Obito was seriously injured. His internal organs were damaged, he was bleeding from his mouth, nose, and ears, and a small part of his waist was mangled.
Such an injury was only survivable because most of his body was composed of Hashirama cells cultivated from the Gedo Mazo, and he had the enhancement of Zetsu. An ordinary body would have been done for.
Climbing up from the ground, Obito was about to utter some harsh words before leaving when he saw a blazing white, large wind blade shooting towards him. He quickly escaped into the Kamui dimension.
The wind blade passed through Obito, cutting a row of trees in half at the waist. The row of trees collapsed one after another, and a series of crashing sounds echoed as a straight line of yellowish-white dust rose in the emerald green forest...
"Heh... a coward again," Kageyama Kogetsu, enveloped in his Lightning Release Armor, sneered.
"Don't get cocky. I'll be watching you. The moment you show a weakness will be the moment you die."
A spatial vortex appeared, and Obito's figure distorted, rapidly being sucked in...
"Tch, do you think I'm easily scared?"
"I'll be waiting. You can't escape every time," Kageyama Kogetsu said with a blank expression.
After confirming that Obito and White Zetsu had truly left, Kageyama Kogetsu dusted himself off, took out a drink and some snacks, and continued his journey leisurely...
Land of Water, Kirigakure, in a secret room behind the Mizukage's office.
Obito's figure appeared, and he staggered slightly as he sat on the bed.
"How did you end up like this?" Black Zetsu asked in surprise.
"The target's strength was unexpectedly high. Let Zetsu transmit the details to you."
"Get a high-ranking White Zetsu over here. I need to heal," Obito said, his tone somewhat dejected.
Twice he had confidently engaged with Konoha's strongest, and each time he had suffered a significant loss. It was infuriating!
His teacher was one thing; he had been famous for years, and Obito himself had been a bit arrogant.
But for a classmate to be stronger than him, even with his power-up, and to be injured when he wasn't being arrogant...
Where was the justice in that?
The main body of White Zetsu relayed the order. Zetsu, a standout among the high-ranking White Zetsu, detached from Obito's body and took human form, placing a hand on the main body's shoulder to transmit the recorded information.
Soon, a dazed-looking White Zetsu emerged from the ground. Obito reached out and grabbed it to repair the damage to his body.
After absorbing a high-ranking White Zetsu, Obito's injuries had healed considerably, but his physical body still needed some time to recover.
"Indeed, unexpectedly strong. A bit troublesome," Black Zetsu said in a deep voice.
"The plan against the Uchiha and Konoha must continue. A little trouble is just a little trouble."
"I need more Sharingan to increase my margin for error and to turn the tide of battle," Obito said, his voice soft but his determination firm.
"Then we'll proceed as planned."
"Kageyama Kogetsu is a bit of a problem right now, but we don't need to worry too much."
"If we can't take him out with force, we can find a chance to do it by other means."
"For example, we could find a way to make him a victim of Konoha's internal strife, or frame him so that he is rejected by Konoha and forced to become a rogue ninja."
"If all else fails, we'll just wait until you and the Akatsuki are stronger before making a move."
Obito's eyes lit up. "Although I don't like him, I acknowledge his strength," he said in a deep voice.
"If we can really make him defect from Konoha and join our organization, it would be a great benefit to the Eye of the Moon Plan."
"We can give this plan a try when the opportunity arises."
White Zetsu said, "To frame him, it would be best to get his chakra and then have a White Zetsu act."
"We can find a chance to use the Spore Technique, for example, by placing the spores in a hot spring."
Obito nodded. "That's a good idea. You're finally being reliable for once."
"I've been reliable many times. I'm the one who brought back so much intelligence and most of Lord Madara's legacy," White Zetsu said, annoyed.
"Let's end our discussion here for today. You should rest and heal."
"Zetsu, you should hurry back and take command of those low-intelligence guys to monitor Nagato."
"Understood."
Black Zetsu's authority was extremely high, even higher than Obito's, and White Zetsu could not disobey.
