047 Sink into the Darkness

Sasuke looked up at Obito and said in a low voice,

"What exactly do you want from me?"

Obito gave a small huff. So… he's finally starting to listen.

The tension under his mask eased slightly. He sat down and said with a firm but calm tone,

"We're both survivors of the Uchiha. I'm not here to force you. I just hope we can work together, for mutual benefit."

"Mutual benefit?" Sasuke repeated, eyes sharp.

Obito nodded.

"Your goal is to take revenge on Konoha for driving the Uchiha clan into ruin… and to revive the Uchiha. My goal is to gather all the Tailed Beasts and declare war on the world."

Sasuke's eyes darkened, but he said nothing.

"You can't do it alone," Obito continued. 

"After fighting me, you must've realized that, right? I… Uchiha Madara… am far past my prime. What remains is just a shell. But even I, at my strongest, was defeated by the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama!"

Sasuke frowned. "Senju Hashirama is dead."

"Yes, but the will and strength of the Senju era still live on." Obito's eyes narrowed.

 "Sasuke, how much do you really know about Konoha?"

"…"

Sasuke fell silent, deep in thought.

Obito pressed on.

"You think you can take Konoha because you're comparing yourself to Nagato. But let me tell you plainly, even if Naruto never lifted a finger, Nagato alone couldn't take down the entire village."

"If Nagato had forced a war with Konoha, sure, the cost might've been higher… but in the end, he still would've lost. And he didn't even attack personally."

Obito stared straight at Sasuke.

"If you bring Taka to attack Konoha now, you'll only be throwing your life away."

Sasuke gripped the edge of the stone chair tightly, his eyes filled with unwillingness.

Obito changed the subject.

"But if Akatsuki supports you… the outcome could be very different."

"Heh…" Sasuke suddenly laughed.

Obito frowned. "What's so funny?"

Sasuke said coldly,

"You just downplayed yourself, praised Konoha like it's unbeatable… and now you expect me to be impressed by Akatsuki? Other than you, Akatsuki is just a bunch of pale weirdos!"

White Zetsu protested, "Hey! There's a limit to how much you can insult someone, you know!"

Obito looked at Sasuke seriously.

"Then maybe it's time I show you Akatsuki's true power…"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "True power?"

"Follow me," Obito said, standing and turning away.

"…Fine." Sasuke followed, still unsure.

They walked deep into the lair, until Sasuke suddenly stopped, eyes wide in shock.

"What… is all this?!"

In front of him stood an army of White Zetsu, tens of thousands of them.

Obito said in a low voice,

"Did you think collecting the Tailed Beasts was just for show? I've used their chakra, with the Gedo Statue as a core, to grow these White Zetsu. There are around 100,000 of them."

"One hundred thousand…?!" Sasuke repeated, stunned.

White Zetsu added cheerfully,

"We outnumber the entire ninja world's active forces! Most of us are as strong as Chūnin or Jōnin, and our elites are even Kage-level~ Plus, our abilities are versatile and perfect for large-scale war~"

Obito continued where White Zetsu left off:

"My original plan was to use this army to declare war on the ninja world. But since the Five Kage haven't fully united and I already have the Eight Tails, there's no need to create more enemies right now."

"Sasuke, I can use these 100,000 White Zetsu to help you attack Konoha."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"Naruto has already betrayed Konoha. Why help me declare war on it? Wouldn't it make more sense to go after Naruto directly?"

Obito responded calmly,

"Because Naruto now knows the Flying Thunder God Technique, his movements are unpredictable. Unless we tie him down, we can't properly face him."

"So Konoha is just the bait?" Sasuke asked.

Obito nodded with a faint smile.

"Didn't Naruto tell you himself that he would stop you if you attacked Konoha? That's our opportunity. We'll force him to show up and when he does, we'll trap him and finally have a chance to bring him down."

Sasuke looked away, fists clenched.

"So what exactly do you mean by 'counterpoint'? How do you plan to divide roles?"

