Obito Preparing For His Next Moves

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At an undisclosed location, atop of a mountain, Obito listened intently to White Zetsu's report with a pensive expression after his clones brought in the final update. He had been also well aware of the situation with Kakuzu and Hidan as it developed but had chosen not to offer any assistance, even harboring a small hope that they would meet their demise, as they ultimately really did there.

In fact, he found himself contemplating Konoha's remarkable capabilities. He was startled by their strength a bit, which was demonstrated by their ability to dispatch two of their shinobi to eliminate two S-class shinobi from their organization as soon as they were caught on the spot. It was clear that Konoha surprisingly packed a powerful punch. And the two people themselves were also interesting. He already heard from White Zetsu about Kakashi's newfound swordsmanship and purple lighting as well as Naruto Uzumaki's Sage Mode. He could only observe it from really afar thanks to that, Obito also didn't expect that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki already became that powerful. He actually knew how powerful the Sage Mode was from Minato, not to mention the perfect one.

Nor did he expect his old friend Kakashi to recover at all after he took back his eye from him. He always thought that the man could only rely upon it for his place in his Ninja World, but it seemed that it was not the case now. He picked his father's sword once again and developed new powers.

"It was a good decision to not save them this time, Obito. Now Nagato's faction has two members less. Also, it would be pointless if you did, since the Nine-Tails has to be sealed last and there was no point in taking it now...", Black Zetsu suddenly spoke hoarsely. He was also present as one-half of the complete Zetsu body listening and interjecting occasionally. Earlier he remained Obito that Madara and he had some concerns that the Nine-Sails needed to be sealed the last in the Gedo Statue for some reason. He also quite agreed with his idea to trim Nagato's people in the Akatsuki in this way. After all, he didn't directly take a shot, and it was all Konohagakure's doing. And Nagato would certainly soon realize that if he already didn't with his new odd Rinnegan-controlled insects. Though they couldn't possibly spy on Obito and them because they all had very quick movements.

"Yes, now it's a lot more manageable for me... I need to bring some balance to the organization as soon as possible. So, I will also try and recruit some other people to work directly under me too...", Obito enigmatically spoke without revealing more about it to which Black Zetsu just inwardly humphed. Obito already had some ideas inside of his mind for who might he try and recruit later. While thinking about his topic recently he remembered something he read way back from Uchiha clan logs back during the Uchiha clan massacre. It was information about a very interesting clan far away. It was a clan that was active during the Warring States Period, which also had its own dojutsu.

It was a kekkei genkai that grants them the ability to manipulate liquids with high iron content, human blood included, and cast powerful illusions onto their enemies. During the Warring States Period, the Chinoike were one of the many mercenary ninja clans active in the Land of Lightning. At some point, a woman of the Chinoike clan married the Land of Lightning's daimyō. The daimyo's first wife became jealous of her, and when the daimyō died soon after their marriage the first wife blamed the woman and her clan for the daimyō's death. Many believed the first wife's lies, causing the entire Chinoike clan to be banished from the country. The Uchiha clan were hired to carry out this task, and they forced the Chinoike clan to settle in the Valley of Hell in the Land of Hot Water.

The Valley of Hell was thought to be uninhabitable. Ninja from the nearby Yugakure checked in on the Chinoike clan a few months after they were relocated to the valley and found them drinking what appeared to be blood; it was actually only water, turned red by minerals in the earth. Unwilling to investigate further, Yugakure declared the Valley of Hell off-limits. Over the years, the valley's location was forgotten and the Chinoike clan faded from history. In truth, the Chinoike were able to survive, surviving off the valley's minimal wildlife and resources and enjoying decades of true peace.

However, though living peacefully, the Chinoike clan had their disagreements. Being forced to live so closely together for so long caused even minor arguments to erupt into violence. The tipping point was whether or not the clan should seek vengeance against his Uchiha clan for exiling them there. In a single night, the clan wiped themselves out. Obito found out all of that information after personally visiting that place now in ruins. However, he was certain that there must be some other living members of the clan alive somewhere outside. He just needed to actually find one of them.

The Chinoike were famous for their Ketsuryugan, an unexplained dojutsu that, when active, made their eyes appear blood-red. The Ketsuryugan allowed them to perform powerful genjutsu, of comparable strength to the Uchiha clan's Sharingan. They could also use the Ketsuryugan to manipulate liquids that have high iron contents, such as blood or the water that naturally flew in the Valley of Hell. But, before they could manipulate such liquids, it was necessary that they imbue it with their own chakra. Obito was really intrigued by the origin of the said mysterious kekkei genkai.

