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Thus, Obito chose to bide his time, working alongside Zetsu to gather intelligence on Kirigakure.
Then, he convinced Nagato to join forces and target the Hidden Mist Village.
The Akatsuki was no longer the same organization it once was.
After the destruction of Amegakure and the severe depletion of his lifespan, Nagato found himself lost.
How was he supposed to fulfill his comrade Yahiko's dream now?
At this point, Nagato had no energy to question Obito's identity.
Whether he was Uchiha Obito or Uchiha Madara no longer mattered.
Once his injuries had mostly healed, Obito took the initiative to approach him with a proposal.
The Akatsuki couldn't afford to clash head-on with the Five Great Shinobi Villages. So why not dismantle their alliance from within?
By directly striking Kirigakure, Obito could take his revenge while Nagato gained control over the village—killing two birds with one stone.
After all, with Madara's cursed seal on him, no matter how much Nagato struggled, he couldn't escape.
So why bother with superficial power?
Using others to achieve his goals was what truly mattered. As for the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan…
If all else failed, they could always dig Uchiha Madara out of the ground.
Obito had indeed fallen into darkness—that much was undeniable.
But his corruption didn't mean he was stupid. Before his fall, he had simply been too naïve and kind-hearted.
Once he shed those traits, Obito was far from an easy target to manipulate.
The original story made it clear that he distrusted Madara, taking every precaution against him.
Yet, facing two ancient schemers like Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu, no matter how much Obito guarded himself, he had no choice but to swallow the bitter pill they forced on him.
"It doesn't matter. All I need is revenge on Kirigakure."
Obito slowly raised his head, his single visible eye behind the mask twisting into a terrifying snarl.
To fulfill his vengeance, he had endured years of patience.
During that time, he hadn't reclaimed his stolen Sharingan, nor had he attacked Kirigakure. Instead, he focused solely on gathering intelligence, waiting for Nagato to recover.
Nagato's injuries were severe, compounded by his shortened lifespan, making his recuperation painfully slow. It took several long years.
And during those years, Obito suffered in silence. Now, the time was finally ripe.
In the past, he had despised Konoha above all else. But after learning the truth about Rin's death, his boundless hatred shifted entirely to Kirigakure.
Back then, when Kazuki had sold out Kirigakure, his goal had been to redirect Obito's fury toward the Hidden Mist Village.
What he hadn't expected was that Obito would wise up—enduring for years and even sacrificing potential gains to drag Nagato into his scheme against Kirigakure.
Trying to seize control of an entire village, especially one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, was impossible for the Akatsuki.
But controlling Kirigakure's Mizukage, Yagura, was within their reach.
Once they had Yagura under their thumb, he would become their eyes and ears.
Not only could they use Kirigakure's forces to gather intelligence, but they could also employ subtle manipulations to deplete the village's strength from within—even instigating wars.
By dragging other villages into the conflict, they could ruthlessly erode the Five Great Villages' foundations.
The plan was insane, but it was far more effective than the Akatsuki slowly amassing power on their own.
There was just one condition: they had to successfully take control of Yagura.
"So then…"
Obito and the Deva Path simultaneously turned their gazes toward a certain centuries-old, money-obsessed spectator—Kakuzu.
"..."
Kakuzu.
What the hell? You're selling me out to take over Kirigakure?!
Considering Obito and the Deva Path's strength—as well as the resources they'd provided him over the years—Kakuzu had no choice but to grit his teeth and comply.
"Leader, I'll handle infiltrating Kirigakure and luring Yagura out. But I'll need Sasori's cooperation."
It wasn't about sacrificing others to save himself—he just needed backup.
As a perfect Jinchūriki, Yagura wasn't weak. Kakuzu knew he couldn't take him alone, so dragging Sasori along was the smarter move.
If things went south, at least he'd have a better chance of escaping.
"..."
Sasori's cold gaze locked onto Kakuzu, who glared back unflinching.
He feared Nagato, but Sasori was a different story. They were evenly matched.
Though Sasori had turned himself into a puppet, he wasn't devoid of human emotion.
Otherwise, in the original story, he wouldn't have gone easy on Chiyo.
"Then Kakuzu and Sasori will work together to infiltrate Kirigakure and draw Yagura out."
The Deva Path didn't care whether it was one person or two—as long as the mission succeeded.
If these two disobeyed… they knew the consequences.
With the leader's orders given, Kakuzu and Sasori had no choice but to comply.
Unbeknownst to the Five Great Villages, a conspiracy targeting Kirigakure—one that would eventually ensnare the other villages—was set into motion.
Infiltrating Kirigakure was simple—Obito could warp them in using Kamui.
The real challenge was luring Yagura out.
Given how seriously the Five Great Villages took the Akatsuki's threat, the moment their members appeared, Yagura would undoubtedly take action.
In an emergency, he wouldn't have many reinforcements—just his personal guard and a small squad of ANBU. That was no match for the Akatsuki.
Moreover, as the Mizukage and a perfect Jinchūriki, Yagura had his pride. Given his personality, he likely wouldn't wait for the village to mobilize a full force before pursuing.
Obito planned to exploit this, drawing Yagura out and seizing control of him.
Though Yagura was a perfect Jinchūriki, the tailed beast sealed within him was only the Three-Tails.
Even at full power, he stood no chance against the Six Paths of Pain.
With the plan in motion, Obito used Kamui to transport Kakuzu and Sasori into Kirigakure. Meanwhile, Nagato and Konan led the Six Paths of Pain to the ambush point, waiting for Yagura to deliver himself to them.
Black Zetsu handled intelligence-gathering, monitoring Kirigakure's shinobi movements.
If anything went wrong, he would alert the others immediately.
After the battle in Amegakure, Kirigakure's losses had been heavy. Even wealthy villages like Kumogakure and Iwagakure had felt the sting—Kirigakure was no exception.
With fewer elite shinobi than those two villages to begin with, losing hundreds of their best had dealt a severe blow to their strength.
Many of the village's elders and clans had voiced complaints, but Yagura's past brutality—his swift executions and iron-fisted rule—had silenced most dissent.
No one dared make trouble openly. After years of stable development, Kirigakure had regained much of its former power.
Though a few clans still stirred unrest, Yagura was satisfied with the village's progress.
It might not compare to the "Big Three"—Konoha, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure—but at least it was stronger than Sunagakure.