Chapter 67 – Intel Leak, Nagato and Obito Fall Out

Outside the gates of Konoha, Hyuga Gakuya and Hinata lingered for a while longer, chatting quietly. Before they parted ways, they made a promise: when the chance came, Gakuya would take her to visit the Land of Fields.

Gakuya opened his arms and grinned. "A goodbye hug, maybe?"

"U-Um… okay…" Hinata stepped forward hesitantly, arms raised—but she froze, unsure.

Smiling warmly, Gakuya took the initiative and gently pulled her into a hug.

"While I'm gone, try to be more confident, alright? When we meet again… I want to see a whole new Hinata."

Her face turned bright red. Whether she truly heard him or not, she simply nodded.

Releasing her from his embrace, Gakuya pulled out a small messenger puppet bird.

"Here—take this. It's how I send messages. It's attuned to my chakra. Just give it a note, and no matter where I am in the Shinobi World, it'll find me."

Hinata clutched it like a treasure, cradling it close with a joyful look.

"Remember, don't tell anyone. This is our little secret."

"Mm-hmm!" Hinata nodded firmly.

Waving farewell, Gakuya turned and walked off without looking back.

Hinata stood there, watching his retreating figure until he vanished from view—only then did she finally return home.

...

When she got back, she found Hanabi lounging on the shoe cabinet by the door, legs crossed and reading a book.

"Welcome home, sis. Sent your little boyfriend off, huh?" Hanabi said teasingly as she lowered the book.

Hinata's cheeks flushed. She bent down to help Hanabi into her slippers.

"I just… walked him out a little."

Hanabi parroted her words in a mockingly sweet tone.

"Just walked him out a little… Alright then, spill—how far have things gone? Your smart little sister's here to give you some advice."

If my future brother-in-law is this strong, maybe I can ask him for help with my training too. Then revenge won't be a problem anymore.

The idea hit her hard—Hanabi slapped her thigh and jumped onto her sister's back with glee.

"Woohoo! Sis, you really found me a great brother-in-law!"

...

Inside the Hokage's office, Tsunade clenched her fists to suppress her anger.

"Can someone explain to me why the entire Shinobi World is suddenly talking about Hiruzen's dark past? Who leaked this intel?"

"Konoha's reputation is tanking. People are even suggesting we strip the old man of his Third Hokage title."

"His death is one thing, but dragging down the honor of the Hokage? That's unacceptable."

Someone spoke up from below.

"We need to get ahead of public opinion. Clarify the facts. No matter what mistakes the Third made, his contributions can't be erased."

"We should revise the curriculum in the education bureau. Remove that ridiculous 'strongest Hokage' claim, and teach a more balanced view. Let the public understand both sides of his legacy."

Tsunade nodded decisively. "Do it. That's a reasonable approach."

It was the most stable course of action for now.

Rumors about Hiruzen Sarutobi had swept across the Shinobi World. Black marks once buried had resurfaced, and some of the intel was true—some, not so much.

The scapegoat Danzo once bore was now firmly pinned to Hiruzen, thanks to Hyuga Gakuya's manipulations.

...

Riding atop a puppet as it soared through the wind, Gakuya yawned lazily.

"Must be quite the media storm back in Konoha by now. Naruto… let's just call this my apology for scheming against you."

All of it—the turmoil, the leak, the political unrest—had been orchestrated by him.

Some old men, he mused, just loved playing the benevolent grandpa.

Hiruzen had once been a wise leader, earning fame as a "shinobi hero," but power had thoroughly corrupted his later years.

And that title—shinobi hero—didn't mean "heroic." It meant scheming overlord.

People forgot who crushed the Senju Clan to regain power during the war… who was first to support the Wood Release experiments… who backed Danzo in creating Root and carrying out shady operations behind the scenes.

And now, the most damning truth was spreading: that Uchiha Obito was the real mastermind behind the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha.

As if on cue, Kirigakure jumped on the bandwagon, accusing Konoha of using genjutsu to manipulate the Fourth Mizukage. Their claims added further credibility to the circulating rumors.

Now it was Konoha's turn to respond.

Gakuya already predicted their move: denial. They would disavow everything and officially brand Uchiha Obito a missing-nin.

But what intrigued him most… was how Obito himself would react.

The evidence was too solid. Even outsiders with no clue about the truth were beginning to believe it.

...

At that same moment, a major confrontation was unfolding in the Land of Rain.

Inside a hidden chamber, the Six Paths of Pain stood together. The Deva Path, Nagato's main body, stared coldly at the masked man before him.

"So… should I call you Uchiha Madara? Or Uchiha Obito?"

Obito's voice remained low and calm.

"A name is just a label. All you need to know is that I'm the mastermind behind the plan."

The Deva Path sneered. "Whoever you are, your lies are exposed. You used us. We won't be your puppets any longer."

Obito's eyes flickered with irritation, but he quickly masked it.

"Our goal hasn't changed. Everything I've done has been for peace."

Nagato's tone sharpened. "I will create peace—without you. Akatsuki was founded by Yahiko, not you. It's not your tool."

With that, the Six Paths turned and walked away, leaving Obito alone in the chamber, deep in thought.

He knew now—his original plan had veered off course.

But he wouldn't back down.

There was no retreat for him. His name was already in ruins. All that remained was to push forward with the Eye of the Moon Plan.

Obito resolved to operate in the shadows from now on. As long as Nagato hadn't abandoned the Ten Tails project, the plan could still succeed.

Even if he'd been cast out of Akatsuki, Kisame and Hyuga Gakuya were still on his side. With them, he could continue working behind the scenes.

Nagato would never give up such powerful allies.

Still… the shift in control irritated Obito deeply. Everything had been going so smoothly—until suddenly, the whole Shinobi World knew that he was behind the Nine-Tails attack and the Kirigakure incident.

At that moment, Black Zetsu rose from the ground.

"Madara… how did it go with Nagato?"

"We've split. He says he'll complete the Ten Tails plan on his own."

"Let's return to base first."

...

Back at the underground hideout where the original Uchiha Madara had once saved Obito, the masked man took his old place on the stone seat.

Obito spoke first. "Did you find out who exposed my identity?"

Black Zetsu nodded. "A Konoha ANBU. He connected the dots from the similarities between your eye and Kakashi's. That's how he figured out you were behind the Nine-Tails' attack."

"Is that so?" Obito murmured, eyes narrowing. "Where is he now? Someone that clever… could be useful."

White Zetsu grinned. "No need. Konoha's already eliminated him. What's our next move?"

Obito's expression darkened.

"It doesn't matter. As long as Nagato hasn't abandoned the hunt for the Tailed Beasts… he'll never escape the palm of my hand."

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