[I've Already Confronted the Five Kage, and the System Just Arrived!] Chapter 280 (Patreon)

While the five great shinobi villages gathered their forces and summoned reanimated legends to assemble the largest ninja coalition, Gensou stood alone before the Gedo Statue, awaiting Obito's arrival.

Aware of White Zetsu's exceptional scouting abilities, Gensou didn't set traps or bring subordinates, ensuring Obito wouldn't hesitate to show himself.

Drip. Drip.
Water droplets echoed as they fell from above.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the dripping sound ceased.

Gensou opened his eyes just as a spatial distortion appeared before him.

The falling water vanished into the swirling space before a second drop could fall.

The next moment, a man clad in the black cloak with red clouds of the Akatsuki, his face concealed by an orange spiral mask, stepped forward.

Uchiha Obito had arrived.

At first glance, Obito noticed the familiar Rinnegan in Gensou's eyes and the Gedo Statue behind him, its seven and a half eyes open.

From beneath his mask, Obito's lips curled into a sneer.

"One of the legendary figures of the Warring States, a man said to rival the gods, reduced to stealing the Rinnegan and Gedo Statue from others. How amusing."

Gensou's gaze remained indifferent. "The victor writes history. Pain learned this, and so will you."

"Is that so?"

Obito's cold laugh echoed. Confident in the absence of traps or allies nearby, he regarded Gensou's overconfidence with disdain.

"Arrogance is dangerous. You should know—"

Gensou cut him off, uninterested in idle chatter.

"Did you bring the Two-Tails' Jinchuriki?"

Obito didn't respond immediately. With his mask obscuring his face, his expression was unreadable, but his silence was telling.

"No answer? Very well, I'll take it myself," Gensou said, raising his arm.

Just as something began to slip from his sleeve, Obito's sharp voice rang out.

"Zetsu!"

Black Zetsu emerged from the ground near Obito, holding a crystal orb marked with nine tomoe, brimming with the chakra of all nine Tailed Beasts.

"The technique is complete, thanks to Madara's failsafe," Zetsu said, handing the orb to Obito.

This "failsafe" referred to Black Zetsu's superior access to the Gedo Statue's functions, surpassing even Madara's. As Kaguya's "third child," Zetsu was intimately familiar with the Ten-Tails' vessel.

Unnoticed by Gensou, Zetsu had quietly siphoned chakra from the Gedo Statue during their brief encounter, condensing it into the nine-tomoe crystal orb.

Obito wasted no time, smashing the orb against the ground.

Realizing the danger, Gensou extended his hand, attempting to draw the orb to himself with gravitational pull.

But as the Rinnegan's force enveloped the orb, cracks spiderwebbed across its surface.

Shatter!

Blinding white light burst forth, engulfing Gensou entirely.

Before he could react, the light consumed him. By the time the orb shattered completely, the overwhelming brightness faded, leaving an empty space.

Gensou, Obito, Zetsu—all had vanished. Only the Gedo Statue remained, silently observing the now-still scene.

When the blinding light subsided, Gensou found himself standing alone in what appeared to be the same location.

However, the Gedo Statue was gone, as were Obito and Zetsu.

Gensou's expression darkened.

"Did Obito and Zetsu steal the statue while I was distracted?"

He quickly scanned his surroundings, moving to the spot where the statue had stood.

Looking down at the dust-covered ground, Gensou frowned.

A being of the Gedo Statue's size would've left traces—indentations, at the very least.

There was only one explanation.

"This looks like the same place, but it isn't," Gensou muttered, his gaze sharpening.

"Was it an illusion?"

He recalled the dazzling light from the nine-tomoe orb and immediately began forming seals to dispel genjutsu.

But as seconds turned into minutes, nothing happened.

Even techniques capable of dispelling the Great Toad Sage's most powerful illusions had no effect.

"It's not genjutsu... Or the method to break it is something specific."

After a moment of thought, Gensou cast one last glance at the familiar surroundings before striding forward.

He needed to gather information.

Emerging from the shadows, Gensou stepped into blinding sunlight and was met with rolling green hills.

At first glance, everything seemed familiar.

But then, his gaze shifted to the horizon.

In the distance, at the edge of the hills, was a bustling town—a place that shouldn't exist.

With his Rinnegan's enhanced vision, Gensou observed the lively settlement. The sound of train whistles carried faintly through the air.

"A town... here? That's not right."

With a glint in his eye, Gensou began heading toward the town.

Minutes later, he walked through the bustling streets, surrounded by people speaking with the distinct dialect of the Warring States period. Their attire, too, reflected the era.

As Gensou passed, a man and woman wearing the crests of the Senju and Uzumaki clans respectively approached him.

The moment they saw him, they stopped and bowed deeply.

"Greetings, Clan Leader Hagoromo!"

Gensou's lips curled into a faint smile.

He had a suspicion about where he was now.

Meanwhile, miles away...

"So, even our true forms have arrived here," Obito remarked, examining his surroundings.

"This mirrored world, created by absorbing the chakra of the nine Tailed Beasts, exceeded my expectations in both scale and effect," Zetsu replied, his voice emotionless.

"Facing someone like Gensou, there's no room for error. To bait him, we had to get caught in the trap as well."

Obito nodded, his gaze turning distant.

While the outcome deviated from their plan, he quickly accepted reality.

"This mirrored world is built on Gensou's consciousness. With our true bodies here, our actions will be much easier to execute."

"Indeed," Zetsu agreed. "What's our next move?"

Obito smirked. "Naturally, we pay a visit to the other Hagoromo Gensou."

(End of Chapter)

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