Naruto: Manipulation

The Land of Rice Fields and the Land of Rain weren't far apart.

Uchiha Itachi quickly returned to Orochimaru's base, delivering Shigen's plan to begin Akatsuki's operation in full detail to Uchiha Obito.

It was obvious.

Obito wasn't in a good mood.

Orochimaru, however, was quite pleased—he had just welcomed back Yakushi Kabuto, along with the group of children Kabuto had been taking care of.

And as a bonus...

Orochimaru received even better news.

For instance, Danzo Shimura had approved another round of funding for his experiments.

Scientific research was an endless pit of expenses. Any sum of money was a pleasant surprise, and Orochimaru was quite satisfied with Kabuto's efforts.

So much so...

That he invited Kabuto to join their secret rebellion against Shigen, believing that his intellect would be a valuable asset.

Inside Orochimaru's base...

Obito sat in a chair.

Itachi leaned against the wall of the laboratory.

Orochimaru rested against a workbench.

Kabuto stood beside him.

Though they all hailed from the same homeland...

Each had their own agenda.

Yet at this moment, they shared a common goal.

"You seem to be in a good mood, Orochimaru..."

Obito's expression darkened as he glared at Orochimaru, his voice cold. "Itachi just delivered some bad news. The situation is worse than we expected—Shigen is about to set his plan into motion."

"Our time..."

"Is running out faster than we anticipated."

Obito's eyes narrowed. "Once his plan begins, you can forget about ever escaping his grasp."

"Is that so?"

Orochimaru's snake-like eyes gleamed with amusement.

Obito...

Had rushed to him the moment Akatsuki received the news?

In this world, even the closest allies, even in the most urgent situations, usually waited before acting. Delays signaled confidence, proving they weren't desperate in the alliance.

Obito didn't understand that.

He was still a rash, impatient fool.

Even after everything he had been through, Obito's underlying stupidity remained unchanged.

But...

A partner like this...

Was the best kind of partner.

As for Itachi's report, Orochimaru wasn't particularly worried. He only cared about the parts of Akatsuki's plan that he himself knew. "If I remember correctly, their goal is to gather the Tailed Beasts and revive the Ten-Tails as a weapon of war."

"You don't understand how terrifying the Ten-Tails is."

Obito shot him a condescending glance. "If the Ten-Tails is revived, even if you resurrect Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha at their peak, it wouldn't change a thing."

On this point...

Obito did feel a sense of superiority.

Because out of everyone here, only he knew Akatsuki's true objective.

Only he understood the Ten-Tails' true purpose.

"If things get desperate..."

Obito took a deep breath. "I'll kill one of the lesser Tailed Beasts to delay them from reviving the Ten-Tails."

"During that time, you need to gather enough corpses to revive an army strong enough to fight Shigen."

"..."

Itachi remained silent.

Though he and Obito were technically on the same side, he usually preferred to observe rather than speak.

"..."

Kabuto also stayed quiet.

On the surface, he was part of Orochimaru's faction. But this was his first time attending a meeting against Shigen, so he didn't have much information yet.

For now, he would use this opportunity to gather intelligence for Shigen.

"Fine."

"I'll use this time to perfect Edo Tensei..."

Orochimaru then turned to Obito and added his own demand. "But I'll need more high-quality corpses."

"I can't help with that."

Obito scoffed at the idea of grave robbing. "If I start making suspicious moves, Shigen will get suspicious. And Black Zetsu will use it as an excuse to have me kicked out of Akatsuki."

"Covering for you is already the most we can do."

Obito glanced at Itachi. "If we move too much, Black Zetsu will get suspicious."

"Itachi."

Noticing Itachi's thoughtful expression, Obito asked, "Do you have any ideas?"

"I'm thinking about what you just said."

"So... we need to find enough enemies for him to deal with."

Itachi lowered his head, seemingly contemplating deeply.

At this moment, he didn't seem like Shigen's double agent at all.

Instead, he appeared completely aligned with Obito.

"If we leak Shigen's plan to the Great Nations..."

"..."

Kabuto adjusted his glasses.

"No."

Obito immediately rejected the idea.

Shigen's plan was his plan.

He only wanted to get rid of Shigen, not sabotage Akatsuki's operation.

"Actually, it could work..."

A faint smile appeared on Kabuto's lips. "Danzo would certainly be interested in any information about Shigen."

"Danzo's forces are useless."

Obito dismissed the idea outright.

"..."

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Itachi recalled a past event, seeming reluctant to involve Danzo. "Danzo is useless. But the other Great Nations..."

"It's meaningless."

Obito shook his head.

"Orochimaru."

Obito tapped his fingers against the table.

For the first time in a long while, he felt like he was back in control—like the mastermind pulling the strings from the shadows.

Obito looked at Orochimaru, then at Kabuto, before revealing another hidden card he had kept in play.

