"Yakushi Kabuto." When the White Zetsu clone found him, it handed over a scroll. "This is from Lord Emiya for you."
"Yes." Kabuto was momentarily startled by the monstrous creature before him. Fortunately, he had nerves of steel.
The mention of Lord Emiya, and the clear implication that this creature knew of his connection to him, was enough for him to accept the scroll.
However, as he unrolled it, his pupils constricted in shock. The shock slowly morphed into a flicker of understanding, and finally, his expression settled into a faint, thoughtful confusion.
"What's inside?" the White Zetsu clone asked, its curiosity piqued by Kabuto's rapidly shifting expressions.
"It's..." Kabuto hesitated, then smiled, a hint of his old self showing through. "A mission Lord Emiya has arranged for us in the Land of Water. I'll need your help gathering some intelligence in the Mist Village."
"Alright," the clone sighed, clearly unenthusiastic. "I hope this mission ends soon."
"Mmm..." Kabuto adjusted his glasses, his eyes quietly sizing up the creature. He thought of the coded message within the scroll. It was divided into three parts.
The first part was a treasure trove of information on the Impure World Reincarnation jutsu—detailed theory, technical refinements, and improvements that far surpassed anything Orochimaru had achieved.
Kabuto was confident he could master it. Shirou's instructions were clear: learn the jutsu, reanimate some powerful ninja for protection, and then carry out the mission.
The second part detailed the mission itself: contact Kisame Hoshigaki, per Obito's orders, and work with him to overthrow the Fourth Mizukage's bloody regime. It even included a contingency plan in case Kisame's assassination attempt failed.
The third part seemed to be a last-minute addition. Shirou wanted him to use this very White Zetsu clone as the sacrificial material for the Impure World Reincarnation.
It made a certain kind of cold, logical sense. Shirou was a lone traveler, the Akatsuki was short-staffed, and sending protection was out of the question. Using the dead wasn't a moral hurdle for Kabuto. The only thing that gave him pause was sacrificing this strange creature he'd just met.
But he soon understood. This White Zetsu was, to put it mildly, an idiot. On the way to the Land of Water, it couldn't stop gushing about how much more "fun" Uchiha Obito was.
"Obito is so much more interesting," it would drone on. "Lord Emiya is just... so boring. All he does is write scrolls. I've never seen him do anything fun."
"The main body and Lord Black Zetsu said the first time he was resurrected, it was the same thing: either treating patients or writing case notes. What a dull life."
Is there something wrong with this thing?
Something's definitely wrong with its head.
Kabuto had to endure this inane commentary the entire journey. He couldn't fathom how anyone could compare a figure like Emiya Shirou to Uchiha Obito. This creature's thought process was truly alien.
Fortunately, besides being a medical ninja, Kabuto was also an excellent spy. He maintained a gentle, pleasant smile, nodding along and even managing to chat amiably with the clone, all while mentally dissecting the Impure World Reincarnation jutsu.
-----
The Mist Village was a peculiar place, shrouded in a perpetual fog that reeked of blood. It was a village where killing your own comrades was just another Tuesday.
No one knew when they might kill a companion, or be killed by one. Trust was a foreign concept, replaced by a grim acceptance of deception, betrayal, and slaughter.
"What should we do first?" the White Zetsu clone asked as they easily infiltrated the village. Their first stop was the cemetery.
"Let's find a powerful helper," Kabuto said, scanning the gravestones until he found his target: Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hozuki. After digging up the corpse, the White Zetsu clone finally caught on.
"Are you going to use the Impure World Reincarnation?" it asked, stroking its chin. "I remember this jutsu needs a sacrifice. We should go capture someone..."
"No need," Kabuto said, a pitch-black cursed seal flowing up his arm. The next moment, a heavy blow struck the White Zetsu clone's neck.
The clone looked up in dazed confusion at Kabuto's eyes, which were now filled with a cold, murderous intent. "Kabuto, you..."
It couldn't understand. They had chatted so happily.
They were friends, weren't they?
"Sorry," Kabuto's glasses glinted in the moonlight, his voice chillingly indifferent. "From the very beginning, I found a medical ninja who heals the sick and saves people far more interesting than an idiot who caused the Nine-Tails' rampage and killed countless people. And thank you for accompanying me here. This way, I don't have to alarm the Mist Village to get my sacrifice."
His hands came together, performing the seals with the gentle precision of a surgeon. "Ninja Art: Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu."
Dust and debris swirled from the corpse on the ground, engulfing the terrified White Zetsu clone.
It seems a creature like White Zetsu is quite a suitable sacrifice, Kabuto thought, observing the reanimated body.
It might even be possible to resurrect the Second Mizukage at his peak.
The reanimated Gengetsu Hozuki opened his deathly still eyes. "That fellow Tobirama's Impure World Reincarnation jutsu?"
"Congratulations on your return to the living world, Lord Second Mizukage," Kabuto said with a practiced smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Come, let's bring peace to this world together."
"Hey, hey, hey, wait a minute," the Second Mizukage objected loudly. "Even if another great ninja war breaks out, I can't pacify it like Lord Emiya Shirou did!"
"Don't count on me, you strange little brat!"
Kabuto paid him no mind, simply sealing him inside a coffin. He still had a plan to carry out.
Deep within a damp, underground structure, Kisame Hoshigaki polished his Samehada greatsword.
He, like many of the Mist's ANBU, was a killing tool, his hands stained with the blood of his own comrades. He had even killed his superior to obtain his blade.
It was on that day that he met "Uchiha Madara" and found a new purpose in the Project Tsuki no Me.
But lately, his mood had been foul. Rumors were circulating that "Madara" was actually the Konoha rogue ninja, Uchiha Obito.
Was I deceived again? he wondered. What in this world is real?
His hand suddenly stopped. He'd heard a faint footstep. It wasn't an ANBU. It was someone skilled at moving in the dark.
"Come out. I've already heard you," Kisame said, his hand gripping Samehada's hilt.
A gray-haired youth with glasses walked out from the corner, a smile playing on his lips. It was Kabuto.
"How sharp," he said, though his heart was confident. He was no longer afraid of this notoriously cruel Mist ANBU.
"An intruder?" Kisame lifted Samehada, ready to kill the uninvited guest to pass the time. "Looks like your luck isn't very good."
"No," Kabuto's smile widened. "I should say my luck is quite good. It only took a little time to find the person Mr. Obito asked me to find."
Kisame's pupils constricted. He stared at Kabuto, his shark-like eyes deadly.
Kabuto, however, could feel that the killing intent hadn't dissipated.
What the hell? Didn't Obito say Kisame was his subordinate?
Why does he still look like he wants to kill me?
Just as Kabuto was feeling a bit baffled, Kisame suddenly lowered Samehada. "Are the rumors true?" he asked, his brow furrowed. "That masked 'Mr. Madara'... is he the Konoha rogue ninja, Uchiha Obito?"
Kabuto's expression finally became a bit strange. He realized the connection between these two was not as close as he'd been led to believe.
That guy Obito actually recruited Kisame while pretending to be Madara!
And now that his identity is exposed, he still naively thinks Kisame is loyal to him!
Fortunately, Kabuto thought, a cold calculation behind his eyes, Kisame doesn't seem to have turned on him yet.
And fortunately, I resurrected the Second Mizukage in advance.