Obito was planning to pull a nasty trick on Naruto, but that didn't mean he intended to withhold the intelligence he'd uncovered.
It certainly wasn't because he had genuinely become a good person under this world's influence.
If he suddenly refused to explain anything or started fabricating information that didn't make sense, Naruto would probably notice something was wrong. That would only make things more difficult for Obito.
Besides, there was a much more satisfying approach.
First, he would tell Naruto the truth and let him understand exactly what was happening. Then, when Naruto believed he knew what to expect, Obito would drag him straight into despair.
Now that would be true hopelessness.
Just like Obito during the Fourth Shinobi World War in the original story, he desperately wanted the Naruto whom Kakashi had described as being so similar to him to experience the same despair he had suffered.
Psychologically speaking, that desire wasn't particularly difficult to understand.
Many traitors went to extraordinary lengths to convince other people to betray their causes too.
After all, seeing others make the same decision gave them emotional reassurance. It allowed them to believe they weren't alone and that their choices had been justified.
If Obito were a villain like Thanos, he could simply have pursued his objectives without wasting time seeking anyone else's approval.
But deep down, Obito was still the same boy who had desperately wanted others to acknowledge him.
His actions and ambitions might have changed beyond recognition, but that fundamental desire remained.
"Naruto, do you know what this place is called?"
"Kusagakure. Why?"
"Exactly. We're in Kusagakure, in the Land of Grass. But did you know that a very long time ago, this place was actually called the Land of Coffins?"
"C-Coffins?"
Naruto shuddered.
Although Dark Naruto had already killed countless people, he had inherited the original Naruto's memories and personality.
Apart from making different choices about how to treat others, they were fundamentally the same person.
Consequently, Dark Naruto was just as susceptible to being frightened by ghost stories and supernatural horrors.
More importantly, he himself was Naruto's dark side, and he had successfully become an independent consciousness.
If something like him could exist, why couldn't ghosts?
"Wait! Are you telling me Karin and Fū are actually dead? Is this entire place some kind of gigantic burial ground?"
Naruto's imagination immediately ran wild.
"No."
Obito shook his head.
"You're thinking in completely the wrong direction. What I'm asking is whether you've ever considered why they changed the country's name to the Land of Grass."
"Because there's a lot of grass here?"
Naruto offered the most obvious answer.
What other reason could there possibly be?
"Wrong."
Obito looked at him meaningfully.
"Because everyone who comes here ends up developing a rather intimate relationship with the 'grass.'"
"?"
A question mark practically appeared above Naruto's head.
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Was that what the grass in Kusagakure referred to?
Even so, something didn't add up.
"Okay, but even if Kusagakure has some weird customs, why should we be afraid?"
Naruto frowned.
"With our strength, it's not like anyone here could force us to do something we don't want to."
He had suspected Karin was hiding something from the beginning.
He had still agreed to accompany her to Kusagakure because he was confident in his own abilities.
So what exactly was Obito afraid of?
Was there something else in Black Zetsu's memories that he hadn't revealed yet?
"You're thinking too simply, Naruto."
Obito shook his head.
"This country changed its name in ancient times. If Black Zetsu hadn't preserved the information in his memories, outsiders would never have learned about it."
"What happened in ancient times?"
"Forget it. I'll tell you the whole story."
Obito began recounting the history he'd uncovered.
"It happened shortly after the Sage of Six Paths died."
"His death plunged the entire world into mourning. People traveled from everywhere to pay their respects, and the inhabitants of the Land of Coffins were entrusted with organizing his funeral."
"According to the Sage's final wishes, his body was supposed to be cremated. The people of the Land of Coffins were responsible for that too."
"Unfortunately, one of the people conducting the ceremony became greedy."
"During the cremation, he secretly stole and concealed a portion of the Sage of Six Paths' remains."
"After completing the funeral, he smuggled those remains back to the Land of Coffins."
"His ambition was to obtain the Sage's extraordinary power, conquer the shinobi world, and eventually become an existence as powerful as the Sage of Six Paths himself."
"But that presented a problem."
"How exactly was he supposed to use what he'd stolen?"
"Should he consume it? Transplant it into his body? Or perhaps there was some completely different method?"
"After considering his options, he decided to start with the simplest approach."
