"Obito, what have you been doing all this time?"
Black Zetsu complained to Obito, who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, then stared at his face in disbelief.
Obito wasn't wearing the mask he'd never taken off since adopting the name "Madara." The evening light broke through the clouds and fell on him, yet even it couldn't bring a hint of warmth to his pale face.
His hair hanging loose, Obito looked angry. The thought of how badly Uchiha Chen had gotten the better of him had his rage simmering, and some of it spilled over onto Zetsu. He snapped without a hint of courtesy:
"What kind of intelligence work are you doing? You didn't even know Uchiha Chen had awakened the Mangekyō?
"He wanted to use the Mangekyō to control the Three-Tails and Yagura, too. I fought him inside the Jinchuriki's mental world. He has a genjutsu-type ocular technique, and I let my guard down and took a hit."
That didn't sound like a "minor setback."
Black Zetsu grumbled inwardly, but still gave Madara's proxy some consideration and didn't call Obito out.
It was also surprised that Uchiha Chen had awakened the Mangekyō.
After a thousand years of watching dozens of Indra's reincarnations and countless Uchiha from the shadows, Black Zetsu could confidently say:
No one understood the Uchiha better than it did.
Uchiha Chen was near the bottom of its watch list, ranked even lower than his follower, Uchiha Tekka.
His parents had died early; he had no beloved and no close friend. How could an Uchiha with such a cool-headed temperament, even one with decent talent as a ninja, awaken the Mangekyō?
"You're sure it was Uchiha Chen?"
Obito gave a cold snort and spat. Clearly, he was furious at Black Zetsu for questioning him.
"That explains it." Seeing Obito was already in a foul mood, Black Zetsu had no choice but to humor him and smooth things over:
"Suikazan Fuguki didn't bring Pakura and Uchiha Chen here because Kirigakure's ninja clans had contacted outsiders to get rid of Yagura. Uchiha Chen had controlled him with genjutsu."
On edge and irritable, Obito nodded, his single eye brimming with murderous intent and madness.
"Yagura and the Three-Tails are both in his hands now! We need to figure out a way to kill him and take the Three-Tails back!"
"Hey!" Before Black Zetsu could speak, a White Zetsu emerged from a nearby tree and reported:
"This is bad! He found and destroyed the clone monitoring Uchiha Chen!"
Obito's body trembled violently. The space before him warped slightly, and a long, gourd-shaped Gunbai appeared in his hand.
He stroked the Tomoe on the fan. Black Zetsu's reflection filled his crimson eyes.
"Have Tobi possess me. We're going to kill him right now!
"With Tobi's Wood Release, we'll definitely beat him. We can't let him learn anything from the White Zetsu's body!"
"Obito!"
Black Zetsu's voice turned stern. "Don't act on impulse!
"Forget whether he can discover the secrets of White Zetsu. Even if he does learn something, what difference does it make?"
If he figured it out, he wouldn't go blind from using his ocular techniques and Susanoo!
Obito didn't understand. As far as he was concerned, this was a serious matter.
"He has no brother. What could he possibly accomplish?"
Black Zetsu looked as if everything was under control. What seemed like a catastrophe to Obito was insignificant to it.
Whether they got the Three-Tails or how strong Uchiha Chen was—none of it mattered. Was Uchiha Chen really going to be stronger than Madara?
A thousand years of experience had taught Black Zetsu that the more intricate and perfect a plan was, the more likely it was to fail in some unexpected way. In truth, it cared about only one thing:
The Rinnegan.
Madara had used Izanagi during the Battle of the Valley of the End. By the time he'd gathered enough Eye Power to awaken the Rinnegan, he was already an old man.
Like a child born to an elderly mother, his Rinnegan had been weak from birth.
That was why Nagato was needed as a vessel for the Rinnegan. He'd been given the dream of gathering the Tailed Beasts and creating the ultimate weapon, forcing him to burn away everything he had to nourish the Rinnegan and lay the groundwork for Madara's eventual revival.
