Chapter 41: Obito’s Scheme

Before anyone could respond, the masked man had vanished without a trace.

Uchiha Shisui stood frozen in place, clearly taken aback by the unexpected turn of events. He felt a mix of vigilance and resignation. His hand brushed against the black cloth covering his face. He knew he had once lost his eyes, yet beneath that layer of darkness lay a pair of intact eyes.

They were someone else's eyes.

The Akatsuki—this name had once appeared in the Konoha Anbu's investigation reports, but only briefly, as a fleeting organization that had once flitted through the Rain Village. However, he never anticipated that this group concealed an even larger secret.

He himself was here because he had uncovered that secret.

Meanwhile, in a strange space, the masked Uchiha Obito stared at a wall plastered with information about numerous ninjas from the ninja world, lost in thought. Suddenly, he spoke up, "What's the status?"

Another masked man appeared behind him, the same one who had accompanied Shisui. He removed his mask to reveal a pale, somewhat sinister face, looking rather eerie. "I've completed communication with Pain. We're currently en route to the Mist Village and should be ready to act in about three days."

He hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Are you really going to send Uchiha Shisui alone to capture the tailed beast?"

"His power is sufficient," Obito replied, casually plucking Shisui's information from the wall. "I've transplanted the Sharingan of his relative, Uchiha Kagami, into him, along with Hashirama's cells. While he may have lost the ability to use the Kotoamatsukami of the Mangekyō Sharingan, his other abilities surpass what they were before. In terms of combat ability, he is stronger than I am now."

"But his opponent is the Fourth Mizukage. You weren't exactly a match for the Three-Tails back then," the white figure pointed out, feigning concern.

"Yagura…" Obito's hands stilled as his expression turned complicated while he focused on the information regarding the Mist Village on the wall.

The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, was a young boy with pink eyes, also the Jinchuriki of the Three-Tails. Obito had once harbored a deep-seated hatred for him, using the Sharingan's genjutsu to control him and unleashing a bloodbath in the Mist Village as revenge.

He had incited the Mist ninjas to turn on one another, leaving only those who survived to undertake perilous missions, which led to rampant defections and assassinations of high-ranking officials within the village. This chaos brought Obito a twisted sense of joy.

After all, during the Great Ninja War, Rin had been the catalyst that allowed them to unleash the Three-Tails, intending to use her as its Jinchuriki to devastate Konoha. However, that plan had backfired, resulting in Rin's death at Kakashi's hands.

Yet, for some inexplicable reason, just a short while ago, when Obito had intended to utilize Yagura's body to thoroughly study how to extract a tailed beast from a Jinchuriki, Yagura had suddenly broken free from his genjutsu, inflicting serious injury on Obito before he could react!

Had it not been for the unique space-time ninjutsu of his Mangekyō Sharingan, Kamui, and the fact that his body possessed nearly half of Hashirama's cells, Obito might have perished at Yagura's hands.

Yagura had somehow retained his rationality and unleashed formidable attacks even during complete tailed beast transformation, resembling what Uchiha Madara had referred to as a "perfect Jinchuriki" in his records. Yet the strength he exhibited far exceeded what Madara had documented about the Three-Tails.

It was known that Jinchuriki possessing tailed beast chakra were immune to genjutsu, as the Sharingan could only control the tailed beast within them. Madara had once informed Obito that only those with the level of Mangekyō Sharingan he possessed could control the Nine-Tails. His own eyes could manage the Three-Tails, but something had clearly changed, allowing the Three-Tails to break free from his genjutsu, a process Obito was unaware of.

This unforeseen turn of events filled Obito with rage and anxiety. After all, Yagura was the Fourth Mizukage. Even if he distanced himself now, the memories controlled by the Sharingan wouldn't disappear, and Yagura might very well uncover the existence of the Akatsuki and Obito himself.

Thus, he aimed to eliminate this threat swiftly. Before he could clean up the mess he had left in the Mist Village, he had to take care of this!

If he couldn't handle it, he at least needed to ensure his own escape. Being targeted by a ninja village would severely restrict his actions.

"If he loses, it won't matter," Obito gathered his thoughts, expressing his plan. "I haven't exposed my true identity to anyone. All they know is that the enemy possesses the Sharingan. If Uchiha Shisui fails in his battle against Yagura…"

"Ah, I see. He'll become your scapegoat, leading them to mistakenly believe that Uchiha Shisui was the one controlling the Mizukage all along!" White Zetsu suddenly realized. "You didn't alter Shisui's appearance for this reason. The name 'Shisui the Teleporter' carries quite a reputation in Konoha. If he falls into the hands of the Mist Village…"

"Hmph, after all, Konoha can't put Uchiha Shisui's death on display as evidence," Obito sneered. "Let them devour each other like dogs in the ninja villages. They can even start another Great Ninja War if they wish."

"...Such a brilliant yet ruthless strategy. But what about the ultimate goal of capturing the tailed beasts? What if you lose Uchiha Shisui, this new asset you've worked so hard to acquire? Wouldn't that stall future operations?" White Zetsu asked, pondering the situation.

"Right now, the Uchiha clan has more than just Shisui," Obito's gaze lingered on the information about the Uchiha clan on the wall. What he focused on was a slightly younger but wise-looking figure—Uchiha Itachi.

"Good. It seems you've planned everything out. I'll return to keep an eye on Uchiha Shisui," White Zetsu declared, no longer doubtful. A shadow merged with his body, transforming his pure white face into a two-toned visage, appearing even more sinister. He then donned his mask. "But I'm quite looking forward to seeing him defeat the Fourth Mizukage with Pain's help. That would make your plan much easier to execute."

"..." Obito fell silent, lost in contemplation.

He couldn't shake his unease; after all, the records left by Uchiha Madara hadn't contained many inaccuracies. By rights, the Three-Tails' power shouldn't be this strong.

Was there a flaw in the information about the tailed beasts? Was it merely coincidence? Or were the other tailed beasts…

At that moment, within Naruto's body, the Nine-Tails suddenly opened its eyes. Long accustomed to hostility, it unexpectedly felt a flicker of uncontrollable joy.

Sensing the Nine-Tails' emotions, Minato, who was meditating nearby, turned to look. He felt a strange yet familiar energy presence that left him uncertain.

However, the Nine-Tails had nothing to hide. Seeing Minato's gaze shift toward it, it grinned widely and released a hint of that energy.

"This is... natural energy!" Minato exclaimed, stunned.