Pushing Through the Limit Chapter 79: Deadly Dissent

Standing next to Mifune in front of the gathered Kage, I held back a yawn as I listened to them debate on what to do.

Two days had passed since Jiraiya, Konan and I arrived back in our original timeline and brought with us knowledge that could potentially put an end to the Fourth Shinobi war before it even started... Or at the very least mitigate the worst of it.

Knowledge of the Mountains’ Graveyard location was a game changer. Seeing as it was the place where Obito and Black Zetsu stored the Gedo Mazo... And, more importantly, the place where they were amassing their Zetsu army, its destruction would all but cripple any chance he had at winning.

Without the Zetsu army to fall back on, all he’d have is a much smaller force consisting of the three remaining Akatsuki members. Deidara, Kakuzu and Kisame. Each fairly powerful, but nowhere near enough to stand against the combined efforts of the Five Nations.

All of that was assuming that he would survive long enough to actually put up a resistance.

Unfortunately, there was one minor obstacle that stood in our way.

Seeing as Konoha was part of an alliance with the other four nations, we couldn’t just handle this on our own... Not if we wanted this alliance to last.

So a quick meeting was called to inform the various Kage and Mifune of ‘Madara’s’ location.

“There’s no point in talking about this!” Ay argued. “We need to strike while the iron’s hot. The longer we sit here, the more we risk losing this advantage.”

“Be that as it may, there is still a process to this,” Onoki replied. “We can’t just rush off and invade another nation without due cause. Doing so could cause friction in the future. Uzumaki, how certain are you that Madara is hiding in the Land of Fangs.”

Humming, I looked up to see that all eyes were on me once more. “I’m a hundred percent sure that he’s there,” I replied. “I’m also pretty sure that I sensed the Gobi’s Chakra there as well.”

It wasn’t necessarily a lie... It just wasn’t the full truth either. Whether Onoki picked up on that however didn’t seem to matter.

Rubbing his chin, Onoki’s eyes narrowed. “I see. This could complicate things.”

“If I might suggest,” Mei volunteered. “Instead of launching a full blown invasion, perhaps we could use a more... Delicate touch.”

“Agreed,” Gaara nodded. “We could send in a specialized team composed of our top Shinobi to take down Madara. Even if it fails, it would drag the conflict out into the open and give us cause to enter the Land of Fangs with an army.”

Which was pretty much guaranteed to happen. It was easy to see that everyone was on board, it was just the smaller details that Onoki was concerned with. One’s that could come back to bite us in the ass further down the line.

 “He may be old, but he’s still pretty sharp,” Kurama commented.

‘Yeah.’

He did live through three Shinobi Wars and was the oldest Kage here after all.

“I’m inclined to agree with this idea,” Tsunade noted, giving a small nod in my direction.

Well... It seemed that things were heading in the right direction. Another five minutes of this and we might just end this meeting in record time.

...PTL...

“Yo, Naruto. Long time no see,” Kakashi greeted, smiling behind his mask. “What interesting situation have you gotten yourself dragged into this time?”

“Just the usual stuff,” I shrugged.

Humming, he pulled out a copy of Icha Icha and proceeded to read it while leaning against a nearby wall, much to the annoyance of the other occupants of the room.

Two Shinobi from each major village had been sent to participate in this raid, leaving ten Shinobi in total. Baki and Kankuro from Suna, Darui and C from Kumo, Ao and Chōjūrō from Kiri and finally Akatsuchi and a person who I assumed was Kitsuchi from Iwa.

Each had been briefed on why they were here today and what was expected of them.

The group had been a compromise that was agreed upon by all Kage with only one... Ay being a little unhappy with the situation... Although, i was pretty sure that was because he would have preferred to be part of the team that was going to be raiding Obito’s base.

Snapping his book shut, Kakashi slipped it into his pouch and lifted his headband. “It looks like we’re just about ready to begin.”

Seeing one of my clones accompany the Raikage and Mabui, I nodded. “Yeah.”

...PTL...

Arriving alongside Kakashi to an almost jungle-like forest within the Land of Fangs, I was only briefly able to take in our surroundings, before the rest of the teams were transported alongside a few of my clones.

Immediately getting to work, Ao activated his Byakugan, searching for the underground complex while C used his sensory abilities to locate any and all enemies that were in the vicinity.

“There,” Ao said, pointing in a seemingly random direction. “There’s a bunker approximately one hundred and fifty meters underground. It branches off into a massive cavern with... I’m not quite sure what that is. There’s a strange Chakra that’s obscuring my vision.”