"After all, consuming or transplanting the remains would be irreversible. If something went wrong, he wouldn't get another chance."
"Wait!"
Naruto suddenly interrupted.
"So this guy stole a piece of the Sage of Six Paths' flesh?"
He seemed to have realized something.
"Does that mean someone in Kusagakure secretly possesses the Sage's power? Is that why this place is so dangerous?"
"It wasn't a piece of ordinary flesh."
Obito gave him a flat look.
"It was his most personal piece of equipment."
"?"
Naruto stared.
"Why else do you think they eventually renamed the country the Land of Grass?"
Obito rolled his eye at him before continuing.
"Anyway, the man discovered that the Sage of Six Paths' remains possessed an astonishing degree of vitality."
"By providing them with suitable offerings and allowing them to absorb kinetic energy and chakra, he could produce a miraculous substance that increased people's strength."
"That substance was Hero Water."
"And its benefits weren't limited to shinobi."
"Hero Water could also improve agricultural harvests and accelerate livestock reproduction."
"Naturally, the man realized he'd discovered something extraordinary."
"He recruited several people who were absolutely loyal to him and offered them up as sacrifices to the Sage's remains."
"The resulting Hero Water provided the resources he needed to establish his power."
"After strengthening himself, he seized control of the entire Land of Coffins and renamed it the Land of Grass."
Obito paused.
"The Hero Water supposedly originating from neighboring Takigakure is actually nothing more than a convenient deception created by that man."
"If the secret ever attracted unwanted attention, Takigakure would be the village invaded and plundered."
"Meanwhile, the real source would remain safely hidden in Kusagakure."
Naruto swallowed.
"Hold on. When you say those people were sacrificed, you mean…"
"Exactly what you're thinking."
Obito nodded.
"?!!"
Naruto instinctively clutched his backside.
"The people offered as sacrifices have their chakra completely drained."
"Even if they survive, they end up as mindless fools who can barely do anything besides make strange noises."
"And the stronger the sacrifice, the more Hero Water the remains produce."
Obito's expression grew more serious.
"According to the records, the First Hokage should originally have enjoyed an extraordinarily long lifespan."
"But after Madara died, Hashirama was overcome by loneliness."
"The village chief of Kusagakure at the time saw his opportunity and deliberately approached him when he was vulnerable."
"He presented Hashirama with the Sage of Six Paths' stolen 'equipment.'"
"After using it, Hashirama lost an enormous amount of chakra and deteriorated into someone incapable of thinking clearly."
"Eventually, Uzumaki Mito discovered what had happened."
"With a heavy heart, she personally killed him to end his suffering."
Naruto listened in stunned silence.
"Meanwhile, the Hero Water produced from the First Hokage's chakra brought Kusagakure decades of favorable weather and abundant harvests."
"Only recently has the village begun experiencing droughts and food shortages again."
Obito looked directly at Naruto.
"Which is why I strongly suspect Karin and Fū intend to offer the two of us as their next sacrifices."
"They want to use our chakra to make the Sage of Six Paths' remains produce another enormous supply of Hero Water!"
After hearing the secret that Kusagakure had supposedly concealed for generations, Naruto was utterly shaken.
He had always known the shinobi world was a dark place.
But he had never imagined it could be this dark.
Then another thought struck him.
"Wait. My dad's behavior is pretty outrageous too."
Naruto looked thoughtful.
"Don't tell me he's already been sacrificed to that thing!"
"Uh…"
Obito's mouth twitched.
"I'm pretty sure Minato-sensei was born that way."
Naruto considered that for a moment before returning to the important matter.
"So, Uncle Obito, you're saying those two girls have both consumed Hero Water and strengthened themselves?"
"But if that's true, why would they give us Hero Water to drink too?"
"No. They haven't consumed it."
Obito shook his head.
"Naruto, think about something."
"What was the original ambition of the man who stole the Sage of Six Paths' remains?"
"To obtain extraordinary strength and conquer the shinobi world."
"And he really did obtain that strength. We've already confirmed that consuming Hero Water can increase someone's power."
Obito narrowed his eye.
"So if Hero Water genuinely makes people stronger, why did that man spend the rest of his life hiding away in one little corner of Kusagakure instead of pursuing his original ambition?"
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