"Tobiyama, you've worked hard." The jonin in charge of Obito's squad looked at the large pile of heads in front of him, feeling rather emotional as he recorded the results of Obito's latest battle.
Once Obito left, the jonin began his real work.
Carefully, he sorted through the heads, setting aside those of their fallen comrades while handing over the enemy heads to the intelligence division.
The process required extreme caution.
After all, Obito had bundled them all together, and mixing up the heads would be a serious mistake—angry grieving families would be at his doorstep cursing him every day.
And to be fair, he couldn't even complain about Obito's method. Cutting off heads was just as difficult as sorting them.
With that done, the jonin returned to his makeshift desk and began planning logistics.
The war was not progressing as Kumo had expected.
Iwa's forces were stronger than anticipated, making reinforcements inevitable.
The biggest problem was a newly developed jutsu from Iwa.
The enemy could fly beyond the reach of Storm Release techniques, moving at high speeds with exceptional agility in turning, climbing, and diving. This maximized the Third Tsuchikage's chakra efficiency, making his Dust Release even more devastating.
And setting Dust Release aside, the user of this new technique, Deidara, was a threat in his own right.
Kumo ninjas were all too familiar with Iwa's Explosive Clay.
Originally, the jutsu had numerous flaws—it was an incomplete technique. If used in small amounts, it lacked power; in large amounts, it became unstable.
But now, this ninja named Deidara had refined the composition of explosive clay. Combined with his unique jutsu, he had perfected it into a fully matured technique, with power rivaling Dust Release, a greater area of effect, and significantly lower chakra consumption.
The only downsides were its reliance on explosive clay as a resource and a slightly longer activation time compared to Dust Release.
However, with his ability to fly at great heights, the second weakness became irrelevant.
Deidara could simply take his time in the air, preparing his attacks at leisure.
On his first day in battle, he inflicted massive casualties on the Kumo forces, forcing them to abandon their traditional tight formations in open fields. Now, they had no choice but to take cover in the forests.
The name "Explosive Deidara" was quickly spreading with the war.
Meanwhile, Kumo still had no standout warriors on their side.
The damage inflicted by the White Ghost had been far too severe!
"Ibina."
The tent flap was suddenly lifted as a figure entered.
Hearing the familiar voice, Ibina looked up and immediately stood.
"Raikage-sama."
"Don't call me that. The position of Raikage is still vacant."
Dodai was very particular about this—he didn't like people calling him Raikage prematurely.
"Yes, Dodai-sama."
"I just saw Tobiyama. What has he been up to?"
"He returned with our fallen comrades' bodies and eliminated several squads of Iwa ninjas."
"Not bad." Dodai nodded. "A good Kumo ninja bravely slays the enemy. He's becoming more and more mature."
Ibina remained silent.
All the Kumo jonin knew that Dodai intended to groom Tobiyama.
Otherwise, why pay so much attention to someone who merely took out a few Iwa squads?
Recovering fallen comrades' bodies was far more important.
But since the big boss had spoken, he could only go along with it.
"Yes, Tobiyama has an impressive kill count. More importantly, he always tries to bring back the bodies of our fallen comrades. Everyone is grateful for that."
"That's good. Send someone to inform him to come to my tent. His guerrilla mission is over—I have a new assignment for him. It's a secret mission, so no need to record it."
"Yes."
Once Dodai left, Ibina quickly sent someone to notify Obito. At the same time, he marked Obito's guerrilla mission as completed and crossed out any further records.
---
At the camp, Obito had just arrived at the mess hall to grab a meal when he received the notice.
Though he was already at the entrance, he figured skipping one meal wouldn't kill him—especially considering how battlefield rations weren't exactly worth looking forward to.
So, he turned around and headed toward Dodai's tent.
Upon entering, he was surprised to see a table set with food.
"Tobiyama, sit."
It was clear Dodai had been expecting him.
Obito didn't hold back.
Sure, he had White Zetsu cells, but he still needed proper meals.
Even Hashirama had to eat, after all.
Given the choice between fresh food and stale rations, there was no debate.
Obito shot Dodai a look that clearly asked: Can I eat first before we talk?
"Go ahead, eat. We'll talk after."
Dodai waved him on.
