In a deep underground cave, it was damp and cold, with only a few clusters of twisted fungi emitting a faint, pale glow. This place was like a forgotten corner, a breeding ground for conspiracies.
A roar, suppressed to the extreme, erupted in madness.
"Ugh... Ahhhhh... Damn it! Shun, why don't you just die!!!"
Obito, the man who called himself "Madara," now roared like a wounded beast.
He punched the nearby rock again and again, without any regard for his image. Crushed stones fell, but he seemed to feel no pain, his face beneath the mask contorted with extreme rage.
Failure! Failure! Consecutive failures!
The Land of Water, that land shrouded in thick fog, had now become an unshakeable nightmare in his plans.
He had originally intended to confidently recruit Kisame and Jūzō, relying on his Mangekyo and the name "Madara." During the process, he had just accidentally teased Shun, and as a result, he, the great "Madara," was beaten into a sorry state. Even his Kamui was cracked, this man was simply his nightmare.
Next, he wanted to recruit Kakuzu, who only cared about money. However, by the time he finally tracked down Kakuzu, Kakuzu had already accepted Shun's invitation and become his Minister of Finance.
Finally, he dispatched a large army of White Zetsu. White Zetsu were excellent scouts and infiltrators, capable of perfectly blending into the environment and even parasitizing human bodies.
But just now, the latest news came from the Land of Water. Shun and his team had developed something called a "White Zetsu Sensor". A large number of White Zetsu were precisely located and captured. Even White Zetsu lurking on human bodies were pulled out. His plan was completely ruined again.
"Uchiha... Shun... Ah... Ahhh...!!!"
Obito squeezed out the name through gritted teeth, each syllable filled with bone-deep hatred, and a sense of frustration that even he was unwilling to admit.
This man was like an insurmountable mountain, blocking his Eye of the Moon Plan. Since meeting him, nothing had gone right for him. It was as if the gears of fate were forcibly jammed, and all his schemes became ridiculous and futile.
Obito panted heavily, his chest rising and falling violently, and his furious emotions slowly cooled in the empty cave. Only a cold, stifling feeling remained, with nowhere to vent.
Just then, the half-black, half-white Black Zetsu slowly rose from the ground.
In his characteristic gloomy voice, he calmly said, "Anger is useless, Obito. The route through the Land of Water is temporarily blocked, but we are not without options."
Obito suddenly turned his head, his Mangekyo through the mask's eyehole staring intently at Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu ignored the irritation in his eyes and continued in his unruffled tone, "In the Land of Wind, Sunagakure, Chiyo's grandson, Sasori killed the Third Kazekage, who was hailed as the strongest of all time, and turned him into a puppet. Now he is a rogue ninja, constantly collecting the bodies of powerful ninjas to transform into puppets, his strength is extremely formidable. He is a perfect recruitment target and can greatly enhance the core combat power of the organization."
A brief silence fell in the cave, and Obito's heavy breathing gradually subsided.
The madness and anger in his eyes slowly faded, replaced by a more sinister and obsessive look.
His Eye of the Moon Plan would never stop because of this. The route through the Land of Water was blocked by that man, so he would take another path.
He slowly straightened his body and brushed the dust from his robe. He regained that low and indifferent demeanor, characteristic of Madara.
"Black Zetsu, besides Sasori, are there any other individuals we can recruit?"
Black Zetsu seemed to have anticipated this and slowly replied, "Hiruko, a Konoha A-rank rogue ninja. He was once a classmate of the Konoha Sannin. He was discovered conducting human experiments and eventually defected from Konoha."
Obito's gaze narrowed slightly. "Hiruko? That name rings a bell, but he doesn't seem to be a prominent figure."
Black Zetsu gently wiggled his finger. "On the surface, he only possesses the strength of an ordinary Jonin, but he is developing a forbidden jutsu called 'Chimera.' It is said that once completed, he can acquire the abilities of different Kekkei Genkai ninja by fusing their bodies, ultimately achieving multiple Kekkei Genkais in a single person."
"Possessing multiple Kekkei Genkais?" Obito's voice held a hint of interest.
This ability sounded very strange and powerful.
Black Zetsu nodded slightly, confirming, "Yes, although he has not yet succeeded, his forbidden jutsu's potential might be worth investing in. The important thing is that he is a Konoha rogue ninja, so the chances of successfully recruiting him are very high."
Obito stroked his chin, a calculating glint in his eyes. "Black Zetsu, both of these individuals are worth a try. You continue to investigate the specific locations of Sasori and Hiruko, I will follow shortly."
Black Zetsu nodded slightly, and his figure slowly merged into the ground.
After Black Zetsu left, Obito seemed to have all his strength drained away. His gaze was somewhat hollow, like a statue that had lost its soul.
After a long time, he slowly came back to his senses, as if having made some kind of decision.
Space began to twist and ripple around him.
Kamui!
The next moment, in front of the Konoha Memorial Stone.
Obito saw a white-haired figure not far away.
Kakashi stood alone in front of Rin 's tombstone, whispering, "Rin, I came to see you today to tell you some news. Sensei's wife, she's over three months pregnant. Minato-sensei is very happy."
Upon hearing this, Obito's heart trembled violently, and he instinctively wanted to flee, but his feet seemed to be nailed to the spot. An extremely complex and inexpressible emotion, like a surging undercurrent, instantly overwhelmed his inner being. What followed was even more intense pain, anger, and bone-chilling loneliness.
His sensei's wife, Kushina was pregnant?
Minato-sensei was going to be a father?
Why can they have such a happy future?
While his Rin, forever cold, sleeps here?
This world...
Why am I the only one suffering?