Northern peninsula of the Land of Fire, the Mountain Graveyard.
"Obito, the Five Great Shinobi Villages are about to convene a Five Kage Summit. They're preparing to gather their combined forces to deal with the organization. Should we intervene?" Black Zetsu's insidious voice echoed in the oppressive silence of the cavern.
Obito's voice replied, calm and measured, "No need. After that last battle, Nagato's body is greatly depleted, and the morale of the other members within the Akatsuki is also very low. It's best not to stir up any extra trouble or complications at this delicate time."
"But if the Five Kage Summit is successfully convened, will they then gather their forces to attack Amegakure?" Black Zetsu pressed, his voice laced with concern. "You know, the news currently circulating throughout the outside world is that our Akatsuki decisively suppressed the Divine Court. If the Five Great Villages form an allied army, their primary target will inevitably be us."
Hearing this, Obito fell silent, contemplating the possibilities. After a moment, his voice sounded again in the dim cavern, "Let's wait and see for now. The Five Great Shinobi Villages are already riddled with deep-seated contradictions and conflicting interests among themselves; they may not necessarily reach a unified consensus on how to proceed against us."
"Even if they do achieve some tangible results at this Five Kage Summit, they won't necessarily make a move against us immediately. In the last battle on the Moon, the Akatsuki's overall strength wasn't significantly diminished, despite the loss of some Paths. If the Five Great Villages don't want a mutually destructive, all-out war, they absolutely will not act rashly or without overwhelming cause."
"Convening a Five Kage Summit now," Obito concluded, "is likely more about them showing their collective resolve and sending a message to both our Akatsuki and the Divine Court." After Obito finished speaking, Black Zetsu also remained silent for a thoughtful moment.
After a pause, Black Zetsu spoke again, "According to the information sent back by the White Zetsu clones, those two prominent members of the Divine Court still haven't returned to Yakugakure. Could they perhaps be trapped on the Moon?"
Obito shook his head dismissively. "Unlikely. With the demonstrated strength of that Uchiha from the Divine Court, he is more than capable of directly flying them off the Moon if he so chose. Perhaps they simply haven't returned to Yakugakure yet for their own reasons, or they're currently lying low and operating somewhere else, out of sight."
"Against that Uchiha from the Divine Court organization, Nagato's current strength is likely still inferior," Black Zetsu mused, then suggested, "Should we consider enhancing him further by using Hashirama's cells to strengthen him?"
"No!" Obito directly and firmly rejected Black Zetsu's suggestion. "The Rinnegan's intrinsic power is already immense. If that man's cells were to be transplanted into him now, there's a significant risk that Nagato might break free from our control entirely. It's far better to patiently wait until the Gedo Statue is fully revived and then proceed according to our established plan!"
The enormous, almost unbelievable boost that Hashirama's cells provided to an individual's physical abilities and ocular power was absolutely beyond the imagination of most people. Half of Obito's own ravaged body was reconstructed and sustained by White Zetsu matter, which itself was cultivated using Hashirama's cells; he naturally understood this critical point very well. No one could accurately predict just how overwhelmingly powerful Nagato might become after fusing with even more of Hashirama's potent cells.
On the surface, his relationship with Nagato had always been presented as one of pragmatic cooperation. The key to Obito being able to manipulate and subtly guide Nagato lay in Nagato's profound ignorance regarding many crucial truths—for example, the true origin and ultimate purpose of his Rinnegan. Obito precisely used this carefully maintained information gap between them to indirectly drive Nagato towards helping him achieve his long-term, clandestine goals. But if Nagato's personal strength increased to a certain, overwhelming level, this delicate, manipulative balance of power might be irrevocably shattered. Once possessing absolute, unassailable power, Nagato might not continue to tolerate Obito's continued existence as a shadowy, potential threat.
Hearing Obito decisively refuse this particular course of action, Black Zetsu's usually inscrutable eyes flickered slightly with an unreadable emotion. Then, the deep cavern fell silent once more, filled only with the faint dripping of water and their unspoken thoughts.
Konoha Village, Root Headquarters.
"Lord Danzo, Lord Hokage has already departed from the village." A Root ninja knelt on one knee on the cold stone floor, reporting respectfully to Danzo.
"Then, proceed according to plan." Danzo stood quietly, leaning heavily on his simple wooden cane. After hearing the Root ninja's report, he waved his hand dismissively, his voice faint but firm.
