Chapter 138: Ending It

Late Night.

In the Hidden Leaf Village.

Uchiha Obito stood on a tree created by Wood Release, casually tossing down the lifeless body of a Leaf Village Anbu. Beneath him lay several corpses, and surrounding him, the bodies of about a dozen Anbu hung from the branches, their scarlet blood dripping steadily, creating the illusion of a bloody rain.

It seems the Flying Thunder God user really isn't from the Leaf Village. Otherwise, he would have shown up by now, Obito mused, glancing at the surrounding Leaf Village ninjas. Though his original intent was to steal Kakashi's Sharingan, upon failing, he decided to create a commotion to see if the Flying Thunder God user would appear.

"Who are you and why do you keep attacking the Leaf Village?" The Third Hokage's voice was filled with sorrow as he looked at the Anbu slain by Obito. He hadn't expected the masked man to

possess not only Wood Release but also a space-time ability, rendering his attacks ineffective and allowing the other Anbu to be easily killed.

"Third Hokage-sama, any attack will pass through his body. Only at the moment he strikes does he become tangible." Kakashi, gasping for breath, relayed this crucial information to the Third Hokage. He had been using Chidori to escape, and upon noticing the masked man attacking the reinforcements led by the Third Hokage, he rushed over.

Kakashi hadn't shared his encounter with the Fourth Hokage's spirit with anyone, as he couldn't explain it, and the mysterious man who brought the Fourth Hokage to him was even more inexplicable.

Obito looked at the Third Hokage with cold indifference, as if looking at a dead man.

Tsunade's figure swiftly approached from a distance. Seeing the masked man, she charged at him, fist ready to strike.

"Careful!" The Third Hokage and Kakashi shouted in alarm. The masked man's strange ability could easily take someone by surprise during their first encounter.

Obito frowned. As Tsunade's body passed through his, he didn't retaliate. He knew she was aware of his abilities from their previous encounter and wouldn't charge recklessly without a plan.

Boom! Tsunade's fist slammed into the ground, causing it to crack. Obito hadn't struck back.

He's not retaliating. Tsunade frowned. She had hoped to catch him off guard when he materialized to attack her.

"Where is he?" Obito asked coldly, looking at Tsunade. She had been saved by the Flying Thunder God user before and likely knew his whereabouts.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Tsunade retorted, summoning Katsuyu to heal the surrounding ninjas. She charged at Obito again.

Despite Tsunade and the Third Hokage's efforts, Obito remained untouched, deep in thought.

Could he really not be here? Should I release the Four Tails and cause some chaos? Obito hesitated, watching the approaching Leaf Village ninjas.

Elsewhere. Shishou stood in the shadows atop the Hokage Rock, unmoved.

If I reveal myself now, future ambushes on the Leaf Village will only become more frequent. You can't guard against a thief every day. Shishou knew that appearing now would only lead to more attacks. As long as Obito wasn't targeting Naruto, he wouldn't intervene. However, letting Obito continue to cause havoc was also problematic.

Shishou left a shadow clone to monitor the situation and vanished.

In a vast cave housing the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, Shishou appeared next to the one-armed Kisame.

Hmm? How did he get here? Kisame, practicing with Samehada, immediately sensed Shishou's presence. Without hesitation, he swung Samehada at Shishou. The white Zetsu monitoring Kisame disappeared into the ground to notify Obito and Pain.

Shishou dodged the attack, smirking at the blade. "Aren't you curious how I got here?"

Kisame paused, then glanced at Samehada. He noticed a Flying Thunder God mark on one of its spikes, recalling the previous battle when Shishou had blocked Samehada with his hand.

"You marked Samehada with Flying Thunder God..." Kisame kicked the sword away in frustration.

"So this is the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path?" Shishou ignored Kisame, examining the colossal statue. He had intended to draw Obito away from the Leaf Village but had stumbled upon this instead.

I wonder if my parasitic insects can devour the Demonic Statue. Shishou placed his hand on the statue, releasing his insects.

Kisame seethed with anger at being ignored. No one had ever dismissed him like this, especially now that he had acquired Wood Release.

Using Wood Release, Kisame attacked Shishou, who dodged and retrieved Samehada, appearing elsewhere in the cave.

Crunch! Samehada's handle sprouted spikes, piercing Shishou's hand.

"Heh." Shishou didn't flinch, his insects swarming over Samehada, transforming it into a regular sword. He tossed it aside, his hand healing instantly. With Hashirama's cells and the enhancements from Madara's remains, he had gained rapid regeneration.

Puff, puff, puff... Six plumes of smoke appeared on the statue's hand, revealing the Six Paths of Pain.

The Paths leaped down, facing Shishou. "Let's settle this."