The Tailed Beasts were just minor details.
Once Madara returned like a bolt of lightning, how long would it take him to collect the Nine Tailed Beasts?
One day would definitely be enough!
Twenty-two hours to travel around and find the Tailed Beasts, then one hour and fifty-nine minutes for Madara to beat up all the younger generation, including Uchiha Chen, and talk trash.
The final minute could be spared for the Nine Tailed Beasts, just to show them some respect!
"Nagato has only just begun developing the Rinnegan. Tobi's Wood Release makes too much of a scene. It's not time for us to expose ourselves yet!"
Black Zetsu rejected Obito's suggestion without hesitation, then tried to persuade him instead:
"If you take back your other eye, you'll definitely be stronger than Uchiha Chen!"
"Hmph!"
Obito's snort made his attitude clear. Seeing he couldn't get Black Zetsu's support, he could only stew in silence.
"How about we go to Takigakure? The Seven-Tails will be easier to capture, and Takigakure's strength ranks near the top among the villages below the Five Great Shinobi Nations."
Black Zetsu was exhausted, but still coaxed and cajoled Obito until he abandoned his plan.
"Fine!"
Obito reluctantly nodded, but a trace of resentment showed in his eyes.
No brother, and even with Hashirama Cells, his potential was limited... Were you talking about Uchiha Chen or me?
Is this why you and Madara chose me as your proxy? Because you thought I'd never escape your control?
Madara could become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki. Why couldn't I?
In the Mizukage's residence at the center of the Kirigakure camp, Uchiha Chen sat casually in Yagura's chair, poring over Kirigakure's confidential reports and ninjutsu records.
"Fewer and fewer White Zetsu are watching the area. Looks like Kenji finally backed down!"
It had been seven or eight days since his "battle with Obito over Yagura." Uchiha Chen had been throwing his weight around in Kirigakure, with only one thing on his mind:
"When is Shisui finally coming?"
His Eye Power was no longer enough to control both Yagura and Suikazan Fuguki at the same time. So today, he'd had Yagura kill Fuguki to conserve his Eye Power.
"Lord Chen!"
Yagura returned from outside the camp, still smelling of blood. He held out a broad-bladed sword, much taller than himself, in both hands.
"Samehada is here. From now on, if you need to replenish your Chakra, you can absorb the Three-Tails' Chakra from me directly."
Yagura looked excited.
He and Fuguki had harbored a long-standing grudge. Though Kotoamatsukami had influenced both their wills, the hatred between them remained.
"Won't the Kirigakure Ninja get suspicious?" Uchiha Chen tossed a grape into his mouth and asked casually, unconcerned.
"The men below don't dare ask. As for the Third Mizukage..." Yagura's smile grew wider.
"I got proof that Fuguki was taking money from Konoha. He'd laundered it through the Hozuki Clan. The Third Mizukage will just be glad to have another excuse to punish the Hozuki Clan."
That was the Shinobi World for you: everyone was just competing to be the least terrible.
Konoha's infighting was already fierce, but compared to the three-way brawl between the Third Mizukage, the ninja clans, and Genji in Kirigakure, it was child's play.
Uchiha Chen took Samehada from Yagura with a sigh, then rested the blade against Yagura's shoulder. Yagura understood and began extracting the Three-Tails' Chakra.
"Lord Yagura's control over the Three-Tails is getting better and better!"
The two ninja patrolling the camp felt the powerful Chakra fluctuations being suppressed inside Yagura's tent and spoke to each other, full of hope.
"Lord Yagura has mastered the Tailed Beast's power. He must be stronger than the Third."
"Exactly. Once Lord Yagura becomes the Fourth Mizukage, the village will surely prosper!"
Kirigakure had been on the decline for decades.
Unless the Mizukage went insane or was controlled by genjutsu, things had to start looking up from here, right?
Before you continue