Black Zetsu's Despair

In Konoha, Kakashi has been doing nothing lately, spending his days training at home.

Occasionally, I'd have a passionate, youthful showdown with Might Guy.

After Danzo over, his original job Hokage Guard naturally ended.

Danzo's requirement for him was to serve as the leader of Squad Leader Jonin, Danzo entrusted three Root members to Kakashi's command.

Kakashi naturally refused, but he couldn't fight Danzo's will, Danzo ultimately issued the order as Hokage.

Kakashi had no choice but to reluctantly accept the three disciples.

That's right, Danzo didn't simply make Kakashi a Squad Leader Jonin; he directly made him take on apprentices.

The three people Danzo assigned to Kakashi were all very young; logically, all three should have been studying at the Ninja Academy at that time.

However, the Root culture system can skip this step.

Kakashi reluctantly accepted three disciples, but there was one thing he didn't understand.

These three have really mediocre talent; in fact, saying it's mediocre would be giving them too much credit. Do any of them even have ninja talent?

This feeling is like finding a child in a remote mountain village and placing high hopes on him.

After giving him pointers for a few days, Kakashi went directly to Danzo and said he wanted a refund.

Danzo then told Kakashi that the three of them were members of the Uchiha Clan.

Kakashi was initially delighted. Besides Sasuke Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha, were there other members of the Uchiha Clan in the village?

But he quickly realized something was wrong and said, "Lord Hokage, is it really possible for someone in the Uchiha Clan to have such poor talent?"

Danzo frowned; he couldn't understand it either. He had personally instructed the three children, and it was precisely because he couldn't teach them that he thought of Kakashi.

Kakashi thought a little more Danzo. He remembered that when he rescued people at Yichen's request, Yichen seemed to have said that he only wanted infants.

Kakashi hadn't thought anything of it before, but now the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. Then he blurted out, "Lord Hokage, could these three not be from the Uchiha Clan, but were switched by the Tsuchikage?"

Danzo's eyes widened; he realized what had happened. There had been rumors that Fugaku Uchiha and Yichen were colluding.

After the Uchiha Clan Annihilated, the Iwa ninja claimed that they were now the legitimate successors of the Uchiha Clan, and that they had many Uchiha members.

This suggests that Fugaku Uchiha may have secretly moved a group of children.

It seems that when I captured those Uchiha that night, they didn't have a single elder by their side. It was as if they had been abandoned by the Uchiha Clan.

Thinking of this, Danzo's face flushed with anger. He slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Yichen, how dare you play tricks on this old man!"

Kakashi, seeing Danzo's expression, knew he was right. Not wanting to provoke Danzo Body Flicker Technique to escape.

After that, Kakashi never received any more missions.

Kakashi knew that Danzo was probably looking for a new disciple for him.

So he was happy to have some free time, since the rewards for Konoha ninja missions were extremely low these days, and he didn't want to bother with missions.

That night, Kakashi fought a fierce battle with Might Guy. Just as he returned home, he suddenly felt a pang of heart palpitation.

Kakashi cautiously surveyed his surroundings, but found nothing.

But that feeling of unease lingered in his heart.

After a while, Kakashi finally found the source of this strange feeling: the Sharingan? His Sharingan was acting strangely.

Kakashi had never seen anything like this before, not even the last time his Sharingan showed this unusual activity.

It was during the time when Obito Uchiha awakened his Mangekyo that Kakashi was in a coma.

"Obito, something happened to Obito?!" Kakashi's heart skipped a beat.

As the Mangekyō Sharingan, various memories of Obito Uchiha flooded his mind, making Kakashi feel dizzy.

After a long time, the Sharingan's strange movements finally stopped. Kakashi, whose strength and Chakra were completely exhausted, lay down in the courtyard and fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, after Kakashi finished breakfast, he carefully found the residence of an intelligence ninja from Iwagakure.

He asked the other party to inquire with Yichen whether he knew anything about Obito Uchiha.

Unfortunately, Yichen was the only person Kakashi could think of who might know Obito Uchiha.

