Obito's Bizarre Train of Thought

In the Akatsuki's new headquarters, a space perpetually shrouded in darkness, only the empty eye sockets of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path emanated a chilling, eerie green light. Obito Uchiha —clothed in black robes—had his left Rinnegan slowly rotating in the shadows, its purple ripples spreading like ripples in a deep pool after a stone has been thrown in, radiating an inhuman pressure.

He stood before the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, his right hand outstretched, fingers slightly spread. Before him stood six silent figures—or rather, the "beings" that were once figures.

Yugito Nii, the Jinchuriki the Two-Tails; Roshi, the Jinchuriki the Four-Tails; Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki; Utakata, the Jinchūriki of the Six-Tails Jinchuriki; Fu, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki; and... Killer B Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.

Their eyes were open, but devoid of life. Their skin was an unhealthy grayish-white, and Black Rods — the Chakra receivers unique to the Rinnegan —wrapped around them. They still retained all the strength they had in life, and were even more stable and tireless thanks to the Chakra supply from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, but their souls had long been extracted, leaving only empty shells and fighting instincts.

"Perfect." Obito's voice echoed in the empty cave, carrying an almost intoxicating satisfaction. He twitched his fingers slightly, and the six Jinchuriki reacted in unison: the Yugito Nii puppet was engulfed in blue Matatabi flames, the Roshi's body was covered in a lava-like Chakra shell, the Steam Armor of the man spewed out high-temperature white steam, the Utakata exhaled sticky Utakata, the woman unfolded her seven-colored butterfly wings, and the tentacle avatar of Killer B struck a rap-like starting pose—that was muscle memory, even if the soul was gone, the body still remembered the habits from before.

Six Kage Level fighters, completely obedient, never to betray. This is the true power of the Rinnegan combined with the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path —turning Jinchuriki, whom the entire Akatsuki once had to painstakingly capture, into weapons at will.

Obito felt the immense power flowing through his left eye. It wasn't a simple increase in Chakra, but a qualitative change: manipulation of gravity, interference with the soul, forced overriding of Summoning Contract... The Rinnegan brought more than just new Dōjutsu; it brought a completely new understanding of the rules of the world. He felt he could see through the essence of things, manipulate the boundaries of life and death, and—

It can sweep away everything.

Once the thought arose, it spread like wildfire. Obito slowly clenched his fist, and the six Jinchuriki clenched their fists in unison. Chakra surged in the cave, and the air hummed under the strain.

"Zetsu." He spoke, his voice carrying a deliberately suppressed yet still undeniable arrogance, "Where is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki now?"

Zetsu slowly seeped from the ground, his black and white body appearing particularly eerie under the green light of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. He glanced at the six Jinchuriki, then at the undisguised arrogance in Obito's left eye, and a barely perceptible hint of mockery flashed through his mind.

"Uzumaki Naruto and Jiraiya are on their way back to Konoha," Zetsu reported in that thick, indistinguishable voice, whether that of White Zetsu or Black Zetsu. "According to the White Zetsu Clone's tracking, they are still half a day's journey from Konoha. If we act now, we can capture them before they enter Konoha's defensive perimeter."

Zetsu's advice was practical and efficient: take advantage of the target's isolation and eliminate them with swift and decisive action, avoiding a direct confrontation with Konoha. This is the most basic tactical logic in the ninja world.

But Obito smiled. It wasn't the smile of a successful scheme, nor the smile of victory in hand, but rather... a smile of almost childlike smugness.

"No, no, no." He shook his head, a playful glint in his Rinnegan. "Let the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki return to Konoha. I want them to be reunited first, to feel safe, to think they've returned to their sanctuary... Then, I will personally go to Konoha and, in front of the entire Shinobi World, pull the Nine-Tails from their strongest fortress."

He turned around, his black robes billowing without wind as his Chakra surged. "I hereby formally declare war on Konoha —no, on the entire Shinobi World. Let them understand, through fear and pain, how fragile everything they cherish, everything they fight for, is before this power. Only through utter despair will they comprehend how perfect and merciful the Eye of the Moon Plan truly is."

These words sounded grand and dignified, filled with a twisted sense of "savior" mentality. But all I could do was roll my eyes—if I had any whites to roll.

"While you may be able to roam freely in the Shinobi World with your current strength, don't you know that caution is the best policy?" Black Zetsu thought to himself, cursing wildly. "Aren't you afraid that one day lightning will strike you down, you arrogant brat? Even Lord Madara wasn't this cocky when he got the Rinnegan."

On the surface, Zetsu maintained a respectful demeanor, even offering a perfectly timed compliment. "Your Excellency is far-sighted. Letting the enemy taste despair amidst hope is indeed more intimidating than a simple capture." When Zetsu was with Obito, he never referred to Obito as Madara.

