The war was in its final stages. After three days of rest, Qianyu and Kakashi left the Leaf Village, heading for the Hidden Rain Village on a mission.
During this time, Qianyu continuously observed the movements of Madara Uchiha and Obito Uchiha through the snakes hidden in the underground tunnels.
Some time later.
Obito Uchiha, feeling somewhat better, began his grueling rehabilitation training.
When he woke, Obito saw two White Zetsu standing by his bedside. Madara Uchiha remained seated in his chair, motionless as ever.
The White Zetsu saw Obito was awake and greeted him. "Yo. How's the mood?"
Obito struggled to sit up. "Terrible, of course. How long have I been here? Feels like forever."
"Don't worry about rent. It's free."
"We were born from the statue, so we don't need to eat. No food costs. No bathroom either. No need to take a dump."
Obito didn't find the White Zetsu's attempt at humor funny at all. "But that doesn't mean you can lump me in with you! My entire right side is made of this weird stuff!" He touched the strange substance covering half his body, his tone thick with disgust.
"Thanks to it, you can survive without food or water. You should be grateful, I think."
"Right. And I don't want to be lumped in with you, either. You're a synthetic body without emotions. We are synthetic humans. With feelings. And we understand jokes better than you. Richer vocabulary. Smarter, too! Even if we don't poop~"
"Shut up!" Obito snapped. "Then tell me, what's so superior about you?!"
The two White Zetsu simultaneously gave him a thumbs-up.
"We!"
"Are!"
"Watching you!"
"Ugh, even in unison!" Obito groaned, thoroughly annoyed. "You piss me off!"
One White Zetsu explained, "The reason we're here helping you rehab is because Lord Madara ordered us to get you back in usable shape before he wakes up."
Obito scoffed. "Leaving two mouthy puppet dolls to watch me while he sleeps! I'm definitely getting out of this place. I'm going back to Rin and Kakashi!" He demanded, "Where's the way out?"
"No exit. Can't get out."
"After Lord Madara had us bring you here, he sealed the entrance with a giant boulder."
Obito's eyes widened. "Hey! He blocked it off?!"
"By the way, you kept saying 'Rin, Rin, Rin' in your sleep. Were you trying to go out and find a bell or something?"
Obito's face flushed red.
The other White Zetsu chimed in. "Sometimes mixed with 'Idiot, idiot, idiot.' Oh, and 'Idiot Kakashi.'"
"Yeah, yeah. He said that sometimes."
"What's an 'Idiot Kakashi'?"
"Dunno. Ask him yourself."
Obito was mortified. Had he really said that?
A White Zetsu raised its hand. "Um, can I ask a question?"
"What?" Obito sighed impatiently.
"The urge… I mean, what does it feel like to need to take a dump? Give me an analogy."
Obito glared. "Wasn't the question about Idiot Kakashi? What's with your obsession with crap?!"
"Why so angry? Fine, I'll ask you about Rin and Idiot Kakashi later."
Obito jabbed a finger at the swirl-headed Zetsu. "Especially you, Swirly! You don't even poop but you look like a turd! I hate you!"
He turned to the other Zetsu. "Speaking of which, where are the other white guys?"
"Uh, out gathering intel."
"Eh? You can go outside?"
"Because we can move through the earth."
Obito deflated. "What the hell… Trapped in a place like this, listening to your nonsense…"
The swirl-headed Zetsu stood at attention and saluted. "Sorry! I shouldn't have talked about poop with you!"
"I'm not talking about that!" Obito roared. "It's what Madara said! About severing cause and effect…"
The half-faced Zetsu said, "Ah. Madara's too old-school. Doesn't know how to talk to kids. In simple terms… it means abandoning the worries of the real world and fleeing to a happy dream."
Obito was confused. "A dream?"
"Since it's a dream, everything can be as you wish. You can even bring the dead back to life."
"In other words, using a genjutsu to create a giant dream world! Then making everyone enter that world! Or rather… forcing everyone to enter is more accurate. And for a lifetime!"
It sounded like a fairy tale to Obito. "Using genjutsu? That's utterly stupid! I don't get it at all!"
"With power like Lord Madara's, anything is possible. He's just too weak right now to do anything. So he needs to make some preparations."
"Is that so? Not interested. I don't care about this crap. I'm getting out of here! I'm going back to Rin and Kakashi! I need to get this body moving again!" Obito pushed himself off the bed and began his rehabilitation exercises.
Qianyu cut off the visual link and let out a slow breath.
The White Zetsu were already starting to indoctrinate Obito Uchiha about the Moon's Eye Plan.
Right now, Obito scoffed at it. But after Rin Nohara died, he would become the plan's most fervent believer.
The Third Great Ninja War would conclude with the Battle of Kikyō Pass.
The current state of the war had stabilized. Fighting further would lead nowhere.
The Battle of Kikyō Pass was an invasion launched against the Leaf Village of the Land of Fire by the Hidden Cloud Village of the Land of Lightning and the Hidden Sand Village of the Land of Wind.
Although the Hidden Cloud had announced its withdrawal from the war, in wartime, only a fool took such declarations at face value.
The Hidden Cloud was arguably the village that had suffered the greatest losses. As a militant village led by the newly appointed Fourth Raikage, A, there was no way they could simply swallow this bitter pill.
Naturally, the Hidden Cloud hoped to gain some advantage from the remaining conflict to recoup some of their losses.
Their greatest hatred, aside from the Leaf which had inflicted heavy losses on them, was reserved for the Hidden Stone Village—the village that had exhausted and killed their Third Raikage.
Unfortunately, the Hidden Stone was currently the most powerful of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Even a joint attack with the Hidden Sand wouldn't achieve much.
The Hidden Mist was a rabid dog now, best not provoked. So the Leaf remained the most viable target.
As for the Hidden Sand, they had turned on the Leaf, blaming them for the mysterious disappearance of their Third Kazekage.
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