Yichen led Izumi Uchiha, Sokai, Chiga, and Hozuki Suigetsu, along with a group of other children, back to Iwagakure.

Yichen let Izumi Uchiha and the other two leave on their own, while he arranged for the Kirigakure children to stay at the hospital and had the Anbu keep an eye on them.

Then Yichen singled out Hozuki Suigetsu.

On the hospital rooftop, Yichen woke up Hozuki Suigetsu and asked, "What's your name?"

While secretly observing his surroundings, Hozuki Suigetsu revealed an innocent-looking smile.

Hozuki Suigetsu was quite intelligent; he quickly deduced from the shapes of the surrounding buildings that he was in Iwagakure. Then, when he looked at Yichen's face, he immediately froze.

Upon seeing the ambiguous smile on Yichen's face, Hozuki Suigetsu's heart sank again. He quickly said, "My name is Hozuki Suigetsu. Greetings, Lord Tsuchikage."

Yichen laughed and said, "You're quite clever. You didn't pretend to be stupid and directly stated that you recognized me."

Yichen patted Hozuki Suigetsu's head and said, "What a bright child, it's a pity that his thinking is too mature, he's already past the best age for brainwashing."

Hearing this, Hozuki Suigetsu broke out in a cold sweat. What did that mean? Were they going to kill him to silence him?

Hozuki Suigetsu swallowed hard and said, "The Lord Tsuchikage should know that I am Hozuki Mangetsu's younger brother. By exchanging me with Kirigakure, the Lord Tsuchikage should be able to obtain a very considerable reward."

"The Lord Tsuchikage has a hard time managing such a large Iwagakure. There's no need for him to lose a large sum of income for the sake of a mere child like me."

Yichen looked at Hozuki Suigetsu and then sighed.

He's too mature for his age; he can't be brainwashed at all. I doubt he even feels much belonging to Kirigakure.

Yichen said, "Alright, I'll do as you say. I'll go negotiate with your parents."

After saying that, Yichen carried Hozuki Suigetsu back to the ward that had been arranged for him.

After Yichen left, Hozuki Suigetsu glanced at his companion who was still unconscious beside him and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He thought to himself, "The Tsuchikage is terrifying; he's on a completely different level from that Uchiha. There's no way to fool him."

After being rebuffed by Hozuki Suigetsu, Yichen convened a High-Level Meeting.

Yichen's return to the village was certainly not to adjust his mood, as he and Chiga and the other two had said.

Given the magnitude of Obito Uchiha's death, Yichen needed to convene a meeting to discuss it with other high-ranking officials.

We must at least inform them of this crucial information.

In the Tsuchikage's Office, Yichen first glanced at Sokai, who had been notified to attend the meeting.

Then he said, "In the past few days, because Chiga's Blood Sense ability has undergone a qualitative change, I first led him to find all the scattered Uzumaki clan members."

"Then we located all the members of the Hyuga Clan. I collaborated with Orochimaru to capture many Hyuga Branch Family members near Konoha for experiments."

"Although Orochimaru eventually succeeded in breaking the Caged Bird, unfortunately, the successful experimental subject became a vegetable. I brought him back, and he's in the hospital now."

"This person is called Iroha Hyuga. His soul was completely destroyed when Orochimaru forcibly broke the Caged Bird Caged Bird."

Everyone frowned upon hearing this. Saka asked, "Yichen, are there any other ways to break the Caged Bird?"

Everyone else looked over as well. Neji's talent was truly remarkable; at such a young age, he had already attracted the attention of the High-ranking officials.

Yichen shook his head and said, "Not yet, but I'll keep thinking of ways. Let's not talk about that now, there's something else."

"Last night, we located all the Uchiha Clan again. I took Sokai and Izumi Uchiha the border between the Land of Snow and the Land of Demons. Obito Uchiha has been hiding there all this time."

After a pause, Yichen said, "With the help of Izumi Uchiha, I killed Obito Uchiha."

Everyone was taken aback and turned to look at Sokai.

