Shock! Gojo Satoru in the Women's Bathhouse!

Zetsu pondered Obito's words repeatedly in his heart, even though he knew his nature as White Zetsu.

White Zetsu were essentially emotionless, memoryless, and mindless biological weapons cultivated from the cells of the First Naruto, existing solely for war and missions.

Among the many White Zetsu, only Tobi maintained a relatively normal personality and emotions, a trait that would later be exploited during the Fourth Great Ninja War.

Most other White Zetsu were as cold and ruthless as machines once they began acting, and at times, their speech and conduct were as crude and meaningless as "excrement" casually spat out.

When Zetsu heard Obito express emotions for a girl resembling Nohara Rin, he could not help but feel shocked.

Obito was actually able to form such a profound bond with a girl who was not truly Nohara Rin, merely by hearing that she resembled her.

In Zetsu's view, ninja bonds were something Obito manipulated with perfect precision; they could be meticulously cultivated through time and shared hardships, yet shattered easily in moments of betrayal or sacrifice.

After all, Obito witnessing the death of Nohara Rin was a scenario orchestrated entirely by Zetsu and Madara.

Obito responded calmly, "You cannot understand, Zetsu. A bond is not something innate; it can gradually form through shared experiences, just as it can easily disintegrate in the face of reality's cruelty. It is like a seed that requires careful nurturing to take root and sprout, yet it can wither in an instant due to a storm. This is the bond of the ninja world—both powerful and fragile, the source of strength and the root of pain. I have experienced that foolish Konoha Will of Fire firsthand."

Zetsu watched Obito's firm yet gloomy gaze; though he harbored some doubts, he ultimately chose to respect his decision.

He said in a low voice, "Obito, I can understand your obsession, but you must clearly recognize that Nohara Rin has indeed passed away. Our goal should remain locked on the realization of the final Eye of the Moon plan; that is the core of all our actions. Do not let personal emotions affect the big picture. After all, the wheels of history will not stop turning for anyone's joys or sorrows."

Obito's gaze flickered with complex and profound light through his orange mask. He gently stroked the mask, his tone calm yet resolute, "I am well aware of that. Nohara Rin's departure is a fact, and the only thing I can do is transform this longing into the driving force for the Eye of the Moon plan. I intend to use White Zetsu to probe first. If direct contact fails, I can take advantage of my identity as an intern in Kirigakure to cleverly approach that little girl named Uchiha Hanabi."

He continued to dissect his strategy, "As a member of the Uchiha Clan, the power of this little girl's bloodline cannot be underestimated. Furthermore, according to your intelligence, she was raised by a white-haired man who shares a deep sibling bond with the girl who looks like Nohara Rin. They display the emotional connections of ordinary people in their daily lives."

Zetsu had personally disguised himself as a staff member at the hot spring village to obtain this information from the villagers.

Obito firmly believed that the familial affection and kindness flowing within Uchiha Hanabi would become the perfect tool for him to manipulate.

He planned to use the lives of those innocent villagers as a bargaining chip to force Uchiha Hanabi to participate in the mission to collect Tailed Beasts, thereby advancing his grand strategy step by step.

"This plan seems sinister, but it is actually interconnected. As long as one grasps the weaknesses of human nature, even the most powerful ninja cannot escape the manipulation of fate." Obito's words revealed a bottomless coldness and calculation.

Zetsu analyzed further, "That little girl from the Uchiha Clan—Uchiha Hanabi—has now awakened the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan. This means she not only possesses extraordinary insight and combat power, but holders of such ocular power are usually extremely difficult to control."

Despite this, Zetsu remained confident in Obito, "But you are going with Konan. There are many of us, after all. As long as you can grasp her weaknesses and apply pressure at the right time, even a wild beast can be fitted with an invisible shackle."

At the same time, Zetsu did not forget to mention his own mission, "On my end, I will also do my utmost to assist Naruto in collecting ninja corpses to shape the new Six Paths of Pain. Only with the complete Six Paths of Pain fighting side by side can we accelerate the realization of the Eye of the Moon plan."

Obito nodded, his plan already fully formed in his mind.

