[I've Already Confronted the Five Kage, and the System Just Arrived!] Chapter 267 (Patreon)

The battlefield was shrouded in smoke and chaos.

Kakuzu, now left with only two hearts, stood alongside Hidan, who was missing an arm. Both were in a sorry state as they glared at the figure before them, clad in the same black cloak adorned with red clouds as theirs.

"Tobi! So you've been hiding your true strength all along!" Hidan growled through gritted teeth.

Of course, he recognized Tobi.

The man had joined the Akatsuki earlier than Hidan but had always been relegated to a reserve member due to his supposed lack of power.

But now—

As Hidan and Kakuzu barely survived their encounter, it was evident that Tobi;s strength was anything but lacking.

"Space-time ninjutsu!"

Kakuzu, ever the seasoned veteran, quickly identified the technique Tobi had employed.

His expression turned grim.
"To think someone like you was hiding in the organization. It seems we all underestimated you."

"It's not surprising that fools who don't know the truth underestimated me," said Uchiha Obito coldly, standing unscathed before them. "But Pain knew about me all along."

"After all, the Akatsuki you know was built by me. I am the true leader of the Akatsuki."

"What?!"

Kakuzu and Hidan's faces darkened in shock.

Tobi—the real leader of the Akatsuki?

Obito let out a cold chuckle.
"And now, faced with two traitors to the Akatsuki, what do you think I should do?"

Kakuzu and Hidan had no time to dwell on their shock. Their faces hardened as they prepared to fight once more.

To their surprise, Obito made no move to attack. Instead, he addressed them in an even tone:
"In light of the contributions you've made to the Akatsuki in the past, I'll give you a chance to live."

"Deliver this message to Gensou: if he wants the Two-Tails jinchūriki, he'll have to meet me in front of the Gedo Statue that he stole from me."

"Otherwise, he'll never get the Two-Tails."

With that, Obito provided a location for the meeting, then grabbed the unconscious Two-Tails jinchūriki. Space twisted around him as he vanished in a swirl of spiraling energy.

Watching him disappear, Kakuzu and Hidan let out heavy sighs of relief.

Hidan picked up his severed arm and gestured for Kakuzu to reattach it. Once his arm was back in place, he spread his hands and asked:
"So, what do we do now?"

The two had intended to prove their worth in front of their new leader, but the mission had gone disastrously wrong.

Kakuzu, his expression unreadable, retracted his Earth Grudge Fear threads and replied:
"What else can we do? We tell the leader the truth."

Resigned, Hidan muttered, "Ugh, why are we so unlucky?"

Without Obito's interference, they would have captured the Two-Tails jinchūriki with ease.

Now, they had no choice but to return and accept the consequences.

On his way back, Gensou soon received news of the successful capture of both the One-Tail and the Eight-Tails jinchūrikis.

However, before he could fully appreciate these successes, word reached him about the Two-Tails jinchūriki being taken by Tobi—Uchiha Obito—along with the message he had left behind.

Gensou's brows furrowed as he snorted coldly.
"The rat finally shows himself."

Ever since he had taken over the Akatsuki, Obito had been conspicuously absent.

Given Obito's personality, it was clear he wouldn't simply let things go.

Gensou had anticipated that Obito would surface at the critical moment to challenge his control over the Moon's Eye Plan. What he hadn't expected was for Obito to act so soon.

The timing and target were well chosen.

This was a crucial period for Gensou's Tailed Beast collection, and unlike the Eight-Tails or the Nine-Tails, the Two-Tails wasn't a jinchūriki he could afford to ignore.

Without any chakra from the Two-Tails, even the incomplete Ten-Tails—formed by substituting the chakra of the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails with that of the Kin-Gin brothers—would be impossible to achieve.

"It seems I'll have to agree to Obito's demand."

"As for meeting in front of the Gedo Statue… heh."

Gensou didn't need to guess to know that Obito had likely set some kind of trap involving the statue.

Obito's deep understanding of the Gedo Statue—an inheritance from Uchiha Madara—far surpassed Gensou's own limited knowledge, as the Rinnegan Gensou wielded wasn't even his by birth.

It was entirely possible that Obito had left a hidden mechanism in the statue or had other plans to turn the situation in his favor.

But Gensou had prepared for such contingencies.

He reached into a container and retrieved Obito's other Mangekyō Sharingan.

"Let's see whose surprise is greater, Obito."

As Gensou disappeared into the rain, a downpour began over the ruins of Mount Myōboku.

The rain washed away the lingering smoke and ash, and as it continued, water began to pool in the massive craters.

If the rain persisted for several more days, a great lake might form where Mount Myōboku once stood.

Returning to the ruins, Shima and Fukasaku towed along the surviving toads. They grimly surveyed the devastation, their faces heavy with sorrow.

"The Great Elder is gone… and so is Naruto," Shima lamented as she examined the remains of their home.

Fukasaku sighed deeply, preparing to offer words of comfort.

But at that moment, Gamatora, the scroll-bearing toad, stepped forward with a solemn expression.
"With the Great Elder gone, it's time for me to fulfill my task."

Gamatora spat out a scroll and handed it to Fukasaku.
"This is the Elder's final message for you."

"The Elder…"

Fukasaku unrolled the scroll. As expected, it was written in the Great Toad Sage's own hand.

The message outlined instructions for after the sage's death, including the location of a new home for the toads. It also appointed Fukasaku as the new leader of the toads and emphasized one crucial point:

The new Mount Myōboku was to remain neutral and uninvolved in human or ninja affairs.

This, the sage wrote, was the most important lesson learned at the cost of its life.

"I understand, Elder."

Fukasaku nodded solemnly. After carefully storing the scroll, he led the remaining toads toward their new home, vowing never to meddle in the outside world again.

The toads would no longer need to sacrifice themselves.

Gamatora, however, did not join them.

"I still have another task to complete," it explained. "I must deliver the Elder's final message to Konoha."

With that, Gamatora quickly departed.

(End of Chapter)

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