Uchiha Obito stood up, and the space around him began to distort, gradually pulling him in like a vortex.
Jue silently sank into the ground and vanished without a trace.
"Pein, I still don't trust Madara!" Konan said, her voice filled with concern.
"I don't trust him either," replied Tendo Pain with cold determination. "The moment he shows any weakness, I will eliminate him. For now, he remains useful to our plan."
Though his words were harsh, Pein was willing to temporarily tolerate the mysterious Uchiha Madara for the sake of achieving his ultimate goal.
Konan fell silent. All she could do was quietly support Nagato and help him realize his vision for peace.
Meanwhile, in the shadows, White Zetsu, disguised as Uchiha Obito, joined Black Zetsu.
"Well, how was my performance? Successful, wasn't it?" White Zetsu asked with a smug expression.
Black Zetsu maintained his perpetually gloomy demeanour. "You talk too much! Be more careful next time!"
"Don't return to Kirigakure yet," Black Zetsu continued. "You've maintained good control over the Fourth Mizukage Yagura during this period. Let's find Momochi Zabuza first and recruit him into the Akatsuki."
Later, Black Zetsu arrived at the base alone and observed Uchiha Obito, who was connected to the Gedo Statue.
"It seems the process is almost complete..."
The Land of Waves was an unusual country in the ninja world because it had no shinobi of its own.
The main reason was its poor economy and lack of resources to train ninjas. But the most critical factor was that a man named Gato, a shipping magnate of immense wealth, controlled all maritime traffic to and from the country, driving it further into poverty.
To maintain his iron grip on the Land of Waves, Gato employed numerous thugs and high-level ninja, making resistance impossible for the local population.
"Shua..."
Space twisted, and Uchiha Obito suddenly appeared. He glanced at the luxurious mansion before him. At the same moment, Zetsu emerged from the ground.
"Gato's residence is right in front of us," Black Zetsu said. "He's hired Momochi Zabuza to enforce his rule here. Kill Gato after we're done! The man has accumulated substantial wealth, which will be perfect for funding the Akatsuki's operations."
"Hehehe, leave it to me," White Zetsu replied confidently.
Although White Zetsu's disguise as Uchiha Obito wasn't perfect, it was more than adequate for the current mission. After all, the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan was formidable, especially Obito's Kamui technique. Ordinary ninjas stood no chance against such an ability.
"Let's begin!" commanded the masked Obito as he leapt from the tree and entered Gato's residence.
"Boom..."
Soon, explosions filled the air with fire and smoke.
The sounds of battle rang out, and chaotic footsteps accompanied by the metallic scent of blood drifted outward.
Before long, the fighting and screaming gradually subsided.
Suddenly, a thick mist enveloped the surroundings, with a murderous intent permeating the fog.
Black Zetsu stood on a large tree, silently observing everything.
The battle intensified as Momochi Zabuza appeared, wielding his massive Kubikiribōchō, the legendary beheading sword, and demonstrating his masterful assassination techniques.
However, Zabuza quickly realized that no matter how powerful or stealthy his attacks were, they passed harmlessly through the masked man.
Even when his apprentice Haku joined the fight, with his beautiful Crystal Ice Mirrors technique glistening in the sunlight, the masked man remained completely unaffected by both the restriction and damage of the jutsu.
"Water Style: Giant Waterfall Jutsu!" Zabuza shouted.
A terrifying volume of water, tens of meters high, formed a roaring waterfall that rushed toward the masked man. The waves swept over everything, washing the ground clean.
"What a frightening Water Style ninjutsu..." the masked man commented with amusement. Yet the powerful Water Style jutsu had caused him no harm whatsoever.
"How about I give you another chance to join our organization?" he offered.
"You're asking for death!" Zabuza glared at the masked man with his cold, shark-like eyes, pointing his Kubikiribōchō at his opponent.
"Master, please reconsider!" Haku moved closer, visibly nervous. He could see that their enemy was merely toying with them, not taking the fight seriously at all.
"Stop talking nonsense, Haku!" Zabuza growled. "If you find an opening, don't worry about me; just take it!"
"I'll act as bait if necessary," Zabuza added.
"Be quiet! Just follow my orders!"
"Yes, Master," Haku replied obediently.
As Zabuza and Haku finished their hushed conversation, the masked man standing opposite them said with a hint of mockery in his voice, "Well, have you decided? What's your plan? Hehehe..."
"You're dead!" Zabuza snarled, gripping his sword tighter.
"Master Zabuza, he's vanished," Haku warned.
Zabuza also noticed that the masked man had disappeared. Before he could react, a black-gloved hand extended from a spatial distortion behind him and reached for his neck.
"Hmph!"
"Haku!"
Haku seized the opportunity and flicked his wrist, sending countless fine senbon needles gleaming with deadly intent toward the masked man. With his other hand, he began forming hand seals to prepare his Crystal Ice Mirrors technique.
Zabuza grabbed his Kubikiribōchō and swung it backwards. If the masked man continued his attack, he would certainly be struck first!
Yet whether it was Haku's senbon or Zabuza's massive sword, both passed through the masked man's body without causing any damage.
"Bang!"
"Master, please reconsider!"
After a prolonged battle, Zabuza Momochi lay on the ground covered in blood. Haku frantically bandaged his master's wounds, ignoring his own injuries.
"I said you would agree. So, I was right, wasn't I?" the masked man said triumphantly.
"Hehehe..." Zabuza looked up weakly at the masked man but said nothing.
Black Zetsu emerged from the ground and spoke in his deep, gravelly voice, "Zabuza Momochi, the Akatsuki is more powerful than you can imagine. With your current strength, you barely qualify to join."
"After joining the organization, both of you will need to continue training for some time before you're truly qualified to work for us!"
Having lost the battle, Zabuza and Haku had no choice but to listen to their new masters.
And so, Zabuza Momochi and Haku became members of the Akatsuki. Meanwhile, Gato was killed, and all his accumulated wealth was collected by Zetsu and taken back to fund the Akatsuki's operations.
Soon, the citizens of the Land of Waves discovered Gato's death. But before they could celebrate, the thugs originally hired by Gato began looting and pillaging everywhere. Riots erupted throughout the country, throwing the Land of Waves into chaos.
Their situation became even more desperate than when Gato ruled.
The bridge, which had been under construction to break Gato's blockade of the Land of Waves, now stood abandoned and incomplete.
"Alas! I thought our lives would improve after Gato died. Who would have guessed..." an old man lamented.
"Those thugs were all hired by Gato!" another villager pointed out.
A woman cried out, "Why did they kill Gato but leave these criminals behind?"
"We can't continue like this," a bridge worker said grimly. "The casualties are increasing every day. In the past, as long as we didn't build the bridge, Gato wouldn't kill people needlessly. He still needed us to work and make money for him. But now these thugs don't care about anything!"
"Let's pool our money together!" suggested a young man. "We can hire some ninja to help us eliminate these thugs!"
"Where should we go? Kirigakure?" an elderly fisherman asked. "I wouldn't dare. No fisherman who's gone there has ever returned!"
"No, we should go to Konohagakure to request a mission. Their ninja are more reliable!"
"But... but hiring Konoha ninja costs too much. Even if we pool all our money together, it won't be enough."
"Then what do you suggest we do?" the bridge worker asked, desperation evident in his voice.
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