Uehara Naraku had thought about many things.
The only thing he hadn't considered was that after Black Zetsu determined Uchiha Obito's betrayal, the first thing he did was to seek out Uehara to inform him of Obito's betrayal.
Uehara's work as a spy was quite successful.
It even made Black Zetsu, a mastermind lurking in the Ninja World for a millennium, regard him as the only ally left. One wonders if Uchiha Obito, lying in his coffin, would shed tears upon hearing Black Zetsu's criticism…
On the border between the Land of Rice Fields and the Land of Fire.
It was here that Black Zetsu found Uehara Naraku and informed him that Uchiha Obito had betrayed them and cautioned Uehara Naraku to be wary of Obito's attack.
Uehara Naraku looked down at Zetsu's yin-yang face in the Venus Flytrap on the ground, suppressing his amusement as he listened to Zetsu's warning.
"I understand."
A hint of confusion and bewilderment appeared on Uehara Naraku's face: "Senior Zetsu, I never thought Senior Obito would abandon us. He was always such an enthusiastic person!"
"It's not abandonment!"
Black Zetsu's voice turned somber as he reiterated, "It's betrayal! Uehara, you must be careful of Obito. Uchihas are usually narrow-minded individuals. You made him suffer a lot before, and he certainly won't let you go!"
Uehara Naraku looked even more puzzled: "If Senior Obito wanted to kill me but failed, would he really hold a grudge against me for that? What kind of logic is this!"
"This is quite normal."
Black Zetsu's voice was filled with disdain, sneering, "Uehara, the Uchiha Clan are inherently a group of narrow-minded, selfish, arrogant bastards. We will investigate Uchiha Obito's whereabouts and eliminate this threat soon."
"Okay."
Uehara Naraku nodded, respectfully thanking Black Zetsu: "Thank you, Senior Zetsu, for the information. I will be careful."
"That's good."
Black Zetsu looked at Uehara Naraku with satisfaction, speaking softly, "Uehara, we don't have many comrades left. In the future, when executing the Eye of the Moon Plan, you will have to shoulder a lot of responsibility."
After finishing, Black Zetsu continued, "I still need to find Hoshigaki Kisame and Uchiha Itachi to find out where their loyalties lie. If they side with Uchiha Obito, they will be expelled from Akatsuki!"
"Senior Zetsu!"
Uehara Naraku called out to Black Zetsu, hesitantly reminding him, "I vaguely noticed before that Uchiha Itachi might not particularly hate his brother. His situation seems somewhat similar to Hozuki Mangetsu..."
"Heh heh heh... you're mistaken."
Black Zetsu chuckled lightly, looking at Uehara Naraku: "You think you've uncovered Uchiha Itachi secretly protecting Uchiha Sasuke, right? In reality, Uchiha Itachi just wants Sasuke to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan so that he can seize Sasuke's Sharingan to enhance his own eye power. This is the truth about the Uchiha Brothers."
For a moment, Black Zetsu's trust in Uehara Naraku increased a lot.
This might also be because Black Zetsu couldn't stand the Uchiha Clan anymore and just spilled this bloody truth.
"…"
Uehara Naraku didn't know what to say.
Has Black Zetsu not discovered in a thousand years that the Uchiha Brothers are both big brother protectors and younger brother protectors? How did Uchiha Itachi manage to convince Black Zetsu to trust him so deeply?
Damn, no wonder he's the Pacific Ocean's top actor!
Uchiha Itachi must have used this reason to protect his brother! He's really adept at taking advantage of the situation.
But if Black Zetsu plans to meet Hoshigaki Kisame, it's necessary to be cautious. Uehara Naraku vaguely envied the Rinnegan, as at least it allowed for long-distance communication, unlike him, who had to run around each time to deliver messages.
Luckily, Hoshigaki Kisame wasn't too far away.
He might as well quietly observe Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Itachi's interactions. It must be interesting to see these two brothers together.
Currently, Hoshigaki Kisame, Uchiha Itachi, and Uchiha Sasuke are helping a small town's noble family deal with a rogue ninja invasion. This is almost like a war mission, often yielding considerable rewards.
Right now, Hoshigaki Kisame is drinking tea.
Ever since Uchiha Sasuke temporarily joined their team, Uchiha Itachi has noticeably become more diligent, often taking Sasuke into battles, likely to train his brother in combat.
Ninjas grow stronger through battle.
After Hoshigaki Kisame leisurely took a sip of tea, he suddenly heard a familiar card sound, and the next moment he turned to see his superior.
Uehara Naraku raised an eyebrow, looking at Hoshigaki Kisame with slight displeasure: "You're having a good time!"
"It's not my choice."
Hoshigaki Kisame shook his head, chuckling lightly:"But Itachi-san wants to create an opportunity for his brother to train. How could I interfere?"
"Hey? How is Sasuke doing?"
Uehara Naraku was indeed a bit curious.
The Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke brothers, who supposedly have a deep-seated grudge, are now spending every day together. It's intriguing to imagine how interesting their life must be.
"He's very diligent."
Hoshigaki Kisame softly praised and then sighed: "Unfortunately, for a ninja, diligence is precisely what's most abundant. If that little brat Sasuke wants to catch up to Itachi-san, it's incredibly challenging..."
Indeed.
