Obito approached the borders of Konoha. Although he no longer had Kamui, he now possessed a pair of Rinnegan and, with the help of the Sage of Six Paths, had even gained access to techniques like Limbo: Border Jail. Normal patrol squads were no match for him.
But as he neared Konoha, Obito realized how serious the situation really was, and why the Sage of Six Paths had said he could no longer perceive what was happening inside the village.
The entire village was wrapped in a strange barrier, one made of natural energy.
Obito had never seen anything like this. Even among all of Madara's legacy, there was no record of this kind of natural energy usage. In fact, Madara had never even learned Sage Jutsu; he couldn't use natural energy at all.
The barrier itself wasn't particularly strong. Obito could easily break through it, but not without alerting Konoha.
He glanced over at the man beside him, Hashirama Senju.
The "God of Shinobi," who had died, lived, and died again… now stood in silence. Ever since being revived this time, he had barely spoken.
In terms of power, however, there was no issue. He was even stronger than in his prime. Obito had seen it himself, Hashirama could now wield Truth-Seeking Orbs.
Even with a pair of Rinnegan, Obito still couldn't use those orbs. It had taken the Sage of Six Paths personally giving him a "cheat code" to access them.
Both of them were, without a doubt, genuine Six Paths–level powerhouses, one with the Sage's body, the other with the Sage's eyes.
Their strength was immense. But even so, Obito had no confidence.
Because he knew nothing about the current state of Konoha.
Ever since Aoba stripped away his chakra and became something akin to a divine being of the shinobi world, Konoha had turned into a complete black box from their perspective.
Obito had no intelligence on its inner workings, defenses, or battle power. And even someone as cautious and calculating as him knew that walking into the most powerful force in the ninja world without any intel was absolute madness.
Especially when that force was being led by Aoba Kamikawa.
This man had single-handedly reshaped Konoha. Forced Obito into hiding. Revived Hashirama, only to take him down again. Just thinking about confronting Aoba made Obito feel uneasy.
And despite all his upgrades, that unease never went away.
What Obito didn't know was that, at this very moment, Aoba was watching him, from another perspective.
Yes, Aoba was watching Uchiha Obito and the revived Hashirama standing beside him.
At this point, Aoba Kamikawa could no longer be measured by any traditional shinobi standard. He was no longer even a "ninja." He didn't possess chakra anymore.
But at the same time, he was immensely powerful.
The barrier that had baffled two Six Paths–level beings? It had been created with a single thought.
This was the difference between a god and a ninja. The power Aoba now wielded was conceptual. With his divine authorities, he could do anything with a mere thought, as long as it fell under his dominion.
So he wasn't surprised at Obito's arrival. In fact, the man was later than Aoba had expected.
Nor was he shocked at the revival of Hashirama. He had always suspected that Hashirama was the strongest card the Sage of Six Paths held. With control of the Pure Land and an army of White Zetsu, resurrecting Hashirama was nothing for him.
After a moment of hesitation, Obito finally decided to make a move. He figured, he had come this far; if he didn't at least try, he wouldn't be able to let it go.
Of course, this was just a test, not an all-out attack.
"Break the barrier," Obito commanded, as the one in charge.
Hashirama glanced at him without speaking, but chakra began to gather in his hands.
"Wood Style: Wood Dragon Jutsu!"
A giant wood dragon, hundreds of meters long, soared into the air and violently tore through the barrier around Konoha.
"Enemy attack!!"
Shrill alarms echoed through the village, and a wave of shinobi began rushing toward the breach.
At that moment, Hashirama stared at his hands in confusion.
"What's wrong?" Obito noticed his hesitation.
"There was an issue with the technique. I tried infusing it with natural energy, but it didn't work."
"Heh. Don't waste your effort. Haven't you realized yet? Aoba has reached a level with natural energy that we can't even comprehend. In front of him, it's best not to rely on that kind of thing."
Konoha's ANBU had arrived.
"Fire Style: Majestic Fire Dragon Jutsu!"
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
The combined Wind and Fire Style created a powerful fusion jutsu that roared toward Obito and Hashirama. But two black shields enveloped them, absorbing the blow completely.
"Those are… Truth-Seeking Orbs?" one of the ANBU exclaimed.
"All units, fall back! Notify the Hokage, we need backup!"
Watching the ANBU retreat without hesitation, Obito couldn't help but sigh.
"So Aoba even told the lower ranks about that?"
"He's not like us. He's… very different," Hashirama said. This was the first time since his revival that he initiated conversation.
But Obito didn't respond, because he couldn't.
At some unknown point, Obito realized the world around him had changed.
He now stood in a vast, empty space which was both enormous and desolate, like a void. It was similar to his Kamui dimension, but thousands of times larger. Endless in every direction.
And in front of him, Aoba appeared.
"Long time no see, Obito Uchiha."
If you would like to read more...
The novel has be completed (Chp. 362) on the patreon -> SaintXI