“I sense it too,” C confirmed. “There’s an absolutely massive Chakra signature that seems to be connected to thousands of smaller ones.”

Ah, that would be the Gedo Mazo and the Zetsu clones.

Stepping forward, both Akatsuchi and Kitsuchi slammed their palms into the ground. At first it started to rumble, before splitting open, creating a massive fissure that split the land in two, destroying a number of trees in the process.

Jumping into the crevice, we split apart with each team going their separate way. Each one with the same goals in mind. Find Iwa’s missing Biju, cripple the Zetsu army and kill Obito.

Although I’d technically been here before, it was different from how it was in the past... It wasn’t anything physical. No, it was Chakra.

It was in the walls, in the air, in the roots and it was making it extremely difficult to narrow down Obito’s location.

‘Kurama...’

“On it.”

Switching over to Negative Emotion Sensing, things became much clearer. Getting a far better idea of where everything was, I formed a clone and slipped it a scroll, before signaling for Kakashi to follow my lead.

“And that was?” Kakashi asked, running alongside me.

“Just a little surprise for Obito,” I chuckled. “Trust me, he’s not going to like it.”

As the seconds passed by, it began to grow difficult to differentiate between Obito’s negative emotions and those of his Zetsu’s that had begun to launch a counterattack against a few of the other teams. Unfortunately, it was becoming increasingly clearer that Black Zetsu wasn’t anywhere near here.

Entering one of the larger caverns, Kakashi and I were forced to duck as two pairs of arms shot out of the ceiling.

Skidding to a stop, we both watched as Obito’s masked form suddenly materialized in front of us. “Uzumaki Naruto and Hatake Kakashi,” He remarked as six clones, each with a Rinnegan and Sharingan, pulled themselves free from the wall. “This is a surprise. I wasn’t expecting company. Rest assured, all you’ve done is save me the trouble of coming to get you myself”

“You will find yourself fairly unsuccessful while I’m still alive... Obito,” Kakashi muttered, meeting Obito’s gaze head on.

Freezing, Obito’s eyes widened, before he let off a short laugh as his voice changed. “So, you knew? How long?”

“Long enough,” Kakashi said steely. “I can understand the pain... And the wish for revenge, but I can’t allow it to go on any longer. Sensei... Kushina... The people in Konoha... They were innocent in this. If you wanted to kill someone, it should have been me, not them. I’m the one that killed Rin.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Obito replied. “But you can’t be blamed for your ignorance. When Rin died, I realized something. This place... This entire world is hell and do you know what you don’t find in hell? Innocents! What I’m trying to do is make it into heaven. There’ll be no more suffering. No more pain. No more dissent. Only peace.”

“...Obito.”

Grabbing Kakashi’s arm, I shook my head. “You won’t be able to reason with him... not like this. His head is so far up his ass and his ears so full of shit that he can’t hear a word you’re saying.”

It would take a ridiculous amount of effort and lives to change Obito’s mind and that was a price I wasn’t willing to pay. He had made his bed and it was time that he slept in it.

“That’s an... Interesting metaphor,” Kakashi noted.

“Spend more time around Anko and the Kyuubi and you’ll find yourself spewing all kinds of weird crap,” I shrugged.

Spotting a flicker of movement, I slipped a Kunai into my hand and shot forward, blocking a blade attached to one of Obito’s clones. It seemed that he’d grown tired of waiting. Shooting a glance towards Kakashi, I found him fighting off a pair of clones on his own.

Moving as one, the three remaining clones and Obito himself rushed towards me in what seemed like an attempt to overpower me.

Shifting a Truth Seeking Orb into its Shakujō form, I held it out in front of me, blocking their combined efforts, only for the clones to hold back while the original Obito continued on.

Confused, I held my Shakujō out in front of me, expecting him to phase through it, only for Obito to bring his fist down on it. His Chakra spiked dramatically before a massive wave of force crashed into me, sending me skidding backwards into a large stone wall that shattered upon collision.

“That’s new,” I blinked. “He wasn’t that strong before, right?”

“No... No, he wasn’t,” Kurama hummed. “The way his Chakra spiked seemed familiar. Almost like... Oh, I get it now. He’s become Kokuō’s Jinchuriki. That Spiral Zetsu suit of his must be hiding Kokuō’s Chakra signature.”

