"Konoha is sending people to Amegakure?"
"That's right. According to the intel, they're delivering an invitation for next year's joint Chūnin Exams."
Inside a steel-walled chamber deep within Amegakure.
Nagato and Konan stared at Obito and Black Zetsu, Nagato slightly surprised by the news.
But on second thought, it made sense. After all, a joint Chūnin Exam was, at its core, a showcase of strength.
Since the end of the Third Shinobi World War, the shinobi world had entered a temporary peace. Still, necessary deterrence and displays of power remained essential.
Besides, for a shinobi village, its main sources of income—aside from the daimyo's support—came from the share of missions commissioned from various places.
An event like this could most directly showcase a village's talent pool, drawing others to allocate more mission contracts to it.
It would also attract daimyos of various countries to watch, influencing their decisions on future financial support.
Of course, for truly powerful villages, this wasn't something to be overly concerned about—but it was still a matter of prestige.
And beyond that…
It was a chance to intimidate and attract the smaller nations.
Small-country villages rarely had any say in matters, and under the pressure of the great nations' shinobi villages, they were forced into concessions and compromises.
In times of peace, what could be a better, more straightforward way to observe the overall strength of the major villages than an open joint Chūnin Exam?
"Hmph. Konoha is as arrogant as ever."
Now that Nagato understood the situation, he couldn't help letting out a cold snort.
"But this works in our favor. We were planning to go to Konoha anyway—this is a good opportunity."
"True. But if they're coming to Amegakure, their purpose likely isn't so simple."
Uchiha Obito's voice was cold.
"Most likely, they want to get a clear picture of Amegakure's situation… maybe even meet with Hanzō of the Salamander."
"That's right. We've been feeding Konoha intel using Hanzō's name, but Hanzō's been dead for years."
Black Zetsu picked up the thread, his tone heavy.
"Konoha won't be easy to deal with."
"Hmph."
Nagato snorted again, pausing for a moment before speaking.
"Should I dig up Hanzō's corpse for a disguise? And who exactly is coming?"
Though Hanzō had been dead for years, Nagato was confident he could make use of him.
And he was curious to see who Konoha would send.
"I'd advise against it. This time, there's a good chance Kitagawa Gen will be among them. Better to let us handle it."
At those words from Black Zetsu, Nagato's expression shifted in an instant.
"Kitagawa Gen?"
"That's right. He's already glimpsed your secret, so it's very possible he'd see through your disguise."
"True… Kitagawa Gen isn't your average problem."
Nagato's fists tightened slightly as painful memories surged up.
But rather than cloud his judgment, they steadied him. After a brief silence, he spoke again.
"Perhaps… this time, I can do something."
"Hm?"
Uchiha Obito frowned, not understanding what Nagato meant, and even Konan looked puzzled.
"Nagato, what are you planning?"
"We can start preparing ahead of time for the Chūnin Exams."
"The Chūnin Exams? You mean—"
"That's right. Didn't you say it'd be best to make a move only after Danzō lost the village's trust? And you can handle the problem of Hanzō of the Salamander."
Nagato glanced at Black Zetsu and Obito before speaking slowly.
"Then I'll leave the reception to you. If necessary, you can drop them a reminder—say that the Land of Rain has been under watch this whole time."
"You can even hint that there may be someone in Konoha leaking information, so they should be on guard."
"And once they leave the Land of Rain… I'll make my move!"
He would never let go of the grudge against Kitagawa Gen for shattering Yahiko's body, and if he wanted revenge on Danzō, he first had to strip away Danzō's trust before striking.
By combining both goals, this was the perfect opportunity!
"Isn't that too risky?"
Black Zetsu frowned in thought. In truth, he didn't see a real problem with the plan.
Even if it seemed deliberate, as an old schemer he knew that the best lies mixed truth with falsehood.
If it worked, they could sever all ties between Amegakure and the Akatsuki while also casting suspicion on Danzō.
If it failed, though, the trouble would be enormous. And on top of that, he wasn't entirely comfortable with clashing directly with Kitagawa Gen.
"And don't forget—there's also an Ōtsutsuki Genshiki lurking around, so it'd be better to be cautious."
"I have my own judgment. This is something I must do—consider it an early investigation."
After a moment's thought, Nagato still shook his head.
"This time, I'll send every single one of my Paths. Whether I can kill him or not, I'll at least uncover his true capabilities. I want to investigate him myself."
With the Flying Thunder God Technique in play, Nagato knew he wasn't confident in finishing Kitagawa Gen—if he truly wanted that, he'd have to act inside Konoha.
For now, his goal was to test this man directly, to prepare for the future.
As for having Black Zetsu deliver the reminder—that was nothing more than the pride of a 'god.'
He refused to believe that unleashing all his Paths wouldn't achieve what he intended.
"It's decided. Go make the preparations."
"…Alright, I'll do what I can."
Black Zetsu could only nod to Nagato's request, and Obito spoke up as well.
"Then for this operation, I'll go with that new recruit, Kurotsuchi Raiga.
"That guy still seems a bit reluctant. Even though he handed his adopted son over to someone else, he doesn't seem the least bit willing."
"Suit yourself."
Nagato offered no objection—just a nod of acknowledgment.
With that, the discussion wound down to minor details. After briefly going over them, Uchiha Obito and Black Zetsu left.
