A Sage's Pursuit of Power

The moment Obito lowered his defenses, he felt a familiar chakra surge into his body, simultaneously healing his injuries.

Obito knew that Black Zetsu was different from conventional shinobi. He was also aware that it was definitely not a manifestation of Madara's darker emotions but rather some kind of Yin-Yang Release construct.

So, when Black Zetsu claimed it could help him escape the Four Red Yang Formation, Obito didn't doubt it. What concerned him was whether Black Zetsu would let him go once they were free.

Obito had been controlled by Black Zetsu before. That experience was something he would never forget. If he could avoid it, he would never let it happen again.

Meanwhile, Aoba had also noticed Obito's subtle movements. He immediately realized that Black Zetsu had chosen to rescue Obito, or rather, to preserve the Rinnegan.

This was not unexpected.

Without hesitation, Kakashi and Minato moved closer to the battlefield.

"Black Zetsu has made its move. Kakashi, Minato. I need you both to coordinate. Ideally, capture both Black Zetsu and Obito. If that's not possible, prioritize capturing Black Zetsu."

"Understood."

Kakashi activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, locking onto Obito. Meanwhile, Minato placed his right hand on Kakashi's shoulder.

The next moment, the two vanished.

A second later, Kakashi reappeared directly behind Obito.

At that moment, Obito was just about to let Black Zetsu take him away. But for some reason, Black Zetsu's actions were slightly delayed.

That slight hesitation allowed Kakashi to breach their defenses, yet Black Zetsu still didn't react.

In an instant, Obito understood.

He had been played.

Black Zetsu never intended to help him. It had another plan entirely.

At that same moment, behind Aoba, just as Kakashi and Minato left, Black Zetsu emerged from the ground.

Neither Obito nor the Rinnegan was its target.

Its true target was Aoba Kamikawa.

Long ago, Black Zetsu had identified Aoba as the greatest obstacle to reviving its mother, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.

Madara's Rinnegan, while important, was ultimately replaceable. Those eyes had limitations; they were powerful, but not invincible.

Aoba, however, was a true threat.

If someone else succeeded and Black Zetsu failed, it could always hide in the shadows and resurface centuries later when people had forgotten about it.

But with Aoba in the picture, even hiding was no longer an option.

Black Zetsu had 'stopped sleeping at night'.

It feared that if it closed its eyes, the ninja world would be unrecognizable by the time it reopened them.

That was what terrified it most about Aoba.

Aoba had completely reshaped the power dynamics of the ninja world. He was even altering the way shinobi operated.

Konoha's research labs were churning out new technology and inventions daily, some useful, some seemingly useless, but all contributing to a gradual yet unstoppable transformation.

For now, these advancements seemed insignificant.

But Black Zetsu had a gut-wrenching premonition that one day, Konoha would evolve into something unfathomable, a monster beyond its control, one that could consume it entirely.

Thus, Aoba had to die.

Even if it meant letting Konoha capture Obito and take the Rinnegan, it didn't matter.

Killing Aoba was the only goal.

To accomplish this, Black Zetsu had even set a trap using Obito.

The "Black Zetsu" that had merged with Obito was actually just a White Zetsu clone infused with a fraction of Black Zetsu's chakra.

It had never planned to rescue Obito.

The real goal was to bait Kakashi into making a move.

Because even Black Zetsu feared Kamui.

If Kakashi used Kamui to capture it, there would be no escape.

And just as it predicted, Konoha had followed the exact pattern it anticipated, Aoba had assigned Kakashi and Minato to infiltrate the Four Red Yang Formation and capture Obito.

With that, its biggest threat, Kakashi, was out of the way.

Now, Aoba was as good as dead.

No matter what tricks Aoba had up his sleeve, it didn't matter.

As long as he had a chakra-based body, he would not survive this attack.

Not even a Sage of the Six Paths could withstand it.

This was an absolute authority granted to Black Zetsu by Mother.

"Die, Aoba Kamikawa."

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Currently on Chapter 336 - At All Costs