Sokai looked at everyone innocently. "I didn't kill anyone, why are you all looking at me?"

He was still upset. He was supposed to Izumi Uchiha, but before they even finished warming up, Yichen killed someone.

On the way there, Kui Yichen also devised a series of detailed tactics with them.

As a result, Obito Uchiha was initially able to dodge the simple mud attack for a while.

After a direct confrontation, he was killed before he could even last one round, and his death was extremely gruesome.

Izumi Uchiha at least made a move this time and absorbed a lot of eye power, while Sokai Kunai.

Ikura hurriedly asked, "Obito Uchiha dead? Didn't he have an unsolvable Space-Time Ninjutsu? And Izanagi, Yichen, how did you kill him?"

Seeing everyone looking at him expectantly, Yichen said, "Thanks to Izumi Uchiha, her two Dōjutsu, one absorbs eye power and the other blocks vision."

"She used both of her Dōjutsu on Obito Uchiha at the same time."

"Obito Uchiha had three Three-Tomoe Sharingan transplanted into him, presumably for the purpose of using Izanagi. However, before they could even be used, the power of all three eyes was completely absorbed."

"The three eyes used to unleash Izanagi are ruined, and although the Mangekyo used for Hollowfication is still usable, it has been hit by two of Izumi Uchiha's Dōjutsu."

"Both of these Dōjutsu have the effect of interfering with Obito Uchiha's use of Dōjutsu."

"This delay allowed me to seize the opportunity and kill Obito Uchiha."

The group exchanged glances, beginning to ponder the battle process described by Yichen.

After a long while, Mei finally asked, "Where is Obito Uchiha Mangekyō Sharingan?"

Yichen sighed deeply and said, "Obito Uchiha's head was smashed into a pulp by my Porcelain Release. His Mangekyō Sharingan is gone too."

Ming immediately pressed on, "What about the legacy left by Madara Uchiha?"

Yichen sighed and remained silent.

Ming's eyes widened as he looked at Yichen said, "Yichen, you would actually do such a losing deal?"

Yichen sighed again, lowered his head, and said, "I didn't want to either. My original intention in going to Obito Uchiha was to snatch some children back so I could make a deal with Kirigakure and earn some extra money."

"It would be best to let Izumi Uchiha absorb some of her eye power to increase her combat strength."

"Who knew Izumi Uchiha's Dōjutsu was so powerful? It completely counters Obito Uchiha. I almost accidentally killed him."

Everyone:...

Everyone thought to themselves, "Should we feel sorry for Obito Uchiha, or ashamed of your shameless attempt to shift the blame?"

Saka coughed and said, "In any case, it's a good thing to be able to kill this Uchiha who knows space -Space-Time Ninjutsu."

"By the way, did you manage to rescue the children? Could they all be trapped in that mysterious space?"

Yichen said, "Obito Uchiha only moved four children, including Ranmaru who has the Red Eyes Bloodline Limit. I brought the others back, and they're in the hospital now."

Saka nodded and said, "Let's not worry about what to do with these children for now. I think we should discuss the potential consequences of this incident."

Tomoko analyzed, "The existence of Obito Uchiha is known to Great Ninja Village. His unscrupulous style of doing things and his unsolvable Dōjutsu are a sword hanging over the heads of all the ninja villages."

"No matter what military action is taken, we must be wary of him raiding our base."

"Now that he's dead, the village is safer than before. That's a good thing for us."

"Furthermore, the other ninja villages are unaware of this information yet. Whether or not to inform them, and when to do so, requires careful consideration."

"Teacher Yichen, if you trade those children you rescued to Kirigakure now, won't they get news of Obito Uchiha sooner?"

Yichen shook his head and said, "Don't worry, it won't happen. The Mist ninja are very clear about Obito Uchiha's abilities, and they also believe that it's unsolvable."

"They probably think that, just like last time when I kidnapped people, I found Obito Uchiha's hiding place and ambushed him, bringing back a group of people."

"No one would have imagined that Obito Uchiha would be killed so easily by us."