"Then," Zetsu asked, his tone full of "humbly seeking advice," "how does Your Excellency plan to declare war? Will you send challenges to Five Great Shinobi Villages individually, or will you announce it in a public setting?"

This question caught Obito off guard.

He blinked his Rinnegan and suddenly realized an embarrassing fact: he had been so engrossed in fantasizing about the magnificent scene of "sweeping through the Shinobi World" that he hadn't even thought about how to start.

According to the traditional formula, a major villain's declaration of war should have a grand sense of ceremony: for example, suddenly appearing during the Five Kage Summit, or broadcasting to the entire Shinobi World in some shocking way, or at the very least, sending an envoy to drop a letter of challenge at the gates of each of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

But here's the question—what's the current state of the Five Great Shinobi Villages?

Cloud Village and Iwagakure are hoping Konoha will collapse quickly, ideally resulting in a mutually destructive conflict with Akatsuki. Sand Village is forced to side with Konoha, but they're probably extremely unwilling. Mist Village has just declared neutrality, clearly intending to sit back and watch the two sides fight. As for Konoha itself... it is indeed their primary target, but focusing solely on Konoha feels a bit...

Price drop.

That's right, it's beneath him. Obito Uchiha possessed the Rinnegan, controlled the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, commanded six Jinchuriki and an army of 100,000 White Zetsu, making him arguably the pinnacle of individual martial prowess and military strength in the history of the Shinobi World. And yet, the target of his declaration of war was only one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages? It's like using Tailed Beast Bomb to hunt a rabbit—the power is there, but the spectacle is lacking.

"The Five Great Shinobi Villages..." Obito muttered to himself, a hint of frustration flashing in his Rinnegan. "Couldn't they have been a little more united? At least pretended to be of one mind when I declared war?"

Jue almost choked on his words. He suppressed the urge to retort and said in as calm a voice as possible, "According to intelligence, the Five Great Shinobi Villages have deep-seated grudges and it's impossible for them to form a stable alliance in the short term. In particular, the Fourth Raikage of Cloud Village may even be more hostile to Konoha than he is to Akatsuki."

Obito fell silent. He paced back and forth in front of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, his hands behind his back, the hem of his black robe sweeping across the ground and raising fine dust. It was as if an actor had meticulously prepared for a grand performance, only to find that there were only a handful of people in the audience just before going on stage, and they were all looking down at their phones.

Is it true that the higher you climb, the colder it gets? No, it's that the higher you climb, the more desolate it becomes. Is life as lonely as snow? No, it's that you're so lonely that you can't even gather a decent opponent.

"Zetsu." Obito suddenly stopped, his Rinnegan to Zetsu. "Contact Sake again."

Zetsu was stunned. "Sake? He's Orochimaru's man, he's already betrayed Akatsuki. And he's not from any of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, declaring war on something like that..."

"I know," Obito interrupted him, his tone carrying a strange, almost willful stubbornness, "but I don't want to make a special trip to the Five Great Shinobi Villages right now. That's too... too beneath me. It's like an adult going to a bunch of kids and announcing, 'I'm going to beat you up.' And if you go," he glanced at Zetsu's inhuman body, "You won't have any deterrent effect, and you might even be treated like a monster and wiped out."

Jue felt offended, but he didn't dare say anything.

"This guy, Shu, is actually fairly reliable," Obito continued with his "divine logic." "We don't have any fundamental conflict with Orochimaru, and besides, isn't Orochimaru trying to make a deal with me? He shouldn't refuse to have his people run an errand for him, right?"

Black Zetsu roared inwardly: What the hell kind of bizarre thought process is this?! Sending a traitor and undercover agent to declare war on the entire Shinobi World for you?! Obito, did you replace your brain with a Rinnegan because you've had too many Rinnegan?!

On the surface, Zetsu remained silent for a few seconds before replying in a tone that implied "You're right," "Sir, you've considered everything carefully. Sake is indeed more suitable than White Zetsu for missions requiring contact with the high-ranking officials of various ninja villages. However... if he betrays us again, or deliberately distorts the declaration of war..."

"Then kill him," Obito said casually, as if to say, "Then let's change the sword," "His death will prove the consequences of going against my will."

He walked to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and reached out to stroke its cold, rough shell. "Zetsu, contact him. Tell him: if Orochimaru wants to cooperate, this is the first test. On my behalf, deliver the final message of the Eye of the Moon Plan to the Five Great Shinobi Villages —either submit to the peace in the dream, or be destroyed in the war of reality."

Jutsu lowered his head, his expressionless face revealing nothing. "Yes, Lord Madara."

At the Sound Village Base, Neji was examining the scroll containing the Impure World Reincarnation technique. The scroll was densely covered with sealing runes, and in the center was a small piece of dried skin tissue—a sample taken from Nagato's corpse.

Orochimaru stood to the side, his golden snake eyes filled with anticipation. "We can conduct the first summoning experiment tonight. But Neji-kun, are you really sure you want to use Edo Tensei on Nagato? Given his personality in life, even if he's controlled by Edo Tensei, he might still..."

