Chapter 260: An Unexpected Crisis

At the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass.

Deep within the dense forest—

A swirling vortex of red and black space-time suddenly tore open.

"This should be the place..."

A murmuring voice emerged as a white-robed monk stepped out of the vortex.

This was the man who had sensed the disturbance of the Ten-Tails.

After handling his most urgent matters, he had rushed here without delay.

Or rather... Ōtsutsuki Isshiki had.

"This place looks like it just witnessed a major battle..."

Isshiki swept his gaze across the surroundings indifferently, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

"Heh, a step too late, huh?"

He had been concerned that Kaguya, upon her resurrection, might attempt to seize control of his backup Ten-Tails.

To prevent that, he had taken extra precautions back at his base, making arrangements that delayed him.

Now, lifting the hem of his long robe with one hand, Isshiki crouched down slowly.

With his other hand, he touched the ground, closing his eyes to sense the lingering energy.

Moments later, his eyes reopened, flickering with both confusion and delight.

"The energy of the Ten-Tails is definitely here... But its essence is incomplete, only about half of its full strength."

"…Did something go wrong during Kaguya's unsealing, preventing her full resurrection?"

"Or did someone accidentally, through sheer luck, obtain a portion of the Ten-Tails' power?"

As he pondered this possibility, Isshiki casually summoned a tall-stemmed wine glass, swirling the liquid inside before taking a sip.

Fine wine had always been a catalyst for his thoughts—it was a habit of his when contemplating complex matters.

The rich aroma of the drink flowed down his throat, and soon, he arrived at the most logical conclusion:

"Kaguya must have lured someone into breaking her seal, but that person saw through her scheme.

Rather than fully unleashing the Ten-Tails, they found a way to steal a fraction of its power instead."

Stowing away his glass, Isshiki stood up with an air of elegance, his steps carrying him forward.

"There seem to be quite a few humans ahead... I suppose I'll grab a few and ask them some questions. That should confirm my theory."

—

Not far away, a group of Kumogakure shinobi was gathering the bodies of their fallen comrades, their expressions dark.

Staring at the mangled corpses of their once-close allies, one shinobi clenched his fists, eyes bloodshot as he spat through gritted teeth:

"Those Konoha bastards… One day, I swear I'll tear them in half!"

Just then—

A figure, clad in an unusual outfit, stepped out from behind a tree.

The sudden movement startled the group.

One of the Kumogakure shinobi instinctively placed a hand on his sword hilt, scanning the newcomer warily.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Isshiki paid no mind to their cautious stances. His voice remained calm and detached.

"I'm merely a passing monk. I have some questions for you."

"Tch, damn near scared the crap out of me…"

Hearing this, one of the Kumogakure shinobi let out a breath, relaxing slightly.

Then, as if venting his pent-up frustration, he raised his blade and swung the hilt at Isshiki in annoyance.

They were already fuming from the battle's aftermath—this was just an excuse to let off some steam.

"Who the hell do you think you are, huh? We don't have time for your bullshit, so get lost—"

Clang.

The shinobi's words died in his throat, his eyes widening in shock.

His full-strength strike had been caught effortlessly.

And Isshiki's grip—like an iron vise—rendered him completely unable to pull the blade free.

"The hell…? Let go, you bastard!!!"

Isshiki gazed at him with cold indifference, as though looking at a mere insect.

"How crude… Such lowly creatures, and yet your words are even more vulgar than your existence."

The other Kumogakure shinobi immediately drew their swords, their movements swift as they lunged forward.

"Let go of our captain!"

"You bastard, you're dead!"

Isshiki's expression remained utterly unbothered.

With a mere flick of his eyes, countless black rods materialized in an instant, impaling the shinobi and pinning them to the ground.

"AAARGHHH!!"

The air filled with agonized screams as Isshiki opened a space-time vortex.

One by one, he casually kicked the helpless shinobi through the portal, their shrieks echoing as they vanished into another dimension.

—

In the alternate dimension.

It didn't take long.

Within minutes, Isshiki had extracted every last piece of information he wanted.

"Heh… Just as I thought. So it was Konoha's Uchiha Obito…"

A sharp glint flashed through his golden eyes, and his mind began to turn.

An Uchiha who had acquired a fragment of the Ten-Tails' power…

Leaving a Kāma mark on him and making him a vessel for reincarnation?

Or perhaps…

Feeding him to the Ten-Tails as nourishment?

Both options were quite tempting.

"Right now, Konoha's forces haven't returned to the village. This is the perfect time to strike."

A slow, satisfied grin spread across Isshiki's face.

"How fortunate… Truly, the heavens are on my side."

Originally, according to his plans, it would have taken another two or three decades to complete his reincarnation and cultivate a Divine Tree.

But with Obito's unexpected appearance, he could accomplish everything much sooner.

"A mere mortal daring to covet the power of a god? Hah… You will be nothing more than a stepping stone in my grand design."

In the blink of an eye, a new space-time vortex unfolded before him—

On the other side of the swirling portal lay Konohagakure.

—

Meanwhile, in Konoha.

Obito was still in shock.

He was struggling to fully process the fact that he had suddenly become a father.

"This is… way too sudden…"

His grandmother, however, merely chuckled, her expression filled with warmth.

"Sudden? Not at all. Look at Uchiha from next door—at your age, his kid's already running around."

Obito sighed, rubbing his temple.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it."

He was turning twenty-three after the New Year.

In this world, where early marriage and child-rearing were the norm, he was already behind schedule.

「Wait… When did this happen? Last month?」

「No, it has to be the time before that—two nights in a row… Damn.」

「Shit… That means I'm banned from missions for eight months?!」

The realization hit him like a ton of bricks, and his expression instantly soured.

「Damn it… I wanted to show Rin-chan my Mokuton, too…」

But then—Obito's face changed.

Through his sensory abilities, he felt it.

Someone was using a space-time jutsu inside Konoha.

「This isn't the Flying Thunder God technique… It's a full-on space-time portal!」

And right now, in the entire shinobi world, besides himself—

There was only one person capable of using a space-time portal.

Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.

Realization struck, and Obito's expression darkened.

"Shit! Did I accidentally expose myself by using the Divine Tree's abilities?"

"Why the hell is my luck this bad?!"

If his target is me… I need to lure him out of the village. Otherwise…

Otherwise, if they fought within Konoha—

The village would be reduced to ashes in an instant.

Taking a deep breath, Obito turned to his grandmother and spoke solemnly.

"Grandma, stay inside no matter what. Don't go out."

"I need to take care of something. I might be gone for a few days."

His grandmother's expression faltered.

Then, as if understanding, she forced a smile and nodded.

"Alright. I'll stay here. I was just thinking about how to plan your wedding, anyway."

Obito chuckled. "I'll be back soon."

As he stepped outside, his grandmother's voice trembled slightly behind him.

"Be careful, Obito."

His steps briefly paused.

But he didn't look back—

He just quickened his pace.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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