Obito Could No Longer Be in So Many Places at Once

The deepest part of Akatsuki's new base.

Obito stood before the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, watching the colossal creature slowly awaken. The Chakra of the eight Tailed Beast flowed within the mazo, resonating in a deep, heart-beat-like rhythm. Only the Nine-Tails remained to complete its form. Zetsu's figure seemed to grow out of the wall. The White Zetsu's part tilted its head with a grin, while the Black Zetsu's part wore a somber, gloomy expression.

"Sir, did you call me?"

"What's the situation with the Five Great Shinobi Villages?" Obito without turning around, his voice echoing through the cave.

"The Five Great Shinobi Villages have split into three camps. The samurai of Cloud Village, Iwagakure, and the Land of Iron have banded together, and their armies are gathering in the Waterfall Country —it seems the first stop chosen by the envoys declaring war was a good one; that old man Ōnoki really couldn't sit still any longer."

Obito turned around, his eyes behind the mask narrowing slightly. "Where's Konoha?"

"Konoha and Sand Village are completely intertwined." Zetsu's tone was sarcastic. "Tsunade is clever; she knew the battlefield would be in Konoha, so she evacuated the villagers beforehand. Interestingly, she handed over command to that young Kazekage —but that kid has some self-awareness and brought Jiraiya as his deputy commander."

"Mist Village?"

"Mei Terumi has chosen neutrality." Zetsu scoffed. "Or rather, she thinks she has chosen neutrality. She thinks that because your envoy 'Sake' didn't return, she has tacitly approved of her 'limited cooperation.' This woman always likes to play the balancing act in the cracks, little does she know that the cracks will soon be closing."

Obito remained silent for a moment. A cold puddle at the golem's feet reflected his distorted mask.

"Three major factions, 100,000 White Zetsu..." he began slowly, "We have an overwhelming advantage in numbers, but what about quality? The White Zetsu are at most Chunin. How long can they hold out against the elite allied forces of the Five Great Shinobi Villages head-on?"

There was no immediate answer. There is no answer to this question, or rather, the answer is not optimistic.

"So you need help," Black Zetsu said, his voice low and hoarse. "Sasuke and 'sake'."

When that name was mentioned, Obito's one eye lit up slightly.

"Sake"—the missing-nin who claimed to be from the Land of Hot Water, a man who joined Akatsuki with the Petrifying Touch Kekkei Genkai. He was decisive and efficient, never questioning his missions, and his execution ability even surpassed that of many veteran members. Nagato once commented on him. "His loyalty may be questionable, but his ability is beyond doubt."

Now, this dubious loyalty has finally been exposed. He used the Flying Thunder God Technique when Sasuke was on the verge of death, and he admitted that he had always been Orochimaru's subordinate.

"Absolutely." For the first time, Obito's voice betrayed exhaustion. "Are you sure Sasuke dispelled the Spore Technique on Orochimaru?"

The White Zetsu immediately chimed in, "Absolutely true! I was monitoring Sasuke the whole time, until he entered the ruins of the Uzumaki Clan's shrine in the Land of Whirlpools. Then—poof! The connection was lost. Before that, I heard Sasuke mention Orochimaru."

"Orochimaru..." Obito murmured the name, "What can he possibly gain from Sasuke? Sasuke has already awakened the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan; his strength is more than enough to overwhelm him."

Black Zetsu said ominously, "Perhaps it's not 'acquiring,' but 'cooperating.' Don't forget, Orochimaru's resurrection vessel requires a powerful bloodline, but Sasuke is now beyond his control. But if they reach some kind of consensus..."

Obito's one eye narrowed into a slit.

Consensus? What consensus could Orochimaru and Sasuke possibly have? Hatred? Konoha? Or... fighting against Akatsuki?

He suddenly recalled how Sake had behaved in the Akatsuki —always completing tasks perfectly and never asking about the organization's core secrets.

"Zetsu," Obito suddenly said, "Contact Sake and share the intelligence from the three major factions with him. Then ask him—if there's any trace of Sasuke."

Jue was stunned for a moment. "My lord, he is a traitor—"

"I know," Obito interrupted, "But if he can find Sasuke, if he's willing to return... cooperation with Orochimaru isn't out of the question."

The white part of Jue's face showed an expression of disbelief, while the black part was so gloomy it seemed to drip water. It wanted to say something, but in the end it just lowered its head. "... I understand what to do."

