A day later, within the Mist Village, Obito sat alone in a dimly lit room. Papers lay spread across his hands as he flipped through the reports in silence.
"If Zabuza doesn't take advantage of the Fourth Mizukage's injury to attempt an assassination… and ends up defecting after failure…"
He let the thought trail off, tossing the report aside with little interest.
After all, when Itachi had escaped alongside Jūzō Biwa, he hadn't forgotten to take the fad Mist sword with him. Without the support of the Seven Ninja Sword and without Haku by his side, Zabuza was no longer worth Obito's attention.
Still, the situation hadn't shifted much. Though Obito had changed Jūzō's fate, sparing him from his canon death, Yagura had still been struck down by Itachi's Amaterasu.
Had Obito not quickly re-applied his genjutsu on Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage and the Three-Tails sealed inside him, might have truly slipped free of his control.
"Mm. So, you've returned."
The door slid open with a faint creak. Obito didn't need to look up to know who it was.
"My lord, it's rare for you to show up in Kirigakure," Kisa Hoshigaki said with his shark-like grin, the massive Sahada strapped to his back.
"Kisa," Obito replied evenly, "when the ti cos, I want you to betray the Mist and join the Akatsuki."
Kisa's grin widened. "Is it finally ti? I've been looking forward to this organization…"
"In Akatsuki, mbers operate in pairs. Your partner will be Uchiha Itachi."
"Oh?" Kisa chuckled, his sharp teeth glinting in the half-light. "The man who butchered his own clan… that Uchiha Itachi?"
"That's him," Obito confird without a hint of hesitation. "In addition to following the orders given by Akatsuki's leader, I want you to keep an eye on Itachi for ."
"I see," Kisa said simply, amusent and curiosity gleaming in his eyes.
That very night, he slipped out of the Mist Village under cover of darkness.
Two days later, Kisa officially entered the Akatsuki. Replacing Jūzō's position, he donned the "南" (Nan) ring, standing at Itachi's side as his new partner.
--
However, in the two days before Kisa officially joined the Akatsuki, the organization encountered yet another upheaval.
Orochimaru defected.
After crossing paths with Itachi alone, his long-festering desire and greed finally boiled over. Unable to restrain himself, he struck at Itachi, hoping to seize the young Uchiha's body.
The result was inevitable.
Even with his prior knowledge that Itachi possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan and taking every precaution he could think of, Orochimaru was still crushed in defeat.
Realizing that his intentions had been exposed and fearing retribution from the rest of the organization, Orochimaru fled without hesitation. He vanished into hiding, severing ties with Akatsuki.
"Heh… this Orochimaru…"
When the news reached Obito, he only smiled faintly. This was, after all, sothing he rembered from the original course of events. It didn't surprise him in the slightest.
"But this snake… it's about ti I make him useful to ."
A few days later, deep within a concealed underground base.
"Mangekyō Sharingan… it really is fascinating. Itachi, I will not give up!"
Orochimaru sat hunched on a hospital bed, his expression twisted with obsession and frustration.
At that mont, a calm, mocking voice echoed through the chamber.
"Orochimaru… you truly never learn."
His heart tightened. He turned quickly—and the instant he did, a strange eye patterned like a sickle blossod within his vision.
"Ugh—"
His body froze, consciousness slipping into a trance. Then, just as suddenly, he snapped back, lips curling into a sly grin.
"…So it's you, Mr. Madara."
"Hmph…"
Obito exhaled slowly, lowering the hand that covered his left eye.
His left eye had just unleashed Kotoamatsukami.
The feeling was draining. Even for him, wielding such an advanced technique left a lingering discomfort.
"…Kotoamatsukami. What a troubleso power to use," he muttered under his breath.
"Hm… a three-year cooldown, huh…"
The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, paired with his Sage Body, had managed to reduce Kotoamatsukami's natural cooldown from more than a decade down to three years.
That in itself was good news. For a brief mont, he had worried the strain might permanently damage his vision. But no...aside from the cooldown, his eye was perfectly fine.
Even better, the restriction applied only to Kotoamatsukami itself. His other ocular ability, Kamui, remained unaffected.
"…Still, a drawback is a drawback," Obito thought, lips tightening. "I had hoped to spam Kotoamatsukami and rewrite the wills of countless people at once. But three years between each use…"
His musings darkened, then softened again. "No matter. When my eyes evolve further, the cooldown will only grow shorter. In ti, even this limitation will be nothing."
He muttered this to himself, then turned his gaze back toward Orochimaru. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
Kotoamatsukami was a terrifying power, an illusion so subtle it directly invaded the mind, altering the target's will without their awareness.
And the version in his left eye… was permanent.
Orochimaru was a rare talent. In biological research, his brilliance was unmatched.
