From the "training plan" Makoto gave Kakashi, his attitude toward the Masked Man—Obito Uchiha—was obvious.
Makoto had zero intention of trying to persuade him. He wasn't going to give him the "Naruto therapy" treatment.
Why? Because Obito was a lost cause.
Makoto could manipulate the other Akatsuki members because he knew exactly what made them tick.
He knew their desires, their fears, and their prices.
Even Itachi, a card-carrying member of the "Uchiha Psycho Club," only really cared about two things: the Hidden Leaf and Sasuke.
In the original timeline, these two priorities conflicted, forcing Itachi into a corner where he had to threaten Danzo or consider brainwashing his own brother.
But deep down, Itachi believed those two things could coexist.
He was logical, even if his logic was twisted.
But Obito? What the hell did he want?
First, let's rule out resurrecting Rin.
He knew about the Rinnegan's Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique. If he really wanted her back, he could have just hitched a ride when Nagato revived the entire Leaf Village.
He didn't.
Was it because he saw the "truth" of the shinobi world and decided it was beyond saving? Maybe.
But that was a perception issue, not a reality issue.
The original Akatsuki was a bunch of sunny, cheerful dudes who wanted peace.
When Hanzo and Danzo set them up, there was a chance to fix it—a scout was running to warn them.
Obito killed the scout.
He killed the people yearning for the light, then turned around and complained that the world was too dark.
It was the logic of a madman.
Did he want to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi to live in a world with Rin?
Casual fans might think so, but that wasn't it either.
Obito said he wanted to create a world where "heroes don't have to cry in front of tombstones."
In Obito's version of the "Perfect World"—the genjutsu dream he likely cast on himself—Rin was still dead.
The only difference was that Kakashi wasn't grieving at her grave. Instead, Kakashi was alive and well, serving as Obito's right-hand man while Obito played Hokage.
Rin's death wasn't the result he wanted to change; it was the premise of his suffering.
His philosophy was a mess of contradictions.
Makoto figured that if Rin and Sakura had switched places, none of this would have happened.
Imagine if, instead of bandaging his wounds like an angel, "Rin" (Sakura) had looked at him and sneered, 'Look at him. he got no parents, right? No wonder he has no manners.'
If Obito still wanted to destroy the world for a girl like that, then he was just a fucking masochist.
Even if Sakura matured later, Obito would have been disillusioned long before he got crushed by a rock.
In short, Obito was impossible to reason with.
Makoto couldn't exactly walk up to him and start chanting "Hokage, Hokage, Hokage" like some whispers from an Old God to deprogram him.
So, Makoto gave up on persuasion.
Besides, Obito had a purpose.
The Five Great Nations didn't cooperate because of "love" or "understanding."
They cooperated because they were terrified of a common enemy.
The Akatsuki might believe Makoto's story about the Otsutsuki aliens, but the Five Kage? They'd laugh him out of the room.
The Otsutsuki invasion was twenty years away, and Isshiki was hiding.
The world needed a boogeyman right now.
And Obito was the perfect candidate for it.
...
Meanwhile, on the road.
After the Leaf ninja departed, Makoto's group continued escorting the bridge builder.
As they walked, Zabuza tried to finish the sentence he'd been interrupted on earlier.
"So, about my..."
"Zabuza, I know what you want," Makoto cut him off again, not breaking stride. "You want to end the 'Bloody Mist' era. We can support you in that."
Makoto didn't just know the Akatsuki; he knew the ambitions of every major player on the board.
Zabuza became a rogue ninja because his assassination attempt on the Fourth Mizukage failed.
When he picked up Haku, he swore he would return and take the country back.
The man was driven by revolution, not just bloodlust.
Years later, even loyal Mist ninja like Chojuro spoke of Zabuza with respect.
That proved Zabuza wasn't just a killer; he was a revolutionary who tried to save his village from its own madness.
"What?" Zabuza stopped walking, stunned.
Two thoughts raced through his mind.
First: How the hell does this guy know that? Is this organization's intel network that terrifying?
Second: Why would they agree so easily? What's the catch?
"Have you looked at a map lately?" Makoto stopped and pulled a scroll from his bag, unrolling a map of the world. "The Land of Waves is perfectly positioned. It's the gateway for the Land of Water's foreign trade. Once that bridge is built, it becomes a gold mine."
Makoto pointed to the island nation.
"I need you to control this territory," Makoto explained.
"Under headquarters' direction, we will develop and manage this port. It will provide a continuous stream of funding for the organization—and for your coup."
"That... makes sense," Zabuza muttered, looking at the map.
Small countries couldn't support a ninja village.
Rogue ninjas were always broke, relying on cheap assassinations to eat.
Money was power.
If Makoto's group was serious, they needed cash. The Land of Waves was a strategic choke point. If the Bloody Mist ended and trade resumed, this island would be the toll booth.
Zabuza nodded slowly. "Eliminating the Bloody Mist restores the economy. Controlling the Waves captures the profit. It connects."
"Exactly," Makoto rolled up the map. "Oh, by the way, Kisame."
He turned to the shark-man walking beside him.
"I recall your bounty poster says you became a rogue ninja for assassinating a Daimyo. Was that a frame-up, or did you actually do it?"
"I didn't do it," Kisame replied flatly.
It was the truth.
Kisame killed his superior, Fuguki Suikazan, for treason.
Then he met the manipulated Mizukage and "Madara," and jumped straight to the Akatsuki.
He never wasted time killing a feudal lord; he was too busy having an existential crisis.
"Is that so?" Makoto rubbed his chin, a dangerous smile forming on his face.
"In that case... are you interested in making that charge a reality?"
Zabuza and Haku froze.
Assassinating a Daimyo? That was taboo.
That was the kind of thing that started world wars.
Kisame, however, didn't even blink.
He adjusted Samehada on his shoulder and grinned, showing rows of razor-sharp teeth.
"Sure. Why not?"