Chapter 380: Another Place...
Tobi, with his Yin-Yang appearance wrapped in the pitcher plant-like extensions, emerged from the ground with a half-smile on his face, poking his head out and making a strange sound like bubbles rising to the water's surface.
"The fight has started over there," Tobi, habitually hiding half his body underground, answered in a frivolous tone. "It's a one-on-one duel! Itachi against Sasuke, a battle of brothers... and then Kisame against Haruno Sakura. I wonder whose ninjutsu is more powerful?"
Speaking of this, Tobi paused as if to build suspense, with an expression that seemed to want Obito to guess what happened next.
Obito's cold eyes swept over impatiently; he was in no mood for Tobi's boring jokes.
Although Obito had recently been acting within the Akatsuki under the alias "Tobi" and deliberately imitating this White Zetsu individual's goofy style, that didn't mean Obito liked Tobi joking around in front of him.
Facing this entity who knew his identity inside and out, Obito's feelings were complex.
After the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, Madara Uchiha and Tobi had saved him. If Obito were still that original young boy, he would have been full of gratitude towards Tobi. But after Rin died, Obito, whose heart was completely swallowed by darkness and despair, no longer cared about these things.
After Madara's death, things became subtle again.
Before dying, Madara handed Tobi and the other White Zetsu over to Obito as his subordinates. However, the young Uchiha, whose thoughts had fallen into the abyss, quickly realized that besides being convenient assistants, Tobi's identity held another hidden layer of meaning—
A watcher.
Personnel responsible for staring at him to ensure the plan was executed correctly.
Clearly, that old undying Uchiha didn't fully trust him... In fact, the word "trust" couldn't exist between two conspirators, and Obito naturally had his own little schemes.
The reason their cooperation could strangely continue after Madara's death, aside from Obito himself wishing to complete the Eye of the Moon Plan, was that the White Zetsu's actions—nominally helping but actually monitoring and urging—were also an extremely important factor.
Because of this, Obito had no fondness for this group of half-plant, half-human beings brainwashed by Madara's will. Especially when they asserted their presence in front of him, it made him realize more clearly that although the White Zetsu were extremely useful subordinates, they were Madara Uchiha's tools, not Obito's pawns.
Scraped by Obito's cold, knife-like gaze, Tobi felt a jolt inside and immediately put away his hippie smile to become serious. The huge number of White Zetsu meant they were nothing more than consumables in Obito's eyes—cheap clones that cost less than 100,000 yen to make would really be killed off casually if they annoyed Obito.
Sigh, the original rash young boy was easier to get along with...
At least much easier to manipulate than the current Obito.
While complaining inwardly, Tobi said seriously, "The battle on Itachi's side isn't over yet, but it's close. Itachi has all the advantages now, but he shouldn't be dragging it out this long. Moreover, Itachi doesn't seem to have any intention of killing Sasuke...?"
As he spoke, he looked up and glanced at Obito.
"Not killing Sasuke is the agreement between Itachi and me," Obito explained slowly.
Just as Madara found Obito and Kisame as two important pawns for the plan's execution, to revive the Ten-Tails, Obito also found a pawn belonging to him: Itachi Uchiha. To guard against any backup plans Madara might have left, Obito kept a close watch on White Zetsu to prevent it from contacting Itachi privately, so Tobi wasn't clear about the private transaction between Obito and Itachi, which was why Obito offered a casual explanation.
"I see," Tobi responded.
In his heart, he was mocking Obito for trying to imitate Madara in abducting a young boy, but failing to do a good job of it.
Leaving aside the huge physical difference and completely different fighting styles between Itachi and Kisame, these two actually had many similarities. Both were sensitive in thought, both betrayed their village after killing compatriots, and both harbored some kind of firm belief in their hearts. The difference was simply that after Madara designed the setup to frame Kisame and force him to defect, he easily gained a subordinate loyal to the Akatsuki and his own plan; imitating Madara's method, Obito stirred up trouble in Konoha, forcing the death of the entire Uchiha clan, but in the end, he gained a ticking time bomb full of vigilance against the Akatsuki.
having joined the Akatsuki for so many years, Itachi's will had never been changed by Obito. The cold-blooded butcher who laid a heavy hand on his family went soft on his younger brother. Obito's skill in training people was miles behind Madara's.
Hmph, in that case, might as well...
"Don't interfere in the matter between Sasuke and Itachi," Obito added coldly, pressing down a certain thought that had suddenly popped up in Tobi's mind. Obito was also slightly annoyed that Itachi hadn't turned completely dark as planned; the person he had schemed so hard to get was disobedient and might instead become a huge obstacle to the plan.
Sasuke's smooth growth gave Obito new ideas.
Compared to the deep-thinking, firm-willed Itachi, the slightly impetuous Sasuke, who always had the clan on his lips, seemed like a better target. A reckless personality is most easily manipulated by others. As Itachi's biological brother, his strength potential was huge, and he might even obtain Itachi's pupil power to evolve into the Eternal Mangekyo. He was simply a perfect pawn.
With just the right amount of conditioning, Sasuke could become a vicious dog under his command...
Even if he had to turn against Madara Uchiha in the future, Sasuke's power could come in handy.
Naturally, Obito wouldn't voice these thoughts to Tobi. Obito simply emphasized not to make a move on Sasuke and skipped over the matter.
The development of affairs with Itachi and Sasuke was proceeding as he expected, but the other side didn't seem to be going so smoothly.
"Then... what about Kisame?"
"Kisame has fallen into a hard battle," Tobi said with a frown. "His Water Style has been completely suppressed, and Samehada's ability hasn't been able to help him defeat Haruno Sakura either."
The expression hidden under Obito's mask turned gloomy.
"A hard battle... how much chance does Kisame have of winning?"
"If he can drag it into a war of attrition, there's still some chance of winning. If not..."
Hearing this, Obito's face immediately became ugly.
Kisame's abilities were extremely effective against Tailed Beasts, and he was a loyal subordinate who knew of the Eye of the Moon Plan; his importance to the Akatsuki and Obito was self-evident. Although he was also Madara Uchiha's man, unlike the White Zetsus who only recognized Madara, the object of Kisame's loyalty was the Eye of the Moon Plan that could realize his dream. Coupled with not knowing Obito's true identity, he was extremely convenient for Obito to use.
The others in the Akatsuki all had their own agendas, and there was no loyalty to speak of. Even Pain, who occupied the leader's position, was ultimately a stranger. So when Haruno Sakura defeated, crippled, or even killed other members of the Akatsuki, Obito didn't care. Among everyone, only Kisame would sacrifice himself for the Akatsuki—therefore, Obito was even less willing to let him make that sacrifice, at least not to die easily at Sakura's hands before losing his utility value.
"If a situation arises, save him."
Obito stood up from the chair and issued the order coldly.
Tobi's heart skipped a beat. To intervene in the battle between those two ferocious beasts, who knows how many White Zetsu would have to die. Even through the mask, Tobi could feel the chill in this man's eyes.
"Understood."
Tobi sank into the earth.
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