Oh... Damn. I guess he must have been really desperate then. It made sense though. Not only would he gain a new ability that would massively increase his strength and speed, he also gained access to Kokuō’s Chakra which would allow him to use the Rinnegan to a far higher degree.

I guess he realized that without Kokuō, he had no real chance of beating me. This made things a little more complicated. Initially, I was just planning on killing him, but now I’d have to unseal Kokuō first.

Pulling myself out of the wall, I was greeted to the sight of Obito and four of his Paths, looking a little distracted as his other two Paths fought Kakashi. I smirked at that. It seemed that he still needed a little practice in using multiple bodies.

Maybe I should help him out with that.

Bringing my hands together, I formed several Shadow clones, one for each of the clones, leaving the real Obito to Kakashi and myself.

Rushing forward, I slipped a Kunai into my hand and lightly tossed it, allowing it to sail past Obito as his brought his fist down towards me.

Lashing out with my Shakujō, I teleported just as it was about to make contact with his hand and swiped it through his body, only to find that he’d made himself intangible.

“You’re going to lose, Obito,” I hummed, stabbing my Shakujō into the ground. “And do you know why? Because you lack resolve.”

“If that is the case, then why was I able to kill your father?” He taunted. “Did he die because his resolve was weaker than mine? Or perhaps you’re just trying to goad me into making a mistake.”

Well that was just plain wrong. Minato died from his use of the Shiki Fūjin… Not to Obito.

“I said lose, not die, there’s a difference... Although you are going to be doing both today,” I chuckled. “You see, despite your strength, you’re still lacking in a few areas. You don’t want to be Obito... You’d rather be anyone else in the world, but I... Although I do have a habit of biting off more than I can chew, the only person I’ve ever tried to be is Naruto and I’ve come to accept myself for who I am... Flaws and all.”

“Then I’ll prove your ideology wrong.”

“You can try,” I smirked.

Lashing out with a punch, my arm phased through his chest... Right as one of Kakashi’s lightning covered Kunai neared him.

Activating his Kamui, Kakashi focused his gaze on his Kunai, sending it to another dimension... Directly in front of the fist sized portion of Obito’s body that had just appeared there.

Letting out a gasp, blood sprayed from Obito’s chest as a hole materialized on his form. “What–“ Before he was able to finish his thought, his body was blasted to the side thanks to the explosive tag that had trailed behind Kakashi’s Kunai, revealing the Spiral Zetsu that had been hidden beneath his robes.

Getting up slowly, Obito’s wound glowed a familiar red as Kokuō’s Chakra healed him. The Zetsu body beneath, quickly shifted, helping cover the rapidly healing hole.

Well that at least proved that the space he used in his Kamui dimension was relative to the space outside of it. That actually gave me an idea... One that would make Obito’s Kamui almost completely useless.

“Kakashi, do you think you could use Kamui on a few of my clones without popping them?” I asked. “I have an idea.”

“It would require a lot of Chakra,” Kakashi noted.

Grabbing his shoulder, I proceeded to fill his Chakra. “Just say when,” I muttered, giving him more than enough.

“That’s more than enough,” Kakashi muttered.

Good. Without his Kamui, Obito would be forced to rely on his other skills and seeing as both Kakashi and I were here, that wouldn’t go well for him.

Hopefully things were progressing as well for everyone else. I wonder if Jiraiya and Konan had reached Ame yet... Or if Itachi and Sasuke had been sent to hunt for Black Zetsu.

...PTL...

Travelling through the rain, Jiraiya felt a sense of nostalgia mixed with melancholy. It’d been years... Well… Thanks to Konan and Naruto, it’d actually been a few short days, but Jiraiya wasn’t entirely sure if that counted.

It was odd thinking about it like that, but also necessary thanks to the screwy nature of time. This place definitely wasn’t the same one he’d been in just a few short days ago. The land had time to heal and in some cases, corrode.

It was strange, seeing how it had been back then to how it was right now. Looking towards the direction that he knew led towards the Akatsuki’s old hideout, Jiraiya almost felt as if he could head back there and be welcomed back by Yahiko for a bowl of hot vegetable soup.

Sadly, he knew that was a dream that could never be. This was his time, it was where he belonged and he’d see it through to the very end. Shinobi were those that endured after all.

“Sensei?”

“Hm?” Jiraiya hummed, shifting his hood so that he could see his former pupil. “Yes?”

Looking back, Konan’s gaze lingered a while longer, before she turned to face forward. “It won’t be long before we reach Ame...”

“Oh, right. Is there anything I should know before we get there?”