"That's why we need White Zetsu as a sacrifice." Neji didn't even look up. "The First Hokage Cells inside White Zetsu can enhance the stability of the Reanimated Body, and..." He paused, "Nagato's hatred for Obito might become a weapon we can use."

Just then, a subtle Chakra fluctuation suddenly emanated from the Akatsuki ring on his finger. Neji frowned—he should have destroyed this ring long ago, but keeping it might allow him to receive unexpected information.

He activated the ring, and a message was immediately transmitted to his mind:

"Lord Madara is declaring war on the Five Great Shinobi Villages. If Orochimaru wants to cooperate, you'll have to run an errand for Lord Madara."

Neji was stunned. He blinked, wondering if he had misinterpreted the text. He read it again, confirming that every word was correct.

On behalf of Obito... is he declaring war on the Five Great Shinobi Villages?

Neji's first reaction was that he had been struck by lightning. This is not a metaphor; he genuinely felt as if his brain had been hit head-on by Lightning Release: Kirin, leaving it charred and cracked inside.

Is Obito disgusted with Konoha and doesn't even want to fight anymore? He wondered blankly, or was it the world's corrective power at work? Doesn't Obito need to take on the entire Shinobi World single-handedly to prove his Obito?

But after calming down, Neji began to think about the logic behind it. Obito obtained the Rinnegan, his strength swelled, and so did his mentality. He wanted a grand stage, a war that would "go down in history," and he wanted the entire Shinobi World to remember the terror of Obito Uchiha (or the Madara Uchiha he impersonated).

But the reality is that the Five Great Shinobi Villages each have their own agendas and it's impossible for them to unite as his target. Declaring war directly on each village would be too undignified—just as Zetsu said, sending White Zetsu wouldn't be intimidating, and going in person would seem like making a mountain out of a molehill.

So he thought of "alcohol." A middleman with sufficient power, a special status, and who "might even want to cooperate."

"This thought process..." Neji shook his head, unsure whether to admire Obito's creativity or pity his severe case of chuunibyou.

Orochimaru noticed Neji's unusual behavior. "What's wrong?"

Neji relayed the message. Orochimaru was stunned at first, then burst into a low, suppressed laugh.

"Hahaha... hahaha... declaring war on the Shinobi World on behalf of Obito Uchiha? Neji- kun, are you going to become the first 'war envoy' in the history of the Shinobi World?"

"It's not funny at all." Neji said expressionlessly. "If I agree, it's like publicly Obito, but I'm declaring war under the guise of alcohol. But if I don't agree, it might directly anger Obito and make him launch the war prematurely."

"But you already have the answer in your heart, don't you?" Orochimaru's smile faded, his golden snake eyes gleaming with amusement. "You will agree. Because Obito's decision to slow down the pace isn't a bad thing for you."

Neji fell silent. Orochimaru was right. Obito now playing a game of "declaring war - waiting for fear to fester - then destruction," which gave Konoha and the entire Shinobi World precious time to prepare. Although this preparation might still not be enough to fight the Ten-Tails, it was at least better than a surprise attack.

Moreover, he does indeed need to return to Konoha to see Naruto. It wouldn't be out of the question to "declare war" while he's there.

As for the other four major ninja villages... Neji thought about the Raikage of Cloud Village, Ōnoki of Iwagakure, Gaara of Sand Village, and Mist Village Mei Terumi of Kirigakure. He suddenly felt that Obito's bizarre mission might be an opportunity—an opportunity to observe the true reactions of each ninja village, or even to secretly plot against them.

Neji finally made his decision, "I agree. But there are two conditions: First, I need a formal declaration of war or token, otherwise the ninja villages won't take it seriously. Second, I will decide the order and timing of the declarations of war."

He paused, then added, "Tell Lord Madara that if we're going to go all out, let's go all the way. I will make sure the entire Shinobi World remembers this day—the day Uchiha Clan 'Madara' declared war on the world."

Orochimaru looked at Neji with interest. "What do you plan to do?"

"I'll talk to Naruto first." Neji put away the Impure World Reincarnation scroll and looked towards Konoha. "But before I go to Konoha... I need to figure out how to explain to Tsunade that Obito Uchiha suddenly changed his mind."

He sighed, suddenly realizing that dealing with these interpersonal relationships and political maneuvering might be the real challenge, rather than confronting the Ten-Tails.

Outside the window, the moonlight remained cold. Meanwhile, underground in Amegakure, Obito smiled with satisfaction after receiving Zetsu's reply.

"See, I told you so," he said to Jue. "Wine is a smart man. He knows what choices are in his best interest."

Zetsu nodded silently, but in his heart he was thinking: No, Obito, he's not smart, he just knows better than you how to take advantage of your stupidity.

But he would never say those words aloud.