Back in the Land of Rain, at the Akatsuki hideout, Anko Mitarashi had already pledged her feigned allegiance to Emiya Shirou. Her one and only goal: assassinate Orochimaru.
For her, this was an opportunity she couldn't pass up. She didn't care about leaving Konoha, not as long as she could finally kill the rogue teacher who had abandoned her and wash away the shame she carried.
Her eyes, once dull, now shone with a bright, spirited light, and a sweet yet dangerous smile often played on her lips. She looked like she really wanted to kill him.
A troublesome woman, indeed. But ultimately, that was Orochimaru's problem.
"I'll arrange for you to monitor Orochimaru," Shirou's plan was brutally simple. He didn't seem to care in the slightest how much trouble Anko might cause for him. "The rest is up to you."
"Don't worry," Anko said, her eyes narrowing. "I'll definitely kill him."
She seemed to genuinely believe she could pull it off.
This illusion reached its peak when she finally saw him. When Shirou brought Anko before Orochimaru, the man's expression was a sight to behold. His face was so gloomy and ugly it looked like it was about to start dripping.
"I don't think I need to make an introduction, do I?" Shirou said softly, looking at the reunited master and apprentice. "Orochimaru, our future ally who will help us steal Konoha's intelligence. And Anko Mitarashi, the one responsible for monitoring him on behalf of myself and the Akatsuki."
"Long time no see, Orochimaru... sensei," Anko purred, imitating his signature move by licking her lips. A dangerous look entered her eyes. "Why so glum, sensei? Aren't you happy to see me?"
"Idiot..." Orochimaru gritted his teeth, a wave of profound disappointment washing over him.
What the hell! Can't that old fossil, the Third, even protect a single ninja?
My resurrection backup, the one I left behind in Konoha, found so quickly?
And brought back by Shirou himself?
This idiot Anko... had she completely lost her mind in her quest for revenge?
To defect to Shirou and the Akatsuki...
And for Shirou to find Anko... it meant his life-saving resurrection method was now in Shirou's hands.
He was completely at the man's mercy, truly forced to work for him.
It seems, he thought, I need to prepare more backup plans.
"Then," Orochimaru sighed, resigning himself to the situation. "According to our agreement, I'll contact Konoha's Shimura Danzo as soon as possible and get the intelligence you need."
"The person who contacts Danzo will also be monitored by the Akatsuki," Shirou interrupted, his distrust palpable. "Before I can truly trust you, all your actions will be under our surveillance. In return, I will give you enough support."
"You really are cautious," a helpless smile appeared on Orochimaru's face.
Fine. None of this matters. As long as I can survive this, I can always create more backups later and find a way to break free.
"Once I contact Danzo," Orochimaru continued, his snake-like pupils narrowing as he laid the groundwork for his own plan, "his subordinates will surely check up on my recent situation. I can't stay at the Akatsuki base. It might arouse his suspicion."
"You want to go back to your own base?" Shirou didn't object.
"It just so happens that I also need to conduct some of my own research," Orochimaru nodded with a smile. "I believe you've also realized the impact of scientific progress on medical ninjutsu, Lord Emiya. Perhaps we can collaborate."
"If there's a chance, I'll research with you," Shirou agreed noncommittally. "I no longer blindly believe in my own medical ninjutsu. It can save humanity from physical illnesses, but it cannot save the imperfections of the human soul."
A hint of surprise flickered across Orochimaru's face. He could tell Shirou was speaking the truth, but it was a truth tinged with a deep sadness.
If my old friend Tsunade heard this, he thought, she'd be heartbroken.
Just as Shirou was making arrangements for Orochimaru, Obito and Itachi returned from their mission. Obito's face was a thundercloud.
Black and White Zetsu, who had been monitoring the battle, rushed back to report everything to Shirou, naturally taking the opportunity to mock Obito relentlessly.
Just as Shirou had predicted, Obito had revealed his true identity to Kakashi, but the SSSSS-rank system request was not yet complete. This was to be expected.
A request of that level, with its generous rewards, wouldn't be fulfilled just by Kakashi's team knowing the truth. It was all within Shirou's calculations. It didn't matter.