Then he started eating, too.
Guerrilla missions meant poor rations, but staying at camp wasn't much better.
Battlefield logistics were always unreliable.
Even Konoha, known for its superior logistics, had to resort to foraging during the Great Ninja Wars.
Kumo and Iwa had been fighting for over a month. Since Kumo relied on sea transport with a fixed route, Iwa ninjas had been actively sabotaging their supply ships.
As a result, the Kumo army's logistical situation was even worse than Iwa's—this despite the fact that Iwa was fighting a two-front war.
Now, only those on special missions had access to hot meals before deployment.
So Obito and Dodai ate in silence, focused entirely on their food.
The entire table was cleared in no time.
Wiping his mouth, Obito looked satisfied.
"Dodai-sama, is the village struggling that much?"
That didn't make sense.
Despite having been financially strained by debt repayment in previous years, the Land of Lightning was still the second-wealthiest nation after the Land of Fire. Kumo should have been well-prepared before this campaign.
Even if their supply ships had a fixed route, Iwa couldn't afford to attack them in large numbers without exposing themselves to counterattacks.
"It's all because of that Explosive Deidara." Dodai sighed.
Deidara's explosive techniques were far too effective on the battlefield, especially with Iwa's demolition squads backing him up.
Evading Kumo's defenses? He simply created a massive explosive clay construct and flew right past them.
Because of him, Kumo's supply fleet had suffered heavy losses.
"You want me to kill Deidara?"
"Deidara is Ōnoki's disciple. Right now, Ōnoki is always with him. To kill Deidara, you'd need to be capable of taking on Ōnoki at the same time." Dodai shook his head.
"That's not your mission. And don't worry about the supply fleet—Storm Release units will be deployed with the next shipment."
Obito nodded.
Storm Release couldn't reach Deidara in open battle, but if Deidara wanted to bomb the fleet, he'd have to lower his altitude—making him a target.
But then Dodai's next words completely surprised Obito.
"Your mission needs to be carried out within the Land of Fire."
As he spoke, Dodai kept his eyes fixed on Obito.
He wanted to cultivate Tobiyama, but he wasn't entirely sure whether the other party could truly sever ties with the Land of Fire.
Originally, he had planned for Tobiyama to settle down directly in Kumo, but for some reason—perhaps due to cultural differences—it seemed to have had the opposite effect. Now, Tobiyama actively avoided kunoichi from Kumo.
Might as well use this mission to confirm things once again.
After all, this mission required dealing with Konoha's ninja.
"For this mission, you must not expose your Wood Release." Dodai stated, "Otherwise, if the Konoha ninjas find out, you know what will happen. Based on our intel, Konoha only stopped Wood Release experiments because they lacked sufficient samples."
"I understand," Obito responded rather indifferently, as expected by Dodai.
Being discovered by Konoha was not necessarily something that someone from the Land of Fire, like Tobiyama, would be particularly concerned about.
But that was fine. Dodai had something bigger in mind.
"Tobiyama, if you successfully complete this mission, I will put you forward as a candidate for the next Raikage. You understand what that means, don't you?"
"Dodai-sama, are you joking with me?" This time, Obito was truly stunned.
He had been working to build himself up as a war hero of Kumo, all for the sake of gaining a high-ranking position within the village and secretly using the village's power for his own plans.
But if he were to become a nominee for Raikage, things would be different.
Instead of secretly using Kumo's power, he could openly wield it.
"I'm not joking. You may not fully understand Kumo, but here, becoming Raikage isn't about bloodline—it's about being strong enough and winning the people's support. And in a way... you do have the people's support…"
Thinking about this, Dodai found it a little ridiculous.
Had the village's girls really become that desperate for a change in taste?
What was wrong with traditional, strong men?
"Dodai-sama, I joined Kumo because I believe it is the most suitable place for me. At this point, there's no reason for me to have any lingering attachments to Konoha. You don't need to keep testing me. What is my mission?" Obito asked.
"It's not entirely a test, but you're right. Let's focus on the mission first," Dodai said, trying to strike a commanding pose—only to find that the table was too greasy. So, he leaned back into his chair instead.
