A Sage's Pursuit of Power

Itachi was inwardly bewildered, but unbeknownst to him, Obito was just as frustrated. He had considered this operation a departure from his usual patterns.

Instead of hiding in a secluded mountain cave or underground lair, he chose the highly populated Land of Hot Springs, banking on blending into the crowd and using the principle of "hidden in plain sight" to stay concealed.

Just minutes ago, Obito had emerged from a hot spring, feeling smug about his decision. But as he stepped out of the inn, he was greeted by six Akatsuki members standing in the plaza, seemingly waiting for him.

To Obito, it was clear: the Akatsuki had completely uncovered his whereabouts and were lying in ambush.

What baffled him was how his location had been leaked. Moreover, despite having taken Nagato's Rinnegan, why were these people still chasing him?

Based on his understanding of Akatsuki, the group should have disbanded immediately after the loss of the Rinnegan.

Yet here they were, not only remaining united but also converging on him with clear intent.

Itachi wanted to explain that he wasn't here for Obito. After the last battle, his body was heavily drained, and he was reluctant to fight unless absolutely necessary, as he was saving his eyes for Sasuke.

But facing Obito, who now possessed the Rinnegan, he had no confidence without using his Mangekyō Sharingan. In fact, even with it, he doubted his chances against the so-called "eyes of god."

Itachi was a genius, and precisely because of this, he had a clearer understanding of the disparity in strength between the two sides.

Fortunately, he wasn't fighting alone. With five strong comrades by his side, this was still a winnable battle.

What unsettled him, however, was the absence of Konoha's forces. For a moment, he suspected Aoba was watching from somewhere, waiting for him to clash with Obito.

And, as it turned out, he was correct.

At Konoha's command post, Aoba had called off the operation.

The Rinnegan wasn't just any power, it was a game-changer capable of large-scale destruction. The current team wasn't prepared to handle the Rinnegan.

If they were to make a move against Obito, Aoba needed to wait until his own eyes were fully recovered. Alternatively, the task would fall to Hashirama Senju, who was currently gambling away his fortunes in Konoha's casinos.

One of them needed to be in peak condition to stand a chance against Obito with the Rinnegan.

Obito had proven his prowess in the original storyline through numerous battles. Apart from being countered by Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique, Obito had consistently shown his strength.

In the final battle against Kakashi, Naruto, and Guy, he had even held back significantly.

From start to finish, he relied almost exclusively on Kamui. Despite possessing both Kamui and the Rinnegan, he never used the Rinnegan's abilities or large-scale jutsu.

His fight with Kakashi in the Kamui dimension was mostly hand-to-hand combat, with the exception of a single Fireball Jutsu.

Although Aoba had little direct experience fighting Obito, he knew the man had been trained by Madara Uchiha. Obito's strength wasn't as simple as it might seem.

Minato's ability to defeat him quickly was due to Minato's own extraordinary talent—not because Obito was weak.

Now, with the addition of the Rinnegan, taking Obito down would require an even stronger lineup.

"Let Akatsuki and Obito fight it out first. We'll clean up afterward," Aoba decided.

Compared to the Rinnegan, the Akatsuki members were far less significant. Their value didn't come close to matching that of the Rinnegan.

If Aoba could acquire the Rinnegan early, it would allow him to explore its secrets more deeply and potentially bring this game to an end ahead of schedule.

The moment Obito spotted the Akatsuki members, his first instinct was to use Kamui to escape. But then he remembered, he no longer had Kamui.

While he now possessed the more powerful Rinnegan, transplanting both Rinnegan had revealed why Madara had chosen Nagato to wield them in the first place.

The Rinnegan's chakra demands were beyond what most people could handle. Even at his peak, Obito could barely manage it.

But after sustaining multiple severe injuries and tearing apart much of his own body to rid himself of Black Zetsu, his strength was far from its prime.

Even with Hashirama cells, regenerating such extensive damage wasn't feasible. Obito's recovery had been aided by several White Zetsu he had hidden within his body (as established during the battle in the Land of Rain).

After fleeing from his near-fatal encounter, Obito had barely survived, nearly losing control to the White Zetsu. Ultimately, he had managed to turn the tide through internal conflict among the Zetsu, allowing him to rebuild his body.

But this new body was far from optimal. It lacked the seamless integration of the one Madara and Black Zetsu had crafted for him.

Previously, Obito could use Kamui almost indefinitely without strain. But now, with the Rinnegan, every battle brought the risk of rapid exhaustion.

His immediate thought was to use Shinra Tensei to repel the Akatsuki members and then fly away with the Rinnegan's levitation ability.

However, as he prepared to activate the jutsu, a kunai suddenly pierced his back.

"So fast." Obito twisted his body at the last moment, avoiding a fatal injury, but he was still shocked.

Unbeknownst to him, Itachi had already created a shadow clone and maneuvered it behind him. In theory, the Rinnegan's perception should have prevented this.

But Obito had kept the Rinnegan suppressed to conserve chakra, which delayed his reaction.

To make matters worse, Obito hadn't even seen Itachi's hand seals, a testament to Itachi's speed.

This highlighted just how much Itachi had held back during his fight with Sasuke. In earlier battles against Kakashi, Asuma, and others, Itachi had been so fast with his seals that they were almost invisible, often performed with one hand. But against Sasuke, his seals were deliberate and exaggerated... Slower than even Kisame's.

The next second, Obito lifted the suppression on his Rinnegan and unleashed Shinra Tensei without hesitation.

The invisible shockwave instantly blasted Kisame and the others away.

Without wasting a moment, Obito began levitating to escape.

But just as he took flight, a mocking laugh echoed from above.

Looking up, Obito saw Deidara riding a clay bird, descending rapidly. Without delay, Deidara hurled dozens of clay bombs directly at him.

The Rinnegan could absorb ninjutsu, but Deidara's clay bombs weren't standard ninjutsu.

Explosions echoed across the sky. Obito emerged unscathed, but he was forced back to the ground.

On the ground, Itachi, Kisame, Hiruko, Shin, and Sasori had already surrounded him.

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