Chapter 45: Obito and Kirigakure
Land of Water
Kirigakure – Mizukage's Office
Uchiha Obito sat casually in the Fourth Mizukage's chair, leafing through various confidential documents of the Hidden Mist Village.
Standing silently beside him, like a lifeless bodyguard, was the real Fourth Mizukage—Yagura—his eyes dull and void of emotion, under complete control.
"Obito, things aren't looking good,"
From beneath the floor, Zetsu slowly emerged. Black Zetsu, fused with White Zetsu in their signature pitcher plant form, sighed as he observed Obito calmly flipping through papers.
"There's increasing unrest within Kirigakure. It's still subtle, but we can't be deceived. If this keeps up, those people might really take action soon."
"Isn't that perfect?"
Obito looked up slightly, the Sharingan behind his mask gleaming with a faint red light.
"This village... the more chaotic it is, the more entertaining it becomes."
He never truly blamed Kakashi. He understood the reasons behind Rin Nohara's tragic death.
But humans are nothing if not contradictory. Understanding doesn't mean forgiving.
Kakashi was an exception—but should Kirigakure be spared?
Besides, Kirigakure housed two Tailed Beasts, and the Land of Water was isolated from the rest of the Shinobi World.
The village had already embraced a brutal "elite-only" policy—only those who survived bloodshed were considered true shinobi. Even the Academy preached this doctrine.
Such conditions made it ideal for Obito to strike hard. All he needed was to control the Mizukage and gradually escalate things from there.
Under his manipulations, the Hidden Mist had been pushed to its limit.
A system of oppressive governance radiated across the entire village.
High-ranking shinobi exploited those beneath them.
The Kaguya Clan's rebellion further intensified hatred toward Kekkei Genkai users.
In Obito's hands, Kirigakure had transformed into fertile soil for turmoil and bloodshed.
This was revenge—and a storage ground for the Three-Tails and Six-Tails.
In his eyes, not destroying the village outright was already showing mercy.
Of course, he had no clue how to actually run a village...
But perhaps he had gone too far. With the influential elder Genji—who held power almost equal to the Mizukage—leading the charge, the village's resistance was growing increasingly fierce.
"Try taking this seriously. Don't forget—you're already exposed in Konoha," Black Zetsu said, exasperated.
"Konoha may not have issued a warrant yet, but that's likely because they haven't confirmed your identity. Once they do, they'll act. Remember those scouts we spotted earlier? They might've been from Konoha. And now, this chaos in Kirigakure..."
"Let them try. Am I supposed to be scared of a wanted poster?"
Obito tilted his head, his tone mocking.
Those so-called scouts? Already dead.
They were trained operatives who bit down on suicide pills before they could be interrogated, so Obito still didn't know their exact origin.
But he didn't care. He had full confidence in his abilities.
Even if Konoha was behind it—so what?
They want to capture him? What a joke.
Sure, Kitagawa Gen managed to disrupt his Kamui once... but Obito chalked that up to sheer dumb luck.
Even if his identity was exposed, so long as he adjusted his tactics, there was no real threat.
The power of Kamui was beyond comprehension—
Unless another Minato Namikaze were to appear…
"Anyway, forget that," Obito said, brushing the matter aside. He handed a file over to Black Zetsu.
"I found an interesting candidate in Kirigakure. Take a look at this one."
"...Hoshigaki Kisame."
Black Zetsu took the document, then sighed. He understood Obito well enough by now—once his mind was set, persuasion was pointless.
Still, as long as Obito didn't disrupt the ultimate plan, he could play along.
"A young one from the Hoshigaki Clan. Skilled with the blade, immense chakra reserves, and ruthlessly efficient. Treats orders like gospel. He's promising.
But if I recall, he serves under Suikazan Fuguki. What do you plan to do?"
"That guy is lost," Obito replied coldly.
"Under Fuguki's command, he's killed more of his own comrades than the enemy. The resentment is boiling inside him."
"He's starting to question the world, his purpose, and why he even exists.
This world is fake. All I need to do is give him the right outlet—point him in the right direction—and he'll become my most loyal follower."
He'd done it before—
After Yahiko's death, he'd twisted Nagato's heart the same way.
Why not do it again?
"Besides, Nagato isn't exactly obedient. He always has his own ideas. I need someone trustworthy inside Akatsuki—someone to keep things in check."
Nagato and Obito may have had an agreement on paper, but Obito wasn't stupid.
Nagato would never fully submit.
He needed eyes within Akatsuki to ensure his Moon's Eye Plan stayed on track.
"If that's your choice, then so be it."
Black Zetsu nodded. He wouldn't argue further.
"But what about the unrest in Kirigakure?" he asked. "Shouldn't we clamp down before it spirals out of control?"
"Of course we should. This time, let's make it big."
Obito pondered for a moment, then said,
"They want rebellion? Then let them gather. When the time is right, we'll crush them all in one sweep."
"...Huh?"
Black Zetsu blinked. That sounded like a massacre.
Was this guy really going to go that far?
Actually... yes.
He didn't care. Didn't understand. And certainly didn't fear consequences.
"Isn't that a bit... much?" Black Zetsu asked carefully.
"No," Obito replied firmly.
"This works in our favor—weakens Kirigakure, makes it easier to obtain the Three-Tails and Six-Tails, and removes any future threats they might pose.
Besides, weren't you worried those scouts might've been from Konoha or elsewhere?
Let's use this as a chance to wipe them out too."
You're full of crap, and I know exactly what you're thinking, Black Zetsu cursed internally—but he held his tongue.
"I thought you still cared about Rin..."
White Zetsu finally chimed in, uncharacteristically.
"I mean, they were the ones who—mmph!!"
He was cut off mid-sentence as Black Zetsu quickly slapped a hand over his mouth.
He could feel Obito's killing intent spike in an instant.
"We'll handle it. I'll make sure this conflict escalates.
To the maximum," Black Zetsu said stiffly, trying to salvage the situation.
Obito cast a death glare at White Zetsu, then exhaled slowly.
"Good. I just want to see results..."
With Obito's orders issued, Black Zetsu, no matter how reluctant, began to set things in motion.
And just like that, the already unstable Kirigakure plunged into deeper chaos—shadows twisting behind every corner.
Meanwhile, back in Konoha—
Danzo stared grimly at a stack of intelligence reports.
His expression was darker than ever.