Chapter 34
That day, Kisame never brought Killer Bee to the rendezvous point.
"…"
Obito turned away in silence.
—That night.
In the depths of Akatsuki's hideout, the air was heavy with stillness.
Inside a dimly lit chamber, candlelight flickered against the dark walls. Sasuke sat silently, dressed in a black shirt, his eyes wrapped tightly in fresh white bandages.
He had just transplanted Itachi's eyes.
All for the sake of power.
"Hmph… I can feel it—this power keeps surging into me… I'm getting stronger…!"
A twisted grin tugged at Sasuke's lips as soft laughter echoed in the shadows, blending with the flickering light. Each chuckle bordered on madness.
In the corner of the room, Karin hugged her knees tightly, her red hair covering her trembling face. She could sense it—Sasuke's chakra growing darker and colder by the second. It terrified her.
In the outer room, Obito waited.
Motionless.
A single candle burned beside him, its flame swaying gently in the breeze, casting long, eerie shadows against the wall. The stillness of the air only deepened the suffocating tension in the room.
Rustle—
A bloom of plant-like tendrils unfurled from the wall. Black Zetsu and White Zetsu emerged, bringing back a string of grim news.
"Kisame betrayed us. He defected to Naruto's side. The Eight-Tails escaped and is already en route back to Kumogakure."
Obito didn't move.
But beneath the candlelight, the silhouette of his mask stretched across the wall, his voice low and sharp as a blade.
"The last person you'd expect to betray us… surrendered to the last person he'd ever obey."
He exhaled, the Sharingan in his mask glinting.
"That kind of absurdity—only Uchiha eyes can make it possible. Shisui's eye… It really did fall into Naruto's hands."
"Once again… he got ahead of us."
Black Zetsu growled, "What do we do now? Our numbers are dwindling, and we've never been this cornered before."
White Zetsu chimed in, "But we still have Sasuke, right? He's just transplanted Itachi's Mangekyō. He'll soon unlock power beyond anything we've seen!"
Black Zetsu shot back, "If only it were that simple…"
Obito's voice was heavy. "Right now, Sasuke only cares about destroying Konoha. Our plan doesn't even rank in his priorities. And now that he has Itachi's eyes, he's more dangerous than ever. We can't manipulate him the way we used to."
White Zetsu, still unfazed, offered another idea. "What about that red-haired girl? The one who's head-over-heels for him. We could use her to control Sasuke…"
Black Zetsu scoffed, "You just said it's one-sided. And with how cold Sasuke is, he'd probably kill her first before listening."
White Zetsu tried again, "Then make her have his kid. Once there's a child, even Sasuke wouldn't just sit back and let harm come to his own flesh and blood."
"…"
Black Zetsu was speechless.
Obito, finally breaking his silence, snapped, "Are you finished?"
White Zetsu awkwardly scratched his head. "Uh, yeah? I was just joking. Thought you could use a laugh. I mean, A-Fu would totally try something like that—"
But the attempt at humor fizzled out. The mood in the room turned dark again.
Obito stared at the floor.
"Ever since Naruto began deviating from the timeline… we've been on the back foot. The Eye of the Moon plan has stalled. We've made no real progress."
"Eight-Tails… Nine-Tails… and the Rinnegan. The three remaining components to awaken the Ten-Tails…"
"…Two of them are already in Naruto's hands."
He gritted his teeth.
"Now he even has Kotoamatsukami… That damned pupil technique."
"To deal with this version of Naruto, we need at least one trump card left. No—whatever it takes, we must reclaim the Eight-Tails!"
White Zetsu asked seriously, "But who should we send this time? We've already failed twice, and now Kisame's gone. Should we try to convince Sasuke to go? Or maybe find another candidate?"
Crack—!
Bloodshot veins spread across the eyehole of Obito's mask as his Sharingan flared.
"I'll go."
He rose to his feet. Each step away from the candlelight was slow—but pulsed with suppressed rage.
Watching him go, White Zetsu muttered, "Man… I haven't seen that kind of killing intent from Obito since the Mist incident. He's seriously pissed…"
Black Zetsu muttered darkly, "That's what worries me. If he loses control like back then, he might kill the Eight-Tails by accident… and then everything will be ruined. We need someone to keep an eye on him."
Just then, a laid-back voice cut through the tension.
"Sounds like a lot happened while I was gone…"
They turned.
A white figure, messy hair, spiraled face—it was Tobi. The goofy one. A-Fu.
White Zetsu brightened. "Oh~! You're back, A-Fu!"
Black Zetsu wrinkled his nose. "Ugh, what's that smell? Did you fall into a latrine or something? And—wait, did you hear all that?"
A-Fu gave a crooked grin. "Yup. He's going after Eight-Tails by himself, huh? Not in a good headspace either. If he snaps… he might kill Bee before we can stop him."
His tone shifted, mask darkening ever so slightly.
"That's why… I'm going with him."
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