After receiving Obito's instructions, Black Zetsu immediately began to act.
Large numbers of White Zetsu were dispatched across the shinobi world, silently infiltrating every major country and hidden village. Their mission was clear. gather intelligence, observe reactions, and record every subtle shift in the balance of power.
The Five Great Nations were the primary focus.
The more detailed the intelligence collected, the easier it would be to formulate corresponding actions to further aggravate tensions between the major powers. As Obito had stated, if conflicts between the Five Great Nations could be successfully intensified if even the slightest spark could ignite a new Great Ninja War then before the Eye of the Moon Plan was formally initiated, the overall strength of those nations could be reduced to the greatest extent possible.
As one side weakened, the other would naturally gain advantage.
After all, the most crucial pieces of their plan, the tailed beasts were all held by the Five Great Nations.
Neither Obito nor Black Zetsu ever believed that these powerful countries would obediently sit by and watch as their tailed beasts were taken away without resistance. Conflict was inevitable. Their task was merely to accelerate it and guide it in the desired direction.
Through Black Zetsu, Nagato also received Obito's message, delivered under the guise of "Uchiha Madara."
Soon after, Nagato used the Akatsuki rings as a medium to issue orders directly through specialized chakra communication techniques.
Two teams were mobilized.
The first was led by Sasori of the Red Sand, tasked with investigating Orochimaru and Uzumaki Menma.
The second consisted of Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame, assigned to monitor Konohagakure.
This division of labor had been decided long ago.
'The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki defected…?'
'And the Third Hokage actually died at Orochimaru's hands…?'
'Then who is in charge of Konoha now…?'
Itachi remained outwardly calm as he received the information, but beneath that composure, violent waves churned within his heart.
As a former elite of the Uchiha clan, Itachi had placed immense trust in Sarutobi Hiruzen.
That trust was the reason he had dared to leave Konoha as a missing-nin while allowing Uchiha Sasuke, the last survivor of the clan, to remain behind. Itachi had believed without doubt that the Third Hokage would protect his younger brother.
That Sasuke would grow safely.
That one day, Sasuke would be recognized as a hero of Konoha.
This was the future Itachi believed he had secured.
But now
Sasuke had not yet fully grown.
And before Itachi's carefully laid plans could unfold, the pillar supporting them had already collapsed.
The Third Hokage was dead.
If the next Hokage were Jiraiya or Tsunade, Itachi believed he could still feel at ease. He had grown up hearing of their deeds. Though their personalities differed greatly, they were people Itachi respected and acknowledged.
But
If Konoha's power fell into the hands of Shimura Danzō…
Itachi's trust vanished completely.
That man was someone Itachi could never believe in.
For Sasuke's sake, Itachi might even be forced to take extreme measures.
Therefore, even without Nagato's orders, Itachi had already planned to return to Konoha at least once—to confirm the situation personally and, if necessary, warn Danzō.
In that sense, the order aligned perfectly with Itachi's own intentions.
"Itachi-san," Kisame said casually from nearby, unaware of the storm raging within Itachi's heart. "What do you think? Should we head out now?"
Within their two-man cell, Itachi was unquestionably the one making decisions.
Kisame trusted him completely.
If Itachi had not died prematurely in the original timeline, Kisame might never have been deceived by Obito's false identity as "Madara." Fate often turned on such subtle divergences.
"Yes," Itachi replied calmly. "We leave immediately. Several days have already passed since the incident. We cannot delay further."
'Sasuke…'
Itachi's gaze unconsciously shifted westward toward Konohagakure, thousands of kilometers away.
For just an instant, an almost imperceptible trace of concern flickered deep within his eyes.
Across the shinobi world, movement followed movement.
The large-scale troop deployments by Iwagakure and Kumogakure along the borders of the Land of Fire further intensified the growing turbulence.
Small and mid-sized hidden villages—Kusagakure, Takigakure, Yugakure, and others entered their highest state of combat readiness.
For such villages, stability was everything.
Each of the three Great Ninja Wars had been nothing short of a catastrophe for them. Caught between great powers, choosing either side often led to annihilation regardless of the outcome.
Even Konoha, victor of three Great Ninja Wars, had never been able to truly dominate the shinobi world.
If these smaller villages rashly aligned themselves with Konoha, they would immediately face retaliation from Iwagakure, Kumogakure, or even Sunagakure.
Only the Five Great Nations possessed the right to stand as equals.
No matter how weakened Sunagakure might be, it was still far beyond the reach of minor villages.
The only exception in history had been Amegakure under Hanzō of the Salamander.
Hanzō's shadow-level strength alone had once deterred all Five Great Nations. His poison techniques possessed terrifying large-scale lethality, and no nation was willing to provoke him recklessly.
But such figures were rare.
If Kage-level individuals emerged as easily as weeds, the balance of power in the shinobi world would never have stabilized in the first place.
And now
After more than a decade of peace, the possibility of another war loomed.
The smaller nations could only tense their nerves and grasp whatever limited initiative they could, desperately trying to avoid being crushed beneath the wheel of history once again.
As one of the central figures of this gathering storm, Uzumaki Menma remained entirely unaware of the chaos unfolding beyond his immediate surroundings.
Within the Land of Fields, inside Otogakure, the village Orochimaru had painstakingly constructed, Menma rested for several days.
Only then did Orochimaru finally summon him.
Stepping into the dimly lit room, Menma frowned slightly at the gloomy atmosphere.
To be honest, he truly couldn't understand why Orochimaru, Danzō, Obito, and others like them favored this kind of environment.
It wasn't as though they lacked resources.
Why insist on surrounding themselves with shadows and darkness?
Menma found it deeply uncomfortable like walking into a horror film.
At his side, Karin instinctively drew closer.
Although this wasn't the first time she had seen Orochimaru, a chill still crawled up her spine every time.
In her eyes
Orochimaru wasn't human at all.
He was a giant, venomous python, silently coiled in the darkness.
Watching.
Waiting.
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