Customs, protocol, taboos. It was important to know these things when travelling to new places, especially if those places were as isolated and strict as Ame.

Konan quirked a small smile. “Since you’re travelling with me, there shouldn’t be any issues. The only thing that I ask is that you don’t mention Hanzo’s name aloud... And please don’t go looking for a hot spring or a brothel. We’re here on business and I’d rather my people not know that my former Sensei is a pervert.”

“Super pervert,” Jiraiya corrected. “And I seem to remember a certain student of mine enjoying the novels I lent her. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, Konan.”

Rolling her eyes, Konan continued running in silence.

It didn’t take too long before the duo were able to see Ame in the distance. Large pipes extended from the city, dumping excess water into the massive lake that surrounded it.

“That’s a sight you don’t see every day,” Jiraiya whistled. “I’ve only been here once before and it didn’t have those things.”

“After taking over, Nagato decided to modify the city. Before, it was prone to flooding, but with some effort, we were able to redirect all of the extra rain water towards the lake,” Konan explained, gesturing towards the various parts of the village that they could see from where they stood. “He also raised the city when the lakes water levels began to rise.”

Yes, he could see that. Slowing his pace, he took in the once emaciated city that had been the battlefield for the Second Shinobi war. It was impressive. Although Nagato had gone down the wrong path, he still had his people’s best interests at heart. It was just a pity that things had to end as they did.

The more he mulled over his past, the more he understood why Konan had taken such a risk to save Yahiko.

There was a comfort in knowing that somewhere out there, his students were alive and well... Living their best lives.

Nearing the village, they came to a stop on the lake's surface, near the waterline. “So, where to from here?” He asked.

Konan eyed him for a moment before turning back towards her village. “Since you’re not from Ame, we’ll take a lesser travelled route through the village.”

“Works for me,” Jiraiya shrugged. “Anything else I should know before we enter?”

Konan shook her head. “Nothing that I can think of. If we’re approached by anyone, let me do the talking.”

“Sure thing.”

Heading into the village, the duo took to the streets in order to avoid being stopped by any Shinobi that might spot them. With Konan’s long absence, the village was bound to have picked someone to lead them... Even if only temporary.

Getting caught on the rooftops by an Ame Shinobi would only draw needless attention to them.

Passing through one of the more occupied streets, Jiraiya couldn’t help but look around. The village seemed to be thriving and its people were happy, except... There was an uneasy feeling in the air shared between civilians and Shinobi alike.

Bumping into an elderly lady, Jiraiya reached out, grabbing her shoulders to help steady her. “Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“Oh, that’s alright sonny,” The woman replied. “No harm done... Lady Angel?!”

Sighing, Konan turned towards the old lady. “Yes. I’m sorry, but could you please keep my presence here quiet.”

“Yes, of course,” The woman nodded. “But... I... Could I please make a request?” She asked a little loudly.

Looking around, Jiraiya spotted more than a few of the village's residents turn to look their way.

“Go ahead,” Konan replied.

“It’s... It’s my grandson,” The woman said shakily. “Please, I know that he’s a Shinobi and that he has a duty to his village, but he’s all that I have left in this world... All I’m asking is that he stays behind to protect the village.”

Frowning, Konan turned to face the woman. “Stay behind?”

“Yes... Please, I beg of you,” The woman was all but weeping now. “The... They need to pay for what they did to Pain-sama, but... Please, I’ll give anything in return. I can’t lose my last family member to another war.”

Konan’s eyes narrowed, as she stared down at the woman, before nodding. “You have my word. Your grandson won’t be sent to fight in a war.”

With tears streaming down her face, the old woman covered her mouth. “Oh... Oh bless you, kind, merciful Angel.”

Crap. The majority of the street was openly staring at them. They needed to leave, now.

“Konan,” Jiraiya muttered softly.

Ignoring him, Konan, instead, focused on the weeping woman in front of her. “Tell me, who was it that gave the order for war?”

“Lady angel?” The woman asked, appearing confused. “It was... It was you, of course. As revenge for Konoha Shinobi killing Pain-sama.”

Putting all the pieces together, Jiraiya’s eyes widened as he realized just what had happened. “Shit!”

“I see,” Konan muttered, sounding deceptively calm. “Thank you. Please continue on with your day.” Turning she left with Jiraiya following closely behind.

“Those–”

“Sensei,” Konan interrupted him. “We’re going to start picking up the pace.”

“...Okay.”

