Naruto: The Information Broker from the Uchiha Clan.

Chapter 288 Obito's Scheme

When the plan went astray, the originally assured action turned out unexpectedly.

According to Yun's speculation, it is highly likely that Obito placed the One-Tailed Jinchuriki in another dimension.

To find it, Kakashi must lead people into another dimension, but the location of the corresponding real world remains unknown.

Minato wasn't surprised by the reverse operation of the decoy, because he knew very well what his purpose was.

If we can defeat Obito and bring him back, that would be ideal. If not, then the first task is to bring back Gaara, the Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast.

So once Sage Mode was activated, Minato set his sights on Gaara.

"Bang!!"

The moment the fan collided with the kunai, Kakashi seized the opportunity as well.

Lightning crackled in his hands, and for a moment, the lightning chakra stimulated his cells, propelling his speed to another level.

Raikiri thrust out like a spear, its target aimed directly at Obito's heart.

However, the next moment...

"boom!!"

A massive tree extended from Obito's hand, and as it was pierced by the Lightning Blade, thorns extending from both sides returned, instantly knocking Kakashi back!

"Smack."

Blood dripped to the ground. On Kakashi's shoulder, a gruesome wound was open, the skin torn open, and blood flowed down.

Minato, who had retreated to the side, glanced at Kakashi. The master and student locked eyes, both being experienced ninjas, and understood each other's meaning.

The ability to be immune to attacks still works in this alternate dimension, and given the opponent's precognitive abilities, it's clear that launching another attack against Obito would be ineffective.

So...

The next action will be directed at Gaara, either forcing him to materialize, or allowing them to complete their objective and retreat.

Obito, on the other side, frowned slightly.

As a former disciple of Minato, Kakashi's bond with Obito also helped him understand the thoughts of the two men opposite him.

If you want to stop the other side from taking back Gaara, then you must materialize yourself.

While the ability to speak of fate allows for foresight, it is merely foresight. Since Uchiha Kumo was able to devise a way to break the curse at the Mountain Graveyard, he would naturally tell these two as well.

It has to be said that the Flying Thunder God Technique after activating Sage Mode, combined with his already superhuman reaction speed, has rendered his precognitive abilities somewhat useless.

Predicting the future is not a fixed outcome, because the future is not static.

"Obito, give up... As things stand now, you've already defected from Akatsuki, making you the weakest of the three factions."

Minato stared directly at Obito: "You should know very well who you are if you bring the One-Tailed Jinchuriki to this other dimension. If you take him out again, who will be waiting for you outside?"

Obito, gripping his fan tightly, wore a solemn expression behind his mask.

If it weren't for that bastard Nagato, if it weren't for that bastard Uzumaki Sora, the Akatsuki would still be under my control!

And Kakashi too!

The kaleidoscope in the mask glared angrily at Kakashi. If it weren't for this guy, the Kamui dimension would be the safest place.

This time, Kakashi understood the meaning in Obito's eyes.

More than ten years ago, he had the same look in someone's eyes. But only today did Kakashi understand why the other person was so angry with him.

"Obito... I never imagined you would become like this. The Obito I remember is still that boy who aimed to become Hokage."

Kakashi placed his hand on the Mangekyou Sharingan and said, "I remember you once said: those who violate the rules of the ninja are called trash, but those who don't value their comrades are even worse than trash."

"The you who could say such a thing was the real Obito!"

As soon as he finished speaking...

Obito's mocking laughter rang out: "Heh heh... When your father committed suicide, you must have seen a dark corner of this world, right?"

"As a hero of Konoha, his immense fame made him a target of schemes by high-ranking officials behind the scenes. At that time, the whole world stood against him."

"Konoha's White Fang... Heh! Do you know how many lives have been taken by that title? This world will never stop fighting, nor will it stop killing."

"The true method of peace left behind by the Sage of Six Paths is the only path to peace in this world."

At this point, Obito withdrew and returned to Gaara's side.

