dramatically. "I fear he may have lost all motivation to accumulate further riches!"
"Hey," Hidan declared with a strange mix of awe and morbid humor, "I'd like to call this… the art of six hundred billion ryo!"
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[In the image, the endless explosions finally subsided. Tobi's tattered Akatsuki cloak fluttered in the remnants of the storm. His mask was completely gone, revealing his face – the face of a younger Obito, his right side scarred and dominated by the Sharingan.]
[Konan, battered and bruised but still conscious, stared at Obito with a mixture of shock and sorrow.]
["Why, Madara?" she whispered, her voice barely audible above the receding winds. "Why would you betray Nagato's trust? Why would you betray Akatsuki?" ]
[Obito's visible Sharingan swirled menacingly. "Betrayal? I am merely reclaiming what is rightfully mine. Nagato was a fool, swayed by sentimentality. The Moon Eye Plan is the only path to true peace."]
[He then lunged towards Konan.]
[Konan, despite her injuries, prepared for a final, desperate attack.]
The members of Akatsuki, particularly those who had perished, watched the scene with a grim understanding.
Nagato's earlier reluctance to directly confront Konoha now made a tragic sense. He had foreseen this betrayal, this internal fracturing of their ranks.
Hidan spat on the ground. "That bastard! So all his talk about the Moon Eye Plan was just a load of crap to manipulate Nagato!"
Deidara's artistic sensibilities were offended. "Such a drab and uninspired goal! Enslaving everyone in an endless dream? Where's the explosive beauty in that?!"
Kakuzu simply grunted, his gaze fixed on Obito's Sharingan. "So that's the power behind his manipulations… another Sharingan user." The potential financial implications of this revelation likely also crossed his mind.
[On the screen, Obito easily subdued the injured Konan.]
["Nagato entrusted you with his Rinnegan," Obito said coldly, his Sharingan fixated on her. "But that power belongs to the Uchiha. And now… it will be mine."]
[The scene faded to black.]
The audience in the Ninja World was left in stunned silence, the implications of Tobi betrayal sinking in. The fragile alliance of Akatsuki had shattered, revealing a hidden agenda driven by a familiar, yet twisted, face. The future of the Ninja War had just become even more uncertain and dangerous.
....
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