A Sage's Pursuit of Power

Shinra Tensei and Banshō Ten'in (Almighty Push and Universal Pull), two techniques that were nightmares for every ninja during the mid-story of Naruto. Using these abilities, Deva Path Nagato single-handedly devastated Konoha.

Nagato's target was clear: Aoba.

Using Banshō Ten'in, Nagato's concentrated pull caught Aoba off guard, dragging him in. Nagato's right hand morphed into a black claw, stabbing through Aoba's chest from behind.

"Got him," thought Nagato or rather, Black Zetsu. He confirmed the sensation of piercing flesh; it wasn't a shadow clone.

With Aoba dealt with, the next step of the plan could proceed.

At this moment, the other three members of the sealing group noticed a serious issue: the Black Zetsu they were sealing was melting.

The black mass faded away, leaving only a solid white residue.

It was then they realized the truth, this wasn't the real Black Zetsu but a White Zetsu in disguise. The real Black Zetsu had already possessed Nagato before they arrived.

And yet, Black Zetsu had remained hidden until now, biding its time to lure Aoba into the open and eliminate this greatest obstacle.

"Nagato, what are you doing?!" Konan shouted, though deep down she understood what was happening and simply didn't want to believe it.

Nagato's movements didn't falter. He extended both hands.

"Shinra Tensei…"

In the enclosed environment of the chamber, unleashing a larger Shinra Tensei would be catastrophic. Aoba's team could escape using the Flying Thunder God Technique, but Amegakure would be obliterated in an instant.

As Nagato charged his technique, a sudden and powerful impact slammed him into the ground.

The two Anbu members who had accompanied Aoba reacted immediately. Using the Flying Thunder God, they teleported behind Nagato and hit him with a Rasengan, driving him into the floor.

Someone like Aoba wouldn't have come to Amegakure so unprepared to seal Black Zetsu. He had anticipated such treachery.

The "Aoba" targeted earlier wasn't the real one, it was a Wood Clone created by Yumi.

Thanks to Hashirama Senju's mastery of Wood Release, most people associated the technique with large-scale jutsu like Wood Dragon, Wood Golem, or Deep Forest Emergence. However, they often overlooked the versatility of Wood Clones, which were arguably a bug-tier technique.

Unlike Shadow Clones, which perfectly replicated chakra flow but dispersed with a single hit, Wood Clones created tangible, durable duplicates. With enough chakra infused, a Wood Clone could replicate most of the user's combat capabilities.

In the original storyline, Madara Uchiha's Wood Clones were even capable of using Susano'o, which was absurdly overpowered.

When Konan sought Konoha's assistance, Aoba was immediately wary. Against adversaries like Madara and Black Zetsu, caution was paramount.

And for Black Zetsu, Aoba was undoubtedly the most hated individual. Having repeatedly thwarted its plans and even damaged its essence, Black Zetsu was desperate to eliminate him.

Knowing the mission involved sealing Black Zetsu, Aoba made thorough preparations. Yumi infused an enormous amount of chakra to create two Wood Clones, one of which transformed into Aoba.

As for Aoba himself, he disguised himself as one of the accompanying Anbu members.

Initially, Aoba considered having Hashirama create a Wood Clone as well. However, he decided against it, realizing that Hashirama's true identity remained a secret. During the previous battle against Black Zetsu, Hashirama hadn't directly revealed himself, merely appearing as a top-tier Wood Release user.

While Hashirama's chakra might differ slightly due to his regenerated body, Madara, as his "eternal rival," would likely recognize him immediately. Everyone knew Madara's tendency to get overly emotional whenever he encountered Hashirama. It was better to keep Hashirama hidden for now.

Aoba struck Nagato with full force, as the current Nagato was far too dangerous. The immense impact shattered the floor, driving Nagato's body four to five meters into the ground. The blow left him lifeless.

However, Aoba quickly realized something was wrong.

He knelt down and flipped Nagato's body over, only to find that while Nagato was unconscious, his Rinnegan had vanished, leaving only bloody eye sockets.

"Where's Madara?" Aoba immediately suspected Uchiha Madara. But a moment later, he reconsidered.

"No… not Madara. It must be Obito. Head to Obito's cell!"

This secret prison in the Land of Rain had no Flying Thunder God markers, so the team had to move quickly on foot.

Meanwhile, Black Zetsu had used Mayfly, bypassing numerous defensive barriers to reach Obito's cell.

Though Black Zetsu had briefly left Obito's body, it had ensured several White Zetsu clones remained inside to suppress Obito's consciousness.

By the time Black Zetsu returned, Obito was already struggling against the White Zetsu clones for control of his body.

White Zetsu wasn't on the same level as Black Zetsu. While it could interfere with Obito's mind, it lacked Black Zetsu's overwhelming dominance.

As a result, Obito had regained partial awareness. However, with his Sharingan sealed, he couldn't use Kamui to escape.

Just as he managed to stand, ready to attempt a conventional escape, Black Zetsu appeared behind him.

"What a pity, you were so close," Black Zetsu sneered, his mocking tone making Obito's body freeze in place. Then, Black Zetsu melded into Obito's body, once again taking control.

By the time Aoba and the others burst into the cell, Black Zetsu had already broken the seals on Obito's eyes.

"Tsk, tsk, Aoba Kamikawa, this time, you're just a step too late," Black Zetsu taunted.

A swirling space-time vortex appeared around him. Both Aoba and Minato acted simultaneously, but as Black Zetsu had said, they were a moment too slow and couldn't interrupt the space-time transfer.

Aoba even suspected that Black Zetsu could have left much earlier but had deliberately stayed just to mock him.

What was worse was that, following the previous Konoha ambush, Black Zetsu had taken precautions and removed all Flying Thunder God markers from Obito's body.

Outside Madara Uchiha's prison cell, Black Zetsu's form emerged from the swirling vortex. Removing the mask, he placed a Rinnegan into Obito's left eye socket.

Without hesitation, he formed hand seals.

"Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique!"

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Currently on Chapter 264 - Ōnoki's Compromise