Fugaku has gone mad; he's going to create a new Uchiha clan in Kirigakure.

"boom--!!!"

"BOOM—!!!"

A dull, massive impact echoed wildly within the crimson barrier.

The wooden giant, which was over ten meters tall, was wielding its millstone-sized wooden fists, slamming them repeatedly against the inner wall of the "Four Red Yang Formation".

Each impact caused the entire crimson cube barrier to tremble violently, and the point of impact emitted a blinding light, with ripple-like shockwaves spreading outwards across the barrier's walls!

However, no matter how violently the wooden figure pounded on it, the seemingly thin, crimson barrier remained unmoved.

Inside the barrier, Obito Uchiha's face beneath his mask was so gloomy it seemed to drip water.

It's not just that he can't break through this Four Red Sun Formation!

Furthermore, this barrier, like the one created by Fugaku Uchiha before, interferes with spacetime coordinates.

Of course, the two methods are different.

If Fugaku Uchiha's ability to interfere with spacetime coordinates is like a landslide, leaving him with nowhere to draw strength, then this Four Red Yang Formation is pure, unreasonable, and brute force. It isolates the inside from the outside, forming a self-contained system that completely locks this space. There is only one way to get through: use even greater power to break through this blockade.

Without a doubt, Obito Uchiha at the moment does not possess such an ability.

In the "future" that Obito Uchiha was unaware of, only his mentor, Eternal Sister, accomplished this feat by utilizing the full power of the Nine-Tails.

"Damn it!!!"

...

"Lord Mitomon, the barrier is stable. The internal chakra reaction is intense, but there are no signs of leakage!"

A Jonin from the Konoha Sealing Team reported loudly.

"very good."

Mitokado Yan pushed up his glasses.

"Activate the 'Spirit Absorption' rune to draw in internal chakra. At the same time, shrink the barrier's area and gradually compress it!"

"yes!"

As the command was given, the runes flowing on the inner wall of the barrier suddenly changed. Some of them became even darker, as if they had come to life and began to greedily absorb all the chakra within the barrier. At the same time, the huge crimson cube also began to slowly shrink inward at a speed visible to the naked eye!

"Crunch... crunch..."

A sickening squeezing sound came from inside the barrier.

The enormous wooden figure was the first to be hit. Its waving arms slammed into the ever-approaching barrier wall, no longer creating ripples, but producing dull impacts and the sound of wood being forcibly squeezed, twisted, and cracking!

The wooden figure's body began to deform, its originally clear outline becoming blurred. Under the irresistible compression of space, the huge wooden structure groaned under the unbearable weight. It tried to struggle, using its fists, feet, and even its head to ram into the ground, but each act of resistance only accelerated its own disintegration and the contraction of the barrier.

Outside the barrier, Mitokado Homura watched the crimson cube shrinking and its internal wooden figure becoming increasingly distorted and blurry, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

The mastermind behind the Nine-Tails' rampage, the sword that has hung over Konoha for years, will be removed today by Mitokado Homura himself!

This achievement is enough to make Hiruzen's position as Hokage more secure, and it is also enough to give him more say in Konoha's decision-making.

Perhaps Hiruzen doesn't need to resign; he'll probably like this "gift" very much.

...

"It seems that Uchiha Madara... was indeed a fake."

In the shadows far from the battlefield, a clear, cold female voice rang out softly.

The speaker was Konan, the "angel" of Amegakure.

She wore a black trench coat embroidered with red clouds, and her gaze was calm and unwavering beneath purple eyeshadow.

Beside her was a withered figure, almost unrecognizable, trapped inside a bizarrely shaped, multi-legged mechanical crab-like device. Only his pale face and a pair of lifeless yet terrifyingly powerful Rinnegan were visible.

"So, should we save him?"

Konan turned her head and looked at Nagato beside her. No matter how many times her gaze swept over this man's withered body, she couldn't help but sigh slightly.

"need."

Nagato's voice was calm and powerful, which seemed out of place with his withered body.

"I don't know his true origins, and I know he's not on my side, but it doesn't matter. I only need his abilities to help me collect the tailed beasts. In the face of absolute power, I'm not worried about what tricks he might play."

He paused, his Rinnegan turning slightly, as if piercing through space, and saw the disheveled Obito and the crumbling wooden figure inside the barrier.