The Mangekyou Sharingan in his eye sockets slowly rotated, and a vortex rippled in the space behind him.

Kakashi was about to make a move, but Minato stopped him.

He has made his choice.

Kakashi looked over and saw that Obito hadn't touched the One-Tailed Jinchuriki yet. Clearly, Obito knew what kind of enemy he would face if he took such a hot potato out with him.

"Teacher... peace in this world will eventually be achieved, and it will be achieved in my hands."

Minato looked at Obito: "Kumo once said something like this: 'With the power of the Sage of Six Paths at that time, no one in the entire world could stand against him. So... why didn't he unleash the Infinite Tsukuyomi?'"

"You must understand, he created all nine tailed beasts. The Sage of Six Paths' act of scattering them across the world wasn't intended for later generations to combine them into the Ten-Tails!"

Before he could finish speaking, Obito had already disappeared into the alternate dimension.

With his mind at ease, Kakashi plopped down on the ground.

He reached out and took out some soldier's ration pills, which made his chakra begin to recover slightly.

Minato then turned to Kakashi and asked, "It's not safe here. How long will it take?"

Kakashi shook his head slightly: "We'll have to wait a little longer."

At this moment, Gaara's chakra showed some abnormalities.

In an instant, Minato reached out to set up the seal.

"Wait! Wait a minute, Hokage!"

The exclamation made Minato stop, and then a cloud of sand gathered under Gaara, eventually forming the shape of Shukaku.

"Phew... I'm finally saved."

Like Kakashi, Shukaku, relieved, plopped down on the ground.

Shukaku then looked at the two of them and said, "That masked guy's eye power is too strong. He has the Mangekyou Sharingan. Only Uchiha Yun is stronger than him."

At this point, Shukaku became a little shy: "Um... could I ask if Konoha is short of pets? The kind that doesn't drink alcohol, doesn't eat meat, only does missions, and is free!"

???

For a moment, even Kakashi, who was lying on the ground with his mind still on Obito, was stunned by the words of the one-tailed Shukaku in front of him.

When did... Tailed Beasts become so easy to talk to?

"Teacher...is this a one-tailed fox?"

Kakashi asked, somewhat unsure of himself.

Minato nodded, "The One-Tailed Shukaku, the one in the village is a split off from this guy, you could say it's half of him."

Minato then looked at Shukaku and said, "Although your half-body and the Nine-Tails are indeed living well in Konoha now, as an ally of Sunagakure, Konoha cannot accept your arrival at this time."

Shukaku paused, then pointed at itself with a claw formed from sand: "I, Shukaku, a tailed beast, the One-Tailed Beast that knows sealing techniques! You don't want me?"

Then Shukaku reiterated, "Did I not make myself clear? I can do missions like a half-body, and I don't even need mission rewards."

Minato shook his head again: "From now on, Akatsuki will be the common enemy of the entire ninja world. The alliance of the five great ninja villages has only just been formed. If Konoha accepts you at this time, it will create cracks in the alliance that has been so hard to build."

At this moment, Kakashi, who was resting and recovering his chakra, asked, "Are you... scared?"

???

These words made the sand that had coalesced into Shukaku pause, almost losing its shape.

"How could I... be scared by a human?! Even with the Mangekyou Sharingan, it's still far inferior to that old man's son back then."

Shukaku, eager to refute, gestured wildly, its claws formed from sand waving as if this would give it more confidence.

But soon, its gaze met that of the water gate.

In an instant, the fear of being absorbed into the Ten-Tails finally took hold of his heart.

"Alright, this old man... I am indeed a little scared."

Shukaku sighed: "That guy's Mangekyou Sharingan was definitely not an ordinary Mangekyou. We Tailed Beasts have lived for thousands of years, and we Uchiha, as descendants of the old man, know a thing or two about the potential of our Tailed Beasts."

"His eyes... can control tailed beasts! And that guy also knows about the composition of the Ten-Tails."