"Iwa is stronger than we anticipated, but that's not a major problem. The Kazekage will personally take the field on Suna's side, so the main focus is still Konoha. Now, Konoha has asked us to investigate the attack on their ANBU."
"Konoha lost some ANBU? Let them investigate it themselves," Obito scoffed.
Dodai noted this casual indifference toward Konoha with satisfaction.
It instantly put him in a better mood.
"That's what you'd think, but the White Ghost is now a major power in Konoha, and he insists that the culprit possesses a border pass issued by the village."
A border pass?
Isn't this an obvious setup?
That bastard, what is he up to now?
Obito's first thought was that Masashi had fabricated a fake pass.
He also had a strong suspicion that it was Masashi himself who wiped out Konoha's ANBU.
War was the source of the Uchiha clan's power. As long as conflict continued, the clan would only grow stronger.
"My mission is to assist the investigation?"
"Konoha wants us to investigate on our own, so we'll send our people to check things out. You, however, will be operating from the shadows."
Dodai walked over to his desk, picking up a document and a map.
"This document, you are to deliver it to the Kazekage. As for the investigation, follow the path marked on this map."
Obito took a look and saw that nearly half of the marked locations were within the Land of Fire.
"Konoha suspects us, but we suspect the Land of Fire itself even more," Dodai said in a low voice. "After all, we're not the only ones who would benefit from the downfall of Iwa."
"If this is true, Konoha's relationship with the Fire Daimyō will become strained," Obito immediately grasped Dodai's intent.
"From the village's perspective, we also want to find out who is so eager to push us into war with Iwa. The White Ghost opposes an alliance between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Wind. But within the Land of Fire, there are factions that disagree with him. Some would prefer an alliance with the Land of Lightning rather than the Land of Earth."
Obito's eyes lit up.
If he could fully exploit these factions, that bastard would practically be working for him.
Just thinking about it was exhilarating.
"Understood! Leave this mission to me! I'll get it done beautifully!"
"Good!" Dodai was extremely pleased.
Look at him—such an honest young man!
Others feared leaving the battlefield, thinking they'd miss out on military achievements.
But Tobiyama wasn't interested in such petty gains—he had a much grander vision.
Dodai's judgment was spot-on!
"Don't worry," Dodai continued, "even if you find nothing, just delivering the document to the Kazekage is enough. We've planned a simultaneous assault to catch Iwa off guard. As long as one front weakens, victory will be ours."
"Understood! I'll deliver the document first, then focus on finding the real culprit!" Obito declared, his enthusiasm palpable. "Even if I have to scour the entire Land of Fire, I'll drag the culprit out!"
Dodai was taken aback.
"No need to be so extreme. A little indirect probing is enough."
"Apologies, Dodai-sama, but on this point—you are gravely mistaken!" Obito's voice boomed with authority, his presence overwhelming. Even Dodai found himself momentarily pressured. "Hesitation will only lead to disaster. War brings only temporary gains, but uncovering the true culprit will bring long-term benefits to the village."
"But that could provoke the White Ghost. He is Konoha's powerholder now. If he decides to kill you, can you stop him?"
"He won't. Dodai-sama, you forget—I come from a merchant family in the Land of Fire. As long as it's within the rules, he is the most law-abiding person there is. Besides, we're actually helping him."
"And what do you intend to do?"
"When I hand over the document to the Kazekage, I'll request his support in the investigation. If two villages work together, Konoha will be forced to join in as well."
No one in this world could withstand the scrutiny of three major ninja villages—unless those villages sabotaged each other.
"You're making this investigation the primary objective, aren't you?"
"Yes. This will reshape the power balance of the ninja world—and it will be to Kumo's advantage."
Dodai stood up, pacing back and forth inside the tent.
This had not been part of the original plan.
He had only intended to stir up some trouble, nothing more.
But Obito had reminded him—hesitation would only weaken their position.
In the eyes of outsiders, what should have been a justified Kumo operation could easily be misinterpreted as mere scheming if they played it too carefully.
Indeed, he could never be more than an Interim Raikage.
But Tobiyama—he was making Dodai reevaluate him.
He looked into Obito's eyes and saw nothing but calmness.
"Very well! As the Interim Raikage, I hereby grant you full authority in this matter. Kumo's ANBU—at your command!"