He knew that whether it was manipulating Uchiha Hanabi or assisting Naruto in completing the reshaping of the Six Paths of Pain, both were indispensable steps on the path to the Eye of the Moon.

Uchiha Hanabi clenched her fists indignantly and said poutingly, "That old geezer Zetsu is truly shameless! He actually disguised himself as a hot spring village staff member; he claimed to be gathering intelligence, but in reality, he was just peeping at beauties in the hot springs! It is truly heinous and intolerable!"

Uchiha Hanabi widened her eyes, flashing with extreme dissatisfaction at Zetsu's conduct. She deliberately patted her own flat abdomen, as if protesting on behalf of her not-yet-fully-developed body.

Liuli, standing to the side, felt a flash of sly amusement in her eyes. She reached out and gently pulled Uchiha Hanabi into her arms, asking with a smile, "Oh? Did Zetsu really go to the hot springs? And did he watch our little Uchiha Hanabi bathing?"

Liuli spoke with a hint of teasing, her words filled with helplessness and mockery regarding Zetsu's behavior.

Held tightly by Liuli, Uchiha Hanabi's face turned as red as a ripe apple in an instant. She struggled to escape the slightly awkward embrace, panting as she complained, "Main Body, what are you doing? I can barely breathe! Besides, how are you so lucky that the ninjutsu you extract all include effects that promote development? Why are you so blessed, while I..."

Before she could finish, Uchiha Hanabi realized that the joyful atmosphere had been ruined by Liuli's wicked behavior. Originally optimistic, cheerful, and fond of having fun, she now fell into an inexplicable depression.

She lowered her head slightly and muttered unwillingly, "Sigh, it seems I've truly been defeated this time. Even my identity as a fun-loving person who enjoys life can't find a reason for joy right now..." Though Uchiha Hanabi's face was filled with disappointment.

"Returning to the core of the issue, that guy Zetsu actually disguised himself to mix in and gather intelligence. How exactly did you convey your identity information to him?"

Liuli asked Gojo Rin with great curiosity. Clearly, everyone was surprised and alert regarding Zetsu's operation.

Upon hearing this, Gojo Rin's slightly furrowed brow relaxed, and she explained patiently, "When we happened to run into Zetsu at the women's bath, he was disguised as a seemingly ordinary middle-aged man. Since we knew his intention was mainly to investigate intelligence related to Hidan, we chose the most direct way to handle the problem."

She continued to recall, "Near that workstation, we followed the backstory you, Main Body, had set for us in advance, and told him about our 'background' honestly and without concealment. To make it all seem more realistic and credible, we even used genjutsu techniques to appropriately adjust the memories of some villagers, making them mistakenly believe we were three unfortunate siblings from a distant village."

Uchiha Hanabi, listening from the side, joined the conversation at the right moment, "Indeed, just as Rin-chan said, Zetsu's appearance was no accident; his goal was very clear—intelligence on Hidan. Telling him our identity information directly could satisfy his curiosity and also serve as an opportunity to pass on some information we wanted him to receive. In this way, at least to a certain extent, we could control the situation and guide things in a direction favorable to us."

"Excellently done, Uchiha Hanabi," Liuli said, gently patting Uchiha Hanabi's head, her appreciation overflowing.

Uchiha Hanabi's cheeks flushed slightly, clearly delighted to have received praise.

Just as everyone was immersed in the discussion about how to handle Zetsu's intelligence work, Liuli suddenly noticed the presence of Gojo Satoru and asked in surprise, "Gojo Satoru, why are you here? This is the women's bath, you know."

Gojo Satoru froze upon hearing this, feeling as if the surrounding air had solidified; the scene became subtle and awkward.

He raised his hand to point at himself, speechless for a moment, not knowing how to respond.

Indeed, from the perspective of physical space and gender norms, Gojo Satoru's presence in the women's bath was unreasonable, but he was not a real individual, but a Shadow Clone created by Liuli.

Gojo Satoru stammered, attempting to defend himself, "Uh... I am actually..."

Gojo Satoru's voice trailed off, feeling that the Main Body asking him this was somewhat absurd.