Wen Lan held little Hinata in his arms, looking at her tiny, adorable face. Unable to resist, he gently poked her chubby cheek with a finger.
The little girl squinted her eyes, pursed her lips—and was just about to cry.
Wen Lan quickly soothed her, hugging her closer and lightly stroking her soft newborn hair.
His heart softened instantly.
Hinata was truly an irresistible little cutie.
After holding her for quite a while, he reluctantly returned her to Hyūga Yuki.
The banquet continued deep into the night before finally ending.
Moonlight draped over the quiet courtyard paths like silk.
Wen Lan walked alone for a while before suddenly stopping.
"Following me for this long… you might as well come out."
From the darkness, a shadow slowly emerged.
A cloaked figure wearing a tiger-striped mask stepped forward—one Sharingan eye visible through the mask.
It was Obito.
"You know many things," Obito said in a hoarse voice.
"Indeed," Wen Lan replied calmly.
"Uchiha Obito."
Obito's Sharingan shrank slightly.
Then he removed the mask without hiding anymore.
The young face beneath was scarred on one side but unmistakably his.
"I suspected it long ago," Obito said.
"Every Mangekyō Sharingan has a different ability. Seeing through secrets—or even glimpsing the future—isn't impossible."
He looked at Wen Lan.
"Wen Lan, I admire you. Join us."
Under the moonlight, Wen Lan's expression remained calm, but his gaze was as deep as a frozen lake.
"Obito," he said slowly,
"The Eye of the Moon Plan… is a lie."
Originally, Wen Lan had intended to use Obito to unite the ninja world.
But after awakening the Rinnegan, his mindset had changed.
He no longer needed to manipulate events from the shadows.
His current strength—
Combined with the Eight Gates technique—
Was enough to dominate the entire planet.
Even if the Ōtsutsuki clan arrived, they would fall before him.
As for the Five Great Villages?
To him now, they were nothing more than a joke.
If he wished, he could flatten them at any moment.
Even if Hashirama and Madara returned with all nine tailed beasts—
They would still be insignificant before him.
As for Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, Wen Lan didn't fear her either.
If she were released, then so be it.
Because in truth—
Kaguya hadn't been wrong.
She forced humans to worship the God Tree and transformed them into White Zetsu.
Cruel?
Yes.
But her true goal was to create an army capable of resisting the Ōtsutsuki clan.
If the Ōtsutsuki arrived on Earth—
Humanity would die anyway.
Whether standing with humans or with Kaguya—
The outcome could still be extinction.
Kaguya had simply chosen to fight back first.
Without her eating the immature God Tree fruit long ago—
All life on Earth would have already been absorbed and destroyed by the God Tree.
In that sense—
Kaguya was humanity's savior.
Because the God Tree devours all life on a planet.
Obito's Reaction
"How dare you say the Eye of the Moon Plan is fake?!"
Obito exploded like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"That information came from the stone tablet left by the Sage of Six Paths!"
"Only the Mangekyō Sharingan can read it!"
"I've seen it with my own eyes!"
Wen Lan sneered.
"And how do you know the tablet hasn't been tampered with?"
"Besides—if you truly believed in it completely…"
"Why would you come looking for me?"
Obito's pupils shrank.
His fingers trembled slightly.
Wen Lan stepped forward until he stood directly in front of him.
"You've already noticed something strange about Black Zetsu, haven't you?"
Obito had indeed noticed.
After the Hyūga incident, Wen Lan's words and Black Zetsu's nervous reaction had already raised doubts.
He had investigated secretly.
But found nothing.
He even questioned White Zetsu.
That foolish creature had revealed something important:
Black Zetsu existed before Madara.
Which meant the claim that it was Madara's will was a lie.
Obito hated losing control of the situation.
That was why he had come to Wen Lan tonight.
The Truth
"Black Zetsu is the will of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya," Wen Lan said calmly.
"It's been using you."
"The Eye of the Moon Plan was always a scam."
"The real goal isn't peace."
"It's to revive Kaguya."
"Ōtsutsuki… Kaguya…"
Obito froze.
Then his pupils shrank violently.
"I've heard that name… the Rabbit Goddess. The Sage of Six Paths' mother!"
"Exactly."
"In a sense, Black Zetsu is her child."
"The entire plan was a trap from the beginning."
"Only someone like Uchiha Madara could fall for something that stupid."
Wen Lan wasn't exaggerating.
Back before Konoha was founded, Hashirama had once planned to kill himself with a kunai to prove his sincerity.
A man with the Sage Body and absurd regeneration—
Trying to commit suicide with a kunai?
Anyone with a brain would question it.
Madara didn't.
Even Tobirama once joked that it was the only time his brother used his brain.
Obito Breaks
Obito's breathing grew heavier.
"So… everything was fake…"
"That means Rin… will never come back…"
"Of course it's fake," Wen Lan replied bluntly.
"Your logic was flawed from the beginning."
"First, the Eye of the Moon Plan casts a global genjutsu using the moon."
"That includes you."
"Second, genjutsu is an illusion."
"How could Rin truly come back?"
"What you're chasing is nothing but a self-deceiving dream."
Obito clenched his fists.
His nails dug into his palms until blood flowed between his fingers.
"Fake… it was all fake…"
His voice trembled with despair.
Then Wen Lan suddenly added:
"Oh right."
"I can revive Rin."
Obito's Shock
"!!!"
Obito's head snapped up.
His pupils widened.
His breathing stopped.
He stared at Wen Lan as if a drowning man had just found the last piece of driftwood.
"You… what did you say?"
"You can… revive Rin?"
Wen Lan calmly closed his eyes.
When he opened them again—
The nine-tomoe Rinnegan appeared.
"You know the Rinnegan's abilities."
Obito's voice turned hoarse.
"…That's the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique."
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