Obito's Plan

While Uchiha Rei was in the Kurama Clan, Uchiha Obito was also secretly advancing the final preparations for his clan extermination plan from the shadows.

Black swirls twisted silently, the fluctuations of Kamui Space tore through the air, and Obito's figure appeared without a sound in the most hidden corner of Konohagakure.

Root basement.

This time, he wasn't here to steal information, but to personally persuade Danzo.

To act together and completely eradicate the Uchiha Clan.

Ever since Rin died, Obito's world had already collapsed. Reality for him was nothing but ashes and illusion. His hatred for this world was bone-deep, an anger filled with the intent to destroy. He wanted to bury this world that had let Rin die, along with it.

Last night, under the guise of "Uchiha Madara," he had secretly met with a group of radicals within the Uchiha Clan.

"When the rebellion begins, I will appear and control the Nine-Tails. The Uchiha will rule Konoha," he declared with absolute certainty.

The eyes of those clan elites instantly ignited with the flames of hope. They believed him.

But Obito knew clearly that it was all a deception. His hatred for the Uchiha was as deep as his resentment for Konoha. From the very beginning, he had never considered his clansmen as companions.

They were merely Sharingan to be harvested.

"Seeing them happy makes me want to laugh," Obito whispered to himself, a cold smile appearing on his lips.

In his past in Konoha, he was just a dead last, and the elders and elites of the clan never gave him a second glance. Only Rin would gently bandage his wounds.

Now, those who were once high and mighty were ecstatic at his words. The pleasure of revenge spread through his chest like wildfire.

The more paranoid the Uchiha, the stronger they became, and the stronger the Uchiha, the more paranoid they became. Obito had long since fallen into extremism, with no turning back.

However, there was one thing that made Obito feel a vague sense of unease.

Uchiha Itachi had lost control.

He had clearly persuaded Itachi in front of the Clan Stone Tablet and jointly formulated the clan extermination plan. Itachi was supposed to be responsible for eliminating the weak and infirm, while Obito would deal with the elites of the clan.

But recent developments had completely deviated from the plan. Uchiha Itachi had exposed his identity prematurely, and his betrayal of Konoha had become public knowledge.

"Damn it..." he cursed under his breath.

If the plan hadn't gone off track, Itachi could have eliminated the weak and infirm within the clan without anyone knowing.

But now, everyone knew Itachi had betrayed Konoha.

Even Kamui couldn't simultaneously deal with targets in two different directions.

Obito was very troubled by this.

He had already notified Black Zetsu and arranged for a small team from the Akatsuki Organization to provide support, but this was far from enough to compensate for the absence of Itachi, this sharp blade.

He had to come to Root in person.

One was to update the intelligence.

The second was to further incite the hatred of Konoha's higher-ups towards the Uchiha, making Konoha the true main force in this extermination.

However, variables outside of his plan kept appearing, and Obito was starting to feel overwhelmed.

The corridors of Root were deep and cold, with faint Chakra sealing jutsu inscribed on the stone walls.

Before him, Danzo was already waiting.

Danzo sat on a stone chair, clad in a black robe, half his face hidden in bandages and shadows.

But the most striking feature was his swollen, almost deformed face. The swelling had not subsided.

This was the "trophy" left by "Uchiha Itachi"; that slap had landed squarely, and even Root's best Medical Ninjas were helpless.

Danzo's expression was as dark as water, his eyes spitting fire. His usual calm and calculation had been replaced by rage.

"Uchiha Itachi! Where is he now?" Danzo asked in a deep, icy tone.

Unsuppressible anger churned in his eyes. The young man he had once disdained had, right under his nose, thrown the entire chessboard into disarray.

"You never truly understood Itachi," Obito's voice came slowly from behind his Mask, with a hint of imperceptible mockery. "He's the type of person who, once betrayed, can never turn back."

Danzo didn't reply, his gaze chilling, as if he would turn his rage into killing intent at any moment. He had never imagined that one day he would be utterly defeated by a Uchiha youth. He had underestimated Itachi.

Uchiha Obito looked at Danzo, whose face was swollen like a pig's head, and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

"I'm not the only one who's been made to look so pathetic by Uchiha Itachi."

