Outside Konoha Village, two figures moved quietly through the shadows.
They were the reanimated Second Tsuchikage, Mu, and the Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hozuki. Of course, Kabuto wouldn't risk his own neck at a time like this; he could remotely control the two former Kage to carry out his plans.
He had recently located and reanimated the Second Tsuchikage, allowing him to work alongside his old acquaintance, the Second Mizukage.
"I never thought..." Mu began, looking at Gengetsu with clear displeasure. "That one day, we'd both be revived, only to be controlled by that jutsu created by the Second Hokage."
"Looks like a lot has happened," Gengetsu mused, stroking his thin mustache with a carefree air. "Our mission is to bring back the Uchiha survivor. Who would've thought the famous Uchiha clan would be down to a single child?"
"Speaking of which," Gengetsu said, glancing curiously at the Tsuchikage, "why would the caster revive you and have us work together? If only the Second Kazekage had been revived, too. At least that guy is a bit more reliable..."
Truthfully, Gengetsu Hozuki held the Second Kazekage in high regard. During the First Great Ninja War, the Kazekage had fought alongside them against Emiya Shirou and performed admirably.
"I'd rather team up with him, too," the Second Tsuchikage grumbled, turning his head away. He also preferred the Kazekage as a partner. The Second Mizukage hadn't exactly covered himself in glory during their fight with Emiya Shirou—he'd bailed before the real action even started.
With a teammate like that, the Tsuchikage found it hard to feel any sense of trust.
Unfortunately, their preferences didn't matter. The caster didn't care what they wanted.
Furthermore, the Edo Tensei technique Kabuto had acquired from Emiya Shirou was nearly perfect. Kabuto only needed to issue an order, and the reanimated Kage were compelled to obey, with little effort on his part.
Of course, Kabuto sometimes enjoyed puppeteering these legendary figures. They all possessed abilities he'd never had, and the thought of using them to defeat powerful opponents was tempting.
But right now, with so many to control, he simply gave them basic orders and let them act.
It had to be said, Kabuto was now quite "well-off."
Compared to him, his former boss, Orochimaru, seemed to be struggling. During the Chunin Exams, all the Hokage Orochimaru had reanimated were sent back to the Pure Land by Emiya Shirou, leaving him to act on his own.
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Inside a Konoha sweets shop, Orochimaru and Obito Uchiha sat at one table. At another sat Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki. If any Konoha ninja realized there were three S-rank missing-nin casually sitting in a dessert shop, they'd probably lose their minds on the spot.
However, one of them looked a bit different. Obito had transplanted an eye and now possessed the Rinnegan. He had chosen to put it to use almost immediately. With the Rinnegan, he could summon the Gedo Statue at will, giving him full control over the Akatsuki's most powerful weapon.
As long as he had both the statue and the Rinnegan, Obito believed Emiya Shirou and Black Zetsu would have no choice but to accept reality.
Still, he had to crush their last hope first.
Uchiha Sasuke. The last Uchiha who might awaken the Rinnegan.
But to take Sasuke, Obito couldn't ignore Itachi's feelings. He needed to get his spy on board with the plan.
"Relax," Obito said. "I won't kill Sasuke Uchiha."
"That's for the best," Itachi replied, looking down. He appeared to agree, but his eyes were already glowing crimson beneath his bangs.
"Let's do it, then," Obito said, glancing at Kisame. "You and Itachi can cause some trouble in Konoha. Create some chaos, and we'll grab Sasuke during the confusion. Any problem with that?"
"Got it," Kisame grinned, then added as an afterthought, "Hopefully we can use this as an excuse when we get back…"
"Don't worry about that," Obito said, his lips curling into a sneer. "If they still refuse to accept reality, I'll just take the Gedo Statue. Once they lose both the statue and the Rinnegan, the Akatsuki is just an empty shell. We'll ditch Emiya Shirou and Black Zetsu and start a new Akatsuki."
Everyone at the table glanced at him. The plan actually sounded pretty good. The only issue was that Obito was the one set to carry it out, and truthfully, only Kisame seemed willing to fully support him.
"So," Itachi said, raising a point that had been troubling Obito and Orochimaru, "what if they choose to go to war?"
"That won't happen," Obito scoffed, shaking his head. "If Emiya Shirou was truly determined, or if he was capable of catching me and Orochimaru, he would have hunted us across the world by now. As soon as we take Sasuke, his only option will be compromise."
"I agree with that," Orochimaru suddenly chimed in with a smile, his eyes narrowing. He seemed to have finally figured out Emiya Shirou's way of thinking. "That man already knows about your relationship with Obito, Itachi, doesn't he?"
"Yet he still sent you to help take Sasuke… There can only be one reason. He needs a face-saving compromise."
"Even if Sasuke awakens the Rinnegan, the road ahead is a long one," Orochimaru continued, his gaze falling on Itachi with a knowing look. "And besides… there are other necessary conditions."
Clearly, Orochimaru had learned many secrets from Obito, including the truth about the Rinnegan's origins and the Uchiha's evolutionary path.
Itachi felt a cold stare on him but remained silent. He didn't want to reveal his thoughts to this group and raise their suspicions.
Honestly, whether it was Emiya Shirou's Akatsuki or the "new" Akatsuki Obito and Orochimaru wanted to build, Itachi didn't believe either was the right path. The only place fit for Sasuke was their homeland.
Konoha.
Itachi's eyes lifted, catching sight of a white-haired Konoha ninja standing outside. The man wore a slanted forehead protector, its spiral symbol gleaming in the afternoon sun.
Outside the dessert shop, a hearty laugh rang out as a Konoha jonin in a green vest approached with some friends. They greeted the jonin at the door cheerfully.
"Yo, Kakashi, what brings you here today?"
"I just happened to be meeting Sasuke here," Kakashi Hatake replied, lowering his forehead protector to cover one eye.
He quietly scanned the shop, already spotting a few too-familiar faces, and sighed internally.
Right now, only one thought filled Kakashi's mind.
He just hoped his perpetually arrogant student wouldn't show up.
"Hey, Kakashi, I'm not late, am I?" Sasuke Uchiha's voice came from right beside him, followed by a complaint. "I really don't like sweets. Why'd we have to meet at a dessert shop anyway?"