Gojo Satoru Caught in the Women's Bath?!

Zetsu turned Obito's words over and over in his mind, though he knew what he was as a White Zetsu.

But White Zetsu were essentially emotionless, memoryless, and mindless "three-nothings" biological weapons cultivated from the First's cells. They existed solely for war and carrying out missions.

Among the many White Zetsu, only Tobi retained a relatively normal personality and emotions, which was why he was later exploited during the Fourth Shinobi World War.

Once most of the others sprang into action, they were as cold and ruthless as machines. At times, their words and behavior were as crude and meaningless as casually spouted "shit."

When Zetsu heard Obito express such strong feelings for a girl who resembled Rin, he couldn't help feeling shocked.

Obito had somehow formed such a profound bond with someone who wasn't the real Rin, simply because she resembled Nohara Rin.

In Zetsu's eyes, Obito had an uncanny knack for manipulating shinobi bonds: carefully nurturing them through time and shared hardships, only to shatter them with ease through betrayal or sacrifice at a crucial moment.

After all, Zetsu and Madara had orchestrated Rin's death right before Obito's eyes.

Obito replied calmly, "You can't understand, Zetsu. Bonds aren't something you're born with. They can gradually form through shared experiences, and they can just as easily fall apart in the face of a cruel reality. They're like seeds that need careful tending to take root and sprout, but a storm can make them wither in an instant. That's what bonds are like in the shinobi world: powerful yet fragile, a source of strength and a root of suffering. I experienced the foolish Will of Fire of Konoha firsthand."

Zetsu watched Obito's resolute yet gloomy eyes. He had some reservations, but in the end, he chose to respect Obito's decision.

He reminded him gravely, "Obito, I understand your devotion, but you need to face the facts: Rin is gone. Our goal must remain the completion of the Eye of the Moon Plan. That's the core of everything we do. Don't let personal feelings affect the bigger picture. History's wheels won't stop turning for anyone's joys or sorrows."

Through his orange-yellow mask, Obito's eyes gleamed with a complex, profound light. He gently stroked the mask and spoke calmly, but with unwavering resolve. "I understand that perfectly. Rin's death is a fact, and the only thing I can do is turn my longing for her into the driving force behind the Eye of the Moon Plan. I'll have the White Zetsu test the waters first. If direct contact fails, I can use my trainee status in Kirigakure to get close to the little girl named Uchiha Hanabi."

He continued to lay out his strategy. "As a member of the Uchiha Clan, Hanabi has formidable bloodline powers. And according to your intelligence, she was raised by a white-haired man who shares a deep sibling bond with the girl who looks just like Rin. They show the kind of emotional connection you'd expect from ordinary people."

Zetsu himself had once posed as a worker in the hot spring village to gather this information from the villagers.

Obito was convinced that the familial love and kindness in Uchiha Hanabi would make her the perfect tool for him to manipulate.

He planned to use the innocent villagers' safety as leverage, forcing Hanabi to help collect the Tailed Beasts and advancing his grand strategy one step at a time.

"The plan might seem sinister, but every part fits together. As long as you seize on human weakness, even the most powerful shinobi can't escape the clutches of fate." Obito's words dripped with unfathomable cruelty and calculation.

Zetsu analyzed further. "That little girl from the Uchiha Clan—Uchiha Hanabi—has already awakened the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan. That means she has extraordinary insight and combat ability. Holders of dōjutsu at that level are usually extremely difficult to control."

Even so, Zetsu still had faith in Obito. "But you'll be going with Konan, and there'll be plenty of you. If you can identify her weakness and apply pressure at the right time, even a ferocious beast can be bound by invisible chains."

Zetsu also mentioned his own mission. "On my end, I'll do everything I can to help Pain collect shinobi corpses and create new Six Paths of Pain. Only with the complete Six Paths of Pain fighting together can we hurry up and realize the Eye of the Moon Plan."

Obito nodded, having already laid out a thorough plan in his mind.

He knew that manipulating Uchiha Hanabi and helping Pain rebuild the Six Paths of Pain were both essential steps on the road to the Eye of the Moon.

Hanabi clenched her fists indignantly and huffed, "That old creep Zetsu has no shame! He actually disguised himself as a worker in the hot spring village. He claimed he was gathering intelligence, but really, he just wanted to peep at the beauties bathing! It's unforgivable!"

Hanabi's eyes widened, filled with utter disgust at Zetsu's behavior. She deliberately patted her flat stomach, as if protesting on behalf of her still-developing body.

Hearing this, Liuli's eyes flashed with amusement. She reached out and gently drew Hanabi into her arms, then asked with a smile, "Oh? Zetsu really went to the hot springs? Did he see our little Hanabi bathing?"

Liuli's tone was teasing, her words filled with exasperation and mockery at Zetsu's behavior.

Held tightly in Liuli's arms, Hanabi's face instantly turned red as a ripe apple. She struggled to escape the awkward embrace, gasping as she complained, "My dear original, what are you doing? I can hardly breathe! And how come you're so lucky? All the ninjutsu you draw have effects that promote development. Why do you get all the advantages while I—"

Before she could finish, Hanabi realized that Liuli's mischief had thoroughly ruined the cheerful mood. Even she, usually optimistic and always looking for fun, suddenly felt inexplicably gloomy.

She lowered her head a little and muttered resentfully, "Sigh, looks like I've really lost this round. I can't even find a reason to enjoy myself anymore, and I'm usually the one who loves having fun..." Disappointment showed on Hanabi's face.

"Back to the main point: Zetsu actually went undercover himself to gather intelligence. How did you tell him who you were?"

Liuli asked Gojo Rin curiously. Clearly, everyone had been caught off guard and put on alert by Zetsu's actions.

At that, the crease between Gojo Rin's brows smoothed out, and she patiently explained, "When we ran into Zetsu in the women's bath, he was disguised as an unremarkable middle-aged man. We knew he was mainly there to investigate Hidan, so we chose the most straightforward way to deal with it."

She continued, recalling what had happened. "Near the front desk, we stuck to the backstory you'd prepared for us, original, and told him about our 'backgrounds' openly and honestly. To make everything seem more believable, we even used genjutsu to make a few adjustments to some villagers' memories, so they thought we were three unfortunate siblings from a remote village."

Hanabi, who had been listening nearby, chimed in. "That's right. Just as Rin-chan said, Zetsu wasn't there by chance. He had a clear target: information about Hidan. Telling him who we were satisfied his curiosity and gave us a chance to pass along some information we wanted him to receive. That way, we could at least keep the situation under control to some extent and steer things in our favor."

"Very well done, Hanabi," Liuli said, gently patting her on the head. Her praise was clear.

Hanabi's cheeks turned slightly red, evidently pleased by the compliment.

As everyone discussed how they'd handled Zetsu's intelligence-gathering, Liuli suddenly noticed Gojo Satoru and asked in surprise, "Gojo Satoru, what are you doing here? This is the women's bath."

Gojo Satoru froze. The air around him seemed to solidify, and the situation turned awkward in an instant.

He pointed at himself, momentarily at a loss for words.

Indeed, from the standpoint of physical space and gender norms, Gojo Satoru had no business being in the women's bath. But he wasn't a real person—he was a Shadow Clone created by Liuli.

Gojo Satoru stammered, trying to explain. "Uh... I'm actually..."

Gojo Satoru's voice trailed off. Being questioned by his original self felt like an absurdly awkward situation.