He had gained a thorough understanding of how various kekkei genkai abilities came to exist in the world. Some, like the elemental kekkei genkai, were wielded by clans formed through intentional interbreeding between individuals with similar genetic mutations during the Warring States era. On the other hand, there were even more ancient kekkei genkai of a non-elemental nature, such as the Hyuga, Uchiha, and Senju dojutsu, which were not born from genetic mutations but from genetic heritage. There were already many theories inside of his mind on how that came to be and that's precisely why he thought that the Chinoike clan must have some hidden potential as they also had dojutsu. However, it was all still only his speculation and maybe he doesn't get to find any survivors.

Obito had two options in mind for recruiting subordinates, and the second one involved looking within his own Uchiha clan. Even though most of them were gone, Kiyomi Uchiha's sudden appearance with Neji reminded him that it was not truly the case. For example, there was still Itachi's younger brother, who, given his genetics, was likely just as capable as his older sibling. However, Obito learned that the teen was with Orochimaru, who likely had his own plans for the teen. So, Obito urgently dispatched several of White Zetsu's clones to search for their whereabouts. He already even planned on how to manipulate him by promising him strength and information.

"White, what is Nagato up to these few days?", Obito's face suddenly turned a bit displeased while talking about Nagato, "It seems that he stopped gathering information from everywhere for his wet dream of creating a weapon of ultimate peace...", White Zetsu grinned after mocking him a bit. He was tasked by Obito to follow and spy on Nagato's subordinates secretly since he couldn't spy on him directly. That's also how he learned the reason for the six months pause in their previous plan.

'Has he finally devised a way to create that kind of mighty kinjutsu now that our operation resumed again...?', Obito contemplated. He also knew that Nagato schemed against him during that time, 'I wonder what his expression would be when he learns that he just lost two S-class subordinates...', Obito thought. White Zetsu was also additionally directed by him to follow every member of the Akatsuki now secretly. He was also secretly looking at people going in and out of Amegakure still.

'I will still let you play for a while now, Nagato. However, once you finalize your purpose, I get some additional helpers, and you are done. It's not like you can keep all of those members constantly with you...', Obito mused in silence next. And that moment would come soon now that their operation of gathering the Tailed Beasts fully resumed. He also got a bit stronger himself while waiting for it too.

"Anyway", Obito inquired with curiosity next, "What's the current situation in Iwagakure like?", He asked abruptly, eager to know about the state of affairs in the place holding two other tailed beasts.

"It's the same as before, they are still held together inside a secure, heavily fortified earth faculty with dozen of shinobi guarding them. There are also a few really strong ones.", White Zetsu replied, "That makes it a bit harder. It seems I need to take someone with me on this mission...", Obito said.

"You should take Kisame and Itachi with you then. After all, Kisame is your man and Itachi works for Konoha either way. They are clearly not on Nagato's side.", Black Zetsu suddenly said and advised, "You're right, I will take those two with me.", Obito agreed already sharing the same opinion as him.

Nearly a year ago they already took the Seven Tails first because it was being held inside a hidden village of a secondary level called the Takigakure. It was the obvious first choice due to that reason. At that time, they planned to take the Five Tails, from the Iwagakure, as their next, second pick. Even though Iwagakure was a strong village, at that time the jinchuriki didn't have a good relationship with them and was quite isolated. However, strangely, just before they took action, the village mended their relationship with him and started guarding him closer and resocializing him with the village. And it remained that way even until today judging from the previous words of White Zetsu.

For that reason, the second jinchuriki they ultimately captured wasn't the Five Tails, but the Six-Tails. It was quite easy once you located him to capture it because it was held inside a Kirigakure's rebel. Then Deidara and Sasori captured the One Tail beast directly from the Sunagakure six months ago.

Then just recently Nagato himself went and captured the free-roaming Three Tails directly with his Rinengan and newly increased powers after they finally located it. He wanted to do it personally and showcase his powers to the entire organization. Then Hidan and Kakuzu captured the Five Tails from the Kumogakure just a few days ago. However, it was very hard. Even Obito had to personally step up or else they wouldn't be able to get the beast. They all didn't expect that level of power from Kumo. Even Obito was taken aback a little by the level of some of their jonins, not just the Raikage and his Jinchuriki brother. And after that, it would be impossible to catch them by surprise. If he successfully managed to capture those two new tailed in one swoop now, then only the strongest Nine and Eight Tails would be left. And they were held in the two strongest villages today.

