"So this is the Uchiha Stone Tablet… the monument inscribed with the Sage of Six Paths' sorrowful wish—the Eye of the Moon Plan…"
Beneath the Uchiha clan's Naka Shrine, Obito Uchiha, whose whereabouts had remained unknown ever since he repelled Shisui Uchiha, lit the candles in the chamber.
Under the dim, swaying candlelight, he used his pair of Mangekyo Sharingan to carefully read, line by line, the Uchiha Stone Tablet that Madara Uchiha had once mentioned to him.
The first thing recorded on the tablet was the origin of chakra—the descent of the Divine Tree.
After that came the origins and grudges of the Uchiha and Senju clans.
According to Madara Uchiha, the final section related to the Eye of the Moon Plan could only be read with the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. However, Obito Uchiha now possessed both Wood Release and the Mangekyo Sharingan. With the two powers overlapping, he was likewise able to read the entire contents of the Uchiha Stone Tablet.
After he finished reading every word engraved upon it, and after repeatedly confirming that there were no omissions or deviations, Obito Uchiha slowly exhaled.
A subtle smile, enough to make anyone's blood run cold, gradually appeared on his face, which had never shown much joy or sorrow to begin with.
"So that is how it was. After seeing this final section, Madara finally made up his mind to leave Konoha and seek a way to obtain Hashirama Senju's power… On that point, at least, he did not lie."
"What a pity, Madara… Not only have you died of old age, but the contingencies you left behind have also slipped beyond your expectations and control. Everything you secretly prepared to complete the Eye of the Moon Plan will, in the end, become nothing more than a wedding robe made for me."
After murmuring to himself for a while, Obito Uchiha put his tiger-striped mask and hood back on.
Then he turned and stepped into the Kamui dimension, leaving the Uchiha Shrine that was, for the time being, of no further use to him.
In only two or three breaths, he crossed a considerable distance and appeared inside a secret base that had once belonged to Root.
"Obito. You're here…"
Hearing Obito Uchiha arrive, Black Zetsu and White Zetsu's main body, who were gathering intelligence from various sides, both turned their gazes toward him.
"Obito, the situation is bad…"
"How bad?"
Obito Uchiha looked at White Zetsu's main body, whose eyes carried unconcealable anxiety, and asked casually.
"That Rei Kaguya did not leave only Nagato and Shisui Uchiha as his hidden pieces in Konoha," White Zetsu said with a serious expression. "His clone used a sneak attack to take down the Seven-Tails. It also created a barrier and temporarily sealed the other three Tailed Beasts inside it. Nagato has already freed up his hands. He may go support any battlefield at any time."
"Hanzo's side is not going smoothly either. His Black Salamander was ambushed and killed by Tsunade, who should not have appeared here. Although Hanzo himself is strong enough to suppress Tsunade, without the Black Salamander, he has no way to inflict large-scale casualties on Konoha's active forces."
"That does sound rather unfavorable… But you have not mentioned Kakuzu or Zetsu's clone. In other words, their operation is still going smoothly for now, correct?" Obito Uchiha asked without hurry.
"Yes." Black Zetsu nodded. "The two of them worked together and killed two of Konoha's Hokage advisors. White Zetsu's clone has already infiltrated Konoha Hospital and is collecting intelligence there. As for Kakuzu, with our help, he has already hidden himself inside the Hokage Building. He is preparing to deliver a fatal strike to the people issuing orders inside and completely sever Konoha's command system."
"Tell him to wait for me for a little while. I will strike together with him to ensure nothing goes wrong."
Obito Uchiha nodded. Then he looked around, frowned slightly, and asked, "Where are the others from the organization? It was only a raid on Root, whose elites are already gone and whose structure has been dismantled by Konoha's higher-ups. Does that really require this much time?"
"They have already succeeded. But Ryoma, who is leading them, said that someone among them had infiltrated the interception force gathered by the Third Hokage. They intend to follow the information left behind by that person and assassinate the Third Hokage," White Zetsu reported the message he had received. "What should we do? Should we call them back?"
"…Hmph. Then let them have their wish. After today, Root's power will no longer be that necessary to us."
After thinking for a moment, Obito Uchiha decided to ignore the arbitrary actions of those Root defectors.
After all, before Iwagakure and Kumogakure had come knocking on his door, when Obito Uchiha was formulating the plan to raid Konoha, he had originally intended to have those who had once followed Danzo Shimura—and who understood all kinds of intelligence regarding the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi—hold that old man down.
Since they were already unable to restrain themselves, Obito Uchiha had no reason to stop them.
"In that case, I will go rendezvous with Kakuzu first and make Konoha's already chaotic command system even more chaotic… Zetsu, remember to keep an eye on Minato Namikaze's whereabouts. Once he appears on the battlefield, we must seize the opportunity to release the Nine-Tails."
"You are not going to bother with Kakashi Hatake?" Black Zetsu could not help asking. "I originally thought that after defeating Shisui Uchiha, you would immediately retrieve your other eye…"
"What do you think is the reason Nagato has not gone to act alongside Konoha shinobi in some other area yet?"
Obito Uchiha swept a glance at Black Zetsu from the corner of his eye, watching as the other party seemed to suddenly realize something. Then he explained unhurriedly.
"Shisui Uchiha knows that I intend to take Kakashi's Sharingan. In that case, Nagato, who has likewise turned to Rei Kaguya's side, must also know this intelligence… Rei Kaguya's clone choosing to act at that moment was very likely so Nagato could free his hands and replace the defeated Shisui Uchiha in protecting Kakashi."
"And at a time like this, what we need is a sufficiently weighty opponent like the rampaging Nine-Tails to force him to turn his gaze away."
"…Understood."
Black Zetsu answered in a low voice, then sank into the ground and continued searching for intelligence across the battlefields.
Obito Uchiha also opened the Kamui dimension with his right eye, preparing to rendezvous with Kakuzu—
Then White Zetsu's sudden cry of alarm disrupted all of Obito Uchiha's plans.
"Obito, wait! My clone found the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's location!"
"Where!?"
"Konoha Hospital. Only a group of Konoha shinobi who organized themselves voluntarily are serving as temporary guards there. With your ability, breaking through them will not be difficult at all! Also, Minato Namikaze has appeared. He just left Konoha Hospital using the Flying Thunder God Technique. He should have gone to support the frontline battlefield!"
Listening to White Zetsu's rapid-fire report, the face beneath Obito Uchiha's mask could not help showing a trace of excitement and a smile.
His figure vanished into a rapidly spinning spatial vortex, leaving White Zetsu's main body with these words:
"Change of plans. Have Kakuzu attack Konoha's command center directly. He does not need to wipe them all out, but he must cause enough disruption to Konoha's current command system. I will bring the Nine-Tails back to the battlefield as quickly as possible and put a final end to today's battle!"
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