Before the Fourth Battle, Deidara had been dispatched to intercept Sasuke, only to be shot down. He funneled his rage into the proper channel.
He returned to his homeland and defeated the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, the Lava Release user Rōshi.
That mission had originally been assigned to Kisame, so he went ahead and hunted the Five-Tails, which also hailed from Iwagakure.
Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, had once utilized the Akatsuki during wartime. But after losing two Tailed Beasts in a row, he declared a complete break with the organization.
On another front, while Danzō had died on the isolated Pale Moon Island, the Root members deduced his death through the disappearance of the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.
The news reached Obito via Zetsu almost immediately.
In the current shinobi world, only a handful of people could kill Danzō without a sound.
Since it wasn't Akatsuki's doing, Obito's thoughts naturally turned to the boy operating under Orochimaru's wing, the one who had thwarted five Akatsuki members in a row.
Shisui's right eye… it must have fallen into Orochimaru's hands as well.
"They've beaten us to it again…"
This time, Obito felt a distinct, gnawing anxiety.
Though Akatsuki had successfully captured and sealed five Tailed Beasts, the unease coiling in his gut wouldn't fade.
He had a premonition: Orochimaru was planning something major through Sasuke.
"If Sasuke transplants Itachi's eyes, he could awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan in an instant. His power would leap forward. And the Kotoamatsukami I needed to ensure his loyalty… I failed to secure it."
"If… Orochimaru's goals truly conflict with Akatsuki's interests, he becomes a clear and present threat."
"Perhaps… it's time to have an honest conversation with a certain someone."
…
During an Akatsuki gathering to seal a Tailed Beast, Kisame received the news of Itachi's defeat at Sasuke's hands.
The sealing ritual ended. He walked alone down a winding mountain path, his silhouette bleak and desolate.
"Um, hey, Senior Kisame… mind if I say a few words?"
For a while now, a pest had been trailing him.
Kisame stopped, trying with some effort to keep the impatience from his voice. "Tobi. I'm not in the best mood. Give me some space."
Tobi's hand, half-raised in an awkward gesture, slowly lowered.
He dipped his head slightly. From behind the mask came a voice utterly unlike his usual comedic tone—low and serious.
"In the end, even you, who was closest to him, were kept in the dark."
"Hm?" Kisame turned, his shark-like eyes narrowing on Tobi.
Tobi raised his left hand, the one bearing the 'Gyoku' ring, and removed his mask.
"!!"
The face revealed made the blood vessels in Kisame's bulbous eyes swell.
Suddenly… all the nagging doubts, the puzzling inconsistencies that had plagued him… they vanished.
He let out a laugh of profound understanding. "Hahaha… I see. So Tobi was you all along. This makes my actions within Akatsuki much simpler. The former Mizukage… no. Lord Madara."
Obito's voice was a low rumble. "I'll be counting on you from now on, Kisame. A significant variable has appeared. I want to accelerate our pace. The Six-Tails, the Seven-Tails, the Eight-Tails. I want all three within the next month."
Kisame replied calmly, "A truly formidable task. Will the other members not assist?"
Obito was blunt. "Deidara is a bomb waiting to go off. Unreliable. As for Zetsu, he isn't a combat type. And Nagato and Konan… they've had their own agenda from the start. We just haven't torn off the facade yet. In the end, Kisame… the one I trust unconditionally, the one I can truly rely on, is you."
Kisame's voice firmed with resolve. "That is my honor. I will give my all. However, the task you've outlined doesn't seem to include the Nine-Tails. That's just a brat of a Jinchūriki. Should be easy enough. Is there… some complication?"
Obito said, "The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, Naruto, is currently under the constant protection of one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya. When the time comes, Pain—Nagato—will handle it personally. And if, by some chance, even Pain cannot succeed… I will step in."
A note of reminiscence entered Kisame's voice. "Jiraiya of the Sannin, you say? I had the privilege of seeing him not long ago. Met Kakashi Hatake and that 'Green Beast' of Konoha before that, too. Jiraiya… a man even Itachi would retreat from. How times change. It's barely been half a year, yet everything is different."
A subtle, dark shadow flickered in Obito's visible eye. He clenched the mask in his hand. "In the world of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, there is no pain of meeting enemies, no agony of parting from loved ones. That world… is almost within our grasp."
…
Pale Moon Island.
The groundwork Kabuto had laid before the Third Battle was bearing fruit.
Funded by Orochimaru and using his provided blueprints, the first batch of experimental facilities had arrived.
Orochimaru made a special trip, bringing Itachi to observe.
"This is the 'Processing Center' required for rapid cloning. Of my new equipment, it's the most closely tied to my old work and the simplest to master."
"After all, cloning technology is quite mature by… future standards."
"Even my own child was born through such means."
Itachi asked, "That child… named 'Mitsuki'? You wish to recreate him?"
Orochimaru shook his head gently. "No. Even if recreated, he would not be Mitsuki. He would be a new life with Mitsuki's form. To welcome such a child with a mindset of filling a void would only breed emptiness. It would be irresponsible to the child itself. So, Mitsuki belongs to the past. I will remember him, but I will never recreate him."
This perspective, so detached from worldly sentiment, earned a measure of respect from Itachi, another being of high intellect.
Orochimaru shifted topics. "The White Zetsu. A special life form born from humans trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, used by Kaguya Ōtsutsuki as soldiers against her clan. The essence of the 'Infinite Tsukuyomi' is to gradually assimilate humans with the power of the Divine Tree. By that logic, the White Zetsu's combat power should be immense… not as pathetic as they were in the past."
"I traced the root cause. First, Kaguya's Divine Tree was of inferior quality. Second, her method of cultivating the White Zetsu was flawed. Their combat power was severely diminished. The only successful product was that special White Zetsu named 'Tobi'. In this era, whether as experimental material or for the demands of war, White Zetsu are indispensable."
Itachi understood. "So… you plan to use cloning—a method inhumane by human standards—to mass-produce White Zetsu?"
Orochimaru smiled. "Precisely. My current techniques no longer require human subjects. So, we shall use the White Zetsu instead."
In a cell just a wall away from the lab was the White Zetsu captured alive during the operation to rescue Gaara.
Orochimaru stood before the cell, sleeves crossed, Itachi beside him.
"After the Fifth Battle concludes, I will begin cloning and mass-producing the White Zetsu. We'll establish our own intelligence network. Saves us from having Kabuto run around every time…"
Swish!
A black vortex swirled into existence.
Orochimaru chuckled. "Oh? Speak of the devil…"
Kabuto landed, looking travel-worn. "I finally found him. That man's movements are truly elusive…"
"Oh? Where might that be?" Orochimaru purred. "I'm curious myself~."
Kabuto adjusted his glasses, his expression grave. "The ruins of the long-fallen Uzumaki clan—the Land of Whirlpools!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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