"Moreover... this battle has shown me exactly where his limits are."

After saying that, Nagato slowly closed his terrifying Rinnegan.

The next moment, Pain opened his eyes. He looked expressionlessly at the Black Zetsu that slowly rose from the ground beside him, as if it were formed from shadows.

"Go and inform that imposter to use his abilities to hide for now, otherwise, the upcoming 'cleanup' might affect him."

Pain's voice was cold, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

Black Zetsu's yellow pupils flickered for a moment, then he nodded without asking any further questions. His body seemed to melt away, seeping into the ground and disappearing from sight.

As a product of Kaguya's will, Black Zetsu possesses many unique abilities, one of which is ignoring most seals. It silently penetrated the base of the "Four Red Sun Formation" and entered the interior of the barrier.

At this moment, the space inside the barrier has been compressed to less than half of its original size. The wooden figure has been almost crushed into a twisted wooden cube, still emitting faint cracking sounds.

Obito stood on the only remaining open space, his Sharingan beneath his mask fixed on the ever-approaching crimson barrier.

"Pain is here. He wants you to hide in another dimension for the time being."

Suddenly, Hei Jue's voice rang out from inside the wooden figure.

"Also, from now on you will use the name 'Tobi'. In public, you will be the one who inherited the will of Uchiha Madara. You can no longer use the name 'Uchiha Madara'."

"Payne?"

Obito Uchiha suddenly turned his head to look at Black Zetsu.

"This is the 'backup plan' you were talking about? Why did you call him here?"

Don't look at me.

Black Zetsu's voice also carried a hint of helplessness.

"How could I bear to call upon someone with a Mangekyou Sharingan of the Kotoamatsukami level? He came to me on his own."

"After his parents died, I don't know when, he moved his parents' remains back to the Land of Whirlpools and would come to worship them every year. As a result, he just happened to run into what happened here. What could I do? I didn't dare to lie to him."

It paused, then added.

"Just now, you asked me what would happen if I failed, and I didn't dare to say because he wouldn't let me. The meaning was very clear: he wanted to see your true abilities."

"snort..."

Obito Uchiha snorted coldly, but didn't say anything. He was inferior in skill, so anything he said would just be sophistry.

"However, this was a lucky accident. If he hadn't come, you would have been in real danger today. Even I wouldn't have been able to get you out of this barrier."

"I see."

Obito Uchiha took a deep breath. He could endure anything for his goal. Then he reached out and grabbed Black Zetsu. The Sharingan pattern spun, and the two figures twisted and disappeared from the spot, entering Kamui's alternate dimension.

...

Outside the barrier, the Four Red Sun Formation had shrunk to only a quarter of its original size. The enormous wooden figure inside had long since disappeared, compressed into a dense mass of wood fragments that were almost indistinguishable in shape, quietly suspended in the center of the barrier, its struggle barely audible.

Victory is in sight.

However, just as Mitomon Homura was about to order the final sealing to be completed!

A calm, not particularly loud, but clear voice that seemed to resonate directly in everyone's mind, descended abruptly with an indifferent air that looked down upon all living beings.

"Shinra Tensei..."

Everyone looked up at the sound and saw a figure floating in mid-air directly above the barrier.

He wore a black trench coat embroidered with red clouds, the collar turned up high, covering the lower half of his face, revealing only a pair of extremely cold purple eyes, and his short orange hair swayed slightly in the invisible force field.

"Buzz—!!!"

An indescribable, terrifying repulsive force erupted from the center of Pain!

That wasn't wind, nor was it a shockwave; it was space itself being violently pushed outward!

The air was instantly compressed into a visible white shock wave, which expanded wildly outward in a spherical shape!

The first to be hit was the Four Red Yang Formation.

"Snap!!!"

A crisp, terrifying cracking sound rang out!

Before everyone's incredulous eyes, the crimson barrier that had stood firm despite the wooden figure's frantic hammering suddenly cracked like tempered glass struck by a heavy hammer, covered in countless spiderweb-like cracks in the face of this invisible repulsive force!

There was a pause, then another instant.

The barrier has completely collapsed!

Crimson fragments, mixed with raging chakra turbulence, shot out in all directions. The compressed wooden fragments inside were also crushed by the repulsive force and instantly turned into dust, disappearing without a trace.

