"The recruitment mission failed?"
In the forests of the Land of Grass, Obito Uchiha frowned upon hearing Black Zetsu's report.
Lately, he had been occupied with numerous matters. To keep Kakuzu content, he had resorted to "sustainable exploitation" of some wealthy merchants.
With Kamui at his disposal, he had no fear of being discovered. But he hadn't anticipated this kind of setback.
"Yes, it failed."
Black Zetsu nodded calmly, as if the matter was of no consequence.
"For some reason, Konohagakure obtained intelligence and dispatched Kitagawa Minamoto, Hatake Kakashi, and Jiraiya to the Land of Earth.
Fortunately, I noticed them in advance and had Pain make preparations. Otherwise, things could have gone terribly wrong, especially since Ōnoki himself got involved."
"What a nuisance..."
Obito snorted coldly at Black Zetsu's words, while White Zetsu, on the other hand, grinned slyly.
After all, this mess was his doing.
"They even managed to attract Ōnoki. What the hell were they doing?"
Obito, unaware of White Zetsu's expression, couldn't help but curse.
"And how did Kakashi's team get the intel? Why do they always manage to show up so precisely? What's going on here?"
Obito couldn't help but feel suspicious.
Though he had ties to many of these incidents, his situation was somewhat unique.
He had been exposed by Kitagawa Minamoto, which led to suspicions about Kirigakure.
Then, by sheer bad luck, they stumbled upon the internal strife within Kirigakure, resulting in his current predicament.
But how had they intercepted information about Kakuzu and Hidan?
And now, during this recruitment mission, they showed up again?
"Any movements from Itachi Uchiha?"
Suddenly, Obito thought of something and asked. Black Zetsu immediately shook his head, along with White Zetsu.
"No, we've been keeping a close eye on him."
Itachi Uchiha, the double agent, was under constant surveillance by both Obito and Zetsu.
As a pawn, regardless of his intentions, he had to stay in line. They wouldn't allow Itachi to act recklessly.
"If not him, then who?"
Obito furrowed his brow even deeper. The recent string of chaotic events was driving him mad.
"Does Konoha have anyone particularly skilled in intelligence gathering?"
"Well... there is someone."
Black Zetsu seemed to ponder for a moment. After a while, he lifted his head and looked at Obito.
"Do you remember when Nagato and the others were ambushed?
Those Konoha shinobi who followed Hanzo the Salamander?"
"Those Konoha shinobi?"
Obito thought carefully.
"Those people... they were Danzō Shimura's, weren't they?"
When Hanzo and Danzō targeted Nagato's group, they had kept a close watch. After all, Nagato possessed Madara Uchiha's Rinnegan.
That incident was unforgettable for Obito—the power of the Rinnegan was extraordinary, and Yahiko's death had played right into his plans.
"Yes, Danzō Shimura."
Black Zetsu nodded, his expression growing solemn.
"It's said that Danzō Shimura controls a separate branch of Konoha's Anbu.
He wields significant power and is highly skilled in intelligence gathering.
Because of this, he's earned the nickname 'The Darkness of the Shinobi World.'"
"The Darkness of the Shinobi World?"
Obito fell into deep thought.
He had some knowledge of Danzō Shimura, aware of his significant influence as an advisor to the Hokage.
He also knew of Danzō's involvement in the Uchiha clan's downfall.
Many Sharingan from the deceased Uchiha were in Danzō's possession—including one of Uchiha Shisui's eyes.
Beyond that, Obito hadn't given him much thought. To him, Danzō was a minor figure of little importance.
"Hmph, a sewer rat with such capabilities?"
Obito wasn't entirely convinced, but after a while, he finally spoke.
"Investigate him. Report back once you have concrete findings."
"Don't worry, we'll look into it thoroughly."
Black Zetsu nodded seriously.
Meanwhile, White Zetsu, whose half-face twitched as if struggling to hold back words, seemed eager to speak.
But as the dominant half, Black Zetsu wouldn't allow him to cause trouble at this moment.
"Good, handle this matter, and keep an eye on those Konoha shinobi.
They're becoming a real headache for me."
Obito nodded. After checking the time, he added,
"I have other matters to attend to. Once this task is done, I should be able to rest for a while."
Obito was growing increasingly annoyed with Kakuzu. The money-obsessed shinobi was relentless, prioritizing profit above all else.
Still, Obito considered himself lucky—Kakuzu's greed made him relatively easy to manage.
"Hmph, if Kirigakure were still under control, would things have come to this?"
After Obito disappeared, Black Zetsu and White Zetsu sank back into the ground.
It wasn't long before Black Zetsu muttered a curse under his breath.
"Ugh, he's just doing all this for some petty revenge over Nohara Rin."
Finally able to speak, White Zetsu chattered away, earning a cold snort from Black Zetsu.
"I know. But revenge can be achieved in many ways.
Slowly bleeding them dry, eroding their talents, and eliminating resistance—wouldn't that be more effective?
We'd gain more resources in the process."
"Huh? What are you talking about? That sounds so complicated."
"...!"
Black Zetsu rubbed his temples, feeling like he was talking to a wall.
Meanwhile, White Zetsu grinned and added,
"Also, you're so sneaky. Pinning everything on someone else—Obito's as clueless as I am! He hasn't figured it out at all."
"At least you know you're clueless."
Black Zetsu glanced at White Zetsu but chose not to say more.
As for blaming Danzō...
That had been part of Black Zetsu's plan from the start.
"With all the chaos we've caused, and the intel I leaked, someone has to take the fall.
And who better than Konoha's 'Darkness'? Danzō Shimura is the perfect scapegoat."
After all, Danzō had been active recently.
When Obito's mask was shattered in Konoha, Black Zetsu had seen Danzō standing beside Hiruzen Sarutobi.
It was hard to believe Danzō hadn't been involved in recent events.
Pinning the blame on him made perfect sense.
And if that didn't work, Black Zetsu could always turn the accusations into "established facts."
"By the way, Black Zetsu, did you get any results this time?"
White Zetsu finally asked, breaking Black Zetsu's train of thought.
"That brat is a real problem."
Black Zetsu's tone was grave.
Although Kitagawa Minamoto's outburst this time wasn't as intense as before, his aura was far more stable.
"And there's Natural Energy.
That brat..."
Having lived for over a thousand years, Black Zetsu immediately recognized the power Minamoto had used.
But that was the problem—when Minamoto entered Sage Mode, it had startled even him.
Especially when Minamoto's eyes turned white. For a moment, Black Zetsu felt his body tremble.
But then he reassured himself. Changes in the eyes during Sage Mode weren't unusual.
Having witnessed countless phenomena over the centuries, Black Zetsu tried to dismiss it as insignificant.
"Still, something feels off.
What's the deal with that brat?"
The more Black Zetsu thought about it, the more unsettled he became.
Minamoto's complexity far exceeded his expectations.
What had initially been a routine investigation had turned into a source of confusion and unease.
After a long silence, Black Zetsu sighed and looked upward, as if he could see through the ground to the sky above.
"Let's just hope it's not the worst-case scenario..."
(To Be Continued)
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