Ch176. Plans delayed

"That's a good reform, just make sure to contain any protests. If you proceed with it exactly how we discussed, it should work spectacularly." Third Mizukage told Yagura Karatachi, the new Fourth Mizukage of the Village Hidden in the Mist. Yagura was quite young but Third Mizukage figured there was not much his apprentice could fuck up with him as his supervisor. Mist desperately needed a new leader as he didn't win any favor with the clan heads for ignoring the rumors about how horrible their clans are. It was either give the hat to Yagura and work hard to help the clans or watch as they revolt... yeah, that was not happening anytime soon if the Third had any say in it.

Thankfully, Yagura was smart and they started to make reforms that would help the clans and cleanse the false rumors among the common populace and... the new civilian-born ninjas. Yes, the whole situation became somewhat convoluted to a degree it simply could not be ignored. At first, the Third let it continue to curb-stomp the overinflated pride of the clans but it grew so rapidly, he found himself in so much shite, it forced him to abdicate.

His advisory duty done, the Third excused himself and stepped outside of Yagura's office. Everything was going just fine. Sure, losing his position might have been a bit melancholic for him but... he could admit he was getting too old. Being an advisor to the new Mizukage was a lot more peaceful profession for his old age anyway.

Humming, the Third put his hands into his pockets and suddenly froze as he found a folded paper in one of them. Stopping he took it out of his pocket and unfolded it, cursing under his nose. "Expenses report for the new barracks. Shit... this is actually important." He muttered and resignedly turned around, heading back to the office of the new Mizukage.

Stopping in front of the door to the office, he was about to knock when his hand halted just an inch away from the wood of the door and a frown appeared on his face when he heard an unknown voice coming from inside. The Third Mizukage furrowed his brows and decided to listen for a second.

"... more ninjas... reforms can provide... money... follow the plan... fight against..." He didn't hear every word since even without silencing seals activated, the door was made of a special wood that dampened the sound so any unwelcome listener would most likely not understand what was discussed even if he was pressing his ear to the door as if his life depended on him. It was only his incredible sense of hearing that allowed the Third to hear as much as he did. "Sharingan Genjuts..."

'Oh, shit!' All hairs on his body abruptly stood when he realized what was going on inside of the office.

Not even thinking, the Third Mizukage kicked the thick wooden door, snapping them out of their hinges and sending them flying into the office where they landed with a loud crash that alerted every ANBU around the building.

The Third Mizukage got to see what was inside and indeed, Yagura sat behind the desk with a glossed-over look, and the bodies of his five unconscious ANBU guards were strewn on the floor.

'Not even that loud crash woke him up? That must be some mighty strong genjutsu.' The Third frowned, looking at the assailant and instantly noticing the red-eye behind the mask. 'Uchiha, huh? ... Wait!' He scrunched his face before gaping in astonishment. "Yo-, you... how?"

In front of the Third Mizukage stood the exact copy of the scapegoat Rei described as the attacker of the capital of the Land of Water. Black coat with red clouds, orange swirly mask with only one opening for an eye behind which was a Sharingan, short black hair...

'How is this possible? The description is spot-on! But... this man was supposed to be fictional!' Thoughts flashed through the head of the Third Mizukage. He knew it was Rei who was responsible for the incident in the capital city. The man in front of him was no imitator of the description either. He left out a lot of features described by Rei such as the Sharingan eye but the ninja in front of him was an exact replica of what Rei described. A realization suddenly dawned on him, 'Rei... that shithead actually described a real person!'

The Third quickly snapped out of his bewilderment and Obito was forced to duck lest his upper body got riddled by a multitude of lethally poisoned senbons. He was still somewhat surprised that somebody actually walked in on him casting genjutsu at the new Mizukage. Because his Mangekyo was not a Genjutsu enhancing type, he had to reform and strengthen it periodically otherwise Yagura would break free from it. It was simply lucky that Mangekyo strengthened his illusions enough that even a jinchuuriki could be influenced.

