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Land of Water, Inside the Mizukage's office of Kirigakure…
Uchiha Obito was seated comfortably in the Fourth Mizukage's chair, a stack of documents concerning the affairs of Kirigakure held in his hands, which he was carefully poring over.
Standing silently beside him, like a dutiful member of the Kage's personal guard, was the real Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi. His eyes were vacant and his expression utterly blank.
"Obito, things aren't looking too good right now."
Just as Obito flipped another page, Black Zetsu emerged slowly from beneath the floor, his form fused with White Zetsu and resembling a carnivorous pitcher plant. He looked at Obito, who continued reading with leisurely composure, and spoke with an air of frustration.
"Kirigakure's internal movements are increasing in frequency. Though they remain covert for now, they haven't escaped our eyes. At this rate, it won't be long before those people actually make a move."
"Isn't that just perfect?"
Uchiha Obito lifted his head. Beneath the mask, his lone Sharingan emitted a faint, ominous crimson glow.
"The more chaos in this village, the more entertaining it becomes."
Though Obito no longer held Kakashi responsible, and had come to understand the true reasons behind Rin Nohara's tragic fate, humans were creatures of contradiction: Understanding did not mean forgiveness, and acknowledgment did not preclude vengeance.
Kakashi was an exception. But did Kirigakure deserve the same leniency?
Besides, Kirigakure held two of the Tailed Beasts. The entire Land of Water was isolated from the main continent of the shinobi world. Strategically, it was ideal.
What's more, the village had already embraced a brutal ideology of elite cultivation, one that praised strength born from bloodshed. Even their ninja academy followed this doctrine.
With such fertile conditions, there was no better opportunity for him to strike hard and reshape Kirigakure from within. All he had to do was keep the Mizukage under control and build from there.
Under Obito's manipulation, Kirigakure could be said to have already been pushed to the brink.
An oppressive system now spreads like a shadow throughout the village. Higher-ranking shinobi crushed those beneath them with tyranny, and in the wake of the Kaguya clan's rebellion, resentment against bloodline limit users had grown rampant.
In Obito's hands, the entire village had become a seething crucible—a land teeming with unrest and dark vitality.
To him, this was vengeance served cold. Kirigakure was merely a holding pen for the Three-Tails and Six-Tails. Uchiha Obito considered himself quite benevolent simply by not razing the village to the ground.
Not that he ever had the intent or skill to govern a village properly.
Perhaps he had pushed them too far. Under the leadership of Elder Genji, a man whose authority nearly equaled the Mizukage's, resistance within the village had begun to rise in earnest.
"Take this seriously, will you? Don't forget that your identity has already been exposed in Konoha."
Black Zetsu looked at Obito's indifferent demeanor and spoke helplessly.
"Though Konoha has yet to issue a wanted order, it is likely only because they have not confirmed your true identity. Once they do, they will no doubt act.
Don't forget, we already discovered someone was secretly investigating this matter. It is very possible those people were from Konoha. And now, with all this turmoil erupting in Kirigakure…"
"Let them do whatever they want. You think I'm scared of being wanted?"
Obito tilted his head and shot Black Zetsu a sidelong glance. Those few investigators had already been eliminated.
Besides, they were professionally trained. The moment they were captured, they took their own lives before any information could be extracted. He still didn't know exactly where they had come from.
But he didn't care. He had complete faith in his own power.
Even if they were from Konoha, so what? Did Konoha think they could capture him?
What a joke!
In Obito's eyes, Kitagawa Gen's deciphering of his jutsu was nothing more than dumb luck.
Besides, even if Konoha had managed to uncover some truth, it meant nothing. As long as he remained focused and adjusted his combat style slightly, they wouldn't be able to lay a finger on him.
The power of Kamui was beyond what ordinary people could even imagine. Unless Konoha somehow produced another Namikaze Minato...
"Enough. Let's not waste time on this topic."
Obito showed no interest in continuing the conversation. Instead, he handed a file over to Black Zetsu.
"I found an interesting candidate within Kirigakure. Take a look at this one. What do you think?"