If Konoha didn't react to the intel, he'd just move on to the next stage: creating a major, world-shaking event to make Obito truly famous.
"I heard," Shirou began, his tone making Obito's mood darken further, "you've already been discovered by Kakashi Hatake."
"Hmph. It doesn't matter," Obito clenched his fist, trying to sound nonchalant. "That waste Kakashi can't threaten us."
Itachi couldn't help but glance at him sideways.
If you could have easily dealt with him and Might Guy, I might believe you.
But the fight didn't even look good... How can this guy be so confident?
"You have a point," Shirou said, his face a mask of neutrality. "But Kakashi represents Konoha. I originally planned to use Orochimaru to contact Danzo and clean up that mess. But your exposure means that even if we deal with Danzo, we can't stop Konoha from being curious about us."
Obito's face turned ugly.
Is he pinning the blame on me again?
He couldn't shake it off, though.
"Then what do you suggest we do?" he snorted, a hint of anger in his voice. "If I had known, I should have just killed that waste Kakashi!"
Itachi's eyes flickered. Now is not the time for such empty boasts, is it? As if you could have actually taken care of them.
"Your performance seems even worse than the newcomer Itachi, Obito," Black Zetsu chimed in with a mocking smile. "If I had known, it would have been better to let Lord Wei Yuan deal with them himself! You were supposed to clean up the mess, and you just revealed more weaknesses."
"Black Zetsu!" Obito glared, his anger boiling over.
"Alright," Shirou cut in. "Don't argue about the past. What we need to discuss now is how to deal with the trouble left behind."
"As long as Obito dies..." Black Zetsu immediately and unhelpfully suggested.
Obito didn't even bother to respond.
"Actually, that's not a bad line of thought," a flash of inspiration struck Black Zetsu. "I remember the Uchiha have a forbidden jutsu, Izanagi. It can be set with a Transcription Seal, just like how Madara faked his death..."
"There's no need for that," Obito interrupted coldly. He wasn't going to be a pathetic stray dog anymore. "If Konoha sends people to interfere, I'll just deal with them."
"Is that so?" Black Zetsu chuckled. "But your performance on the battlefield really isn't very convincing."
"What did you say!"
"Is there anything wrong with what I said?"
"You bastard!"
"What a complete waste..."
"Alright. That's enough," Shirou stopped their shouting match again.
His dead-still eyes flickered. "Black Zetsu, White Zetsu, continue searching for manpower and the whereabouts of all the Tailed Beasts. Obito, you and Itachi will go monitor Orochimaru. Although Anko is willing to defect, with her personality, she might not be able to discover anything."
"Got it," Obito agreed with an arrogant face. Itachi lowered his head slightly; this suited his own plans.
The room emptied. Shirou was left alone. His system had a temporary situation, forcing him to hastily dismiss them. Something might have happened in Konoha.
-----
Atop the Hokage's office, Kakashi stood before the Third Hokage's desk. Hiruzen held a pipe, his face etched with an old man's sorrow. He had just heard Kakashi's report about Obito.
"In other words," the Third sighed, "Obito did not die in the Third Great Ninja War. He faked his death, has been hiding his identity with a mask, and has awakened a Mangekyo Sharingan with a space-time dōjutsu. And when you saw him, he was with Itachi Uchiha."
"Yes," Kakashi couldn't hide it. He tried to explain. "This is all my fault. Because Obito saw Rin die at my hands..."
"Kakashi, that's not your fault," Hiruzen shook his head. "Obito has already gone down the wrong path. Don't feel guilty about it."
He looked at the confused Kakashi, but he had to give him a heads-up. "Kakashi, I must issue an S-rank rogue ninja warrant for Obito Uchiha."
"Lord Third Hokage!" Kakashi's pupils shook.
"Kakashi, I will not change my decision," Hiruzen raised his arm, looking at the cursed seal Emiya Shirou had left him eight years ago. That power had helped him during the Nine-Tails' attack, allowing him to learn part of the truth from Minato before he died.
Eight years ago, a mysterious masked man with a space-time dōjutsu had caused that bloody attack, plunging the village into a long, difficult period of weakness.