Preparing for War!

In a dark cave, Zetsu's figure slowly emerged from the ground.

"You had me keep monitoring Nagato all this time. Does that mean you're preparing for the next step?"

Obito, wearing a mask, stepped out of the darkness. "Because of that guy Yasuo, Nagato has already started to suspect me."

"Suspect you? Nagato never trusted you from the beginning anyway, did he? Heh."

Obito did not deny it. "No, this time is different. Nagato seems to have sensed something. A pawn has actually noticed the existence of the chessboard and the chess player. He is no longer a suitable pawn. If we leave him unchecked, he may disrupt our plans."

"Besides, Nagato's performance has been far too disappointing. Perhaps choosing to implant the Rinnegan in him was a mistake from the start."

Black Zetsu chuckled. "I think Nagato has always done quite well. Whether it was developing the organization or capturing the Tailed Beasts, he handled everything in an orderly fashion. That Yasuo you found, on the other hand, is a bomb that could explode at any moment."

"If Yasuo hadn't disregarded the bigger picture and attacked Nagato directly this time, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki would probably have already been captured."

Obito, however, had a different opinion. "Yasuo was a sharp double-edged sword from the beginning. The Akatsuki Organization's achievements today, including the Tailed Beasts we've captured before, are inseparable from Yasuo."

"The reason we've ended up in this situation is simply that Nagato is fundamentally unable to bring out the Rinnegan's true power. He can't suppress Yasuo's presence, and as a result, his authority has suffered a major blow."

"Other than his desperate desire to fight powerful opponents, Yasuo is undoubtedly the easiest tool to use. Conversely, we can exploit that weakness as well and continue making use of him."