In the dense, secluded forest, giant trees towered, layered upon layer, allowing only specks of midday sun to filter through to the ground.
Whoosh~ whoosh~ whoosh~
A figure continuously leaped through the trees.
'Uchiha Madara'—no, Uchiha Obito—was on his way. This area didn't even have a Kamui chakra mark, so he couldn't use his Kamui dimension for quick travel; he had to rely on his physical body. Obito suspected this fake 'Uchiha Madara' might possess space-time ninjutsu. That person would change locations every so often, and the distances were vast, forcing him to constantly alter his destination. For days now, he had been continuously on the road.
"Hmph, damn fake 'Uchiha Madara'! When I catch you, I'll tear you to shreds!" Uchiha Obito snarled.
"Obito... Obito!"
"Who?" Uchiha Obito stopped, seeing Zetsu catching up from behind him. The moment he saw Zetsu, Obito's face instantly fell. "I've told you before, Zetsu, address me by my title when we're working." To openly call him Obito... If someone found out...
"But... Obito, it can't be hidden anymore... The entire ninja world now knows that you, Uchiha Obito, are impersonating 'Uchiha Madara,' and all the things you've done in the past, the ninja world knows about them now too."
"Hm?" In a moment of shock, Obito saw the newspaper Zetsu handed him.
It was the Ninja World Daily.
The front-page headline: "The Ninja World's Most Evil Person—Uchiha Obito"
The two full-color, high-definition photos on it deeply stung Obito's eyes! Damn it... Who? Who on earth leaked the information?
No matter who it was, the truth was out!
Obito's right eye beneath his mask twitched nervously, his palm pressing against the spiral-patterned mask, his knuckles cracking. The words "manipulated the Nine-Tails, Clan Massacre Night" on the newspaper twisted into blood-red spirals within his Kamui dimension.
"Hmph... Damned, even rats have learned to carry the truth around the streets." Obito suddenly chuckled darkly.
"Shut up... All of you, shut up! What hero, what demon, those who discuss such things are merely remnants chewed up by fate!" He suddenly ripped off his mask and hurled it at empty space, but due to gravity, it hit the ground and shattered. Scattered light illuminated his face, revealing horrific cracks spreading from the Hashirama cells on his right cheek, covering half his face.
At that moment, he suddenly remembered an old friend.
"Kakashi, are you trembling now, clutching that Sharingan?"
"Heh, the Eye of the Moon Plan doesn't need the understanding of mere ants. When the light of the Infinite Tsukuyomi swallows this filthy world... then there will be eternal peace."
"Rin, just wait a little longer. Soon, a world where no one can ever read newspapers will be created."
Meanwhile.
The Land of Rain.
It rained all night, no, it rained all day and all night, ceaselessly. He wondered where this small country got so much water; perhaps that's why the three great nations so frequently waged war in this country.
Inside a special room.
Konan was holding a newspaper, showing it to Nagato.
Nagato's Rinnegan eyes seemed about to pop out of their sockets; his teeth were clenched, and he became more agitated with every word he read!
"U-CHI-HA! O-BI-TO!" A furious roar burst from his throat.
"Huff, huff..." After cursing, Nagato immediately started panting heavily, clearly infuriated. "Nagato... don't get too angry, mind your health," Konan comforted him. She had never fully agreed with the masked 'Uchiha Madara,' and now that the mask had been unveiled to reveal the rat hidden behind it, it was all the better. Although they had been unknowingly deceived all these years, discovering the fake 'Uchiha Madara' was a way of returning to the right path.
"Where's Zetsu?" Nagato asked, remembering Zetsu who had appeared with the 'Uchiha Madara.'
"Couldn't find him."
"Heh!" Nagato understood. A moment ago, his rationality still held a slight doubt about the truth of the news, but now he could confirm it. Moreover, Zetsu was highly likely in cahoots with Uchiha Obito. Sigh! They had been deceived again, they had been deceived again!
Nagato recalled the previous deception, where the Akatsuki organization was tricked, leading to Yahiko's death and the annihilation of Akatsuki. That pain was bone-deep! Since then, Nagato hated being deceived the most, especially being used as a pawn. Who would have thought, who would have thought.
U-CHI-HA! O-BI-TO!