***

Iwagakure, the concealed village nestled in the Land of Earth, boasted a distinguished status as one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, led by a venerable figure known as the Tsuchikage. The village took pride in the impregnable mountain ranges that enveloped it, forming a natural fortress. The edifices were constructed from the rock and stone that surrounded the village, giving rise to a network of interconnected tower-like structures linked together by bridges. Notably, the Tsuchikage's residence stood tall, distinguished by a conical roof adorned with the kanji for "Earth". As they sat in the room, Onoki, the incumbent Tsuchikage, and his son, Kitsuchi, the present commander of the jonin forces, delved into a plethora of subjects, much as they always did. Onoki, firmly ensconced in his Tsuchikage chair, was seated across from Kitsuchi at the table. They were clothed in different attires.

Kitsuci wore the customary garb of all Iwa shinobi including a vivid red ensemble with a sleeve that may appear on either side, a lapel typically found on the unsleeved side, and a brown flak jacket that may or may not have a pouch attached to it. Additionally, the Iwagakure ninjas sport mesh armor around their ankles. A majority of them were well-versed in Earth Release techniques just like himself. And Iwa's shinobi were renowned for their indomitable spirit; when the Tsuchikage issues a command, the Iwa-nin follow it unflinchingly, even if it spells certain doom just like current Kitsuchi.

Kitsuchi is a very tall and brawny shinobi. He has dark eyes and short dark-grey-colored hair as well as a beard and a bulbous nose. His father Onoki, on the other side, was a diminutive, elderly man with a distinctive triangular beard and a mustache with sharp angles. He had thick eyebrows and a prominent red nose. The top of his head was entirely bald, but he had long white hair on the lower half of his head that was fashioned into the traditional chonmage hairstyle, with a yellow ribbon tying the back into a topknot. Onoki donned a green coat that was split into four sections with striking yellow trimmings, and a red collar, a garb that was also worn by other high-ranking members of Iwagakure. Beneath the coat, he wore the customary Iwa ensemble, which comprised a light green flak jacket and mesh armor. Unlike the norm, he retained both sleeves of his shirt while keeping the single lapel on his right side. Accompanying this attire was a pair of traditional sandals.

"Can't believe they managed to steal one even from those all-muscle and no-brains bastards in the Kumogakure. It seems that we are the only ones basically left unscathed now alongside Konoha...", Onoki said while reading the report that just arrived from their intelligence group about the matter, "With this level of measure that we are now taking, there is no way that they would be able to take one from us. Therefore, we're now left in the best state and have one of the best relative strengths."

They even nearly stopped accepting missions for a while, living only with some savings and their daimyo's help during these dangerous times. They focused their all on protecting their jinchurikis while waiting for other villages to weaken even more in order for them to climb the ranks of power.

"We made considerable progress recently by utilizing Akatsuki for a lot of our missions and shady dealings. Meanwhile, we have the most tailed beats in our possession now. If we just keep them successfully in the future, then we would be finally to recover our standing in the Ninja World after that fiasco during the Third Great Ninja World War when we overexerted ourselves, constantly warring with everyone and that bastard Fourth Hokage who dealt with thousand of our people at the same time who single-handedly destroyed our Explosion Corps. And then there was also that little bastard Deidara, one of the most talented people in the history of the village, the last holder of the Explosive Release, who betrayed us..", Onoki suddenly recalled the recent history of their village.

Deidara also became his personal disciple who had even the potential to manifest the legendary Dust Release, a kekkei tota. He was the first such person that appeared in the village after Onoki himself. It was just that he didn't consider that to be a part of his "art" and didn't want that. It was also another reason why they argued so often and one of the reasons he defected in the first place. All of that led to them needing to rely on the biggest mercenary organization, in the Ninja World, called the Akatsuki later. And that was all why Onokii was quite glad about the misfortune the other villages experienced now regarding their tailed beats, rebellious shinobi, and others. However, he couldn't expect, that right in the second a great destined misfortune was about to befall them too.

Kitsuchi was about to interject something when suddenly they both became aware of a significant uproar in the distance, emanating from the secret facility within the village where their jinchuriki were being kept. The building was made to be inside an earth tower just beside this Tsuchikage office so it was overheard by them quite easily, "Let's see what is going on!", Onoki already urgently levitated himself in the air, with his special technique, breaking the medium-sized window of that room and flying outside to the direction of the commotion. Kitsuchi also nodded seriously before following his father. He remembered that his daughter was also tasked with guarding that place now too while thinking, 'Is this the Akatsuki? But they don't know who they are up against now, we are not that weak Sunagakure!', Kitsuchi was confident in all of their S-class shinobi currently inside the village. There was not only his family, but two jinchuriki could fight too, and there were others.