"Yes, sir." The Root ninja quickly acknowledged the order and, with a flicker, departed from the chamber.
After the Root ninja had left, only Danzo remained in the vast, empty hall of the Root base. "Hiruzen," Danzo muttered under his breath, a chillingly soft whisper in the gloom, "your era… your time… should finally end now."
As he spoke these momentous words, a scroll suddenly appeared in Danzo's hand. Unfurling the scroll, it revealed an official-looking document, a decree, appointing Danzo Shimura as the Fifth Hokage of Konoha Village. At the bottom of the meticulously prepared appointment letter was the bright, unmistakable red seal of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. Looking at this pivotal document, the culmination of a lifetime of ambition, Danzo's usually impassive face bore an undisguised, almost fervent expression of triumph.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh~
Evening. In a dense, shadowy forest just outside the walls of Konoha Village, more than ten dark figures flickered continuously and silently through the trees, moving with practiced stealth. They were all uniformly dressed in the distinctive, anonymous attire of Root ninja.
At the head of the covert squad was Danzo's most trusted subordinate, Aburame Ryoma. This time, to ensure the critical plan proceeded smoothly and without any unforeseen complications, the dozen or so ninja led by Aburame Ryoma were all handpicked elites from Root's most seasoned operatives.
In the deepening night, the whistling, cold winter wind continuously whipped past them, rustling their dark cloaks. Under his black, obscuring hood, Aburame Ryoma's expression was somewhat complex, a mixture of grim determination and internal conflict.
Cooperating with Orochimaru to assassinate Lord Third Hokage! This monumental, treasonous mission left his mind in a state of profound turmoil. As a loyal member of the Aburame clan, Aburame Ryoma actually held deep, genuine respect for the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, a man who had led the village for decades. But for the sake of Lord Danzo's grand ambition, and also for what Ryoma had been conditioned to believe was for the ultimate good and necessary strengthening of Konoha, he knew he had to execute this dark mission perfectly, without fail.
Glancing back at the determined, unquestioning comrades who had followed him out on this perilous venture, Aburame Ryoma couldn't help but sigh inwardly, a heavy weight settling in his chest. After this mission, regardless of its outcome, perhaps none of them would ever be able to return to Konoha as they were. However, they had all long since steeled themselves for this kind of self-sacrifice, their loyalty to Danzo absolute.
Just as Aburame Ryoma's thoughts were churning with these heavy considerations, he was completely unaware that not far behind them, concealed by the darkness and their own focused advance, a lone, shadowy figure was following them—closely, yet unhurriedly, like a patient predator. It was a figure of slightly slender build, dressed identically to a Root ninja, blending in perfectly. However, their stealth and tracking skills were clearly far superior to those of the Root operatives they shadowed; throughout their entire journey, Aburame Ryoma and his elite squad had not sensed this almost ghostly presence at all.
Uchiha Clan Compound. Fugaku's home.
"Father, why didn't Brother Itachi come back today?" Beside the dining table in the living room, Sasuke, who had been engrossed in his evening meal, suddenly looked up at his father, Uchiha Fugaku, his voice tinged with disappointment. As he spoke, Sasuke's expression was clearly unhappy. After a recent period of intensive training under Tatsuya, Sasuke felt that his own strength and skills had improved significantly, and he was eager to show off.
Because of this, he had tried to arrange to meet with Itachi several times, wanting to give his beloved older brother a pleasant surprise with his progress. But during that time, Itachi had always been occupied with secretive, important missions and had no free time for Sasuke at all. Recently, Itachi had finally had some rare leisure time, and he had promised Sasuke that he would practice shuriken throwing with him after school today. Sasuke had been eagerly, almost desperately, looking forward to giving his brother a demonstration of his newfound abilities!
But who knew that Itachi would break their promise without even a single word of notice or explanation. This made Sasuke feel very angry, and also deeply wronged and neglected.
"Itachi left the village on an urgent mission," Fugaku replied softly, glancing briefly at his younger son's crestfallen face.
"Left the village?" Sasuke's face fell even further upon hearing this, and he grumbled complainingly, "What kind of important mission is it that he couldn't even say anything to me before leaving!" Opposite him, at the head of the table, Fugaku's hand movements paused slightly as he ate, and a complex, unreadable emotion flickered quickly in his usually stern eyes.
Even he, the captain of the Konoha Military Police Force and head of the Uchiha clan, didn't know what crucial mission Itachi had left the village to undertake.