Obito had long grown accustomed to the personalities of these White Zetsu.
Moreover, his attention was currently entirely focused on the fact that Menma had taken Kakashi's—no, his—Sharing eye. Although it seemed that the eye hadn't returned to him, there was a fundamental difference between it being with Kakashi and being with Menma.
That eye was something Obito himself had given to Kakashi.
It represented Obito's precious memories.
It was the last piece of "pure land" remaining in his heart after he fell into darkness. He had never taken that eye back because he couldn't let go of that past. Otherwise, it wasn't as if he couldn't just kill Kakashi.
The value of a Sharingan in the ninja world was already immense. It was perfectly normal for it to be targeted.
If he couldn't bear to kill Kakashi, he could simply take the eye back. The current Obito had a thousand ways to do so. Yet he never did. From the moment he fell into darkness until the outbreak of the Fourth Great Ninja War, Obito's delay in reclaiming his eye spoke volumes.
But the situation was different now.
"Obito, I told you long ago to get that eye back as soon as possible. Didn't the records Lord Madara left behind tell you clearly? To unleash the strongest power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, you must gather both eyes. By refusing to retrieve it, not only are you unable to use many of the Uchiha clan's techniques, but you're also easily restricted by others. Now the eye has been taken by the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. That guy doesn't know Kakashi's eye is a Mangekyō; there's a high probability he'll treat it as ordinary research material. Once it's damaged, that's a void you can never fill!"
Black Zetsu, playing the role of Madara Uchiha's will, spoke from the side in a very dissatisfied tone.
As the only current partner (Nagato being just a pawn), Black Zetsu was actually quite satisfied with Obito in many ways. The only point of dissatisfaction was Obito's strong attachment to the past. This attachment was so strong that even knowing reclaiming the eye would greatly increase his strength, he refused to act.
Counting from Konoha Year 47 to now, a full 13 years had passed.
Black Zetsu had suggested taking back the Mangekyō Sharingan more than once. But Obito just wouldn't do it.
Now, look what happened. The eye was taken by Menma Uzumaki. He wouldn't know it was a Mangekyō Sharingan. If he used it as ordinary material like Danzo would, and it got damaged, it couldn't be repaired!
Obito didn't have a brother to transplant eyes from to evolve into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Hmph. If it's lost, it's lost. As long as the plan goes smoothly, what is one eye? It won't affect me at all."
Obito certainly knew this was a sign of his "weakness," a mistake he shouldn't have made. But even so, it was his last persistence.
And Obito wasn't just being stubborn. One Mangekyō Sharingan truly wouldn't affect their plan. Even if it was destroyed, as long as the Ten-Tails could be successfully revived, all problems would cease to be problems.
"That's what you say, but have you really decided to give up on that eye!? There might still be time to act now. Besides, we could seize the opportunity to capture the Nine-Tails directly. Menma Uzumaki is clearly in a stage where he can't fully use the Nine-Tails' chakra; he's at his weakest. As long as we reach an agreement with Nagato, we can completely start the 'Project Tsuki no Me' ahead of schedule."
Black Zetsu stared straight at Obito, his tone slightly low.
"Start the plan ahead of schedule?"
Obito frowned slightly.
was the Akatsuki ready?
Overall, not quite. But if they didn't demand too much, just looking at personnel allocation and intelligence gathering, the Akatsuki was already prepared to capture the Tailed Beasts.
The initial distribution of tasks was complete.
The corresponding plan could indeed be launched.
And as Black Zetsu said, the 12-year-old Menma Uzumaki must be at his weakest period.
If Nagato—the Six Paths of Pain—were sent directly to attack, there was a high probability of capturing him easily. As long as the nine Tailed Beasts were successfully sealed into the Gedo Statue to revive the Ten-Tails, and then Nagato was used to revive Madara Uchiha...
The remaining issues were trivial details. Completely unworthy of mention.
But was it really suitable to launch the plan now?
Obito paced back and forth, the face hidden under his mask revealing a solemn expression.
Project Tsuki no Me.
This was the true peace plan Madara Uchiha had prepared for countless days and nights. At least, that's how Madara and Obito saw it.
Everyone would sleep eternally in their own infinite dream.
Everything lost could return. Wasn't that true peace?
Therefore, Obito would not allow any problems with this plan.
Madara had prepared for decades. He himself had waited for over a decade. Now, only the final step remained.
Obito naturally needed to be cautious and meticulous.
"No, now is not the best time. The Tailed Beast capture plan needs to be launched by the Akatsuki. Nagato won't move without being fully prepared. Moreover, the cracks between the Five Great Ninja Villages are intensifying. If we can provoke another Great Ninja War among the Five Great Villages before our plan starts, we can weaken or even severely damage them. Our plan will become much smoother. There's no need to be too hasty now."
After thinking for a long time, Obito finally shook his head and rejected Black Zetsu's proposal.
He didn't want, nor did he like to see, variables. Everything being in his control, everything proceeding smoothly according to plan—that was what Obito wanted to see most.
He was certainly furious that Menma had taken his eye—furious enough to want to act immediately. That was his last sentiment. But such anger was ultimately suppressed by him. Compared to Project Tsuki no Me, compared to creating a world of true peace where Rin existed forever, it seemed insignificant.
Besides, Obito also felt it might be too late to act now. Several days had already passed. Heaven knew what Menma Uzumaki had done with that Sharingan. If it had been destroyed as ordinary research material...
And then he launched the plan ahead of schedule here... if everything went smoothly, fine. But if any variables appeared, the loss would outweigh the gain.
"In that case, your eye is likely lost forever," Black Zetsu said in a very low voice.
"Hmph, just one eye. It doesn't matter," Obito frowned, then slowly relaxed, speaking coldly.
"However, strengthen the surveillance on Orochimaru and Menma Uzumaki during this time. I want the most precise intelligence on their every move."
Obito looked at Black Zetsu with gloomy eyes, speaking in a tone full of menace.
Of course, words were one thing; preparations still had to be made. If he could be 100% sure his eye still existed and a suitable opportunity arose, Obito would definitely act to reclaim his eye, and incidentally see if he could capture the Nine-Tails early.
But if not, then the plan would proceed as established.
"Since you say so, then so be it. I'll pass on the intelligence to you at any time, Obito," Black Zetsu nodded slowly.
"Good. That's for the best. Also, Black Zetsu... I am Madara now!"
Obito nodded in satisfaction, then looked coldly at Black Zetsu, speaking in an extremely chilling tone.
Black Zetsu paused for a moment, then revealed a strange smile, bowing: "Yes, Madara-sama. I understand."
Immediately after, Black Zetsu's figure flickered and disappeared directly into the ground.
For Black Zetsu, the core of everything lay in successfully releasing the "Infinite Tsukuyomi."
Everything else was a problem that could be adjusted at any time.
It would be best if Obito could reclaim that eye to enhance his strength and increase the plan's fault tolerance as much as possible. But if not, it wasn't a huge problem. If it were a matter of principle, Black Zetsu wouldn't have let Obito do nothing for over a decade.
Just as Obito said, this was ultimately just a minor issue.
If the eye was destroyed, so be it.
Anyway, no one would see through it as a Mangekyō Sharingan, and it was impossible for anyone to learn that Obito was the masked man from 12 years ago.
This was Obito's view, and also Black Zetsu's attitude.
But what these two absolutely couldn't imagine was that Menma was a transmigrator who knew the entire plot. The foreshadowing buried by this eye would inevitably force Obito to taste the bitter fruit of his own actions in the future.