For now, Kazama had no intention of letting anyone know that Obito was under his control.
Obito was his ultimate trump card, after all.
Only Obito could keep tabs on Kurozetsu's next moves.
To keep things airtight, Obito's allegiance had to stay a secret.
"The Akatsuki members are incredibly skilled. Killing them would be such a waste. It's better to make them work for me!" Kazama declared.
Itachi didn't comment, merely listening.
In the ninja world, survival of the fittest was the rule. If Kazama could make Akatsuki's members bow to him, that was proof of his own strength.
"By the way, I've checked on Sasuke's situation. Not only is he safe, but with Kurozetsu's help, his power has skyrocketed. He might come for you soon to settle the score. Be careful," Kazama warned.
"I understand…"
Hearing his little brother was okay, Itachi let out a relieved sigh.
As for Sasuke seeking revenge, Itachi didn't care one bit.
"…If killing me would bring Sasuke back to Konoha, it'd be worth it," he murmured.
"Such a brother complex, always thinking about Sasuke!" Kazama said, shaking his head with a wry smile.
Still, Kazama wouldn't let Sasuke actually kill Itachi. He valued Itachi's strength too much for that.
"What's next? Are we bringing a fake Jinchuriki back to report to Kurozetsu?" Itachi asked.
"Exactly!" Kazama nodded with a grin.
"Until we've collected all nine tailed beasts, you can't break ties with Kurozetsu just yet."
With that, Kazama used Mokuton Bunshin (Wood Clone Technique) and transformed it to look like the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Roshi.
"Oh, one more thing!" Kazama suddenly remembered.
"Since Nagato's already left Akatsuki, how are you guys sealing the tailed beasts' power? Kurozetsu can't summon the Gedo Mazo (Demonic Statue of the Outer Path) on his own, can he?"
Kazama was worried Kurozetsu might have another way to absorb the tailed beasts. If so, his transformation trick could be exposed.
"When Kurozetsu was controlling Nagato, he permanently summoned the Gedo Mazo. It's been at our secret base ever since," Itachi explained.
"I see. That means Kurozetsu won't catch on to my tailed beast snatching for a while!" Kazama said, pleased.
After Itachi and Kisame left with Kazama's wood clone, Kazama returned to the unconscious Four-Tails Jinchuriki.
His original plan was to convince Roshi to join Oto no Kuni (Village Hidden in the Sound).
But to Kazama's surprise, Roshi turned out to be incredibly stubborn.
The moment he woke up, he lunged at Kazama, ready to attack again.
No matter how much Kazama tried to reason with him, it was no use.
Left with no choice, Kazama used Beppin Tennin (Otherworldly God) on him, bringing Roshi under his control.
"Roshi, I'm doing this for your own good. Akatsuki isn't the only one after the tailed beasts' power. If I let you wander around, someone's bound to capture you and extract the beast sooner or later. You're better off coming with me to Oto no Kuni and living peacefully."
But as Kazama and the Four-Tails Jinchuriki made their way back to Oto no Kuni, trouble brewed.
The Mizu no Kuni (Land of Water) ninjas, who Kazama had scared off earlier, had returned with a vengeance.
And this time, it wasn't just a small squad—it was an army of tens of thousands of ninjas.
They had Oto no Kuni completely surrounded.