Taking to the rooftops, the duo bound across the village, cutting the duration of their trip significantly. It did however have the unfortunate side effect of attracting the attention of several Ame Shinobi.

Blurring through the rainy sky, they finally reached their destination... A large tower at the center of the village that stood above the rest.

Turning to see that they’d long since left the Ame Shinobi behind, Jiraiya almost lost track of Konan as she proceeded to scale the building.

Leaping after her, they quickly made their way to the top which opened up into what appeared to be a meeting room with a second Konan waiting there.

“Who–“ Was all the fake Konan managed to say before being hit by a wave of paper that encased them.

Holding out her hand, Konan levitated them closer to her with a harsh scowl on her face. “Zetsu!”

“Konan,” The disguised Zetsu yelped. “You’re supposed to be dead?!”

Glaring, Konan clenched her hand shut, commanding the paper to constrict around Zetsu’s form tightly. Stopping for a moment, she reached with her other hand and began moving them apart from each other, forcing the paper to follow her will in tearing Zetsu apart.

Before she could complete her job, however, the Ame Shinobi that’d been chasing them earlier finally caught up, stumbling across the site of two hooded strangers attacking their leader.

Seeing what was happening, Jiraiya clapped his hands together and stomped on the ground, summoning a wave of flesh that kept the Shinobi from interfering.

Pausing to make sure that her Shinobi were unharmed, Konan gave Jiraiya a nod, before turning back towards Zetsu.

With one final twist of her hands, the disguised clone was pulled in several different directions, ripping it apart.

The sight was shocking to the Ame Shinobi, all of whom believed they’d just seen their leader killed right in front of them, until some of the more observant Shinobi noticed that there wasn’t any blood.

Turning towards the group, Konan lowered her hood, revealing her identity to the Ame Shinobi. Shooting a quick look towards Jiraiya, she nodded towards the Shinobi. “Release them.”

“Heh, sure thing,” Jiraiya hummed.

Stomping his foot on the ground, the flesh retracted, allowing the Ame Shinobi to walk free.

“Angel... Sama?” One of the younger Shinobi began. “What... What’s going on?”

“I hate to break it to you, kid,” Jiraiya said, making sure that his hood was up and his identity was hidden. “But the person you’ve been following this entire time wasn’t Konan.”

“But that can’t be...” An older Shinobi muttered. “Someone would have... Should have noticed.”

“It’s true, unfortunately,” Konan sighed. “You’ve all been deceived.”

Half paying attention as Konan explained how Ame had been fooled, Jiraiya turned his gaze towards Zetsu’s body.

Obito clearly believed that Konan was dead... He wouldn’t have tried this stunt either. Jiraiya had to admit, it was a pretty clever move. It was almost like something Orochimaru would have done, except on a smaller scale. If he wanted to make a meaningful impact, he would have to...

A shiver went down Jiraiya’s spine as he realized what Obito was planning. This... Everything he’d done since the Kage summit had been one big distraction. With everyone focused on the obvious threat he presented, he had his Zetsu’s silently take over the minor villages that were spread across the nations.

“That son of a bitch,” Jiraiya muttered, biting his thumb, he slammed his hand into the ground, summoning one of his messenger toads. “I need you to get a message to Tsunade and Naruto!”

They needed to know what Obito was planning.

...PTL...

If there was one thing Black Zetsu could count on, it was that Obito would fail. He failed to destroy Konoha with the Kyuubi, he failed to collect the Biju and he was failing right this moment, despite being so confident that he’d succeed this time.

He didn’t know how he did it. He had everything he needed to succeed. He’d taken control of the Kyuubi, he’d gotten the Yondaime Hokage killed, he was even the shadow Kage of Kiri for a number of years and he’d thrown it all away in the name of petty revenge.

Madara had made a mistake in choosing him.

Fortunately, none of that mattered right now.

The Mountains’ Graveyard was under attack and Obito was distracted, giving Zetsu the perfect opportunity to fix all of his past mistakes, starting by moving Madara and Nagato’s body to another base.

Watching as Nagato’s chest rose and fell while Madara’s remained still, Black Zetsu attached himself to Nagato’s unconscious body, leaving the Zetsu clone behind.

“Send word to the villages,” He growled. “The attack begins today.”

“Sure thing,” The clone mumbled, sinking into the ground.

Forcing Nagato’s body to stand, he turned towards Madara’s body. It wouldn’t be long before he was brought back. Before that, however, Zetsu just needed to make a few last minute adjustments.