After thinking for a moment, everyone agreed with Yichen's suggestion. Since that was the case, they would keep it a secret for now and reveal it when the time was right.

Then, Yichen added, "There's one more thing. Among the children we rescued this time, one of them is Hozuki Mangetsu's younger brother, named Hozuki Suigetsu."

"He's a genius, but I just tested him and found he's mature beyond his years. It seems impossible to convince him to willingly join Iwagakure."

"Let's discuss whether we should trade him to Kirigakure."

Kawakita asked, "Teacher Yichen, when you say he has great talent, do you mean he has the potential to reach the Kage Level?"

Yichen nodded and said, "That's right, this child's talent is no less than Kurotsuchi's."

Kawakita asked, "Why let the tiger return to the mountain? The Hozuki Clan is already troublesome; is it appropriate to let him go back?"

Tomoko said, "The Kirigakure doesn't have many talented younger generations. If they had more geniuses among their descendants, they probably wouldn't turn against us so easily."

"They see hope in the future talents of the next generation and are willing to wait for them to grow up."

"Perhaps this Hozuki Suigetsu can help us gain a few more years of peace."

"In the current Ninja World situation, time is on our side. After all, the longer peace lasts, the stronger we become, and the faster our strength grows, the more rapidly other ninja villages will grow."

Kitsuchi Tu nodded and said, "That's right, there are quite a few geniuses living in my house. Kurotsuchi and Yakumo Kurama's occasional friends who bring their classmates home to play are also quite talented kids."

"Our future is more promising than that of any other ninja village."

Yichen nodded. If you disregard the two saviors, neither of them was wrong.

However, Yichen didn't mention the two saviors, but instead concluded, "Then it's decided, Hozuki Suigetsu will also be returned to Kirigakure."

"Let's discuss what we should exchange it for."

After the meeting, Sokai left the conference room looking completely bewildered. He hadn't heard a thing about what was discussed in the second half of the meeting; he only knew one thing.

It seems that all the higher-ups know a lot about that mysterious Uchiha.

I know his name is Obito Uchiha, I know he is the representative of Madara Uchiha, I know his Dōjutsu abilities, and I know he has the First Hokage's cells.

It seems these people also know how Obito Uchiha Mangekyō Sharingan.

It seems that everyone has a very close working relationship with Obito Uchiha.

During the meeting just now, everyone mentioned that Obito Uchiha had a Summoning Beast- like creature called the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

After lingering in the corridor for a long time, Sokai turned around and went back to Yichen's office.

"Teacher Yichen, could you tell me about Obito Uchiha?" Sokai Yichen said as soon as he entered.

Yichen glanced at him and said, "Okay, but this story is a bit long. Sit down, and I'll tell you slowly."

"Obito Uchiha was the Fourth Hokage's student... I personally witnessed him awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan... His other Mangekyō Sharingan is in Kakashi Hatake... He was the representative chosen by Madara Uchiha before his death... I cooperated with him during the Nine-Tails' Rampage' attack... He summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path twice... He paid our rent every month... He had a nickname: 'Xian'er' )... The village's research into Space-Time Ninjutsu also owes a lot to him..."

Yichen told Sokai everything he knew in one go.

After listening, Zao Sokai fell silent for a while, then asked, "Teacher Yichen, why do you always refer to Obito Uchiha as the mysterious Uchiha?"

"I thought you knew nothing about Obito Uchiha, but it turns out you probably know him better than he did."

Yichen thought for a moment and said, "I'm used to it. That's what I've always called it."

"Information about Obito Uchiha is a village secret, and I promised him I wouldn't leak it."

"To avoid letting it slip, I've always called him that."

Sokai asked, "Now, can I tell Sister Izumi about this?"

Yichen said, "The person is dead, so do as you please. But you heard it too, this matter cannot be known to other ninja villages now, so please remind Quan Luo for me."

Sokai Jie nodded, then excitedly went to share the secret with his Sister Izumi.