Obito's own research division in the Land of Snow had achieved remarkable breakthroughs in physics and engineering, but lacked a biological savant like Orochimaru. The solution had been obvious.
So, Obito had used Kotoamatsukami to rewrite Orochimaru's will.
Not to strip him of his nature, no—that would be wasteful. Orochimaru remained as greedy, ambitious, and selfish as ever, still chasing forbidden knowledge and pursuing his own goals. But buried deep inside him was now an unshakable truth: Uchiha Madara was his true master.
Any order from Obito, he would obey. And he would believe it was his own will to do so.
"Orochimaru," Obito said evenly, "hand the Akatsuki ring. From now on, in addition to the tasks I assign you, you may continue your own pursuits as you wish."
"Yes… Lord Madara," Orochimaru answered, his voice low, obedient.
The corners of Obito's mouth curved upwards. Another tool in hand. And not just any tool but a high-level one like Orochimaru.
--
Once the matter was settled, Obito retrieved the Akatsuki ring and sent it back to Nagato. With that finished, he quietly departed, returning once more to the Land of Snow.
Now that he was free… he had to pay a visit to the lonely mother, Mikoto Uchiha, to relieve her loneliness.
Such a noble cause, Obito felt as though he had been born to be a savior.
After such a long while of observing the situation, Mikoto had finally co to terms with the conditions at hand.
When she first woke up in an unfamiliar environnt, the first feeling was, of course, confusion. Where was this place?
Then she discovered that the chakra in her body had been sealed. Her face turned pale, fearing that she had been kidnapped by the Konoha elders, by soone like Danzō, who might try to use her to harm Fugaku.
But that thought quickly vanished when she saw a red-haired woman step into the room.
Her first reaction was a whisper: "Kushina…?"
She thought it was Kushina Uzumaki, her best friend. After all, Mikoto had never seen another woman with such vivid red hair. With her head still foggy, she couldn't think clearly, and so she clung to that thought.
But soon that idea was thrown out of the window when the woman ca closer.
Only then could Mikoto clearly see her appearance.
"So, you're awake. You must be feeling very confused. Here...eat and drink first. It will help calm your nerves."
Chihori wasn't in a hurry to explain anything. She simply brought over the food she had prepared and set it in front of Mikoto.
Mikoto hesitated for a mont, still on guard, but finally accepted it, all while carefully observing the woman standing before her.
Just as Mikoto took the first bite of food, Chihori's next words made her choke and cough violently.
"Well… although it might seem sudden, the truth is...you've been kidnapped."
"Ehh…!?"
Mikoto's eyes widened in shock. After calming herself, she couldn't help but stare at the woman in disbelief.
Chihori's expression softened, her lips curving into a slightly apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry… that's not the whole truth."
Mikoto let out a small sigh of relief, tension easing from her shoulders, only for it to return at Chihori's next words.
"Well… not the complete truth. Yes, you were kidnapped. But you were also saved."
Mikoto Uchiha finally realized that this woman was toying with her emotions. She couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking that her personality really was a bit similar to Kushina's.
"Please…" Mikoto set the food down and looked at her calmly. "I hope you'll tell why I'm here."
Chihori dropped the playful expression, her face turning serious. Slowly, she began to explain everything, how Mikoto had been saved, and what had truly happened on that night.
How her own son had butchered the clan.
As the words fell, Mikoto's face shifted again and again...shock, disbelief, grief, anger. Each revelation struck her like a blade to the heart.
Mikoto didn't think this was unbelievable… because deep down, she had always known this day would co.
Mikoto Uchiha might appear gentle and soft on the outside, but she was in truth sensitive and perceptive. And before her capture, she had already heard the anguished screams of her fellow clansn echoing through the night.
Her heart clenched. Tears welled up, sliding silently down her cheeks.
Chihori watched her quietly. She didn't move to comfort her. Instead, she let out a faint sigh and turned to leave, leaving behind only a cold warning.
"I hope, from here on, you know what's good for you… and for your sons. My lord doesn't take kindly to disobedience, especially from soone who gets on his nerves."
Chihori's footsteps faded into the distance, leaving only silence behind.
Mikoto sat there, her hands trembling slightly as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. Her heart ached, torn between grief and love.
Itachi…
Her son's na echoed in her mind. The boy who had once clung to her sleeve, the prodigy who carried the burden of the clan's expectations.
She wanted to hate him for the massacre, for raising his blade against his own blood… but no matter how she tried, her heart refused. A mother's love was not so easily broken.
And then another face ca to her mind—her youngest.
Sasuke… my little Sasuke…
If nothing else, she prayed he was still safe. That he would live, even in a world without the clan, even in a world where his brother had beco his greatest shadow.
Tears blurred her vision again as she sat in the dim room, clinging to those nas like a lifeline.
Itachi. Sasuke. No matter what happens to … please, live.
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