Hidden Rain Village.
The place where Obito Uchiha was temporarily staying?
Clang, clang!
"Damn it! Not a single lead! What good are you?"
Obito Uchiha flung the sheets of notes in his hand away and cursed at Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu looked utterly speechless, inwardly grumbling, A tool for resurrecting Mother, and all he does is yap, yap, yap. So damn annoying.
"Madara, you have to tell me what you're trying to gather this information to solve. Is an old ailment acting up? If you just tell me to write everything down, of course there'll be a lot of material. Missing a few things is perfectly normal."
Obito Uchiha froze at those words. He narrowed his exposed Sharingan, then composed himself before speaking calmly.
"I want to know why my Mangekyo doesn't have such severe side effects."
Hearing that question, Black Zetsu was instantly speechless. Why the hell didn't you just ask sooner? You showed up yesterday and told me to gather the old material, making me recall all that information!
Do you know how many brain cells I killed thinking about it all day?
"That's because you received a transplant of hashirama cells, which reduces the drain, and White Zetsu can increase cellular activity. You should remember that when you first awakened your Mangekyo, Tobi was wrapped around you the whole time."
Black Zetsu had discovered this method of reducing the Mangekyo's drain by accident, but there was little point in discussing it now. The Uchiha Clan had been wiped out, leaving only one little fledgling.
Obito Uchiha rubbed his chin at that. Could it really be that simple? He had thought some special material had been used back then.
Seeing that Obito still seemed doubtful, Black Zetsu continued explaining.
"You've now awakened the Wooden Shield and adapted to the hashirama cells inside your body."
"Hm?"
Hearing that, Obito Uchiha believed most of the explanation and nodded.
"Find Tobi and bring him back. I need him urgently!"
"Tobi is out gathering-"
Black Zetsu had sent Tobi out to gather intelligence. He wanted to object and persuade Obito to give up by saying Tobi was on a mission, but one glare from Obito Uchiha's Sharingan immediately silenced him.
"All right, all right. I'll send White Zetsu to contact him now."
Everyone who awakens the Mangekyo really is insane. There's no reasoning with them. Better just follow orders. As long as I can carry out the plan to resurrect Mother, it doesn't matter.
After finishing his inward complaints, he went to order White Zetsu to find Tobi.
Two days later...
White Zetsu Tobi rushed back to Amegakure from elsewhere as fast as he could.
"Ah, I really missed this."
He had only just stepped into the rain and had yet to finish reminiscing when Obito Uchiha appeared before him.
"Hey, Obito!"
He had barely raised his hand in greeting before Obito sucked him straight into the Kamui Dimension!
"Whoa, Obito! Such a warm welcome right off the bat? Black Zetsu said you needed me for something, but are you really in such a hurry? Taking me somewhere private the moment I arrive!"
Dragged into the dimension, White Zetsu Tobi looked around helplessly, still spouting nonsense in the same tone.
Veins bulged on Obito Uchiha's forehead beneath his mask.
"I called you back for something serious. Say one more stupid thing, and you can spend the rest of your life here."
"As I recall, Tobi, loneliness is what scares you most!"
His expression was perfectly ordinary, but to White Zetsu Tobi, those words struck like a thunderbolt. As an extreme chatterbox, being alone was what he hated most. He could chatter away even to an ordinary White Zetsu with no intelligence whatsoever.
There was nothing in this Kamui Dimension, meaning he had no one to talk to. He could only talk to himself. That would be sheer torture!
"No! You can't do this to me!!!"
"We used to be so close!"
"Hm!"
Obito Uchiha's face darkened at those words. Without another word, he teleported out of the Kamui Dimension.
"There's just no talking to an idiot."
Seeing Obito Uchiha return, Black Zetsu asked anxiously.
"Where's Tobi? Why didn't he come back with you?"
"He's back, but he couldn't keep his mouth shut, so I left him in the Kamui Dimension."
"What? You called Tobi back in such a frenzy, only to lock him inside the Kamui Dimension? What exactly is this about?"
Black Zetsu instantly grew angry. Tobi was the only White Zetsu with any intelligence; the others were no different from idiots. That was why he valued Tobi so much.
"What I do is none of your business!"
Obito Uchiha stared at Black Zetsu with contempt, then picked up some of the things he had researched over the past two days and left.
Inside Itachi Uchiha's room, he looked at the diary in his mind. The other party seemed to have been busy these past two days and had said nothing more.
Having gathered no information at all, he could only fret, wondering what had become of his proposed deal with the Masked Man. Had he really rejected it?
"Ah..."
He had barely sighed when a ripple of space-time energy reached him.
Before Itachi Uchiha could react, Obito pulled both of them into the Kamui Dimension.
Thud!
Upon entering the Kamui Dimension, Itachi Uchiha quickly shook his head. Was the other man planning to attack him outright?
"Hey, haha! Someone's here! My name's Tobi. What's yours?"
The instant Tobi saw the newcomer, he grew excited, ran over, and asked curiously.
"Where is this?"
"This is my Kamui Dimension."
Obito Uchiha approached from the side and spoke with the air of an aloof master.
"Ah, listen! Hurry up and let me out!"
White Zetsu Tobi instantly jumped up, pointing at Obito and shouting!
"Heh, of course."
Itachi Uchiha sat slumped on the ground, surveying the Kamui Dimension. His expression shifted slightly. "Why did you bring me here?"
Obito Uchiha lifted his head and immediately delivered the speech he had prepared.
"Heh, didn't you say you wanted to make a deal with me? Although the payment you offered was unsatisfactory and insufficient, I do need people. So I've decided to give you a few more days to live. Work for me, and I'll decide whether to continue based on how much you accomplish."
He put on an overwhelmingly imposing air. Itachi Uchiha had to believe him whether he wanted to or not. He was already inside the other man's dimension, and judging by their earlier exchange, he could not leave unless its owner allowed it.
So be it. Even if only for Sasuke's sake, I have to try!
"Fine. I agree!"
"Good. Then take off your clothes!"
Itachi Uchiha: ???
Itachi Uchiha's face darkened. Was this meant to humiliate him?
Obito ignored him, however, turning instead to White Zetsu Tobi.
"Don't you want to get out? Wrap yourself around him like you did back then, and you can leave with him!"
"Really?"
White Zetsu Tobi looked delighted. Once Obito Uchiha nodded in confirmation, he instantly jumped up!
"I can study poop again!"
Listening from beside them, Itachi Uchiha: ...
Can I change my mind now?
"If you want to solve your problem, you have to let him attach himself to you!"
Obito Uchiha noticed the tension on Itachi's face. It was admittedly hard to accept; he himself had found it repulsive back then. Still, for the sake of his subordinate, he patiently tried to persuade him.