...
Kageyama Kogetsu spent a month traveling the ninja world, one-third of the time enjoying solitude, and two-thirds with Pakura.
This time, Kakuzu did not follow, instead focusing on enthusiastically making money and recruiting ninja he deemed worthy.
In the original story, most of the Akatsuki members were not alone; they each had their own forces and sources of intelligence.
Kakuzu and Pakura had not been idle all these years. They had recruited some rogue ninja and wandering ninja they admired, and had screened out some members who shared Kageyama Kogetsu's ideals.
In addition, because they had a clear goal and a grand ideal, the two of them trained diligently and their strength had improved somewhat.
After having his fun, Kageyama Kogetsu slowly returned to Konoha.
When he reported the end of his leave, Sarutobi Hiruzen was very pleased to learn that he had successfully mastered Senjutsu.
Considering that Kogetsu was tired from his training and that there were currently no difficult missions in Konoha, he gave him another three days off.
...
Konoha 55, June 11th, Kurenai Yuhi's 18th birthday.
On this day, Kageyama Kogetsu took a day off. He had lunch with Kurenai Yuhi and Yuhi Shinku at their home.
In the afternoon, for entertainment, Kurenai invited her good friend Anko, and the four of them played poker and mahjong together.
Poker and mahjong did exist in this world. During the Fourth Great Ninja War, the feudal lords of various countries played poker and mahjong all night.
In the evening, the four of them had dinner and went out to have fun, and they had a happy time.
Konoha 55, August 9th, Kageyama Kogetsu's 18th birthday.
An 18th birthday was not to be taken lightly. Kageyama Kogetsu threw a big celebration at the same location where Naruto and Hinata got married in the original story.
Although this birthday party was not as grand as Naruto's wedding, with no high-ranking officials from other villages attending, it was still quite impressive.
Konoha's high-ranking officials, department heads, the major ninja clans, and mid-level managers all attended if they were free that day.
With the addition of classmates and friends, the entire birthday party was very lively, and the coming-of-age gifts he received were generally quite valuable.
The festivities did not die down in the evening. Under Kageyama Kogetsu's arrangement, the entertainment continued, but the guest of honor had quietly slipped away with Kurenai.
Returning home, Kageyama Kogetsu pulled Kurenai into the dining room for a candlelight dinner.
Even before drinking any wine, Kurenai's pretty face was already flushed.
Because the appointed time had come; they were both adults.
Kageyama Kogetsu was dressed in a white suit with a red bow tie, and a famous watch from this world on his wrist. He was handsome and dashing, yet mature and steady.
Kurenai was wearing a fiery red formal dress. A platinum and ruby necklace hung around her fair, slender neck. Her collarbones were delicate and beautiful, and the ruby pendant rested in a snowy abyss of considerable size. She was elegant and dignified, with a hint of sexy and heroic spirit.
As the glasses of wine went down, Kurenai's face became more and more rosy and alluring, her eyes becoming hazy and seductive, a sight to behold.
Feeling that they had had enough to drink, Kageyama Kogetsu stood up, put on some melodious and ambiguous music, and invited his girlfriend for a dance.
Although she was quite shy, Kurenai was not coy. She gracefully placed her hand in Kageyama Kogetsu's, followed him to the living room, and they danced together.
Dancing was something few ninja learned, but with a ninja's physical coordination, they could pick it up after one go.
Under the influence of alcohol and music, the two of them danced closer and closer, and soon their shadows were touching.
A moment later, they danced from the living room to the master bedroom. With a push of a foot, the door clicked shut.
As one song ended, the next began with a more soaring and faster tempo, perfect for a fight.
At the entrance of the Yuhi household.
Yuhi Shinku, who had been waiting for his daughter to return, did not see her for a long time. Finally, with a sigh, he turned, closed the door, and went to bed.
Although he had been mentally prepared, to see the tender little cabbage he had raised since childhood be plucked...
It was still a little hard to bear...
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