"Damn brat!"
In the dimly lit secret cavern, the masked man who had just returned from an Akatsuki meeting flipped the table in front of him, sending various tools and decorations scattering across the floor. "How could there be such a vile, twisted little bastard in the shinobi world who dares to toy with the dead like this?"
'Uh… buddy, aren't you one to talk?'
'You didn't hesitate to murder your own teacher—who cared for you—and his wife. If we're ranking levels of scumbaggery, you might actually be worse than him!'
Black Zetsu internally roasted him but, on the surface, still patiently comforted, "Calm down, Obito."
"How the hell am I supposed to calm down?" The masked man—Uchiha Obito—seethed with rage, clenching his fists. "That immoral little monster is planning to turn Rin into a war machine! How do you expect me to stay calm?"
'Immoral?'
Black Zetsu almost laughed out loud at that. 'Oh, the irony—a certified scumbag like you suddenly cares about morality now?'
But it held back, suppressing its amusement with great effort. "Maybe the kid was just giving an example. What purpose would summoning Rin even serve? She wasn't exactly a powerhouse—just a medic-nin with barely any combat skills..."
It trailed off mid-sentence.
Obito's blood-red right eye locked onto it, radiating icy killing intent. "Go on. Keep talking."
"Ah, good. You've finally calmed down," Black Zetsu quickly backpedaled, trying to shift the topic.
No response. Obito just kept staring at it with that single, unblinking eye.
"My bad. Didn't mean to cross the line," Black Zetsu sighed, surrendering for the sake of the grand plan. "So… what are you gonna do?"
"I'll kill that little bastard." Obito's voice was frigid.
"I wouldn't recommend that," Black Zetsu shook its head, lowering its voice. "That kid's Nagato and Konan's favorite right now. If you move against him, they'll notice. It'll ruin our plans—way more trouble than it's worth."
"Got a better idea?" Obito's fury hadn't subsided, but at least a sliver of rationality had returned.
"If you're worried about Rin's body being used as a weapon… why not just steal her remains from Konoha yourself?" Black Zetsu suggested, its voice raspy. "That'd solve the problem permanently."
"Rin's remains…"
Obito hesitated beneath his mask.
Black Zetsu's suggestion was solid—but for Obito, actually doing it was another matter.
Nohara Rin was his white moonlight, his moral mirror.
As long as he avoided that mirror, he could commit all kinds of atrocities without remorse. But the moment he had to face it, he crumbled—weak, indecisive, and paralyzed by guilt.
Black Zetsu could practically see the conflict in his pawn's mind and couldn't help but think, 'This guy is hopeless.'
The second Rin was involved, Obito turned into a hesitant, impulsive mess.
Compared to that white-robed kid they'd met earlier? Now that was a natural-born villain—outwardly gentle and composed, but inwardly free of all moral shackles.
'Too bad.'
Bloodline determined one's limits in this world.
No Sharingan? Just another pawn destined to be crushed underfoot in its grand scheme.
Suppressing another sigh, Black Zetsu played the role of advisor once more. "If you don't want to do it yourself, just send a White Zetsu."
Obito's eye lit up. "Good. Make it happen. And not a single speck of Rin's remains can be left behind!"
With that, he turned and stalked deeper into the cavern.
"You heard him. Not a speck," White Zetsu's main body said flatly.
"Got it." A White Zetsu clone emerged from the ground, its neck subtly marked with the characters "007."
But of course, neither Black Zetsu, White Zetsu's main body, nor Obito paid any attention to a mere "tool" like this clone.
Meanwhile, in the woods outside Amegakure…
"You really provoked Obito back there. Aren't you afraid he'll come after you?" Konan asked her little brother, her expression uneasy.
"I'd love for him to try," Yuto smirked, his voice light. "That'd just make things more fun."
"Is your "Mirage of the Blossoming Moon' (Kyōka Suigetsu) really that powerful?" Konan still wasn't convinced.
Her impression of Yuto was still stuck back in the Land of Waves era—decent for his age, sure, but on par with guys like Zabuza or Raiga at best. Against a Mangekyō-wielding wildcard like Obito? She wasn't so sure.
Even after Yuto had explained his "Kyōka Suigetsu" (Mirage of the Blossoming Moon) —a hax-level ability—Konan's doubts lingered.
Frankly, it sounded too absurd.
So absurd that even after she and Nagato had helped Yuto hypnotize the entire Akatsuki, she still couldn't fully believe it existed!
"Words alone aren't enough to convince you, huh?" Yuto chuckled softly before glancing toward a nearby bush. "Well, lucky for you, here comes a live demonstration."
"Hm?"
Konan followed his gaze—and there, emerging from the shadows, stood a tall, slender figure with long, flowing hair and piercing golden eyes.
Clad in the same black-and-red Akatsuki cloak as her, the man's gaunt face twisted into a predatory smirk as he locked onto Yuto.
It was Orochimaru.
"Right on time, Orochimaru-senpai," Yuto greeted with a smile.
"You've got guts, Yuto-kun," Orochimaru sneered, his voice dripping with malice. "Daring to meet me alone, without Pain or Konan as bodyguards… Did you really think I wouldn't kill you?"
A crushing wave of killing intent erupted, sending birds fleeing from the trees in panic.
"…?"
Konan stood frozen, staring as Orochimaru completely ignored her—like she was invisible.
"With your strength, killing someone like me would be child's play," Yuto replied, still smiling as if death wasn't looming over him. "But I imagine you'd be far more interested in… this."
He raised a test tube filled with a milky-white substance.
"That's—!" Orochimaru's eyes widened.
"Lord Danzō hopes to collaborate with you again. As a token of sincerity…" Yuto rolled the tube between his fingers. "This is his latest research."
"So you are Danzō's man after all," Orochimaru licked his lips, grinning. "What do you think Pain and Konan would do if they found out?"
Getting his hands on Danzō's newest research? This kid had to be one of the old warhawk's most trusted agents.
'What a terrifying little schemer.'
"Are you going to report me, Orochimaru-senpai?" Yuto asked, unfazed.
"If Danzō's offer is genuine, I might just let it slide," Orochimaru chuckled before his expression darkened. "But it's a shame—he sent you to me."
"I'm not following," Yuto tilted his head, feigning confusion.
"Oh, you're far from just some 'nobody,' Yuto-kun," Orochimaru's grin turned manic as he lunged forward. "Given time, you'd surpass even me. But I hate people who resemble me!"
His hand clamped around Yuto's throat, lifting him off the ground.
"Ah, so you do dislike me," Yuto's voice suddenly echoed from behind Orochimaru.
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