"Hoshigaki Kisame..."
Black Zetsu understood immediately from Obito's demeanor that there was no changing his mind.
In the end, this man always had his own plans. As long as they didn't interfere with the ultimate objective, he could follow Obito's train of thought.
"That kid from the Hoshigaki clan. His swordsmanship is impressive, his chakra reserves are vast, and he acts decisively. He follows orders as if they were his lifeline. He might indeed be a good fit."
"But if I recall correctly, isn't he under the command of Suikazan Fuguki's? What do you plan to do about that?"
"That man is lost," Obito said with a cold sneer. "Especially after serving under Suikazan Fuguki, he's had to kill many of his own comrades. His heart is full of resentment now."
"By now, I suspect he has begun to question the very nature of this world. He's losing his sense of purpose and drifting without direction. He probably doesn't even know why he continues to live."
"After all, this world is nothing but a lie. For someone like him, all we need to do is give him a chance to release all that fury and then guide him properly. If we do that, he will become one of my most loyal subordinates."
This was something Uchiha Obito was all too familiar with.
After all, he had done something very similar before. When Yahiko died, it was by using this very method that he managed to manipulate Nagato. There was no reason it would not work again.
"Moreover, Nagato is not exactly obedient. That guy always has his own ideas. I need someone more reliable placed within the Akatsuki to keep an eye on everything."
Though Nagato had, on the surface, come to an agreement with Obito, the truth was clear to him. That man would never fully submit.
Obito had long wanted to plant a suitable agent inside the Akatsuki, someone who could ensure that the 'Eye of the Moon Plan' proceeded without interruption.
"If you've already decided, then so be it."
Black Zetsu gave a slight nod, silently acknowledging Obito's intention.
"And what about Kirigakure? Things are getting more and more chaotic there. If we don't intervene soon, it might spiral out of control."
"Of course we have to intervene. This time, let's escalate things."
Obito paused in thought before continuing in a calm, deliberate tone.
"They want to rebel, don't they? Then as their Kage, it is only natural to crush them. Let them continue gathering, and when the time is right, we will eliminate them all at once."
"Huh?"
Black Zetsu was stunned when he heard Obito's words, a flicker of unease crossing his face. Was this man really planning to drown the entire village in blood?
Wasn't this fool afraid of causing irreversible disaster?
Then again, perhaps he truly wasn't. Perhaps he simply couldn't understand. Perhaps he didn't even care.
"Isn't that a bit too extreme?"
"It's not."
Obito shook his head and spoke with absolute seriousness.
"This course of action benefits us. Weakening Kirigakure will make it easier for us to capture the Three-Tails and Six-Tails in the future. It will also diminish the village's influence later on."
"Besides, aren't you the one who was worried about the presence of Konoha and other foreign shinobi? This is the perfect opportunity to get rid of them. Why not take advantage of it?"
Yeah, take advantage, my ass. Like I don't know what you're really thinking.
Black Zetsu secretly cursed in his heart, but he dared not say a word of it aloud.
"Sigh. And here I thought you were still clinging to Rin Nohara."
Just as he stayed silent, it was the usually reserved White Zetsu who suddenly opened his mouth.
"After all, back then it was those people who chased her down and— #$%^&#!"
Before White Zetsu could finish his sentence, Black Zetsu slapped a hand over his mouth, silencing him before he could dig any deeper.
At the same time, he braced himself under Obito's killing glare and gave a reluctant nod.
"I understand. I'll handle it. I'll make sure this battle becomes as large-scale as possible."
"Hmm…"
Obito gave White Zetsu a long, cold stare before speaking in a quiet, emotionless voice.
"This time, I'll leave it to you. I just want to see the results…"
With Obito's order given, Black Zetsu, no matter how unwilling, had no choice but to begin moving.
The already chaotic Kirigakure descended into even deeper turmoil, dark undercurrents surging beneath the surface.
And amidst the growing storm, far away in the Hidden Leaf, Danzo stared grimly at the intelligence in his hands, his expression as dark as thunder.
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[Chapter End's]
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