It was perfectly normal that Danzō fell for Obito's manipulation.
In the real world, Danzō had repeatedly suggested that the Third Hokage hand Naruto, the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, over to him so he could raise the boy as a living weapon.
Naturally, Hiruzen refused every time, leading to countless variations of the timeless exchange:
"You'll regret this, Hiruzen!"
"And you'll never become Hokage, Danzō!"
Honestly, even if Hiruzen had agreed with Danzō's reasoning, he still would not have handed Naruto over.
He would have trained Naruto personally.
If Konoha's ultimate weapon ended up under Danzō's control, then who would truly be running the village afterward—Hiruzen or Danzō?
The same logic applied here.
Whether Danzō truly wanted to make Konoha great again was debatable, but he would absolutely use the Three-Tails as leverage in his campaign to become Hokage.
That alone guaranteed his cooperation with Obito.
However, there was another, deeper force—an invisible pair of hands beyond ordinary perception—pushing events forward.
Fate.
One must not forget that this was not the real shinobi world.
It was a world created through genjutsu, and more importantly, it was a test server.
Unlike the official open-world version, the test server possessed a clearly defined main storyline based on events from the real shinobi world.
Therefore, whenever Obito made a choice that matched reality, heaven and earth themselves seemed to assist him.
But whenever he tried to change history, even a hero would find himself helpless before fate.
Naturally, Obito noticed none of this.
He simply believed his political manipulation and tactical brilliance had reached a terrifying level.
And so, without lifting a finger himself, Obito watched as Danzō deployed Root operatives into the Land of Water to search for the Three-Tails according to his intelligence.
After locating Isobu and confirming its position, Danzō approached the Third Hokage.
He claimed Kirigakure had been making suspicious movements and recommended sending Hatake Sakumo to lead a squad there for reconnaissance and intelligence gathering.
Ideally, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin should accompany him.
Hiruzen sensed that something was off.
However, he had no idea what was actually happening in Kirigakure and lacked reliable intelligence.
After examining the fragments of "evidence" Danzō presented and hesitating repeatedly, he ultimately approved the mission.
From Hiruzen's perspective, this was not a time of war.
With the White Fang leading them, there should not be any serious danger.
He could simply warn Sakumo to remain cautious.
Besides, perhaps spending some time outside the village would help alleviate Kakashi and Obito's various psychological problems.
Thus, the group traveled toward the Land of Water.
Danzō secretly followed as well.
Their target was a Tailed Beast.
No matter how powerful the White Fang was, there was no guarantee he could defeat one alone.
Danzō's plan was extremely underhanded.
He deliberately concealed the Three-Tails' existence.
Once Sakumo encountered it, Root operatives hidden nearby would provoke the beast and force a battle between them.
To protect his son, Sakumo would inevitably fight with everything he had and defeat the Three-Tails.
And if Sakumo truly could not win, Danzō and the remaining Root members could step in.
Sakumo would not even be able to blame him afterward.
In fact, he should thank him.
Danzō's original report to Hiruzen had been deliberately vague.
Discovering a wild Three-Tails would merely prove that his intelligence had been accurate.
Just as Danzō expected, Hatake Sakumo barely managed to defeat Isobu after a brutal battle.
Danzō immediately emerged from hiding and ordered the Root operatives to restrain the Three-Tails in preparation for sealing.
"You three, come here for an examination. We need to determine whether any of you possess the aptitude to become a jinchūriki."
Danzō addressed the three children with an elaborate show of impartiality.
"Danzō, you…"
Sakumo was badly injured and still receiving treatment, but fury and shock filled his expression.
He had never imagined Danzō intended to turn one of the three children into the Three-Tails' vessel!
"Calm yourself, White Fang."
Danzō raised a hand.
The so-called examination was nothing more than theater.
After going through the motions, they naturally declared Nohara Rin the most suitable candidate.
"Are you willing to become the Three-Tails' jinchūriki for the sake of the village?"
Danzō looked at Rin.
"I am!"
Rin clenched her fist, her expression resolute.
"No, Danzō! You cannot do this!"
Sakumo continued opposing him.
His earlier objection had not merely been out of concern for Kakashi.
"White Fang!"
Danzō shouted him down.
"You must understand the situation. You have already defeated the Three-Tails, and Kirigakure undoubtedly detected the disturbance. Their forces will arrive soon.
If we retreat now without sealing the Three-Tails inside one of our own people, what would that mean?
It would mean that you—Hatake Sakumo—betrayed Konoha by helping Kirigakure defeat the Three-Tails and allowing them to reclaim it!
If Kirigakure ever goes to war with Konoha in the future, then every Konoha ninja killed by the Three-Tails on that battlefield will be your responsibility!"
Danzō unleashed the accusation he had prepared in advance, immediately leaving Sakumo unable to respond.
Sakumo wanted to offer himself as the vessel instead.
Unfortunately, he was severely wounded. Even if he possessed the necessary aptitude, there was no guarantee his body could survive the sealing process.
"Danzō… uh, Lord Danzō. Let me handle the sealing."
Seeing that Danzō was about to use some bargain-bin sealing technique, Obito hurriedly stepped forward.
Even though this Rin existed only inside an illusion, he still could not bear to watch her suffer unnecessarily.
If they were going to do it, they should at least use a proper seal and make it quick.
"You?"
"I secretly learned a few things."
Obito offered no further explanation.
He took a deep breath, gathered the limited chakra available in his current body, and forcibly performed the Four Symbols Seal.
He lacked enough chakra to stack two of them into the Eight Trigrams Seal.
But that seal had been designed to contain the Nine-Tails.
For the Three-Tails, a single Four Symbols Seal was more than sufficient.
"Hmph. An Uzumaki clan sealing technique."
Danzō recognized it immediately.
He now believed he possessed yet another weakness he could use to control Kakashi.
Meanwhile, Hatake Sakumo watched his son cooperate with Danzō and coldly seal a Tailed Beast inside his companion without showing the slightest sympathy.
His heart nearly shattered.
And so, the group returned to Konoha.
According to Danzō and Obito's plan, they made their entrance as publicly and dramatically as possible.
Obito had explained that if they wanted Rin to willingly serve Danzō, they first needed to make her lose faith in everyone else.
The villagers' fear of Tailed Beasts would cause them to reject the kindhearted Rin, pushing her toward the darkness of Root.
Danzō found the reasoning perfectly sound and approved it.
Unfortunately, Obito had merely noticed a recurring pattern.
It was like hearing an alarm bell before every meal and concluding that the bell itself created food.
The two events appeared connected, but there was no real causal relationship.
Konoha's villagers were perfectly willing to bully anyone equally.
Being a jinchūriki simply made bullying them feel even more satisfying.
After the Three-Tails was sealed inside Rin, her original outfit had been altered into one that exposed her stomach, revealing the circular Four Symbols Seal across her abdomen.
An ordinary person might have thought the marking looked striking or unusual.
But when Konoha's villagers saw Rin's stomach, their bells remained completely unmoved.
Instead, their urge to bully her began rising rapidly!