Uchiha Itachi suddenly understood, recalling the possession mentioned in the Diary. So it meant letting this thing possess him.
Without a word of explanation, he had been told to strip, so he had not made the connection at first. Now that things had calmed down and he had been given a hint, he finally remembered, but it still felt so humiliating.
But the things White Zetsu Tobi had been talking about made him sound like a pervert!
He hadn't actually touched poop, had he?
If he possesses me, won't I end up smelling too? The urge to back out kept growing.
Obito Uchiha noticed his hesitation and took it as disbelief. He snorted.
"I have no reason to lie to you. Let him possess you and take these medicinal herbs, and you'll gradually recover most of your health."
That was indeed the case. Uchiha Itachi's health was so poor now that he might not even be able to activate Susanoo. Trying to use it could very well kill him through the backlash.
So if Obito Uchiha wanted to do anything to him, he was practically a fish on the chopping block, entirely at his mercy.
"Uh, well..."
Seeing that Uchiha Itachi was still uncertain, Obito used Kamui without hesitation to yank his clothes off, then signaled Tobi with his eyes to get moving.
"Since you don't dare, I'll help you. He might be a little annoying, but it's for the sake of staying alive. Just put up with him."
Having received his orders, Tobi ran straight over. With a series of clicks, White Zetsu wrapped around Itachi's entire body, just as he had once wrapped around Obito. The difference was that both eyes remained exposed, though his face still became a spiral face.
"Hiss..."
Uchiha Itachi's brows twisted into a knot. His whole body felt sticky and clammy. Staying alive really was not easy.
Afterward, Obito Uchiha brought over the medicinal herbs he had told Black Zetsu to collect. They were all herbs he had taken back when he was injured.
They should help Itachi too. Even if they did not treat his condition, they could still heal injuries, so he had brought them all.
"Eat these herbs."
"All right."
"It feels so good to possess someone again. Back when I possessed you..."
The White Zetsu Tobi possessing Itachi wanted to say more, but Obito Uchiha cut him off immediately. A few more words from him would expose Obito's identity!
"Shut up!"
White Zetsu Tobi seemed to understand and dropped the subject. But as a chatterbox, he simply found another topic when one was off-limits, and his target was Uchiha Itachi.
"Fine, fine, no talking about the past. But my new host-your name's Itachi, right?"
Uchiha Itachi's mouth twitched. No wonder the Masked Man had called him a chatterbox. His incessant buzzing was like a fly.
"Yes."
"Your body's so weak! But don't worry. As your new possessor, I'll definitely help. Even if I can't get you completely healthy, I can keep you alive so you won't die."
Having just finished eating, Uchiha Itachi stood up from the ground and assessed his condition. He had not recovered that quickly, but there was a clear improvement. At least he no longer coughed and gasped for breath after a couple of steps.
"All right. Thank you."
The mask fixed over Uchiha Itachi's face suddenly split open. Swirled White Zetsu emerged at the side, pulled a little distance away, and shook his head at Itachi.
"I don't want a verbal thank-you. How about doing me a favor and joining me in some scientific research?"
Itachi's brow twitched at that. He isn't going to make me crawl into toilets, is he?
Judging by their earlier conversation, that did not seem entirely out of the question!
"I'll pass on the research. If a verbal thank-you isn't enough, once I've recovered, how about I find you some regional specialties from another country?"
"Ah, why can't anyone appreciate it?"
White Zetsu Tobi spread his hands.
At those words, both Uchiha Itachi's and Obito Uchiha's mouths twitched relentlessly. Who wanted to appreciate that? Who wanted to understand it?
You're a pervert. Could you please not drag us into it?
Obito Uchiha was the first to recover, fixing Uchiha Itachi with the unblinking gaze of his one exposed Sharingan.
"This should do. But I hope you won't have divided loyalties or keep switching sides. Whatever I can give you, I can take back!"
"Tobi will keep watching you. If you really do start wavering, don't blame me for what happens."
Uchiha Itachi nodded at those words. He did not think it was an empty threat.
With that strange space-time ability and its special dimension alone, Itachi would not be able to stop him from escaping. Besides, he would probably struggle to beat him in his current state. He might as well follow orders. As long as it did not interfere with his plan, it did not matter.
"As long as you can guarantee that Sasuke and Konoha won't be affected, I'll do whatever you say."
Heh. Konoha is a pretty broad term.
Obito Uchiha did not dwell on it and shook his head. He had only one goal now: to set the Eye of the Moon Plan in motion.
As for revenge, had he not already finished taking it?
The ninja who had hurt Rin had all been killed on the spot.
Kirigakure's Three-Tails was already under his control, and Minato Namikaze, the teacher whose constant lateness had gotten Rin killed, had also been killed by the Nine-Tails Obito had released.
All he needed to do now was collect every tailed beast. He did not care about anything else.
Having someone with a Mangekyo who could use Susanoo as a subordinate would let him achieve twice as much with half the effort. Otherwise, Obito would not have been in such a hurry.
"Heh. I won't hurt Konoha, but I will take something from it."
"The Nine-Tails?"
After a moment's thought, Uchiha Itachi asked the question. He had known about this since joining the Akatsuki.
"That's right. As long as they don't stop me from taking the Nine-Tails, I can't be bothered with anything else in Konoha."
"If it's only the Nine-Tails and you won't hurt anyone else, I have no objection. I won't take part, though. But I'll do my best to help you capture the other tailed beasts as thanks for helping treat me."
"Hey, what about me? What about me?"
White Zetsu Tobi could no longer contain himself and quickly pointed at himself. Was there a new mission for him?
Yet Uchiha Itachi and Obito ignored him in perfect unspoken agreement.
"Fine. I'll grant that request. But in return, you need to capture a tailed beast within two months. I'll provide whatever manpower and money you need."
With that, Obito Uchiha did not wait for Itachi's response. He used his Sharingan to take him away, arriving in their lounge.
Black Zetsu, who had been propping up his chin and pondering why Obito was doing this, sensed the space-time fluctuation. He immediately stood up and looked in that direction.
"Madara, you-!"
He saw that Obito had not returned alone. There was someone else with him.
"Tobi? No, Itachi?"
Looking at Uchiha Itachi wrapped in White Zetsu Tobi, Black Zetsu was baffled. What was going on?
"This is our new companion."
Obito offered no detailed explanation. After that casual reply, he went over to his seat and examined the reports White Zetsu had submitted, confirming the tailed beasts' current locations.
According to the intelligence, the easiest target at present was the Seven-Tails, Chōmei. Its jinchūriki was in Takigakure, which was only a small village. Next was the Four-Tails, Son Gokū. Its jinchūriki, Roshi, had left Iwagakure for certain reasons. If they could discover his whereabouts, sending Uchiha Itachi after him would make for an easy capture.
"Come take a look. Pick a suitable target, and we'll start planning."