Minato's gaze narrowed slightly: "According to them, the Sage of Six Paths left a stone tablet underground in the Uchiha clan's territory. It records the way to bring true peace to this world... the Infinite Tsukuyomi."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Shukaku jumped up in anger.

The sand and gravel scattered and fell, then coalesced and took shape again.

"impossible!!"

The roar filled the entire alternate dimension.

Shukaku stared at the two people in front of him and said, "Just as you said, with the old man's power, how could he leave such a mess for someone else to do! And..."

Shukaku swallowed back what he was about to say.

Even though it wanted to seek Konoha's protection, the Ten-Tails still didn't trust humans, which was a matter of its power.

Seeing this, Minato asked, "Is there anything you can't say? If it concerns the secrets of the Tailed Beasts, I can keep it a secret."

Shukaku chuckled lightly: "After the Ninjutsu clan, when ninjas began to deviate from their original principles by forming clans, ninjas became tools for completing missions."

"Since they're just tools, the more powerful the better. We can't trust ninjas like that."

At this point, the sand that had coalesced into the tailed beast scattered all over the ground.

After that, no matter what Minato said, the other party did not respond.

……

The sealed place within Gaara's body.

Shukaku sat on the ground, looking extremely agitated. The conversation between Uchiha Kumo and Shukaku when Shukaku was split up was flashing through its mind.

Where is the blond-haired, blue-eyed boy the old man spoke of back then?

Shukaku scratched its head impatiently, its tail swaying from side to side.

The old man himself was once the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki...

The power of a celestial being, now a legend, is a power that no human being can resist.

That is the power to rule the entire world...

At this moment, a figure appeared in the sealed land.

Gaara looked at his own body, then at Shukaku: "It seems I'm not dead, otherwise you shouldn't be here."

Shukaku glanced at Gaara: "Consider yourself lucky, kid. The Hokage of Konoha and another guy showed up to save you. But who knows if you'll have that kind of luck next time."

Gaara pondered for a moment: "Their target isn't me. If you weren't inside me, perhaps there wouldn't be a next time."

Uh!

These words left Shukaku speechless, and for a moment he didn't know how to refute them.

There is no dispute that the other side's goal is the Tailed Beasts.

After a long silence, Shukaku waved its claws: "I'll leave once you wake up. Anyway, this seal is just for show now. If I hadn't promised that guy, do you think I'd be shamelessly staying inside you?"

Gaara shook his head slightly: "It's been ten years already, and now I really want to be friends with you. Since we're friends... it's not something I should do to turn away a friend when we're in danger."

Shukaku paused, then after a long while, a sharp voice rang out: "Kid, after this, you should know very well their strength. Even as a tailed beast, I don't have enough power to fight them."

"You were saved by those people from Konoha this time, but you might not be so lucky next time. Kid... you'll die, you know that?"

Gaara stared expressionlessly at Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast: "If you can't be sincere, you won't gain recognition. And... if you hadn't stopped influencing me, I might have died long ago if I had lost control."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gaara and Shukaku stared at each other intently.

After a long while, Shukaku laughed.

A sharp laugh suddenly echoed throughout the entire sealed land.

The claws swung, but finally stopped in front of Gaara, who remained motionless.

"Kid... I accept you!"

Gaara's figure disappeared from the sealed land, and Shukaku lay down on the ground again.

……

Meanwhile, Kakashi, who had finally recovered somewhat in the alternate dimension, activated the power of his Mangekyou Sharingan.

Minato, who was carrying Gaara, disappeared into this alternate dimension along with him.

As the two left, Obito's figure appeared not far away.

Amidst the swirling waves, Obito emerged, looked around, and casually removed his mask.

Now, the mask is no longer of any use.

The fact that the One-Tailed Jinchuriki was taken back by the other party might not be a bad thing for him.

The cursed seal on his heart hadn't been removed. If the Ten-Tails were to resurrect, he would have no chance against Madara Uchiha.

Edo Tensei... Orochimaru...

Black Zetsu's new power might allow him to challenge Konoha.

……

(End of this chapter)