"However," Obito continued, "just when things seemed to be turning around, your precious Konoha's Danzo began to stir up trouble from the shadows. He feared the power of the Rinnegan, saw Nagato's group as a threat to Konoha's status, and coveted that power for himself."
"So he started sowing discord between Hanzō and the Akatsuki, feeding Hanzō's suspicion and fear of Nagato and his comrades."
Obito paused for a moment, then said coldly, "Hanzō, desperate to maintain his own power, laid a trap. He invited Nagato and the others for a negotiation, claiming he wanted to support and cooperate with them. Naive as they were, they believed him."
"But what awaited them... was a massacre. Hanzō joined forces with Danzo's men and launched a surprise attack. The Akatsuki were caught completely off guard and suffered devastating losses."
"In that battle, Yahiko sacrificed himself to protect Nagato. Nagato watched his closest friend die before his eyes. The pain and rage that followed broke something inside him."
"I merely helped him see the truth of this world. That only through absolute power can peace be achieved. And so, Akatsuki was born."
Through Obito, Gakuya manipulated the narrative to lay all blame at Konoha's feet. It was Konoha, he implied, that had driven Nagato down a dark path.
Jiraiya fell into a long silence. Konoha had indeed hurt Nagato deeply—first by taking his parents, and now by being complicit in Yahiko's death.
Even if these actions came from individuals, Konoha still bore responsibility.
With a heavy breath, Jiraiya finally spoke.
"I never realized just how tangled this web truly was. Danzo... that man never hesitated to trample others for his own ambition."
Obito let out a derisive snort.
"Hmph. That's the way of Konoha—righteous on the surface, rotten underneath. Full of dirty secrets they dare not admit."
Jiraiya frowned. "You can't condemn all of Konoha for the actions of a few. There are still many who fight with honor, for justice and peace."
Obito gave a mocking smile. "Heh... I'm not interested in debating ideals. I've shown you enough sincerity. Now it's your turn—do I kill you here and now, or do you work with me?"
There was venom in Obito's tone, and Jiraiya could sense it clearly. Still, he remained calm.
"You've told me a lot about other people's stories," Jiraiya said, steady and measured. "But what about your own? What turned the Uchiha Obito I once heard about into the man standing before me?"
"That's none of your business," Obito replied, voice low and grim. The question stirred something buried deep—memories of her. "I once believed in the light too. But this shinobi world... it shoved me into the darkness."
He stepped forward. "So I'll ask one last time, Jiraiya. Have you made up your mind?"
Jiraiya looked at him, then let out a small, resigned laugh. So many of these so-called enemies... they were just trying to change this broken world in their own way.
Nagato. Hyuga Gakuya. And now, Uchiha Obito.
"Very well. I'll cooperate. Your terms are tempting. Let's go see Nagato. I want to talk to him—see if I can still bring him back from the edge."
Jiraiya stood up and dusted off his robes.
"Besides... the crisis facing the shinobi world isn't something any single village can face alone. We all have to stand together."
The enemy he referred to wasn't Gakuya. Nor Uchiha Madara.
It was something greater—something from beyond this world.
"A wise choice."
With that, Obito activated Kamui. The world around them twisted, and the next moment, they stood on a rainy street in the Land of Rain.
...
"Why are we in the Land of Rain?" Jiraiya asked. "How are we supposed to meet Nagato?"
Obito led him into a small shop to get out of the rain.
"This is Akatsuki's base of operations. Nagato will come to us."
Jiraiya let out a sigh. He had suspected as much. So it really was like this, huh...
Elsewhere in the Kamui dimension, Gakuya watched the two leave, a faint smile on his lips. Everything was unfolding according to plan. His identity might have been exposed, but he had layered on so much justification and deception that he was already halfway to redemption.
The villain redemption formula: tragic backstory + personal charisma + noble goal + getting talked down by the protagonist = redemption arc.
He had every element. Who wouldn't get redeemed at this rate?
And now Jiraiya had even given him the perfect excuse for his past deeds—dissociative identity disorder.
Hyuga Gakuya's childhood trauma within the Hyuga clan had fractured his psyche, creating the alternate persona of Chiba Mokushū. That explained the wildly different behavior patterns.
As long as Jiraiya returned safely to Konoha, that version of the story would spread.
And that gave Gakuya a new path: redemption without even needing to fake his death. If he played the role well enough, he could remain hidden within the "orderly" side until the final war came.
...
The moment they appeared in Amegakure, Nagato sensed them.
"Jiraiya-sensei... and Uchiha Obito? How the hell did those two end up working together?" he muttered, frowning in confusion from deep within a hidden chamber beneath the village. He was immobilized, bound to the black chakra rods that transmitted signals to the Six Paths of Pain.
They shouldn't have had any connection—so why were they now appearing together in his territory? What was their angle?
Had Obito betrayed the Akatsuki and leaked information to Jiraiya? Was he hoping to use Jiraiya to have him eliminated?
"Of course it's to convince you to go against me," came a calm voice from the entrance.
Hyuga Gakuya stepped into the chamber, this time using his true appearance.
"Gakuya," Nagato said, not surprised to see him. With those eyes, there was little in the world he couldn't uncover.
"What are you doing here?"
"Seeking an alliance," Gakuya replied plainly.
Nagato kept the Six Paths of Pain stationed outside the chamber, just in case.
"We're already allies. What's there to discuss?"
Gakuya wasn't here to beat around the bush.
"Jiraiya and Obito are here because of me. They're trying to convince you to join forces with them and eliminate me."
Nagato didn't even hesitate. "If that's all this is, then you can relax. There's no chance I would ever work with either of them."
Jiraiya might've been his former teacher, but their paths had long since diverged.
And Obito? That bridge had burned long ago.
"No," Gakuya said. "This is about something else—our upcoming plan to attack Kumogakure and Konoha for the final two tailed beasts."
"And... about my other identity."
He ran a hand across his face, and his appearance shifted into that of Chiba Mokushū.
Even Nagato was stunned. He hadn't expected this. This wasn't a simple Transformation Jutsu—the aura was unmistakable.
This was Chiba Mokushū.
"I am both Hyuga Gakuya and Chiba Mokushū," he said, holding out two Akatsuki rings in the palm of his hand as proof.
Nagato's brow furrowed. "So you deceived us. Your other identity... was just a game to you?"
He thought back to the day Chiba Mokushū joined Akatsuki, on the condition that Gakuya helped repel the Kumogakure army.
Now, it seemed the whole thing had been a one-man performance. Gakuya had been playing everyone all along.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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