Naruto: Manipulation

Shigen was in a good mood.

Even though he was always as calm as still water, secretly obtaining a Ten-Tails was enough to make his mood slightly lighter.

Black Zetsu was also in high spirits.

Because Uchiha Obito's bounty was spreading across the world.

To prevent Konoha's shinobi from questioning why a war hero was suddenly being hunted, the village's leadership had revealed Obito's role in the Nine-Tails' attack.

The outcry from Konoha's shinobi, which had been directed at Uchiha Itachi for the Uchiha Massacre, quickly shifted toward condemning Obito for the Nine-Tails' catastrophe.

—

Land of Fields.

Orochimaru's new base.

Obito and Itachi had been assigned to monitor Orochimaru, turning this place into a gathering ground for Konoha's rogue shinobi.

Obito, Itachi, Orochimaru.

Three S-rank rogue shinobi from Konoha, along with Anko Mitarashi and Kabuto Yakushi, who had yet to fully sever ties with the village—this lineup was enough for frequent meetings.

Naturally—

They were all aware of Konoha's bounty notice.

"Looks like Minato-sensei revealed quite a few secrets before he died..."

Upon learning the news, Obito immediately realized that Minato Namikaze must have exposed parts of his identity before his death. When Sarutobi Hiruzen combined that information with Kakashi's report, he had likely deduced the truth about the Nine-Tails' attack.

"..."

Itachi silently clenched his kunai.

This man—the true culprit behind the Nine-Tails' disaster!

Although the Uchiha clan had not suffered great casualties that night, it had permanently shattered any hope of reconciliation between them and Konoha's leadership.

"I don't understand."

Itachi shook his head and quietly asked, "Why did you attack Konoha with the Nine-Tails that night?"

"What's so hard to understand?"

"I simply wanted the Nine-Tails... and to destroy Konoha."

Obito tilted his head back, gazing at the moon as if reminiscing. Perhaps he had done it to sever his ties with Konoha, or maybe he had simply wanted to watch the world burn.

After Rin died—

After he learned of the Moon's Eye Plan—

The world and everyone in it had lost all meaning.

His former teacher, Minato Namikaze, and Kushina Uzumaki, who had once cared for him—they didn't matter anymore.

His former comrades in Konoha—they were irrelevant.

"Just like..."

Obito sensed the hatred in Itachi's tone and casually added, "I also don't understand why, two months ago, you suddenly invited me to help you slaughter our clan."

"..."

Itachi's Sharingan flickered red.

"Would you two like some tea?"

Kabuto approached with two cups of tea, his glasses reflecting light as he smiled politely.

Lately—

Kabuto had been through a lot.

Ever since Shigen disappeared, Kabuto had been uneasy, fearing that Orochimaru would punish him.

But—

Orochimaru had never blamed him.

Because Orochimaru himself had fallen into Shigen's grasp.

He had originally planned to manipulate Shigen, but instead, he had become one of Shigen's pawns. The sheer speed of this reversal left Kabuto unsettled.

However, after learning about Shigen's changing mentality from Orochimaru, Kabuto decided to pretend nothing had happened and resumed his role as Orochimaru's assistant.

Perhaps Shigen had never truly cared about him—just as Obito wouldn't care about someone as insignificant as him.

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"Hmph..."

Obito didn't even acknowledge Kabuto.

To him, Kabuto was nothing more than an ordinary medical-nin.

Weak.

Worthless.

Of no value.

"Thank you, Mr. Kabuto."

Itachi, however, politely nodded in gratitude.

"Do you have any sweets?"

Anko yawned as she approached Kabuto, casually grabbing a cup of tea. "Where's Orochimaru hiding today? I need to keep an eye on him."

"..."

Kabuto's smile grew slightly strained, but he still reminded her, "Lord Orochimaru is in Lab Three, but you should hold off on trying to assassinate him today—at least let him finish one experiment."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

Anko waved him off dismissively, unsheathing her kunai and admiring its sharp edge.

Lately—

She had been trying to kill Orochimaru at every opportunity.

Anytime.

Anywhere.

Thankfully, Orochimaru never retaliated.

Because—

Anko was an idiot.

That was already common knowledge in this base.

She thought she had infiltrated Akatsuki to monitor Orochimaru, but in reality, she was the leverage Shigen used to keep Orochimaru under control.

"Kabuto."

Itachi sipped his tea and asked indifferently, "You're returning to Konoha tomorrow to contact Danzo, correct?"

"Yes..."

Kabuto smiled and nodded.

This time, however—

He had his own ulterior motives.

In addition to contacting Danzo, Kabuto planned to visit the orphanage where he had grown up.

Thanks to Shigen's influence, Kabuto had started questioning his purpose in life.

He had once believed his goal was to follow Orochimaru, but now he wasn't so sure.

He didn't want anyone to know about this doubt.

Perhaps—

Shigen knew the answer.

But that man had transformed from a mere medical ninja into a shadowy figure manipulating the world.

He wouldn't waste time on something as trivial as Kabuto's personal confusion.

"Huh? You're going back to Konoha?"

Anko asked absentmindedly before adding a request. "Bring me some dango from the village on your way back!"

"..."

Itachi's expression darkened.

"Bring some for this guy too."

Anko glanced at Itachi. "I remember seeing him and his girlfriend waiting in line at the sweets shop once."

"..."

Itachi's expression darkened even further.

"Ahem..."

Kabuto immediately changed the subject, realizing that Itachi's girlfriend had likely died during the Uchiha Massacre. "Is there anything else you need from the village?"

"Kabuto, could you bring some intel to Lord Third for me?"

Anko grinned mischievously. "Tell him that Danzo is scum. He's been working with rogue ninja like Orochimaru this whole time—he should be taken out ASAP."

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Kabuto choked on his tea.

There was no way he could deliver that information.

"I need to pack."

Kabuto sighed, shook his head, and left with his tray, making his way toward the depths of the base.

He gently pushed open the door to Lab Three.

"Akatsuki's surveillance isn't very tight."

Adjusting his glasses, Kabuto reported his observations to Orochimaru. "Obito and Itachi don't seem particularly interested in keeping a close eye on you. Will you be leaving once I'm gone?"

Kabuto didn't even bother mentioning Anko.

She didn't count as a real surveillance agent.

"There's no need."

Orochimaru chuckled, lightly tapping the heated glass of his test tube. "If this is the extent of Akatsuki's 'surveillance,' then they're clearly not worried about me escaping. I won't be leaving until I complete my next breakthrough in the Cursed Seal."

"Kabuto."

"On your way back, take a detour to the northern base and bring those children back—especially Kimimaro and Jugo."

"Perhaps..."

Orochimaru's thoughts drifted to his most loyal subordinate and then to Shigen's legendary medical skills. "If Lord Shigen is willing to help, there may be a way to cure Kimimaro's illness."

No matter how much Shigen had changed—

The world still saw him as the ultimate healer.

"SSS-Rank Mission: When Kabuto Yakushi becomes lost in life, guide him toward his true purpose."