Recently, a newcomer had suddenly risen within Akatsuki's ranks. During several team-based missions and direct clashes with the Hidden Rain Village, his performance had been outstanding enough to attract the attention of Yahiko and the organization's other senior members.
Akatsuki had always intended to cultivate new members and develop its core fighting force, but limitations in their living conditions and available resources, combined with the necessity of concentrating their main efforts on the battlefield, had meant progress in that area had been slow.
This newcomer had been transferred from another front within the Land of Rain. He was not particularly old. The reason he had drawn attention was that, like Yoru, he also wore a mask.
Yahiko continued leading the main force on the primary front, and even with reinforcements arriving from the rear, the number of casualties each engagement produced remained considerable.
The organization had therefore been deploying personnel from other regions throughout the Land of Rain to supplement their numbers. Without that continuous flow of reinforcements, this core group would have been worn down to nothing long ago.
Akatsuki's reputation throughout the Land of Rain had grown to the point where new members with genuine conviction were joining almost every day. It was precisely this unceasing influx of new blood that had allowed the organization to continue competing against the Hidden Rain Village until now.
"Come on!"
Inside the stronghold, Yuji watched the newcomer rushing forward with sweat-soaked hair and felt a chill move through him despite himself.
Uchiha Obito.
He seemed different from the original story. In the original, Obito had used White Zetsu's swirling transformation to conceal his appearance, forcibly suppressed Nagato's will, and attempted to destroy his identity to win him over, while also trying to persuade Yahiko.
Yahiko had rejected him outright. But now, this person was being deliberately inconspicuous. Low-key in a way that was itself a warning sign.
"So Madara is dead," Yuji thought to himself, a cold chuckle forming beneath the mask.
Madara had been his only genuine fear. With Madara gone, that particular weight had lifted. His first real prey had appeared.
"Before dying, Madara passed on the Uchiha's forbidden techniques, Yin-Yang Release, and the Six Paths power. He has now awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. Killing him will require using everything available," Yuji assessed, standing not far away with his gaze fixed on Obito.
"I want to deal with him as soon as possible. Although he has received Madara's inheritance, his own current conditions limit how much of that power he can actually use. His strength has not yet reached a certain threshold. The longer this drags on, the more dangerous it becomes."
"But I cannot act here. I need him to walk into the trap himself."
The thought settled firmly in his mind.
Beneath the mask, he expanded his visual perception and read the flow of chakra moving through Obito's body with careful attention.
"Hmm."
Obito, who had been carrying several wooden crates nearby, suddenly dropped everything he was holding, breathing heavily, and stretched his limbs as though completely exhausted.
Then he turned his head, spotted Yuji, and jogged over quickly.
"Senior, do you need a hand?"
"You are perceptive," Yuji said, narrowing his eyes slightly, his pupils returning to their normal appearance as he pulled his observation back.
"What is your name?"
"Tobi," Obito scratched the back of his head with a bright and open smile.
"Keep up the good work. I have high hopes for you."
Yuji patted his shoulder with an encouraging expression.
"Thank you, Senior! I will definitely not let you down!"
Obito bowed a full ninety degrees with the enthusiasm of a genuinely passionate young fighter. Then Yuji turned and walked away.
Obito lowered his head slowly as the footsteps faded into the distance, his eyes darkening.
"That feeling just now. Was that an eye technique?"
A ripple of unease moved through him as he listened to the retreating footsteps in the rainy night. Who exactly was this person? They were clearly not as simple as Black Zetsu had described. If it had been an ordinary person, their above-average physical strength and medical ninjutsu skills would have been the full extent of it. But this felt different.
If they possessed a bloodline limit technique, that changed the calculation entirely.
During his time within the organization, Obito had also been quietly observing Yoru. He had noted that although the medical ninjutsu performed during treatment sessions was exceptional, Yoru appeared to use only a single type of ninjutsu. The Mystical Palm Technique and nothing else. No other methods had been visible. And since Yoru had never participated in actual combat on the battlefield, his true capabilities remained impossible to read.
"He is a problem," Obito said to himself with quiet certainty.
Previously, the circumstances had prevented him from uncovering the other party's background. But now that he had joined Akatsuki directly, allowing this unknown variable to potentially affect the plan was unacceptable. This person was unusual in ways that needed to be understood.
An investigation was necessary.
Further away, moving through the rainy dark, Yuji's eyes carried a cold glint.
The fish had taken the bait.
"Come then. Come and find me," he thought to himself.
Time continued to pass.
On the broader ninja battlefield, the Hidden Stone Village and the Hidden Cloud Village also finally ceased their fighting.
Although the Hidden Stone Village had occupied a portion of the Land of Lightning's territory, the vast distance involved made it fundamentally impossible to permanently hold that land and incorporate it into their own country.
In the end, the Hidden Stone Village had no choice but to accept the Hidden Cloud Village's compensation, taking a large sum of money in exchange for returning the occupied territory. Following this, Konoha also reached ceasefire agreements with both villages.
As all of this unfolded, Tobi had been maturing rapidly within Akatsuki. Yahiko, noticing his growth and potential, had begun intending to cultivate him as a successor of sorts, keeping him close. This had allowed Tobi to successfully work his way into the inner circle of the three-person leadership group, effectively becoming a trusted figure at Yahiko's side.
It had to be said that Tobi was extraordinarily skilled at managing people and social situations. As a newcomer, despite displaying remarkable talent and achieving impressive results in a short period, he had remained consistently humble and unassuming in how he carried himself. This had earned him genuine goodwill from many within the organization.
However, after successfully infiltrating the inner circle and gaining Yahiko's trust, as their interactions deepened and he was included in various planning discussions, Obito had begun to reveal a completely different side of himself, whether intentionally or not. He had started attempting to influence Yahiko's ideology, specifically the beliefs that governed how Yahiko led the organization.
His expressed thoughts were framed as pure concern for the organization's survival. He felt that when facing the Hidden Rain Village's offensive, Akatsuki absolutely needed to inflict devastating losses on the enemy. That was the price peace demanded.
But Yahiko's current approach was too gentle. Every time they defeated Hidden Rain Village soldiers on the battlefield, Yahiko refused to pursue and eliminate them completely.
Of course Obito was cunning about how he expressed this. He chose subtle language that made his position sound reasonable rather than harsh. But the underlying intention was unmistakable. And unsurprisingly, his interactions with Yahiko carried a series of ulterior motives beneath every surface exchange.
It had been essentially useless.
Yahiko had lectured him repeatedly, urging him to reconsider his way of thinking. After enduring this again and again, even someone with Obito's capacity for patience had reached his limit. He had come to understand with complete clarity that controlling or meaningfully influencing Yahiko was impossible.
This person had to be eliminated.
Following this realization, Obito had begun deliberately shifting his attention toward Nagato and Konan instead. And his words, or perhaps the underlying thoughts they carried, had unexpectedly found some resonance with both of them. This had caused his relationships with the two to warm considerably in a short span of time.
The following day, Yoru left the base again.
"He has gone," White Zetsu was the first to detect the departure and report it to Obito.
Ever since Obito had identified Yoru as someone unusual, White Zetsu had been maintaining constant surveillance on the target throughout each day.
Upon hearing this, Obito found a secluded and uninhabited location far from the base. He activated his eye technique and stepped into a different dimension.
...
STONES 💎
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