Tonight.
In the dense forest outside Konoha, Itachi Uchiha spoke calmly to Obito, who wore a tiger-striped mask.
The man before him was the one who had first made him awaken his Sharingan, yet Itachi no longer harbored even the slightest desire for revenge.
Obito replied, "Fine. As agreed, I'll help you."
Itachi did not know that Obito had come primarily for him. Akatsuki was short on capable people, and a ninja like him, hailed as a genius, naturally ranked at the top of Obito's list.
Kakuzu, Sasori, Biwa Juzo, and Orochimaru had already joined Akatsuki. The plan to gather ten people and seal the Tailed Beasts was already more than halfway complete.
Wiping out the Uchiha Clan was merely a convenient side matter. For one, Konoha had paid for it. For another, it would weaken Konoha's forces in advance, so the Uchiha Clan would not get in the way when the time came to capture the Nine-Tails.
Obito understood better than anyone that he possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan. Once the Uchiha went berserk for love, their growth was terrifyingly fast.
If a whole group of Mangekyō Sharingan users suddenly emerged during the Nine-Tails' capture, who knew what strange abilities they might awaken?
The current Obito had been consumed by Rin, the woman he loved. He had long since gone completely mad.
If releasing the Nine-Tails back then had merely been an attempt to vent his anger and see whether his teacher could recognize him and pull him out of the darkness—
Then after causing the deaths of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, his soul had completely fallen into that darkness.
On that Nine-Tails Night, he had not possessed the ability to seal a Tailed Beast. Causing that incident brought him no benefit whatsoever.
Besides, of the three students on