Land of Water.
Within the Mizukage's office in Kirigakure.
Uchiha Obito sat in the Fourth Mizukage's seat, carefully poring over various documents related to the village.
Standing beside him like a silent guard was the real Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura—expression dull and wooden, just like a member of the Shadow Guard.
"Obito, the situation isn't looking great right now."
As he flipped through the papers, Black Zetsu slowly emerged from underground, fused with White Zetsu in the form of a pitcher plant. Watching Obito leisurely sift through the reports, Black Zetsu spoke with a note of exasperation.
"Kirigakure's internal movements are increasing. They're subtle, but not enough to escape our eyes. It won't be long before those people make a move."
"Isn't that perfect?"
Uchiha Obito raised his head, and from beneath his mask, his Sharingan glowed faintly red.
"The more chaos in this village, the more interesting it gets."
Even though Uchiha Obito didn't blame Kakashi—and understood the reasons behind Nohara Rin's tragedy—humans are inherently contradictory. Understanding didn't mean he wouldn't act.
Kakashi was an exception. Was Kirigakure supposed to be one too?
Especially since Kirigakure held two tailed beasts and was geographically isolated from the rest of the continent.
Moreover, the village had long been implementing an elite-centric model, promoting the belief that only those who emerged from slaughter were true warriors—even the ninja academy adhered to this philosophy.
Such favorable conditions made it easy for Obito to strike hard. All he had to do was control the Mizukage and build from there.
Under his manipulation, Kirigakure had already been pushed to its limits.
A high-pressure regime pervaded the village; senior shinobi oppressed the lower ranks, and following the Kaguya clan's rebellion, hatred toward kekkei genkai users had spread widely.
It could be said that in Obito's hands, Kirigakure had become a fertile ground where strife and ambition thrived.
In his eyes, this was revenge. Using Kirigakure as a containment zone for the Three-Tails and Six-Tails, he felt he was already being merciful by not annihilating the village outright.
Of course, it's not like he knew how to develop the village anyway.
Perhaps his grip had grown too tight—under the leadership of Elder Genji, who wielded authority nearly equal to the Mizukage's, resistance within the village had grown increasingly fierce.
"Take this seriously. Don't forget—you've already been exposed in Konohagakure."
Black Zetsu, watching Obito's nonchalant expression, couldn't help but voice his concern.
"Even though Konoha hasn't issued a wanted notice yet, that may just be because they haven't confirmed your true identity. But once they do, they'll move without hesitation."
"Don't forget—we discovered someone was conducting a covert investigation. Those individuals might've been from Konoha. And now, with things escalating in Kirigakure…"
"Let them do whatever they want. You think I'm scared of being wanted?"
Obito tilted his head slightly and glanced at Black Zetsu. Those investigators had already been dealt with.
They were professionally trained—once captured, they immediately committed suicide before any intel could be extracted. As a result, he still didn't know exactly where they came from.
But he didn't care. His confidence in his own strength remained unwavering.
Even if they were from Konoha—so what? Konoha wanted to catch him?
What a joke.
Even if Kitagawa Gen had somehow managed to break through his ability by sheer dumb luck, Obito considered that nothing more than a fluke.
Besides, even if they did know—so what? As long as he stayed focused and adjusted his tactics, there would be no way to stop him.
The power of Kamui was beyond what ordinary people could even imagine—unless Konoha produced another Namikaze Minato.
"Alright, enough about that."
Obito didn't want to continue that line of conversation. He handed a list to Black Zetsu instead.
"I've found an interesting candidate in Kirigakure. Take a look—what do you think of this one?"
"Hoshigaki Kisame."
The moment Black Zetsu saw Obito's expression, he knew there was no point in arguing any further.
This guy always had his own plans. As long as they didn't interfere with the ultimate goal, he could go along with them.
"A brat from the Hoshigaki clan—excellent swordsmanship, powerful chakra, efficient, and treats orders as absolute. He might be a solid choice."
"I recall he was under Suikazan Fuguki's command. What do you intend to do with him?"
"That guy's lost. Especially after killing so many of his own comrades under Fuguki's command—he's filled with resentment."
Uchiha Obito let out a cold chuckle before continuing.
"By now, he's probably begun questioning everything about this world. He's lost his sense of purpose and might not even know why he's still alive."
"After all, this world is nothing but a lie. The only thing he needs is the right opportunity to vent, paired with a bit of guidance. Do that, and he'll become a loyal subordinate."
Obito was well-versed in this kind of manipulation.