"I have no idea what you were trying to do to Yagura but you are not walking out of here alive!" The Third Mizukage shouted and leaped at Obito, engaging him in a taijutsu bout. Obito blocked, evaded, and parried a few blows before a good opportunity appeared.

The Third Mizukage was inwardly frowning while throwing punches at the intruder. 'He is quite good in taijutsu... to match a Kage.' His eyes gleamed as they noticed an opening in the center of his opponent's chest. He quickly struck... but before getting the hit in, from his sleeve, a kunai suddenly appeared and flew into his hand. The steely tip entered the body of his foe on his way towards the heart and the Third Mizukage involuntarily grinned but his eyes quickly widened in disbelief and shock as his hand started phasing through his enemy.

Obito quickly let his whole body phase through the Third Mizukage and pivoted on his heel, about to stab a kunai into the Third's back.

'I won!' He thought but...

Three Kiri ANBU appeared around him in shunshin, mid-slash with their tanto blades, and Obito was forced to again activate his intangibility, letting the three swords phase through him while his own kunai and hand harmlessly entered the back of the Third Mizukage.

'This is bad...' Both Obito thought.

He didn't like his prospects now that the entire village was alerted. He might have fought against Minato but he knew he was almost killed because he was arrogant enough to think he could match his teacher in one on one. If Minato used kunai instead of Rasengan and struck something vital during the fight, Obito would be dead right now. It just so happened that blunt force was negated a lot by the Zetsu-like flesh that merged with his body, allowing him to come unscathed from his ass being rasenganed. Not that it didn't take him two months to recuperate that particular hit.

But even if he could become intangible, fighting an entire village? He didn't have enough skill for that yet. 'Gotta run, then...' Obito decided while frowning as his eyes strayed towards Yagura, 'It will be hard to get close enough to cast the genjutsu again. The jinchuuriki will be a lot better guarded this time around.'

As he realized his revenge was at the very least delayed, a murderous glint passed Obito's eyes, and one of the poor ANBU who he was fighting against, got the brunt of his anger as Obito's kunai found itself too close to his neck. Blood splattered on the floor from the slit throat of the ANBU as Obito kicked another ANBU away, breaking a few bones, while twisting his body mid-air and punching away the third one.

Obito then tried to use the momentary shock of the Third Mizukage due to the death of his comrade and use his Mangekyo to swirl away but the Third Mizukage proved his life-long experience by not standing like an idiot and watching him get away. He threw a senbon right in the middle of the swirl, forcing Obito to cancel his technique and lean out of the way of the senbon.

"I said you are going to die here." The Third sneered while glancing at the dead body with the corner of his eye. 'That said, this man is really dangerous. Best wait for reinforcements. His intangibility is a real problem but it must have some form of weakness... Not once did he attack with things inside of his body so he probably can't become tangible while something is in the location where his body is supposed to be.'

"Haaaa~, I really didn't want to waste this." Obito released a tired sigh before his personality did a back-flip. "Tobi is just a good boy on an errand! He has no time for dying so... See ya, old man!" Loads of explosion tags suddenly flew out from under Tobi's coat, making the Third Mizukage's eyes go wide as he jumped to the still glazed-eyed Yagura and quickly weaved hand-seals for water ninjutsu to redirect the force of the explosion away from them.

A huge explosion rattled the center of Kirigakure as the Mizukage Tower gained a new opening right through the wall of the Mizukage's office.

Letting the water shield down, the Third Mizukage clicked his tongue when he saw the burnt corpses of the two ANBU who helped him but he realized it was inevitable. Even he survived only thanks to his experience and instincts. Honestly, the water shield jutsu he used... he didn't even register he was performing it before it was already shielding him. The explosion simply happened too fast.

"So he escaped, huh?" He voiced out, displeased. A second later, a squad of ANBU landed on one knee in front of him but before they could even utter a single sound, the Third spoke, "Put the village under a lockdown. We have an intruder here." Turning around, the Third Mizukage went to see if he was able to break Yagura out of the genjutsu.

He had no idea that Obito was already far away from the village, planning how to kill any nuisance to his plan like the Third Mizukage to enact his vengeance for Rin's death.