Deep within an underground cave, countless Sharingan floated in glass jars filled with preservation fluid...an entire wall of spare lives.
The twin figures of Black and White Zetsu slowly emerged from the rocky floor.
"Madara!" Uchiha Obito looked up at them. "Any news?"
"Heh." White Zetsu let out a frivolous laugh. "The surveillance team sent back intel. Tejima Shinichi left Konoha this morning."
He spread his hands. "But that kid hadn't even gone three miles out of the village before he shook off all surveillance. Now... we've lost the target."
"It's like he knew someone was watching him all along. We can't even determine which direction he went."
Black Zetsu took over. "Although we can't be certain... we can roughly deduce his destination."
Obito remained silent. His gaze, fixed through the eyehole of his mask, locked onto Black Zetsu.
"Konoha and Sunagakure's peace talks are nearing their end, and the border conflicts have subsided," Black Zetsu continued.
"Shinichi leaving the village at this time cannot be for the war. Therefore... he is most likely coming for us."
"After all... Konoha obtained information about us. They know the organization's entire plan, including the capture order for the Tailed Beasts, and..." He paused. "...the current movements of our members on mission."
Obito stiffened, quickly deducing the threat. "Kakuzu... and Hidan!"
"Exactly," Black Zetsu said. "They are currently in the Land of Waterfall, hunting the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki. Shinichi left the village in a hurry, and it coincides with their mission time... There are no such coincidences."
The cave fell silent. Obito turned back to face the walls lined with soaking Sharingans.
"The Land of Waterfall..." he whispered.
"Based on Shinichi's character, if that is indeed his goal..." Black Zetsu's voice grew grim, "...then Kakuzu and Hidan will definitely be killed!"
Having personally witnessed the battle between Shinichi and Kisame, Black Zetsu was absolutely certain of this conclusion.
Kakuzu's five hearts? Hidan's immortal body? ...Useless. In the face of Shinichi's overwhelming power, they were nothing more than slightly more durable punching bags.
Perhaps by relying on Hidan's curse ritual, there might be a slight chance of victory. But with their current strength, could they really injure Shinichi enough to obtain his blood?
Obito's breath hitched behind his mask, his hand instinctively moving to his chest. 'Troublesome.'
The feeling wrapped around his heart like a spiderweb. Orochimaru's defection was a nuisance, but Kisame's death was a real loss.
If Kakuzu and Hidan were also eliminated, the Akatsuki's core combat power would drop below the bottom line, causing the entire plan to stall.
Even if they managed to capture a Tailed Beast, executing the Sealing Technique: Nine Phantom Dragons Consuming Seal required immense chakra...
Seeing him silent, Black Zetsu asked, "What's your plan!?"
"I'm going to the Land of Waterfall," Obito replied, lowering his hand. "I will find him before he finds Kakuzu and Hidan."
"You're going to take action yourself?" Black Zetsu asked with a frown.
"Why not?" Obito's voice was devoid of emotion. "Konoha has already obtained the intel from Kisame's head."
"The name 'Uchiha Madara' and the Eye of the Moon Plan are no longer secrets to them. Since hiding this identity is meaningless now, there's no harm in going to see him."
He turned, his half-masked face catching the dim light. "I need to confirm with my own eyes... whether this anomaly... this person who has disrupted all our plans...truly has the capacity to recreate Hashirama's power."
Black Zetsu did not try to stop him. Obito intervening personally was perhaps the safest choice at the moment. It might even intimidate Shinichi. Probably.
Besides, with his Sharingan ability...Kamui...even if he were no match, it would be impossible to kill an existence that could shift his body into another dimension at any time and reappear anywhere.
Obito walked toward the illuminated wall. He reached out his right hand, plucked a Sharingan from the preservation solution, and used his left hand to grip the edge of his mask, lifting it just enough to expose his scarred flesh.
Pop!
With a sickening sound, Obito pressed the stolen eye into his empty left socket. A faint glow of chakra flashed as the connection synced.
"Then," he turned back to Zetsu, the newly replaced Sharingan glowing faintly behind the mask, hidden from all sight, "I'll be going ahead."
As the words fell, the Sharingan in his right eye spun. Kamui activated, and his entire figure vanished from the spot.
...
The next day, at the main gates of Takigakure.
A figure burst out of the village and leaped into the air before spinning around and spreading her arms wide.
"Hell yeah!"
Fu landed, her hands held high. A huge smile bloomed on her face. "I finally get to leave the village again!"
She spun in place, her light green hair and the hem of her clothes fluttering in the breeze.
"Make friends! Make lots and lots of friends!" She clenched her fists and held them to her chest, eyes sparkling. "The target of a hundred friends... is still... um..."
She counted on her fingers, her brow furrowing and then relaxing. "Still missing a whole lot! So I have to work harder!"
Laughing brightly, she turned around and frantically waved toward the gate. "Kōga! Haruki! Hurry up! We're burning daylight."
Two figures walked out from the gate. The man in front had a helpless expression, his black hair neatly beneath his forehead protector. His name was Kōga.
Behind him, another ninja with a middle-parted hairstyle sighed, scratching his short hair. This was Haruki.
The two jōnin walked up to the energetic girl.
"Fu, please mind your manners a bit. We are on an official escort mission, not a pleasure trip." Kōga said with a mild rebuke.
"I know, I know!" Fu waved off his concerns, marching down the main road leading away from the village...
"We're going to the Land of Iron to escort a merchant caravan! We'll definitely meet loads of people on the way! And that means loads of potential friends!"
Haruki caught up, falling into step beside Kōga.
"She's always this happy every time she leaves the village," Haruki muttered, watching Fu skip ahead.
"That's just how she is," Kōga replied, his tone flat, though his vigilant eyes never left the girl as he scanned the treeline.
"But at least the Sealing Team checked her out before we left. The seal is completely stable. As long as her emotions don't fluctuate violently, we should be fine."
"That's true," Haruki replied, glancing at him. "But you know her personality... She's a trouble magnet."
The source of that trouble was undeniably clear... Fu's dream.
She wanted to make a hundred friends.
A simple goal that was practically a pipe dream for her. She was the Jinchuriki of the Seven-Tails. That identity alone was an impenetrable, invisible wall.
Ninjas from other villages wouldn't trust her, and most in Takigakure kept her at arm's length out of fear. As a result, her actual friends were few and far between.
Yet, she was enthusiastic and completely unguarded, always wanting to approach strangers for a chat. In the perilous, cutthroat ninja world, it was no different from baring her throat for all to see.
"That's why the village assigned us to watch her," Kōga said quietly. "Keep a close eye on her, Haruki. Don't let her out of your sight."
Fu stopped up ahead, turned, and put her hands on her hips...
"You two! What are you whispering about back there! Let's go! The merchant caravan from the Land of Iron must be waiting impatiently!"
The sunlight spilled over her face. Her smile was completely free of shadows or malice. Kōga and Haruki exchanged a glance and quickened their pace.
Together, the three of them followed the winding forest road leading toward the Land of Iron.
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