"Who's there?!"
Although he was resting, the vigilance Obito Uchiha had honed over years in the Anbu allowed him to sense something unusual.
"Your senses really are sharp."
A black figure poked its head and upper body out from the shade of the trees. The newcomer was Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu had been the one to incite Obito's defection from Konoha. As early as ten years ago, when Uchiha Madara had been selecting a successor for the Eye of the Moon Plan, Black Zetsu had assessed Obito and taken a liking to him. However, Shisui Uchiha had appeared out of nowhere and caught Madara's eye, replacing Obito.
Now that Akatsuki lacked capable manpower, Black Zetsu had set his sights on Obito once more.
Just as Black Zetsu had expected, Obito was quickly bewitched by his words. He could abandon even his teacher, companions, and clan behind him, deciding to defect from Konoha and join Akatsuki.
"I won't go back on what I promised you. Have you been watching me this whole time?"
No one would be happy about being watched. Obito Uchiha looked at Black Zetsu with displeasure.
Black Zetsu felt no discomfort at all and continued, "Don't misunderstand. I came to deliver some intelligence."
In Black Zetsu's eyes, once Obito had taken the first step toward defection, there was no turning back.
"What intelligence?" By then, Obito had rested enough. He stood and stretched his limbs.
"Konoha has discovered that you defected. Although the news has not been made public yet, the force sent to capture you has already departed."
The White Zetsu army was spread throughout the entire shinobi world. With White Zetsu's ability to conceal themselves, obtaining such information was not difficult.
"Oh? My teacher is good in every way, except that his heart is too soft.