Obito watched Zetsu merge into the ground and disappear, then stood alone in the shadow of the golem, his fingers unconsciously stroking the edge of the mask.

"Wine..." he murmured the name, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

He needs combat power, combat power that can stand alone. The Eye of the Moon Plan has reached its final stage, and it cannot be ruined by insufficient combat power.

Even if that combat power might be a double-edged sword that backfires.

Neji had been researching Dust Release at the Sound Village's underground base for over a week. Although he had mastered the Chakra circulation, the core of Kekkei Tōta was the ratio of the three Chakra natures; even a slight excess or deficiency would lead to failure. If it weren't for his mastery of Senjutsu, Yin Seal: Strength of a Hundred, and Wood Release, he might have been seriously injured during the experiment. Suddenly, a message arrived from the Akatsuki's ring, leaving Neji somewhat bewildered. As a traitor, Obito was still trying to use him to achieve the Eye of the Moon Plan. It seemed the affairs of the three factions had overwhelmed Obito, causing him to think of Neji and Sasuke. However, Neji and Sasuke wouldn't help him, and Sasuke and Naruto were the main tanks for taking direct damage; how could they possibly hand Sasuke over to Obito?

Combining Dust Release with Senjutsu would undoubtedly increase his current strength significantly. Orochimaru's suggestion is good; since he can't figure it out himself, he can use the Impure World Reincarnation method to learn Dust Release. Therefore, the next plan requires Ōnoki to die in the war, which will become the opportunity for him to learn Dust Release. To get Obito to follow his plan, it seems he'll have to use Orochimaru's name to get back at Zetsu again.

"Lord Orochimaru and Sasuke parted on bad terms after their meeting, and the whereabouts of Sasuke and Taka are currently unknown. However, Lord Orochimaru will do his utmost to find Sasuke. Meanwhile, as the liaison between Lord Orochimaru and Madara Uchiha, Ichiha will cooperate with Madara Uchiha to eliminate the ants in Iwagakure, Cloud Village, and the Land of Iron who are hindering the Eye of the Moon Plan, so that the other ninja villages will begin to feel despair."

Neji's message was relayed back to Zetsu via the Akatsuki's ring, and Zetsu immediately reported Sake's reply to Obito. Although Black Zetsu felt that Sake's reply was highly purposeful, Black Zetsu wanted Obito to accelerate the Eye of the Moon Plan. Seeing Obito's inflated confidence and increasingly reckless behavior, he felt an inexplicable sense of frustration. He began to miss Madara Uchiha; his own arrogant and powerful Uchiha Clan was at least more reliable and easier to deceive than Obito.

After receiving the message that Sasuke couldn't be found, Obito abandoned his plan to fight on multiple fronts. This traitor from Akatsuki, Shu, was so loyal to Orochimaru. Although it was blind loyalty, it still aroused Obito's talent. Well, let Shu witness a power comparable to a god, or maybe it will make Shu sober up and choose his own path.

"Zetsu, tell Sake. Seven days from now, join me in destroying this laughable alliance of Cloud Village, Iwagakure, and the Land of Iron. Let him witness a power comparable to a god," Obito ordered hesitantly.

"My lord, I'll take care of it immediately." Black Zetsu didn't want to see this self-righteous fool any longer and disappeared instantly. Then he clearly relayed Obito's message to Neji.

After receiving the message, Neji remained silent for a long time. He hadn't actually expected Obito to take him to annihilate the allied forces of Cloud Village, Iwagakure, and the Land of Iron. Even if Obito didn't take him, he would have secretly followed and finished off Ōnoki at a crucial moment, successfully obtaining Ōnoki's corpse. Now, Obito was openly inviting him to participate; everything was in his favor. He even wondered if he had received the protagonist's script, as if a powerful figure in the Shinobi World had delivered a pillow to his head. Without hesitation, Neji replied with six words: "Okay, I'll be there on time."

After Orochimaru received Neji's message, he simply asked Neji if he needed Kabuto's assistance. Neji, however, fearing a potential conflict between Kabuto and Obito, two major villains, quickly declined Orochimaru's suggestion, stating that he was capable on his own.

Just kidding, I resurrected you early to cut off Kabuto Yakushi's chance to meet Obito. Now, if I take Kabuto to see Obito again and something unexpected happens, I'll have nowhere to cry. My cooperation with Orochimaru has been easy and pleasant, except for this bullshit suggestion to have Kabuto meet Obito.