Two days later, Kisame received a handwritten letter from Yichen.

After reading the letter, Kisame summoned the high-ranking officials of Kirigakure for another meeting.

After reading the letter, the senior executives were both pleased and frowned.

It would be great to get back Hozuki Suigetsu, a genius, but Yichen's asking price is too high.

Mei Terumi said, "The Tsuchikage wants to exchange our share in the Land of Hot Water of Hot Water for Hozuki Suigetsu and the others, and also give up our training experience in the Water Release Technique?"

"This is outrageous! I disagree. The village's funds are already limited, and the military budget from the Land of Hot Water can alleviate our financial pressure."

"It would be such a shame to give up so easily."

Yuki Koru, however, said, "You can't say that. The importance of a Kage Level to a village is self-evident."

"The only question we need to consider is: whether to sacrifice long-term benefits for short-term gains, or to sacrifice already secured benefits for long-term gains."

Hearing what Yuki Koru said, Mei Terumi fell silent. Although she didn't agree with changing the person, she also felt that a Kage Level would be more useful to the village.

However, is it really certain that Hozuki Suigetsu can become Kage Level? Mei Terumi had never witnessed Hozuki Suigetsu's talent, so she still had doubts, but it was not something she could say out loud.

At this moment, Genji asked, "Yuki Koru, how are you getting along with the Six-Tails? How much of the Six-Tails' power can you draw upon?"

Yuki Koru said, "Not yet, it will take some time to adapt."

Genji nodded, then asked Kisame, "Five Generations, is there any news about the Three-Tails?"

Kisame shook his head and said, "So far, the Anbu has not made any discoveries."

Genji nodded again and said, "In that case, let's make the exchange."

"We cannot utilize the power of both Tailed Beast in the short term, so we should be recuperating and maintaining our relationship with Iwagakure."

"Since that's the case, let's concede and give them the Land of Hot Water. We'll exchange it for Hozuki Suigetsu and nurture him properly while the Ninja World is still at peace."

Kisame thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "I understand, I will make the arrangements."

After hearing Kisame's final conclusion, Hozuki Mangetsu, who had been silent throughout but extremely tense, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Subsequently, various factions in the Ninja World suddenly received a message: for reasons unknown, Kirigakure gave all of their share of the Land of Hot Water to Iwagakure.

At this point, the entire Land of Hot Water Iwagakure.

At first, Konoha and the others thought that Iwagakure and Kirigakure were about to turn against each other, but they soon realized they had been mistaken.

This incident actually strengthened the bond between the two sides.

Danzo quickly received the news and concluded that Iwagakure and Kirigakure must have reached some kind of secret agreement.

Danzo immediately ordered his Root subordinates, "Send people to investigate immediately. What secret agreement have they reached?"

"Yes." Root member immediately accepted the order and left.

The Fourth Raikage, who was just as concerned about the situation as Danzo, also quickly dispatched professional intelligence ninjas to Iwagakure and Kirigakure to gather intelligence.

Just as everyone was wondering about the actions of the Kirigakure, Black Zetsu stood alone in front of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, lost in thought.

This time, he did not merge with White Zetsu, but stood alone quietly in the empty underground space.

He was the first to receive news of Obito Uchiha's death.

When Obito Uchiha the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path twice, he was completely unconscious. Black Zetsu took the opportunity to tamper with Obito Uchiha, leaving behind only a small part of his own body.

Black Zetsu originally intended to use this part of his body as a catalyst to control Obito Uchiha at a crucial moment.

Who would have thought that Obito Uchiha, who possessed an unsolvable Space-Time Ninjutsu, would die so inexplicably?

However, Black Zetsu sensed Obito Uchiha's death immediately.

Black Zetsu is now in despair. He had finally seen a glimmer of hope in reviving his mother. But then, the person Madara Uchiha chose to represent him died.

With Obito Uchiha, who will be responsible for the preparations for the Moon Eye Plan before Madara Uchiha's resurrection?

Rinnegan, Nagato also lost control, and Black Zetsu can no longer even control the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.