It seemed the Fire Temple had fallen victim to some terrible misfortune.
The monks were all injured, some of them grievously so. The Fire Temple's main gate—the Sealing Iron Wall, once boasted as "impenetrable"—was now scarred and broken. Most of the buildings had collapsed, trapping numerous monks beneath the rubble.
And why were they all looking at him like that?
Why does everyone hate me?
Obito studied the child carefully. Finally, he confirmed this was the person he had been looking for.
The Fire Temple in the Land of Fire.
After a period of observation, Obito learned that the boy's name was Sora. His father, Chiriku, was once a member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja and was now the head abbot of the Fire Temple. Within the temple, aside from Chiriku, most of the monks treated Sora with disdain. Cold glares, fear, disgust—every kind of hostile expression was directed at him.
Sensing the faint overflow of the Nine-Tails' chakra from Sora's body, Obito began to guess the reason behind it all. The temple's devastated state was clearly the result of the Nine-Tails' power going out of control. However, Obito still had no idea how Sora came to possess the Nine-Tails' power in the first place.
Obito passed silently through a wall, reappearing outside.
Black Zetsu should be here by now.
He scanned the area but saw no sign of his accomplice. As he searched, however, Obito noticed someone else secretly observing the Fire Temple.
It was a powerfully built man with white hair that fell to his shoulders. A long scar ran down his face, dividing it in two. He carried a Japanese-style shakujō staff and wore the robes of a monk. At that moment, he was gnawing on a roasted sweet potato.
After a while, he finished his snack, stood up, and walked brazenly to the Fire Temple's gate to knock. A monk soon opened the door. After a brief exchange, the man was allowed inside.
His curiosity piqued, Obito stealthily followed him back in.
The man greeted the other monks with a familiar ease and made his way to the rear courtyard to rest. Obito watched from the side, finding the scene rather interesting. The man had entered under the guise of a wandering monk seeking temporary lodging. Judging by his familiarity with the other monks, he was clearly a frequent visitor.
But Obito didn't believe for a second that he was merely there to rest. Obito had noticed early on that the man's target was obviously Sora. Since it was still broad daylight, he probably wouldn't make a move just yet. Obito decided to wait for Zetsu outside the temple and return at night to see what would happen.
When Obito materialized again, he sensed Black Zetsu's presence.
"What took you so long?" Obito asked, his expression displeased.
"I'm not as fast as you," Black Zetsu replied, the corner of his mouth twitching. Obito's refusal to bring him along with Kamui was, in itself, a clear sign of distrust.
Obito just grunted, not pressing the issue.
Aside from instructing White Zetsu to find Nagato in front of Obito, Black Zetsu had also given him other orders in private—to help him find people he needed. He had gone elsewhere this time to see if the person he'd found met his expectations. After a look, he felt they were a good fit and planned to make contact later.
Obito considered this. When it came to collecting the Nine-Tails, he and Black Zetsu shared the same goal. So, he told him directly, "I've found the person with the Nine-Tails' chakra. But it seems someone else is watching him, too. I want to find out where this chakra came from. I have a feeling this man is involved."
Black Zetsu naturally understood the importance of the Nine-Tails. "It would be best if we could find the method used to create it. I'll go with you to check on the situation." He calculated that this would give them at least one more backup plan.
With that, Black Zetsu slowly sank into the ground. Obito phased through the wall and returned inside the temple.
The traveling monk remained in his room. Obito and Black Zetsu waited patiently. A child possessing the Nine-Tails' chakra was a heaven-sent gift for them both. It would greatly increase the success rate of their future plans.
Moreover, Obito had begun trying to find allies who could help him. Ever since Kawasaki had exposed his identity, he had yet to find anyone truly loyal to him. For too long, he had expended too much energy dealing with the Uchiha clan. It was now clear that he was no match for Uchiha Kawasaki at present. And in the Land of Water, a moment of carelessness had led to Nagato's complete disappearance. The Rinnegan, a key tool for his plan, was now out of his control.
Fortunately, Nagato had left behind a contingency, so Obito was confident he could eventually retrieve the Rinnegan. He needed helpers. Once the Rinnegan was recovered, the task of capturing the Tailed Beasts would proceed more smoothly. He simply couldn't do it all by himself. Kakuzu was just the beginning. This traveling monk… perhaps he could become the second. As for Konoha and the Uchiha, he could find other ways to weaken them.
The sky slowly darkened. As expected, the traveling monk who had arrived during the day snuck out of his room in the middle of the night to find Sora.
Sora was alone in his room. It was late, but he was still awake. Although Lord Chiriku had comforted him, he could still feel that the others disliked him, and it made him sad. He didn't understand why.
Gradually, a thin mist seeped into the room. Sora felt his eyelids grow heavy, and he drifted into a hazy sleep.
A white-haired monk vaulted over the wall. He expertly positioned the boy, and then his hands began to glow with the faint light of a sealing jutsu. He pressed his palm against Sora's abdomen. A surge of crimson chakra erupted from the boy, but then the seal on his stomach flared to life, and the chakra receded back inside.
"What do you think you're doing?"
The calm voice boomed in the white-haired monk's ears like a clap of thunder. He swung his shakujō staff, which transformed into a chain whip, and lashed it out behind him. But there was no sound or sensation of impact.
The white-haired monk spun around.
Behind him stood a man with blood-red eyes, and next to him, a half-black, half-white figure was emerging from the ground.
"You're Obito!?" the monk exclaimed, a hint of excitement in his voice.
Obito frowned slightly. The man had been a little loud. He wondered if anyone had heard. He placed a hand on the monk's shoulder. The man offered no resistance. As the vortex of Kamui began to form, his face was filled with a strange look of delight. Of course, by the time he was pulled into the Kamui dimension, he had already lost consciousness.
Obito followed him into the dimension, while Black Zetsu sank back into the earth.
After they left, two monks passed by the doorway. They glanced at the sleeping Sora, who had kicked his blanket aside, his belly exposed as he slept soundly.
"It was probably just Sora talking in his sleep. Nothing's wrong."
"Let's go."
"I really don't understand why the Abbot insists on raising him."
"This time, we almost..."
"Quiet. That was just an accident. Sora is only a child."
Outside the Fire Temple, Obito emerged from his spatial dimension, holding the white-haired monk. Black Zetsu rose from the ground to meet him.
"Interesting. That boy has a large amount of Nine-Tails' chakra inside him. The sealing jutsu this man was using is likely to suppress it periodically," Black Zetsu observed. "The last time the Nine-Tails' chakra rampaged at the temple was probably because this guy didn't return in time to apply the seal."
Obito's interest was piqued. He pried open the white-haired monk's eyelids. Obito's Sharingan spun as he cast a genjutsu. The man's head drooped, and he stood up with a dazed expression.
Obito nodded in satisfaction. "Introduce yourself. What were you just doing? And do you know who I am?"
"My name is Kazuma. I was once a member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja of the Land of Fire. I was applying a sealing jutsu to Sora. And yes, I know who you are."
Obito thought for a moment. "Why does Sora have the Nine-Tails' chakra inside him? Why are you sealing it? And what do you want with me?"