But the terrifying repulsive force did not stop, like an invisible tsunami, crashing heavily against the Konoha ninjas who were maintaining the barrier!

"Pfft!"

"Well!"

Screams of agony rose and fell!

Hundreds of well-trained sealing squad ninjas were thrown about like leaves caught in a whirlwind, landing heavily on distant ruins or mud pits. Many vomited blood and fainted on the spot, and their formation collapsed instantly...

Where the barrier originally stood, only a huge circular crater remained.

At the edge of the crater, space distorted, and Obito Uchiha and Black Zetsu reappeared. He glanced at Pain, who was suspended in the air, his eyes behind the mask filled with complex and unfathomable emotions. Then he took a deep breath and spoke in a tone completely different from before.

"Ah Fei, thank you for saving my life, Chief. I only said that before because I didn't want others to look down on me..."

Pain, hovering in the air, merely nodded slightly in response to his gesture of "submission."

This unexpected trip back to the Land of Whirlpools to pay respects to his parents led him to witness this grand spectacle, allowing him to thoroughly uncover the true nature of this imposter claiming to be "Uchiha Madara." He also managed to "recruit" him; a "Madara" with a limited power level who needs his rescue is more reassuring to use, making the trip worthwhile...

"You go first."

Aren't you leaving?

Pain did not answer his question, but slowly turned his head away.

His gaze swept over the Konoha ninja scattered in disarray, and over the bewildered Kirigakure members, finally settling firmly on the black-haired man in the distance, who was surrounded by two beautiful women and had been quietly watching the battle.

He raised his hand and pointed it at Uchiha Fugaku.

"He is dangerous."

Pain's voice remained calm, yet carried a sense of pronouncement.

"Therefore, I have decided to grant him death."

...

"Nagato, are you going to kill him?"

In the shadows, Konan frowned slightly as she looked at the special projection formed by the paper magic in front of her. She then turned to look at the withered Nagato in the device.

"The Akatsuki organization isn't fully established yet. Isn't it premature for you to personally intervene?"

The long door in the device slowly shook its head.

"It's alright. As long as there is no concrete evidence that we are collecting tailed beasts, even if we show ourselves, the five great nations won't really do anything to us."

"If the Tailed Beasts don't cause problems, they won't unite. Instead, they'll distrust and restrict each other, and might even want people like us to exist. In recent years, the organization's biggest source of funding has been Iwagakure. That old man, Onoki, is probably the person among the Five Great Nations who knows the organization's secrets best, but do you see him having any plans to wipe us out?"

"Moreover, Jiraiya-sensei taught us a lot."

"Although I ultimately did not agree with his peace ideals, I cannot deny that his teachings have taught us to think. This man is dangerous, not because of the power he is displaying at the moment, but because of his thoughts."

Xiao Nan fell silent upon hearing this.

They had seen the "movie" at the Hidden Mist Camp and Fugaku Uchiha's remarks about "unity," "systems," and "human hearts" through special means. Even as an enemy, she had to admit that this man's words were without question.

As for the Kotoamatsukami, they didn't really care. Changing the world might require someone, but it would never involve controlling someone; doing so would be meaningless.

So, after watching that free movie, she couldn't help but wonder, if many years ago, there were people like this in the Land of Rain, would the people of the Land of Rain be so miserable?

"First of all, he will create a powerful Mist Shadow, which does not align with our future plans."

Nagato continued.

"Of course, that's not the most important thing, after all, it's only a possibility, not a certainty for the future."

"Most importantly, he has the Mangekyou Sharingan."

Is it special?

"Very special..."

Nagato nodded slightly.

"My Rinnegan is of a higher rank than the Sharingan, so there are some things I can see. The simplest example is that, as an ordinary Mangekyou Sharingan user, after using a dojutsu, the power in his eyes recovers rapidly. Not only the power, but also the damaged optic nerves recover as well."

"In other words, he truly is, as Black Zetsu said, born to be an 'eternal kaleidoscope'!"

"There's such a thing..."

Konan was somewhat surprised, after all, from ancient times to the present, it seems that only Uchiha Madara has achieved the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan in clear records...

"That's why I said he was dangerous. Letting him take charge of Kirigakure and use those eyes to try and take those two tailed beasts from Kirigakure won't be as easy as initially planned..."