Heh, the rat hiding behind the mask dared to deceive them using Uchiha Madara's name. They could only blame themselves for being desperate back then, having no choice but to believe his lies.
However.
"The Tailed Beast Collection Plan must continue! This time, we will lead it entirely!" Nagato said, making his final decision after a moment of deep thought.
Konan exclaimed, "Nagato! Are you saying—"
"No!" Nagato knew Konan's concerns, but. "Without Uchiha Madara—no, without Uchiha Obito, we still have to do this."
"This world is beyond saving. Only through pain can people understand the preciousness of peace, and only then can true peace be nurtured."
"Konan, we in Akatsuki can't turn back now. This is our path!"
Simultaneously, in the Land of Water.
Kirigakure, nestled deep in the mountains, was shrouded year-round in milky white dense fog, making even its overall outline vague. At this moment, inside a tall building.
"Gengetsu~ Gengetsu~"
A voice approached from a distance, pushing open the door and rushing in. "Please look at the newspaper, please, what are we going to do!" The person who entered looked anxious, as if something incredibly urgent had happened.
Gengetsu tremblingly took the newspaper and opened it to read. It was a copy of the Land of Water Observer, largely similar in content to the Ninja World Daily.
The section about Uchiha Obito was still the front-page headline, and his crimes were described in vivid detail. However, as Zabuza's all-weather partner, this newspaper focused on why Zabuza would attempt to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage. It primarily elaborated on Zabuza's discovery that the Fourth Mizukage was being controlled, and his subsequent assassination attempt to save Kirigakure, which resulted in him becoming a rogue ninja due to his young age and insufficient strength.
"Sigh!~"
Seeing this, Gengetsu's aged voice let out a soft sigh. They had long known that the Fourth Mizukage was being controlled, but who was the culprit? Unknown. Now it seemed likely that the newspaper's report was true. He had also heard the legend of the Mangekyō Sharingan. After the Nine-Tails attack on Konoha, almost the entire ninja world knew that the Sharingan could control jinchūriki. Kirigakure had been strange since the Fourth Mizukage's reign, but no one dared to imagine that the esteemed Kage of a village could be controlled by an outsider, who then directly initiated the Bloody Mist Village era, causing Kirigakure to lose an entire generation of ninja. Not only that, but the village also lost a large number of excellent kekkei genkai users, and even the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist defected. This was originally something Kirigakure had tried desperately to conceal, but after being reported by the newspaper, well, now their reputation was ruined worldwide.
Fortunately, Gengetsu was old enough and weathered by experience, so he didn't suffer a sudden heart attack. Even so, as he looked at the newspaper, Gengetsu's eyes, which usually seemed barely open, widened significantly at this moment.
"Zabuza, huh." Gengetsu remembered the child who killed his classmates. He looked at the newspaper's description of him. "What a pity."
He sighed softly and instructed, "Contact this newspaper. Issue a comprehensive bounty for Uchiha Obito. Oh, and do you have the previous newspapers? I'd like to see them." A long-prepared newspaper was handed to him. It was still the Land of Water Observer, with the front-page headline: "The Hero of the Land of Waves—Momochi Zabuza!"
And at the very same time.
Konoha, Hokage Office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's brow furrowed as he looked at the Ninja World Daily handed to him by the ANBU, along with a large stack of various intelligence reports: comprehensive Kirigakure intelligence, a summary of Uchiha Obito's intelligence, and analyses of other various intelligence. The final analysis from the intelligence squad indicated a 92% accuracy rate.
Uchiha Obito, huh? It seemed there really was no corpse of this person. He seemed to be Minato's student...
"Where's Kakashi?"
The ANBU below immediately replied, "He's currently leading Team Seven on a mission."
"Hm." Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. He remembered now; he had personally given them that mission. After a moment of contemplation, the Nine-Tails attack was already known throughout the ninja world, so Konoha wasn't afraid of losing face. Regardless of whether it was true or false, this person needed to be found alive, or his corpse found. Then, Konoha would verify the truth.
"Issue a bounty! Contact the Ninja World Daily, international warrant: Uchiha Obito!"
And at the very final same time.
A certain Bounty Station.
Kakuzu, who had just received his bounty, stared intently at the bounty poster, his eyes turning green. So many zeros, how much was this? 250,000,000 ryo?