The tranquil night sky over Konoha was pierced by a faint, piercing scream.
Inside Danzo's house.
Tatsuma, who had been secretly reporting to Danzo, suddenly turned grim. "Hokage-sama, did you hear that? Sounds like someone screaming in pain."
Danzo waved a gloved hand dismissively, his expression dark. "Probably some stray dog in heat."
Tatsuma hesitated to reply. Ever since Danzo's return, he had been in a foul mood—Tatsuma decided not to push his buttons.
After a moment of silence, Danzo asked, "So you're saying, if Akatsuki hadn't released me, they'd already be choosing a new Hokage?"
Tatsuma spoke in a low tone. "Yes. They also said, for the sake of Konoha, some sacrifices are worth making."
Danzo's eyes turned cold and sharp. "Sacrifices? Fools! Only I can bring Konoha to its greatest glory. If something were to happen to me, it would be an irreplaceable loss for Konoha!"
Tatsuma didn't know how to respond. Although he was loyal to Danzo, deep down he couldn't help but think—was Danzo really that essential?
Trying to shift the topic gently, he said, "Hokage-sama, what should we do next? Those bastards don't even bother hiding it anymore. They all openly side with Seiki Shimaseki!"
Danzo mused, "It's not wise to confront Seiki directly yet. When the shinobi world finally falls into chaos, that will be our time to settle the score!"
"I just hope we're not the ones being settled with," Tatsuma thought gloomily, only to be startled when Danzo suddenly said, "Find a way for me to speak directly with Akatsuki's leader!"
"Eh? What?" Tatsuma was taken aback.
Danzo snorted coldly. "Before the shinobi world fully collapses, I still need to make some preparations. Akatsuki is a force that can be used to our advantage."
If it were before, he might have had reservations.
He used to think about consolidating support and advancing methodically.
But now, having become a laughingstock of the shinobi world, there was no way those villagers would ever truly accept him again.
Since that was the case, he might as well cast caution aside!
More importantly, the latest intelligence from the Kage Summit revealed one key fact—Seiki Shimaseki is not invincible. There are still others in this world capable of opposing him!
Though the masked man still falls short of Seiki, he undeniably stands on the same level!
Because of this revelation, Danzo's once-dormant ambition had begun growing wildly again.
Tatsuma asked in disbelief, "Are you seriously considering cooperating with Akatsuki?"
"Expel the foreign enemies only after securing internal stability!" Danzo said coldly. "Only by uniting Konoha's forces can we face the current crisis in the best possible shape!"
"But..."
"No objections!" Danzo's voice carried a trace of madness. "Let Akatsuki and Seiki fight each other. It'd be best if they wiped each other out. Then I'll be the one to restore order to the world!"
Tatsuma swallowed hard, a terrifying thought forming in his mind: "Has Danzo gone mad?"
...
Right now, in the outskirts beyond Konoha.
With a pig's head and his whole body smeared in blood, Black Zetsu fled while shouting, "Anger won't solve anything. Rin's body is gone. If you still want to see Rin, you have no other choice but to follow me and continue with the 'Moon's Eye' plan!"
Though he was the one taking the fall, he had actually thought this through carefully.
Since Rin's body had been "destroyed" by him, it meant the path of [Impure World Reincarnation] was completely blocked.
So the only path left for Obito was to go all-in on the 'Moon's Eye' plan!
Even if Obito ended up hating him for this and resentment built between them, he didn't care one bit.
Obito was just a tool to begin with—who cares about a tool's feelings?
Besides, with Obito's level of intelligence, he could always twist him around later.
But who could've guessed that Obito wouldn't even wait for an explanation and started attacking recklessly back in Konoha itself?
Fearing that Seiki Shimaseki might be drawn in, he didn't dare resist. He quickly finished dealing with the tomb as fast as possible, then fled beyond the chakra barrier.
Only after escaping the barrier did he finally have a moment to explain himself.
However, it was better not to mention Rin. The moment Rin's name came up, Obito's fury reignited.
"Once I kill you, I'll just carry out the 'Moon's Eye' plan myself!"
While enduring Obito's brutal beating, Black Zetsu shouted, "Do you really think the 'Moon's Eye' plan is that easy to execute? Killing me means breaking away from Madara completely!"
Obito coldly replied, "So what if we break away? A dead man's opinion doesn't matter. After gathering all the Bijuu, I'll become the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki myself!"
Spitting blood furiously, Black Zetsu explained, "You fool! Do you think the Ten-Tails' will is that easy to tame? Your ocular power can barely suppress the Nine-Tails, let alone the Ten-Tails! Only the true master of the Rinnegan can tame the Ten-Tails and turn it into its Jinchuriki form!"
"I don't believe you! You're definitely lying to me again!" Even as he said that, Obito's attacks had weakened slightly.
Noticing Obito's shift, Black Zetsu happily seized the moment, "This time I really am not lying! Don't you still remember what Madara told us about the legend of the Ten-Tails?
Hagoromo was only hailed as a god because he subdued the Ten-Tails that sought to destroy the world! If the Ten-Tails wanted to destroy the world, can you even imagine how wild its will must be?
Besides, what if you kill me? How will you explain this to Yahiko? Yahiko and the others know about my escape abilities. Practically no one in this world can truly kill me. If I suddenly die, they'll definitely suspect something.
If you lose the power of the Akatsuki organization, forget about taming the Ten-Tails—even collecting the Bijuu might become impossible!"
By now, Obito had already stopped attacking and was just glaring at him with burning eyes.
Without a care, Black Zetsu wiped the blood from his face, "Don't look at me like that. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have destroyed Rin's body either!"
Obito laughed bitterly from rage, "So this is my fault now?"
"Of course it's your fault!" Black Zetsu accused. "We rescued you from the battlefield and gave you tremendous power because we had the same goal!
Yet what did you do?"
"Is bringing back Rin Nohara the only thing on your mind every single day? Have you ever considered how your partners feel about this?"
"We had a clear agreement: to create a world with Rin for you, and for Lord Madara, a world with Izuna and Hashirama... er, I mean a peaceful and loving world!"
"You can just walk away once Rin's back, but what about Lord Madara? What's he supposed to do?"
After being confronted like this, Obito's tone softened slightly. "Who says I'm walking away? Resurrecting Rin and fulfilling Madara's dream don't have to conflict!"
"Do you even believe that yourself?" Black Zetsu scoffed. "Once Rin's resurrected, Madara will be the last thing on your mind!"
Obito was momentarily speechless. When he examined his own heart, he realized he might indeed act that way.
Once Rin was back, why would he give a damn about playing games with Old man Hiruzen?
Seeing Obito fall silent, Black Zetsu didn't dare push too hard. "We're both to blame for this. I destroyed Rin's body, and you've been chasing me and beating me up for quite a while now. Let's just forget this whole thing ever happened."
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