He had done the same with Nagato after Yahiko's death—tricking him until he could no longer stand on his own. There was no reason he couldn't repeat that process now.
"Besides, Nagato isn't exactly obedient. He always has his own ideas. I need someone qualified within the Akatsuki to monitor everything from the inside."
Though it appeared on the surface that Nagato had agreed to cooperate, Obito knew better—there was no way that man would remain entirely honest.
He had long wanted to plant someone inside the Akatsuki to ensure his 'Eye of the Moon Plan' proceeded without interference.
"If that's your decision, then let it be him."
Black Zetsu gave a slight nod, tacitly approving Obito's plan.
"But shouldn't we also suppress things in Kirigakure? The unrest there is growing—if we don't rein it in soon, it could become a real problem."
"Of course we need to act. Let's escalate things this time."
Obito paused for a moment before speaking again.
"If they want a rebellion, then it's only natural for the Mizukage to crush them. Let them gather their forces. When the time comes, we'll wipe them out in one go."
"Huh?"
Black Zetsu blinked in surprise. His face darkened a little—was Obito seriously planning a massacre?
Was this idiot not worried about making the situation worse?
Apparently not.
Because he simply didn't understand—or care.
"Isn't that a bit excessive?"
"No."
Obito shook his head firmly and spoke with conviction.
"This benefits us. Weakening Kirigakure will make it easier for us to take the Three-Tails and Six-Tails later. It will also reduce the village's ability to interfere with us in the future."
"Besides, weren't you just worried those infiltrators might be from Konoha or other villages? This is the perfect opportunity to get rid of them too. Why not take advantage of it?"
Take advantage, my ass. Don't think I don't know what you're really after.
Black Zetsu cursed inwardly, but didn't dare speak his thoughts aloud.
"I thought you couldn't let go of Nohara Rin," he muttered.
But it wasn't him who said that—surprisingly, it was White Zetsu, who had been quiet until now.
"After all, it was those people who chased her down, who—wuuwuu…"
Before White Zetsu could finish, Black Zetsu clamped a hand over his mouth, trying to stop him from saying something fatally stupid.
He then forced himself to meet Obito's murderous gaze and nodded stiffly.
"Understood. I'll handle it. I'll make sure this conflict explodes on a grander scale."
"Hmph."
Obito gave White Zetsu a sharp glare before speaking again, his tone icy.
"This time, it's in your hands. I only care about the results."
With Obito's orders in place, even Black Zetsu had no choice but to act. Kirigakure—already unstable—was about to descend into even deeper chaos.
And amid that chaos, far away in Konoha, Danzō stared at the intel in his hand, his expression grim.
"They're all dead?"
Shimura Danzō stared at the report in his hand, feeling as though his very heart was bleeding.
Over a decade ago, in a fit of youthful ambition, he had led a team of Root operatives to the Land of Rain to win over Hanzo the Demi-God—hoping to strengthen his claim to the position of Hokage.
And then—
Nothing.
Every elite from Root perished there. Even he had barely escaped with his life.
Forced to 'start from scratch', Danzō had painstakingly cultivated 'Kinoe', a subject capable of wielding Wood Release.
He had placed all his hopes on that boy—hoping he would lead Root to a new era and help Danzō rise to the Hokage seat.
But not only did the assassination attempt on Hiruzen fail, that boy even developed personal feelings after being taken under Kakashi's wing?!
To make matters worse, Hiruzen personally came knocking, demanding custody of the subject!
Faced with such a situation, Danzō immediately backed down.
Take the boy, then. But what's with surrounding Root with your entire Anbu division?
Did you think I wouldn't hand him over?
So 'Kinoe' was lost—and now went by the name 'Tenzō'.
Yet even such a crushing blow didn't make Danzō falter. In secret, he collaborated with Orochimaru to continue studying the power of Wood Release. And eventually, he fulfilled his sensei's long-cherished wish—eradicating the Uchiha clan.
Surely, such merit was nothing to scoff at, right?
And yet, Sarutobi didn't even bat an eye—he simply treated him like a beast of burden and discarded him!
Root was temporarily disbanded, and he was suspended from duty. Though he still retained a fair number of operatives, it was nothing compared to the past.
He never imagined that, through special circumstances, he would be reinstated in limited capacity—and with ruthless determination, he sent his remaining elites to Kirigakure, either to uncover intel on Uchiha Obito or to seize a Mangekyō Sharingan.
And now, not a single one had returned. Gone, just like that—disappearing without a trace, like stray dogs in the street.
Wiped out. Every last one.
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