Chapter 260: Space Debris Drifting
(T/N: Yunu now will be called Tamako.)
'If I had known this guy was useless, why did I even bother saving him?'
Thinking about how he risked everything to save Ōtsutsuki Shinichi from Shadow's hands, only to find he had no will left, Obito felt quite frustrated.
What could he say? If they could trust each other like regular comrades, things would never have turned out this way.
But there are no "ifs" in this world...
At that moment, the sound of an object slicing through the air reached them. Obito quickly reacted, grabbing Shinichi and tossing him aside.
A black sphere struck where Shinichi had just been, plunging into the sea.
"It's been a while, you two…"
Obito turned to see Hyuga Fuji standing on the sea's surface, smiling at them. His pupils contracted to pinpoints as he instantly dragged the dazed Shinichi into a swirling vortex, vanishing from sight.
"…"
"Hyuga Fuji" forced a wry smile.
He looked at the empty sea and let out a long sigh, reverting to his original appearance.
Was the master's appearance really that frightening?
…
Once inside the Kamui dimension, Obito finally relaxed.
The moon was incredibly cold; only the Kamui space could offer him some warmth.
"What now?" Shinichi, still shaken from the encounter, began to regain some composure. He looked at Obito's impassive face and said, "Without the passage, we'll have to rely on ourselves to return to the ninja world."
"I understand." Obito cast a cold glance at Shinichi but refrained from mocking him due to his usefulness in combat. Instead, he pulled out a communication device and said, "I'll wait until Hyuga Fuji leaves, then I'll inform Tamako."
The journey back to the ninja world from the moon was long, and it would likely take them quite some time.
Shinichi added, "Tell her this: now that Hyuga Fuji has taken over the moon, without our Giant Tenseigan to balance things, he could move the moon to destroy the entire ninja world!"
As he spoke, Shinichi took out a scroll and retrieved a large device, handing it to Obito. "This is a surveillance device Tamako asked me to place on the moon's surface. You can deploy it while you're out there."
Initially, he hadn't wanted to place this thing at his own doorstep, but now that the house had a new owner, what did it matter?
"Okay," Obito nodded indifferently.
…
In Ideal City, Tamako was briefing Nagato and Uchiha Madara on the situation on the moon.
After listening to her report, Nagato and Madara exchanged peculiar looks.
"So, Obito and Shinichi were battling the various ninja forces on the moon, and Hyuga Fuji suddenly appeared?"
"That's correct…"
"And then Hyuga Fuji nearly wiped out the Ōtsutsuki clan, leaving Shinichi despondent?"
"That's correct…"
"And finally, since Hyuga Fuji destroyed the Ōtsutsuki's sacred object, the spatial passage was damaged, and they won't be able to return for a while?"
"That's correct…"
"Hyuga Fuji now controls the moon and could potentially crash it into the ninja world?"
"That's correct…"
"Impossible!!!"
"That's correct…"
Tamako nodded out of habit, then suddenly realized the absurdity and quickly shook her head. "No, that's not correct."
Nagato stared at her for a moment, rubbing his temples as he felt his brain turning to mush.
The rest could be brushed off, but Hyuga Fuji having the power to crash the moon into the ninja world? What kind of nonsense was that?
Nagato looked up at the ceiling, then down at his hands, feeling a sudden sense of futility.
His power was still too weak.
Madara raised an eyebrow, temporarily setting aside his grievances with Tamako, and asked:
"How's the chakra collection going? We need to revive the Ten-Tails as soon as possible, or our advantage will continue to diminish."
"Many nations still have reservations about the virtual space. Because they can't fully understand the technology, large chakra sources like the jinchūriki haven't entered the virtual space. The collection rate is steady but slow. To fully activate Hikari' eye technique across the ninja world will take more time. Unless…"
"Unless we capture more tailed beasts or secure additional chakra sources?"
Madara tapped his finger on the armrest of his chair. "There's intelligence suggesting that the Land of Water has allied with Hyuga Fuji, so it's not an easy target."
Nagato shot him a glance. "Then let's target the Land of Earth. How long until Obito and Shinichi can return? I'd prefer to wait for them before making a move."
"You can see for yourself."
Tamako pulled out a remote, pressing a button to project a virtual screen in front of the three of them.
The screen displayed the lunar surface, and with a series of incomprehensible operations, Tamako shifted and zoomed the view until it focused on Obito and Shinichi.
The two were drifting through space between the ninja world and the moon. After a while, they disappeared into the Kamui dimension, only to reappear at another location shortly after, with the surveillance device following their movements.
Seeing Nagato and Madara watching the screen, Tamako calmly explained:
"To avoid navigating in the wrong direction, they periodically exit the Kamui dimension to confirm their position. During these moments, they're just like space debris drifting aimlessly."
Nagato and Madara's faces twisted into odd expressions as they looked at Tamako.
Is that the issue here?
Shouldn't we be more concerned about how you can immediately pinpoint Obito's location whenever he reappears?
Come on, admit it. Did you plant surveillance or tracking devices on all of us?
Realizing Tamako wasn't about to clarify, Madara redirected his gaze, watching the "Obito Space Drifting Chronicles" while commenting:
"Judging by their current position, it'll take some time for them to return."
"Unless they travel nonstop, it should take about five days," Tamako estimated.
Madara nodded, continuing to watch the screen, clearly enjoying Obito's misfortune.
"By the way, how are you transmitting the signal from the moon? We don't have satellites, do we?"
Recently, Madara had been catching up on the era's new technologies. Though often bewildered like an old man on the subway with a smartphone, he'd still managed to learn quite a bit.
He, Uchiha Madara, was open to new things!
Nagato cleared his throat. "We do. I launched a satellite into space using the Chibaku Tensei."
"…"
You used a Rinnegan technique for that?
Giving Nagato a peculiar look, Madara turned back to Tamako, narrowing his eyes.
Despite her top-tier skills among ninja scientists, he still hadn't uncovered her origins.
White Zetsu's infiltration abilities had been significantly weakened in this era, with nations and Hyuga Fuji employing countermeasures, along with formidable technology and ninjas.
In just two years, the world had transformed into something he barely recognized.
What was once entirely within his grasp now seemed foreign and elusive.
Even if the Ten-Tails fully revived, would he still be able to become its jinchūriki as planned?
Uchiha Madara fell into deep thought.
For once, he wasn't mulling over Hashirama.
In this era, there were others besides Hashirama who could stand in his way.
(End of chapter)