"I'm also looking for Uchiha Itachi," he said calmly, as if everything was under control.

"Truly useless," Danzo said coldly, his voice full of disdain. "Uchiha Itachi was supposed to be your man, yet you can't even control him?"

This statement was no different from slapping Obito across the face. Once upon a time, he had confidently assured Danzo that Itachi was just a puppet he could manipulate at will. But now, reality had slapped him hard.

"Itachi's defection changed everything... A mere brat always messes with my plans," he gritted his teeth and roared inwardly.

The air was thick with mutual distrust and calculation. The two schemers then began to exchange terms.

Obito proposed that in the operation five days later, Root's full cooperation was needed to seal off the entire Uchiha district, preventing anyone from escaping.

But what he didn't notice was the deep glint that had already appeared in Danzo's eyes. His hatred for the Uchiha ran far deeper than this.

Influenced by the teachings of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, since childhood, Danzo had always viewed the Uchiha clan as a menace. He not only wanted to cooperate with the extermination but even wished that not a single member of the clan would be left alive.

"Find intelligence on Uchiha Itachi, especially regarding the Akatsuki Organization he mentioned," Danzo's tone was low but filled with pressure.

Obito simply nodded, but sneered in his heart.

If Danzo knew that the masked man standing before him was one of the founding members of the Akatsuki Organization, his swollen face would probably turn redder.

The two hid their true intentions, their words flying back and forth, appearing to cooperate, but in reality, each harbored their own schemes.

Obito thought Danzo was merely a pawn, while Danzo saw Obito as a blade.

Little did they know, beyond their meticulously woven plans, the true mastermind.

Uchiha Rei was currently in the Kurama Clan Villa, examining Kurama Yakumo.

He was the true arbiter under the veil of night, the existence hidden behind all shadows.

And these two men, who considered themselves masters of the entire game, hadn't even spared Uchiha Rei a second thought.

In their eyes, he was just a regular Jonin still recovering from poison, incapable of stirring up any significant trouble.

However, this time, on the Night of the Uchiha Clan Downfall, Uchiha Rei would give them a true "surprise."

As their conversation ended, Uchiha Obito's figure slowly faded, gradually disappearing amidst the distortion of space.

In the dark and cold Root, only Danzo's swollen, contorted face remained, his anger unquenched.

"Lord Danzo." From the darkness, a Root ninja slowly emerged, kneeling on one knee, his voice hoarse.

"Sir, why did you let him go? That guy is very dangerous."

"Dangerous?" A trace of contemptuous laughter appeared on Danzo's lips. He reached out and gently touched his swollen cheek, a bone-chilling coldness emanating from him.

"Don't you think he's an even better blade than Uchiha Itachi?"

Danzo's voice was low but filled with immense confidence and calculation. "Whether he is Madara or not, he is arrogant, conceited, and looks down on everyone."

"Such a person only sees himself and not others. His arrogance is the sharpest blade and the easiest tool to control."

"We only need to pay a few ordinary Sharingan to use his hand to eliminate the Uchiha Clan, seize their wealth, and clear the hidden dangers in Konoha." He spoke as if recounting a fact already written into history.

His swollen left cheek did not diminish his confidence in controlling the situation.

Danzo was silent for a moment, then whispered, "Over the years, I've controlled quite a few brats. Whether it's Uchiha Shisui or this masked 'Madara,' they think they're clever, but in reality, they're just pieces on the chessboard."

Only Uchiha Itachi was an exception.

"He... is not influenced by rhetoric and has his own judgment and beliefs." Danzo's brows furrowed slightly, his eyes sinister. "Such people are the most troublesome."

He touched his still swollen face, rage boiling in his heart.

"After dealing with the Uchiha Clan... I will mobilize the entire power of Konoha to hunt him down thoroughly." Danzo's voice was icy.

"I want to let Uchiha Itachi know what the wrath of Konoha is."

The butcher's knife aimed at the Uchiha Clan had been quietly raised.

Deep within Root, the conversation between two "masterminds" marked the prelude to the impending "Night of the Uchiha Clan Downfall."

Five days later, the moon night was stained with blood.