Land of Rain, Akatsuki's base.
"How's the investigation going?" Obito asked Black Zetsu in a low voice.
Black Zetsu calmly said, "Some discoveries, but further exploration is needed."
"Exploration?"
"That's right, the Sage of Six Paths left something for the Uchiha, so what about the Senju clan?"
"Senju?"
Obito was stunned, he had never thought about this question, but on second thought, it didn't seem impossible.
Having seen the Uchiha Stone Tablet, he naturally knew the relationships and mysteries within it.
So, if the Uchiha had something, the Senju should have something too.
"How's your exploration?"
"I found clues, but I need time."
Black Zetsu calmly shook his head. In fact, he had almost finished forging what needed to be forged.
It just looked too new, and even with his methods, it would take some time to settle.
"This thing is hidden very secretly, and Konoha also has Takemi, I dare not act rashly."
"Takemi, huh..."
Obito nodded, accepting this explanation.
Takemi's danger level was extremely high, and he had to be wary of that.
"It seems this indeed requires time to deal with."
"That's right, but I have a general direction." Black Zetsu spoke calmly.
He looked at Obito, thought for a moment, and continued, "I'll tell you as soon as I find it, after all, if it's like the Uchiha Stone Tablet, I can't read what's written on it."
"Is that so..."
Obito was silent for a while, then finally nodded.
"Tell me when you find it, I'm also very curious about what's on it, and I want to see what it will say."
Obito was truly curious. Ever since that 'Ōtsutsuki Takeshiki' poked Black Zetsu, he had always been suspicious of Black Zetsu.
However, he knew that now, and even in the future, he still needed Black Zetsu's assistance, otherwise many things would be difficult to progress.
Thinking of this, he sighed in his heart, and his tone became a little more gentle.
"Then I'll trouble you."
"It's nothing, but I need to remind you that we should maintain silence during this period."
Black Zetsu looked at Obito's appearance and immediately knew that Obito had been appeased, which relieved him quite a bit.
"Although Nagato has recovered and even gotten better, his previous injuries were too severe, and the Gedo Statue needs time to recover."
"Approximately how long?"
"Perhaps around two years, but to be safe, let's estimate three years."
"Three years?"
"That's right, three years. So I think we should prepare well during these three years, after all, Orochimaru is also severely injured."
Orochimaru was indeed severely injured. Even though he was very good at surviving, all of this required time to recover.
And the Akatsuki really needed Orochimaru, and he also desperately needed Orochimaru. He really didn't want to cause any more trouble.
"We need to give Orochimaru some time, not only for him to recover but also for him to research Edo Tensei, after all, we've suffered too many losses."
"Indeed..."
Obito nodded.
With Black Zetsu assisting him, his thoughts became much clearer.
"Our casualties this time were too great, and we indeed need to recover well, but what about Kumogakure?"
"Kumogakure was conquered by Takemi and attacked by Ōtsutsuki Takeshiki, their defeat has become a foregone conclusion."
Black Zetsu had a contingency plan ready, he explained.
"Now, as long as Konoha enters, even if some people are unwilling, they will choose to compromise and negotiate. This is our opportunity."
"The unwillingness of the losers, huh."
Obito sighed, but soon he shook his head with disdain.
"Tch, have we fallen so low as to cooperate with losers?"
We ourselves are losers, alright...
Black Zetsu also sighed in his heart. For some reason they had fallen to this point.
A perfectly good Akatsuki, managed like a makeshift group, it was truly a headache.
"Don't worry, even losers can make a comeback." However, Black Zetsu still tried to comfort Obito.
"Three years, just three years. Once everything recovers, once we all become stronger, I believe we can do it."
"That's right, whether it's Takemi or that Ōtsutsuki Takeshiki, under the Ten-Tails and Tsukuyomi, they are nothing."
Obito clenched his fists, he said in a low voice.
"I believe that we will win!"
"That's right, we will win..."
Black Zetsu also nodded along, after all, he had already planned everything out.
Once his aging work was complete, he would guide Takemi, and he was even thinking about how to give Takemi some benefits within these three years.
To allow Takemi to grow even stronger, and thus face that Ōtsutsuki Takeshiki.
"The Chakra burst from the moon last time seemed very similar to mother, could it be mother?"
Black Zetsu felt curious, but he thought it should be fine, otherwise he would have disappeared long ago.
Actually, he didn't want to endure for so long either, but all of this was unavoidable.
"Three years, as long as I endure these three years, everything will return to normal, and I will definitely be able to rescue mother..."
Black Zetsu kept cheering himself on, and at this moment, Obito was preparing to leave.
"I'll go check on Nagato. I'll leave the continued investigation of Konoha to you. I hope time passes quickly."
"It's just three years, merely the blink of an eye."
Black Zetsu subconsciously replied, and then he was startled, but fortunately, Obito didn't seem to notice.
Or rather, he also felt it was just three years.
He had waited for so long, always determined to create a 'world of peace'. Waiting another three years wasn't a big problem.
"Huh?"
However, as soon as he opened the Kamui Dimension, he immediately felt that something was wrong.
Boom—
The next moment, a violent roar sounded within Kamui, and he was sent flying back under Black Zetsu's dumbfounded expression.
His body was constantly burning, half of his arm had been blown off, and he froze for a moment, then cursed angrily.
"Worthless Kakashi! You are indeed despicable!"
"No wonder you could teach that despicable Takemi!"
"You all deserve to die!"
Looking at Obito in this state, Black Zetsu's lips twitched, and a thought suddenly popped into his mind.
"Can we... survive these three years...?"