"What do you think about this?"
Once they'd stepped out of Nagato's underground chamber, Obito finally spoke up.
"Is there a chance we'll run into that guy again?"
"Ōtsutsuki Genshiki?"
Black Zetsu was worried as well, but after a moment's hesitation, he answered.
"Not certain. But as long as it doesn't involve the tailed beasts or anything else of that sort, it shouldn't happen."
"Is that so…"
Uchiha Obito gave a conflicted reply, then couldn't help but ask, "There really isn't any kind of curse mark on me?"
That last time he was inexplicably hit with a 'Heaven's Justice' was still vivid in his memory—he truly didn't want to experience it again.
"Nothing for now. Maybe you were just unlucky, and he happened to spot you—after all, it was near the Fire Temple."
Black Zetsu stayed silent for a moment before speaking.
"But it's been so long without any sign of that guy making a move. I'd say the problem shouldn't be too serious anymore, and besides—"
Here, Black Zetsu paused before continuing slowly, "We can't let that man stop us from doing anything at all. If we did, how would we ever achieve our goal?"
As he spoke, he couldn't help but raise his head and glance at the sky.
These words weren't just meant for Obito—they were for himself as well.
...
"Senpai, here are the flowers you wanted."
"Thank you, Ino."
Konoha, outside the Yamanaka flower shop in the early morning. Kitagawa Gen accepted the bouquet Ino handed him.
He carefully sealed it away, which made Ino ask curiously, "Senpai, are you heading out on a mission again?"
"How did you know?"
Gen looked a bit surprised. Ino pointed at the flowers in his hand.
"Last time you went on a mission, you took flowers with you too. If you're doing it again this time, I'm guessing you plan to pay respects to someone along the way."
"Sharp as ever."
Gen didn't deny it, smiling as he nodded.
"After so many years of war, there are burial grounds everywhere. This time, we might come across one—it doesn't hurt to be prepared."
He wasn't just making that up. This time, he and Kakashi were heading to Amegakure, without Jiraiya accompanying them.
Still, Jiraiya had asked him to offer a bouquet on his behalf, even knowing that Nagato and the others had completely turned against them.
Yahiko had done no wrong—in fact, he'd been killed by Konoha's own people. So, if it could be done without danger, Jiraiya wanted to honor him.
On top of that, going to the Land of Rain offered the chance to pass through the Land of Grass, where Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin were buried.
At least to Kakashi, the true Uchiha Obito—the one who had died a hero of Konoha—was laid to rest there.
"So it's better to be ready. Still, spending money on flowers just for Jiraiya feels a bit wasteful."
Given the nature of this mission, he could already guess trouble was coming—quite possibly involving the Akatsuki. Fortunately, he wasn't exactly short on money anymore.
"Well, I'll leave it to you then. I'll get going."
"Take care, Senpai."
After a brief farewell, Gen vanished on the spot—not heading for the village gate, but appearing directly at Konoha's cemetery.
At that moment, Kakashi was standing before Nohara Rin's gravestone, with an unmarked tombstone beside it.
"Kakashi-sensei."
Gen walked up, greeting Kakashi with a smile.
"Knew I'd find you here."
"Force of habit."
Kakashi's eyes lingered on Rin's gravestone before inevitably drifting to the nameless one beside it.
"Every time I leave the village, I come here for a visit. Speaking of which, you're here pretty early today."
"I had to prepare a few things, so I got up early to pick them up."
Kitagawa Gen didn't hide anything and glanced at the nameless gravestone.
"The Hokage still remembers his contribution, huh? At least the stone remains—just without his name."
It was clearly Uchiha Obito's gravestone. Even though he had openly defected, the stone had been kept out of consideration for Kakashi.
"Yeah. Even if he's a demon now, in the past, he was a hero."
Kakashi nodded. Then Gen suddenly spoke.
"Why don't we pass through the Land of Grass and pay our respects to them?"
"The Land of Grass?"
Kakashi was taken aback for a moment before smiling.
"Don't tell me you prepared flowers again, like the last time we went to the Land of Rain?"
"I actually did. The mission doesn't have that many restrictions—why not go?"
Gen nodded without hesitation.
"I may not fully understand the feeling, but it's good to do what's within my power. What do you think, Kakashi-sensei?"
"Let's do as you suggest. After all, you are a jōnin now."
Kakashi was silent for a moment before the exposed eye curved into a crescent shape.
"Perhaps that place is where Obito truly passed away… the place where I inherited his will. It's worth going to see it."
As he spoke, his hand instinctively touched the eye covered by his forehead protector.
"This eye holds Obito's will. It's the eye I'll use to carry him forward and see the future."
He had faced countless problems and endured much pain, but now he knew where his path lay, and he would keep moving forward.
Besides… he had already found a "new beginning."
"By the way, Kakashi-sensei, you once said your eye could shut down Uchiha Obito's space, right?"
"Uh… yes."
"My shadow clone has been inside Obito's other space. If that's the case, they should be connected. So, Kakashi-sensei—why don't you throw some explosive tags in there every day?"
"…"
"Who knows? Maybe you'd blow him to pieces by accident!"
"…"
Kakashi's crescent-shaped eye instantly turned into a dead-fish stare. Why did this guy always come up with such shameless ideas?
…Though, it did sound like it might actually work.
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