If Rin and Sakura Had Swapped Places

From the "training plan" Shirozumi gave Kakashi, it was clear how he felt about the Masked Man—Uchiha Obito.

Shirozumi hadn't planned to persuade him the way he would the other members of the Akatsuki Organization.

Because there was no way to persuade him.

Shirozumi could persuade the others because he knew exactly what each of them needed and what they were pursuing.

Even Itachi, who was just as much of a Uchiha lunatic, only had Konoha and Sasuke in his heart.

Those two had come into conflict in the original story. Itachi had been willing to threaten to reveal Konoha's intelligence for Sasuke's sake, and he had also been willing to use Kotoamatsukami to control Sasuke for Konoha's sake.

Because in Itachi's heart, the two could coexist—and objectively speaking, they could.

So what did Uchiha Obito want?

First, let's rule out bringing Nohara Rin back to life.

He definitely knew about the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique.

Even if he didn't want to die himself, he could have just asked Nagato while he was reviving the people of Konoha and hitched a ride.

So was it because he had traveled the Shinobi World, confirmed its darkness, and decided it was beyond saving?

Maybe.

But the problem was, that was an issue with his own perception.

For example, the original Akatsuki Organization was made up entirely of cheerful, sunny young men.

Even after Hanzō and Danzo conspired against them, the Akatsuki still had a chance to turn things around. One of their original members was even ready to go warn the others, but Obito stopped him.

Other people long for the light, so you go and kill them, then start complaining that the world is too dark. Wasn't that a little bizarre?

Was Obito planning to start the Infinite Tsukuyomi and create a world where Rin existed?

Someone who only knew a little about Uchiha Obito might think so, but that wasn't actually the case.

Uchiha Obito said he wanted to create a world where heroes didn't have to weep and grieve in front of gravestones.

Some might ask, "But how would that conflict with Nohara Rin being alive? If nobody died, wouldn't there be nothing to mourn?"

The problem was that in Uchiha Obito's imagined "perfect world"—one as powerful as the Infinite Tsukuyomi he'd cast on himself—Nohara Rin was still dead.

The only difference from reality was that Kakashi wasn't grieving at her grave. He'd become Obito's right-hand man, helping him as Hokage while they lived well.

Of course, this might have been no more than Obito imagining what would have happened if he'd chosen a different path back then. So Rin was still dead—not as the outcome, but as the premise.

Even so, it indirectly showed how contradictory his various ideas were.

All Shirozumi could say was, if only Rin and Sakura had swapped places, none of this would have happened.

Instead of bandaging Obito's wounds and encouraging him, Rin could have smiled at their other teammate, who'd also lost both parents, and said, "See? He doesn't even have parents. No wonder he has no manners."

If Obito could still want to create a world with Sakura in it after that, then all Shirozumi could say was that Obito had a bit of an M streak.

Even if Sakura's personality had changed gradually later on, that wouldn't have stopped Obito from losing interest in her.

In short,

Shirozumi found it hard to understand this kind of situation.

It wasn't as if he could go over and start playing a broken record, chanting, "Didn't you once want to become Hokage?" over and over—Hokage, Hokage, Hokage, like some ancient god whispering in his ear—and persuade him that way, could he?

So Shirozumi hadn't planned to persuade Obito.

There was another reason, too.

The Five Great Shinobi Villages could cooperate for sure, but it wasn't because of "love" or "understanding." The most fundamental reason was that they had a common enemy.

Even if the people of the Five Great Shinobi Villages did develop those feelings as the fighting went on, the core, the most basic reason, was that they shared a foreign enemy.

The members of the Akatsuki Organization could believe Shirozumi when he told them about the Otsutsuki Clan, but how many people in the Five Great Shinobi Villages would believe him if he told them?

The Otsutsuki Clan wouldn't reach the Shinobi World for at least another twenty years.

And the one Otsutsuki who was already in the Shinobi World, Isshiki, couldn't be found anytime soon.

That was when Obito came in handy.

Meanwhile, after the four Konoha shinobi left, Shirozumi and the others escorted the old man onward.

On the road, Zabuza began talking about what he'd been interrupted from saying earlier.

But he'd barely said a few words before he was interrupted again.

"I know what you're after, Zabuza. You want to change the Blood Mist. We can support you on that."

Shirozumi knew the members of the Akatsuki Organization inside and out, and he also knew exactly what Zabuza was seeking.

Zabuza had gone rogue after attempting to assassinate the Mizukage.

When he took Haku away from the village, Zabuza had said, "Tonight, I'm leaving the Land of Water behind. But I'll be back, and I'll take control of this country."

That only showed Zabuza's ambition.

But judging by the words of the various Kirigakure shinobi who appeared later on—whether it was Kisame, a Rogue Ninja; Suigetsu, who was taken away by Orochimaru; or Chojuro, a respectable, ordinary Kirigakure shinobi who became the Sixth Mizukage—they all spoke of Zabuza with great respect.

That showed Zabuza really had launched a revolution by attempting to assassinate the Mizukage in order to end the Blood Mist. After his failure, he became a Rogue Ninja.

"What?"

Zabuza was a little surprised.

First, how did the other man know?

Was the organization Kisame belonged to really that good at gathering intelligence?

Second, why had he agreed so readily?

Was there some benefit in it for them?

"Have you ever looked at a map of the Shinobi World? The Land of Waves' location makes it the best route for the Land of Water to use for overseas trade. It'll be even more convenient once the bridge is built.

"I need you to take control of this place and develop it under the headquarters' plans, so it can provide a steady source of funding."

Shirozumi took a map from the small bag on his back and unfolded it with both hands.

"That explains it."

Zabuza understood once he heard Shirozumi's explanation.

Many small countries couldn't afford to support a shinobi village. Even those that could only had very small ones.

Likewise, Rogue Ninjas had a hard time getting money. They could only work as mercenaries and take bounty missions.

For shinobi, money was essential.

Since the other man led an organization, he would naturally need a lot of money, too.

As Shirozumi had said, the Land of Waves was indeed an excellent location, if the Land of Water could open up trade.

The problem was that the Blood Mist had shrouded Kirigakure for a long time, and the village hadn't maintained normal diplomatic relations with other countries for ages, let alone trade.

If they wanted to restore those ties, the best way really was to help him put an end to the Blood Mist.

"Oh, right. Kisame, I remember your crime as a Rogue Ninja was assassinating the Daimyo, right? Was that charge a frame-up, or did you really do it?"

Shirozumi looked at Kisame Hoshigaki.

"No."

Kisame denied it.

After killing his treacherous superior, Suikazan Fuguki, Kisame had begun to question Kirigakure's system.

But he hadn't tried to assassinate the Daimyo. He'd genuinely been lost.

Then he'd met "Madara," along with Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage controlled by "Madara," and had joined the Akatsuki Organization right away—effectively going rogue.

He hadn't had time to assassinate any Daimyo in between.

"Then, would you be interested in making that charge come true?"

As soon as Shirozumi said this, the others were instantly startled, each forming a different opinion.

Only Kisame himself remained unfazed. He answered at once: "No problem."