Intelligence Exposed

Uchiha Obito made a round through Root and quickly discovered Uchiha Itachi, who had already joined.

But without knowing about Kotoamatsukami, Uchiha Obito had no idea that Uchiha Itachi had been controlled. As for Itachi joining Root...

To ordinary shinobi, something like this was hard to understand. But the Uchiha Clan had always been unpredictable, so Black Zetsu wasn't the least bit surprised, and Uchiha Obito didn't think much of it either.

Black Zetsu did notice something else, though: Uchiha Itachi had awakened the Mangekyo.

As a being made purely of Yin Release, Black Zetsu could pinpoint the reincarnation of Indra every time. It went without saying that his ability to sense Chakra was extraordinary.

The Chakra of an Uchiha who hadn't awakened the Sharingan was not much different from that of an ordinary shinobi. But once they awakened the Sharingan, their Chakra carried a cold, ominous quality.

The Chakra of someone who had awakened the ultimate Mangekyo was worlds apart from that of ordinary shinobi—even from that of an Uchiha with the Sharingan. It was like piercingly cold ice, a secret only a being like Black Zetsu could sense.

"Obito, Uchiha Itachi has awakened the Mangekyo this time. You have to find out what its ability is!"

A faint voice sounded in Uchiha Obito's ear. Behind his mask, his brow furrowed.

"I can't believe another Uchiha has awakened the Mangekyo. And he's joined Shimura Danzō's ranks, even though Uchiha Shisui was probably killed by Danzō..."

"Hehe, aren't all Uchiha who awaken the Mangekyo like that? It's hard for normal people to make sense of the Uchiha way of thinking. They're even harder to understand than us White Zetsu."

As soon as White Zetsu spoke, he felt a frigid gaze land on him. Only then did he realize what he'd said.

"Oops, Obito... I didn't mean you! You're much more normal than Uchiha Itachi!"

"Shut up, idiot!" Uchiha Obito snapped coldly. He knew perfectly well that his own mind and way of thinking were nearly insane, but hearing someone else say it still infuriated him.

White Zetsu mimed zipping his mouth shut and obediently fell silent. Uchiha Obito took several deep breaths, gradually calming down.

"Itachi joining Root is actually good for us. Given Shimura Danzō and Root's ways, they're bound to clash with the Uchiha Clan eventually. That'll be the day the Uchiha Clan is destroyed."

"Even if we can't get Uchiha Itachi's power, having the Uchiha out of our way will still benefit our plan."

Like Black Zetsu, Uchiha Obito still wanted to find out what Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyo ability was. If it happened to counter his own, then Itachi would have to be eliminated.

"I'll leave this to you, White Zetsu. Plant some Spore Seeds on Uchiha Itachi, and from today on, assign one White Zetsu to keep an eye on him!"

"Got it, Obito! I'll watch him closely! Even when he's taking a dump, I'll be keeping a close eye on him!"

White Zetsu said it with a mischievous air. Uchiha Obito's mouth twitched, but he ignored White Zetsu's antics and vanished like a shadow.

Uchiha Shūichi had known all along that Uchiha Itachi would be placed under close surveillance. In the original story, Uchiha Itachi had been closely watched by Uchiha Obito and Black Zetsu, and this time would be no different.

That would make it rather troublesome for Uchiha Shūichi to contact Uchiha Itachi. Fortunately, Shimura Danzō was also under Uchiha Shūichi's control, so they could still communicate by sending messages through him.

Besides, Uchiha Shūichi didn't need Uchiha Itachi to do anything in the near future. One of Itachi's eyes was blind from using Izanami, and he'd replaced it with an ordinary Three Tomoe Sharingan. He was hardly in peak condition.

Fortunately, Orochimaru had already transplanted the blind eye onto Hashirama Cells and begun cultivating it. According to Orochimaru, after some time, the eye should be able to see again.

After leaving a hidden safeguard on Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Obito left Konoha Village, feeling the satisfaction of a mastermind manipulating his pawns, and returned to his loyal Land of Rain.

Then came a devastating shock, leaving him utterly stunned...

"What?! The information about the Rinnegan has spread throughout the Shinobi World?"

"What?! The information about the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path is known to everyone now?!"

"What?! The Akatsuki Organization's headquarters, the Land of Rain, has become the target of everyone's attention?!"

The Akatsuki Organization's secrets, the information about the Rinnegan, the information about the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path... All of it had leaked in a short time, nearly making Uchiha Obito throw up blood.

And when he saw the suspicion in Pain and Konan's eyes, Uchiha Obito was even more furious.

"What's with those looks?! Don't tell me you suspect I leaked the information!"

Konan's voice was cool.

"That's hard to say... Right now, only four of us know everything, don't we?"

The Akatsuki Organization had been established, but they hadn't yet gathered all its members, and its goals hadn't been fully revealed.

Even core members like Orochimaru and Sasori of the Red Sands didn't know the true story behind the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. They knew even less about the Rinnegan.

Yet the information circulating through the Shinobi World this time not only revealed the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path's true power, but also some of the Rinnegan's abilities. It even included the crucial fact that the Six Paths of Pain were puppets.

In this situation, Konan and Pain could only suspect Uchiha Obito, Black Zetsu, and White Zetsu. No one else knew these secrets.

It couldn't possibly have been Nagato or Konan who leaked the information, could it?

Uchiha Obito finally understood, too. His expression darkened. Unable to prove his innocence, he could only grit his teeth.

"Hmph! There's no way we leaked the information! If we really wanted to deal with you, I've had plenty of chances before now!"

"Enough!"

Pain spoke calmly, looking at Uchiha Obito with a cold gaze.

"Regardless, you and Zetsu are responsible for the Land of Rain's intelligence, aren't you?"

Uchiha Obito understood what Pain was getting at, but he couldn't shirk responsibility.

"That's right. We're responsible for it."

"Then this major intelligence failure is your responsibility. You'll handle the Five Great Shinobi Villages' probing!"