Chapter 129: Setsuna’s Strategy

Within the intel provided by Black Zetsu, there was a surprising revelation: Obito had once trained under Jiraiya, making him something of a half-disciple.

To think that he and Nagato had ended up connected through this shared history.

Setsuna's brows knitted slightly.

"More importantly, my cousin actually…" she muttered.

He had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, and even more astonishingly, a space-time-related dōjutsu.

The dōjutsu known as Kamui was downright monstrous.

A flicker of relief passed through Setsuna's eyes.

"Thank goodness I didn't act recklessly back then…"

Had she made a move against Obito without knowing the terrifying extent of his powers, she'd likely have ended up a corpse.

Setsuna rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.

"My cousin is truly sharp. Just from scattered clues, he deduced that someone is manipulating events from the shadows."

"But… I don't recall anything about the Rinnegan in the Uchiha clan's history," she mused, her white hair shimmering as she tilted her head in confusion.

Her mind churned.

Suddenly, a bold idea came to her.

Since this cousin of hers shared a mutual animosity toward the manipulator behind the scenes with Nagato and the others, perhaps it wasn't necessary to assimilate him into her plans entirely.

"Could I… pull him over to my side instead?" she murmured.

After all, during her travels across the shinobi world, she had been using the identity of Madara Uchiha, even speaking in his distinct voice. At critical moments, she could shift all blame to him, then find a way to extricate herself and join forces with her cousin to combat Madara's lingering schemes.

Twirling a strand of her hair, Setsuna considered the feasibility of this plan.

"Hmm, perhaps at the right moment, I could leak some intel to him…"

Thanks to her dōjutsu, there were ways she could bypass Black Zetsu and relay messages to Obito.

"It's a thought, but…" Setsuna eventually shook her head, dismissing the idea.

Rather than placing her hopes in others, she preferred to wield power herself.

"If I could harness that terrifying dōjutsu…"

A fire lit in her chest. With Kamui, she could finally unleash her full potential in her quest for revenge.

"But the fact that he's entrenched in Konoha complicates things," she muttered, closing her eyes to organize her thoughts about Konoha and Obito.

After some time, her eyes snapped open, sharp and determined.

"Black Zetsu!" Setsuna called.

Moments later, a half-black, half-white humanoid figure emerged, resembling a walking carnivorous plant.

"What is it?" Black Zetsu asked, bowing slightly.

Barely containing her excitement, Setsuna asked, "You mentioned before that the Third Hokage is still investigating Danzo Shimura's disappearance, with the full support of the Fourth Hokage. Is that correct?"

Black Zetsu nodded. "Yes."

Setsuna's fist slammed into the wall, cracking it as a grin spread across her face.

"Then what do you think would happen if the Third Hokage discovered that my cousin was responsible for Danzo's death?"

Black Zetsu's expression twisted in surprise.

"Obito killed Danzo? This…"

Before he could finish, Setsuna cut him off, speaking as if to herself.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi would want to avenge his old friend, wouldn't he? Even if he didn't outright attack my cousin, he'd at least drive him out of Konoha."

Black Zetsu mulled over the idea, then nodded. "That's highly likely."

Setsuna's lips curled into a cold smile.

"In that case, work with my clone to spread this rumor throughout the shinobi world."

Black Zetsu leaned in, awaiting further instructions.

After a moment's pause, Setsuna elaborated.

"Spread the word that Obito Uchiha awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and possesses a space-time-related dōjutsu. Say that Danzo Shimura was killed by his bizarre abilities, leaving no trace behind."

She smirked. "As for his motives? Improvise. Make something up."

Black Zetsu's smile mirrored hers.

"Understood."

Framing someone who was already guilty? That was Black Zetsu's specialty.

...

Konoha

Obito remained oblivious to the storm brewing in Amegakure, as well as the trap being laid for him.

At the moment, he was casually chatting with Kakashi.

"You're saying Itachi awakened his Sharingan during this mission?!" Obito asked, surprised.

Kakashi nodded. "Yes. We encountered a tough enemy during the mission. To push them, I refrained from stepping in. When Naruto got injured, Itachi's anger triggered the awakening of his Sharingan."

Obito leaned forward, intrigued. "And then? What happened next?"

Kakashi thought for a moment. "After the mission, Itachi realized Naruto's wounds had already healed."

Obito: "…"

Obito had been pondering something peculiar for a while now: the strange dynamic between Naruto and Itachi. It wasn't just that they had a good relationship. It was as if there was an unseen force drawing them together.

It made him wonder—could Itachi, due to his connection with Naruto, have somehow become the host of Indra's chakra?

This curiosity had made Obito increasingly attentive to the two.

"By the way," Obito asked offhandedly, "your team has a girl, right? Why haven't I heard you mention her?"

Kakashi coughed awkwardly. "She's… average. Nothing worth mentioning."

Obito nodded, not finding it strange.

"Wait a minute," he said, frowning. "Wasn't your mission classified as C-rank? How did you run into enemy shinobi?"

Kakashi looked equally puzzled. "That's what I've been wondering. The mission intel wasn't wrong, yet somehow, we encountered enemy ninja along the way."

Obito clicked his tongue. He figured it was probably the classic protagonist's halo at work. No explanation needed. It was just the universe throwing trials at Naruto.

The two chatted for a while longer until Kakashi abruptly stood up.

"Ahem. I have some matters to attend to," Kakashi said, turning to leave.

Obito raised an eyebrow. "What could a jōnin instructor possibly have to do besides training his students?"

Ignoring him, Kakashi vanished with a flicker.

"Tch. So secretive," Obito muttered, shrugging. He decided he'd use the free time to visit Rin.

Last week, Rin's relatives had been staying over, cutting into his chances to spend time with her. Now that they were gone, he could finally catch up.

"Hmm, it's been a while since I've been to Amegakure," Obito mused, checking the time. "I'll spar with Rin for a couple of hours, then head there. They are probably still busy with paperwork. They won't be resting early anyway."

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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