Obito said plainly,

"You leave Naruto to us. You focus on your revenge against Konoha. The White Zetsu army will still support you."

Sasuke fell silent, his expression unreadable.

Hmph… Obito thought to himself.

Is he hesitating because he can't stand seeing the only person who still calls him a friend being used like this… or does he just not trust me?

A thought crossed Obito's mind, and he said calmly,

"Well... you don't need to worry too much. From a practical view, your large attack on Konoha will distract Naruto and increase our chances of winning. Our goals still align. Whether you act or not is up to you."

He and White Zetsu waited silently for Sasuke's reply.

Sasuke closed his eyes. Memories flashed through his mind his old friends, the village elders, his clan, his parents, and Naruto. 

But finally, he stopped at Itachi's last smile.

The fire of revenge burned stronger than anything else.

Snap!

His eyes opened, glowing coldly with the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

"I want revenge on Konoha!" Sasuke said firmly.

Obito smiled slightly.

"As expected. Hope doesn't exist here. No one can escape the chain of hatred. The Infinite Tsukuyomi is the world's ultimate truth..."

"Very good. Akatsuki will fully support you. This war isn't Akatsuki against the ninja world, it's Akatsuki against Konoha. The outcome was decided from the start."

"Hmm?" White Zetsu's expression changed.

Obito asked, "What is it?"

White Zetsu said, "The ones left in the abandoned base sent a message. Jūgo and Suigetsu are coming. They must meet Sasuke when they arrive."

Obito thought for a moment.

"Their skills are still useful. Bring them here..."

...

About half an hour later, guided by White Zetsu, Jūgo and Suigetsu arrived at Akatsuki's new hideout.

After meeting Sasuke, Suigetsu bitterly complained about what happened to them after they left the Iron Kingdom.

Sasuke sat calmly on a stone chair, listening without emotion. But when he heard the key point, his eyes flickered.

"You said... you joined Naruto in attacking Kumogakure? And he took you to Amegakure?"

Swish! 

Obito suddenly appeared in front of Jūgo.

"Don't move!"

The Sharingan under Obito's mask glowed with an illusionary light, trapping Jūgo in place.

Obito lifted Jūgo's shirt and saw the 'Flying Thunder God' mark on his shoulder.

He snorted coldly and without a word grabbed Jūgo's arms and tore them off!

"Ah...!!!" Jūgo screamed in pain, breaking free from the illusion as he collapsed to the ground, blood and sweat pooling around him.

"Call out!"

Obito rolled Jūgo's arms into his right eye using Kamui.

"Stop the bleeding quickly..." 

Obito said coldly, then turned away.

Even Suigetsu couldn't stand it anymore. He shouted at Sasuke,

"Hey!! Sasuke!! You just watched him treat our comrade like this without saying a word!!"

"..." 

Sasuke looked downcast and did not express his opinion.

"Huff, huff... It doesn't matter. To stop hidden threats from the enemy, his method is right!"

Jūgo gritted his teeth, endured the pain, and stood up with Suigetsu's help. He looked at Sasuke and said,

"Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto sent you a message!"

Sasuke rested his chin on his hand, eyes flickering.

"What did he say?"

Jūgo replied,

"He said Danzo is no longer in Konoha. He went to Yakushi Kabuto to try to make a comeback. You should act quickly... I think that's the right choice!"

Sasuke clenched his fists and stared coldly ahead.

"I don't need him to tell me how to take revenge! No matter how much Danzo uses outside forces no matter how ugly, ridiculous, or pathetic he's trying to gain Uchiha power. My hatred will destroy him completely!"

"As for Naruto..."

Sasuke's eyes paused, and a deep, hard-to-read emotion flashed across his face.

"He can barely protect himself. He should just hope for the best..."

.

.

TO BE CONTINUED

_________________

Noted : if you guys want read advance chapter up to 20+, you can check at my P@treon : patreon.com/MoonEater18