When Obito's expression began to darken with irritation, White Zetsu quickly shut his mouth with an awkward smile. Black Zetsu, meanwhile, remained silent—though a faint glint flickered in his eyes.
The technique Izanagi had the power to rewrite reality, restoring the user's physical body to the state it was in when the jutsu was activated.
In other words, if Obito had used Izanagi during his fight with Orochimaru, not only would his pierced heart have been healed, but even the curse mark placed there by Uchiha Madara would have disappeared.
Whether Obito had failed to activate the technique in time—or had chosen not to use it—one thing was now certain: he was free from Madara's control.
At least, that's what Obito believed.
Black Zetsu gave a subtle glance toward the milky fluid surrounding Obito—the byproduct of White Zetsu's body—and narrowed his eyes slightly.
To Black Zetsu, it made no real difference whether Madara or Obito carried out the Eye of the Moon Plan, so long as the plan moved forward. But Obito's enthusiasm had been dwindling for a while now, and in the meantime, the ninja world was descending into chaos.
Tch… let's see what he does now that he thinks he's free.
Black Zetsu's face remained expressionless—stoic, even dim-witted—especially when compared to the livelier White Zetsu.
Seeing Obito rising from the white fluid, White Zetsu asked with some confusion, "Your wounds haven't fully healed. Where are you going?"
Obito glanced sideways at Zetsu. "Back to Konoha."
Despite having the best intelligence-gathering network in the shinobi world, Obito was still limited by his own strength. Much of the data he received was superficial—he needed to see things for himself.
The entire situation involving Konoha, Orochimaru, and the Hidden Cloud delegation seemed suspicious. Outsiders might find it believable, but Obito didn't buy it.
He had controlled Tetsuya and captured Hinata, but curiously, he hadn't encountered Neji Hyuga—the Branch family member—during the operation.
White Zetsu blinked. "Aren't you worried this is Orochimaru's trap? Luring you out again?"
You had just suffered a major defeat in Konoha—and now you're heading straight back? Is that bravery or pure recklessness?
Given Orochimaru's abilities and keen perception, White Zetsu assumed Obito would lay low for a while.
"No," Obito said flatly. "That's impossible."
"Even if Orochimaru isn't sure whether I survived, he'll definitely believe I was seriously injured."
In fact, Obito was likely overestimating him. For most shinobi, if they pierce their enemy's heart, they'd naturally assume the opponent is dead.
Until Orochimaru actively confirmed Obito's survival, this window of time would be ideal—his guard would be down.
"Well, good luck then," White Zetsu replied, and promptly sank into the ground. Ensuring silence and stealth was no task for just any clone—it would require his own precision to leave no trace.
Obito opened a scroll, retrieving his clothes and mask. Donning them, his eye spun with the ripple of space-time distortion, and his body vanished into a swirling vortex.
Silence once again filled the underground cave.
---
Cloud Village – Land of Lightning, Raikage's Meeting Room
In the Hidden Cloud's thunderous council chamber, the Fourth Raikage's voice was unusually low.
"We've just received word—Troy has gone missing."
He scanned the room, letting the silence settle before continuing. "And this happened while we were still debating whether Konoha's warning was even genuine."
A stunned silence followed. Then, the room erupted in heated discussion.
Among them, Yugito—who had long held a deep distrust of Konoha—was quick to speak up.
"This smells like a trap," she said coldly. "Konoha just doesn't want to take responsibility for Tetsuya's death. So they spin this lie to make us look like the aggressors."
It wasn't an unreasonable suspicion. After all, Orochimaru had come for peace talks—but nothing was ever simple with Konoha.
On the surface, Konoha accused the Kumogakure delegation of conspiring to steal a dōjutsu and damaging the eyes of their own clansmen. But behind the scenes, they sent a secret letter claiming that Tetsuya had been placed under a genjutsu, and that everything he had done was orchestrated by someone else.
Naturally, Kumogakure didn't trust Konoha. But in contrast, they put more faith in the information returned by their own peace delegation.
According to that report, Tetsuya knew that under Konoha's pressure, signing a peace treaty would bring great losses to the village. So, in an act of loyalty, he sacrificed himself to prevent that outcome.
Regardless of how Tetsuya accomplished it, the fact remains—his actions put Konoha at a disadvantage.
Several hawkish shinobi nodded in agreement, suggesting that Troy's sudden disappearance was suspicious and likely another trick from Konoha to turn the tide in their favor.
The Fourth Raikage raised his hand, quieting the room. He turned to a silent, middle-aged man seated at his right and asked in a low voice, "What's your take on all this?"
Kaede, pressing lightly on the blindfold covering his left eye, responded, "I don't think Konoha is lying."
His words stunned the room. Everyone exchanged uneasy glances but held back from challenging him directly.
Kaede was the Raikage's most trusted advisor, renowned for his wisdom. Having served two generations of Raikage, he rarely spoke without reason—when he did, people listened.
The Fourth Raikage frowned. "Do you have proof?"
"No hard proof," Kaede admitted, "but if Konoha had the power to make one of our elders vanish without a trace, they could've used it to create a far more significant advantage—yet all they've managed is a bit of chaos and finger-pointing."
He looked around the table. "That's not what you'd expect from someone truly in control."
"You're saying Tetsuya was under genjutsu?" Yugito asked, her brow furrowed in frustration. "If that's true, then his death was pointless!"
"I'm not saying that either," Kaede replied. "We don't have enough information to draw that conclusion. Maybe Tetsuya was controlled. Maybe he made a deal with someone while in Konoha. Either way, there's clearly a third party involved—someone outside both Konoha and Kumogakure."
"Because let's be honest—Tetsuya couldn't have infiltrated the Hyuga clan undetected. Not with their sensory skills. Not alone. He doesn't have that kind of ability."
Silence fell over the room. No one could argue with that.
It wasn't just Tetsuya. Whoever had pulled this off had gotten through the defenses of the Hyuga estate without a trace. No one in all of Kumogakure could manage something like that.
"But…" Kaede continued, shifting the discussion, "the truth doesn't matter—not right now. What matters is the situation. Do we accept Konoha's explanation? That depends: Who is our true enemy in this moment? Is it Konoha… or that unknown third party?"
Yugito fell silent. If what Kaede said was true, then Trui may have been eliminated by a third force. And while that stirred fury, it didn't change Kumogakure's strategic focus. Their greatest threat had always been the same.
The Fourth Raikage closed his eyes, deep in thought. After a long pause, he opened them and spoke in a low, resolute voice:
"This time, Konoha's peace delegation is being led by Orochimaru himself. The talks aren't taking place in the Land of Hot Water or the Land of Frost—but right here, in Kumogakure."
"Forget the third party for now. We'll gather our forces and take this chance to eliminate Orochimaru. That threat must be removed—once and for all."
____________________
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