"Itachi and I will cover for you."

"Send one of your people to Kirigakure to find Hoshigaki Kisame, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. He's my subordinate. Have him assassinate the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura."

"!!!"

Everyone present looked up in shock.

No one had expected Obito to have such a hidden piece in play.

And even more shocking...

He wanted to assassinate a Mizukage!

One of the Five Kage!

Just to delay Akatsuki's plan?

The three of them weren't sure whether to admire Obito's boldness...

Or call him insane.

"If I recall correctly..."

Kabuto, who had once infiltrated Kirigakure, spoke up. "The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, is also the Three-Tails' Jinchūriki. Hoshigaki Kisame, as one of the Seven Swordsmen, has been called the 'Tailed Beast without a Tail.' But assassinating the Mizukage won't be easy."

Kirigakure had been plagued by assassination attempts on the Mizukage for years.

Due to his brutal reign, many had tried to kill him.

None had succeeded.

Kabuto doubted Kisame would fare any better.

"Don't worry."

"Kisame is strong enough."

Obito smirked and casually revealed another shocking truth.

"The Fourth Mizukage has been under my Sharingan's control the entire time. He won't be able to resist Kisame."

"..."

Even Itachi's normally stoic expression faltered slightly.

"This is..."

Orochimaru chuckled.

"Truly unexpected."

As one of Konoha's Sannin, Orochimaru considered himself well-informed.

But he had never imagined that Obito had an entire village's Kage under his control.

No wonder...

The Uchiha clan was always feared by Konoha's leadership.

If this had been exposed earlier, the tension between the Uchiha and Konoha's higher-ups would have escalated even further.

Fortunately...

The Uchiha were wiped out.

Orochimaru's gaze flickered between Itachi and Obito, his tongue flicking out slightly, unable to suppress his growing greed.

This...

Was very tempting.

Both Itachi and Obito possessed powerful Mangekyō Sharingan.

And for someone like Orochimaru, who sought to master all jutsu, their eyes were utterly irresistible.

"..."

Itachi immediately noticed Orochimaru's intent.

As for Obito...

His Kamui made him untouchable.

So Orochimaru's desire meant nothing to him.

If not for the need to defeat Shigen...

If not for Orochimaru's Edo Tensei...

Obito wouldn't even look at him.

"The mission is yours, Kabuto."

Orochimaru ordered calmly, pleased by Kabuto's deference.

"Understood."

Kabuto bowed respectfully.

Of course...

Behind that bow...

A glint flashed across his glasses.

The moment he left, Kabuto would contact Shigen.

But Shigen...

Didn't seem to care.

Because...

He already knew everything.

Because the White Zetsu clone that had been monitoring Orochimaru had already reported Obito and Orochimaru's scheme to Shigen.

However, along with this report, the White Zetsu clone also gave its own recommendation:

"Lord Shigen, we need to stop Obito's plan immediately. If his subordinate kills the Three-Tails' Jinchūriki, it will interfere with our Eye of the Moon Plan!"

"Does your original body know about this yet?"

Shigen seemed only concerned with this one question.

"The main body hasn't returned yet..."

The White Zetsu clone shook its head before quickly offering, "I'll report this to the main body right away and let—"

"No need."

"I'll handle it myself."

"Speaking of which..."

Shigen continued writing on a scroll while casually asking, "How strong are the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?"

"Not that strong, I suppose?"

The White Zetsu clone scratched its head and recalled an old story. "I remember Akatsuki had a member from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen too. I think his name was Juzo Biwa? But since Kakuzu kept killing his partners, he was eventually assigned to Kakuzu, and then Kakuzu killed him too."

"..."

Shigen's eyelid twitched.

To fund his orphanage...

Kakuzu had really been working hard.

Even harder than in his past life.

"Never mind."

Shigen rolled up the scroll and handed it to the White Zetsu clone. His voice was calm as he instructed, "Take this scroll to that man, Yakushi Kabuto. Once he sees it, he'll know what to do. From now on, just follow Kabuto."

"But will this be enough? Kabuto is still Orochimaru's man, after all..."

The White Zetsu clone hesitated, tucking the scroll away while muttering, "Shouldn't I report this to the main body and Black Zetsu first? Maybe we can salvage Obito's betrayal... Honestly, Obito used to be fun. When I used to hang around with him, it was way more entertaining than following you, Lord Shigen..."

"Wait."

Shigen fell silent for a moment before suddenly calling out. He extended his hand toward the White Zetsu clone, motioning for the scroll to be returned.

"Let me add one more thing to it. I forgot to tell Kabuto something."

"And also..."

"To ensure there are no mistakes in this mission..."

"I'll implant some of Hashirama's cells into you to enhance your body and leave a Cursed Seal on you to strengthen your chakra."

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