For powerful ninjas, diligence is never in short supply.
Uchiha Sasuke's efforts can't bridge the gap between him and Uchiha Itachi, especially since Uchiha Itachi is more hardworking and talented than him.
The battlefield just outside the town.
Under the watchful protection and supervision of Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sasuke finally killed all the rogue ninja, panting heavily and clutching the ninja blade in his hand, half-kneeling on the ground.
Bam!
Sasuke, having just taken a moment's rest, was sent flying by a kick from Uchiha Itachi!
Uchiha Itachi looked down coldly at Sasuke, whose face was full of hatred, and said, "Sasuke, taking so long to deal with a bunch of trash, you're as much of a useless burden as ever…"
"Bastard, one day I'll kill you!"
Uchiha Sasuke clenched his fists tightly.
During this battle, Sasuke did not come away empty-handed. He had quietly copied the Kenjutsu and a Fire Release Ninjutsu used by Uchiha Itachi with his Sharingan.
Even to this day, Uchiha Sasuke had to admit that Uchiha Itachi, that bastard, was a genius.
No matter the Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, or Genjutsu, he could master them effortlessly. All this time, Sasuke had been secretly learning Uchiha Itachi's Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and Kenjutsu using his Sharingan. The Three Tomoe Sharingan made this easy for him.
However…
A slight smile tugged at the corners of Uchiha Sasuke's mouth; apart from those so-called Mangekyo Sharingan, Uchiha Itachi was nothing special!
Once he mastered all the Kenjutsu, Taijutsu, and Ninjutsu, and then found the flaw in the Mangekyo Sharingan, he would immediately kill Uchiha Itachi and take his place in the Akatsuki!
On the tall building of the town.
From here, the Uchiha brothers' grudges and conflicts were clearly visible. Uehara Naraku couldn't help but chuckle, "Is this how Itachi always treats his little brother?"
"Itachi-sensei is quite gentle today."
Hoshigaki Kisame grinned, revealing his mouthful of sharp teeth, "It's rare for Itachi-sensei to use Kenjutsu today, a real eye-opener! Of course, if he truly wanted to kill that bunch of trash, it would probably take only thirteen to seventeen seconds without using any Ninjutsu."
Hoshigaki Kisame had a meaningful smile when he reached this point: "Today he only killed a few of them, yet it took fifteen minutes."
"Interesting."
Uehara Naraku nodded with a smile.
In fifteen minutes, even a pig could have copied Uchiha Itachi's Kenjutsu with the Sharingan!
This older brother, Uchiha Itachi, was truly working hard. Under Hoshigaki Kisame's watchful eye and Uchiha Sasuke's hatred, he could only use these little tricks to teach his brother.
The question is…
Uchiha Itachi isn't afraid that one day, Sasuke might, from his observations, conclude that Uchiha Itachi is nothing much and think he might soon surpass him?
"Let's not dwell on the petty feuds between those brothers."
Uehara Naraku straightened up, speaking softly to Hoshigaki Kisame: "Alright, let's talk business! Black Zetsu will soon be coming to see you all because Uchiha Obito has betrayed us. It will likely want you not to remain loyal to Uchiha Obito, so have you thought carefully about your response?"
"Oh?"
Hoshigaki Kisame showed a touch of surprise fittingly and moments later, blinked his small eyes suddenly: "May I be so bold as to ask, why did Uchiha Obito betray us?"
"Oh, he didn't betray us, I just killed him."
Facing a subordinate like Hoshigaki Kisame, who grasped the weight of things so well, Uehara Naraku wouldn't doubt his loyalty.
Hoshigaki Kisame nodded and said gravely, "Understood, I will continue to spy beside Black Zetsu, gathering information."
Isn't it just a mission to be a spy?
How simple!
However, after Uehara Naraku left and Black Zetsu did come for real, Hoshigaki Kisame felt he had underestimated things.
Black Zetsu made clear Uchiha Obito's betrayal.
Hoshigaki Kisame stated that his loyalty lay only with the Eye of the Moon Plan.
Black Zetsu expressed satisfaction with Hoshigaki Kisame's attitude and told him he wasn't alone: "Rest assured, Akatsuki's intern, Uehara Naraku, is also our companion; from now on, you're to support his actions unconditionally."
"..."
Hoshigaki Kisame was utterly dumbstruck.
What kind of divine manipulation was Uehara Naraku up to?
The only two people in the Ninja World supporting Black Zetsu's Eye of the Moon Plan are Uehara Naraku and Hoshigaki Kisame. Does he even need to continue being a spy?
Hasn't the entire Eye of the Moon command center been voided?
"Don't underestimate Uehara just because he's young."
Black Zetsu advised softly as it looked at the somewhat shocked Hoshigaki Kisame: "Don't always bully Uehara in the organization from now on. He's an innocent-minded kid focusing solely on his Ninjutsu studies all these years, and the power he possesses far exceeds your imagination."
"Heh, understood."
Hoshigaki Kisame's shark teeth glistened as he grinned; how strong his superior was, as a subordinate, wouldn't he have at least some idea?
Hoshigaki Kisame sighed inwardly, offering a few seconds of silent mourning for Black Zetsu, and calmly nodded, "Then I shall cooperate with him well from now on."
Lord Uehara, truly incredible!