"Obito, the fish is already in the net." The pitcher plant-like Zetsu had just poked its head out from the roof, but White Zetsu hurriedly spoke first, an exaggerated grin stretching across its half-pale face. "Though, aren't you being a bit hasty? Striking so soon?"
"This is just a greeting."
Uchiha Obito sat on the rooftop, resting his chin on his hands propped up on his knees. He gazed down at the ground below, which was gradually becoming stained crimson. The Fourth Mizukage and his elite guards were slaughtering without restraint. One after another, the Leaf Village ninjas were falling, and the chakra signatures left in the castle were becoming fewer and fewer.
By the time the last warehouse manager of the border defense command was killed, the entire command center of the Leaf Village's eastern border defense was completely wiped out. The castle was filled with the intense stench of blood.
In the sky, vultures were circling, drawn by the smell, but hesitant to descend. Their instinctive fear sensed danger below, but their hunger made them linger, unwilling to give up such a rare feast.
"It would be rude to not properly greet the host when arriving somewhere new. I remember my teacher telling me that when you visit someone's house, it's best not to arrive empty-handed. So, I've prepared a special gift for our clan leader. How about it? Thoughtful, right?"
Below,
The Fourth Mizukage and his guards were carrying the bodies from the castle to its front gate, piling them into a gruesome mountain of corpses—Obito's carefully prepared "gift."
"…I doubt Uchiha Sōgen will appreciate your gift," White Zetsu said, unusually sincere.
"No worries. If he doesn't like this gift, Yagura can ask him what kind of gift he prefers. If he thinks this one is too light, I'll just prepare more. In any case, in war, there's no shortage of such things." Obito spoke calmly.
White Zetsu pouted but fell silent.
With that, White Zetsu had nothing left to say.
However, while White Zetsu quieted down, Black Zetsu spoke up.
"Using your trump card this early…" Black Zetsu's raspy voice carried over as he watched the busy Fourth Mizukage below. "Obito, you might be rushing things. Uchiha Sōgen isn't someone to be taken lightly."
It wasn't just White Zetsu who thought Obito was acting hastily. Even Black Zetsu believed this plan was risky. Who plays their trump card right from the start? If Uchiha Sōgen isn't killed and the Fourth Mizukage's involvement is exposed, the Leaf Village will likely send more reinforcements.
And then there'd be less room to maneuver!
The Mist Village had no more forces to spare. Even though the Fourth Mizukage was a powerful piece on the board, if the Mist Village was pushed too hard, they might turn against the Mizukage at any cost. From the beginning, Obito's resources were limited. Losing one meant losing it for good.
It wasn't like Uchiha Sōgen, backed by the Leaf, with a steady supply of fresh troops.
"This is the best opportunity."
Obito held a completely opposite view.
"Rather than waiting until Uchiha Sōgen is surrounded by thousands of troops, now is the perfect time—before the Leaf Village can regroup. I want to test his strength, and if the opportunity arises, eliminate him."
Black Zetsu furrowed its non-existent brow slightly.
Hearing Obito's words, it couldn't help but doubt the plan. Over its thousand-year existence, Black Zetsu prided itself on being a good judge of people. Of all the notable figures of the Uchiha clan it had encountered, Uchiha Sōgen ranked in the top ten in its eyes.
Such an accomplished figure wouldn't be easy to trap.
However,
Since Obito had already made up his mind, Black Zetsu didn't bother to argue further. Wasting time and energy on this wasn't worth it. At worst, they'd have to give up on using the Mist Village—a piece that had already been losing its value. Uchiha Madara had initially extended his reach into the Mist Village to train his chosen successor.
When Obito had donned the mask and agreed to take Madara's place on the surface,
Madara had, with Zetsu's help, erased all his traces from the Mist Village and discarded the piece without hesitation. But Obito, unable to let go of his resentment toward the Mist, had taken over and continued to stir trouble there.
So,
Since Obito had made up his mind, Black Zetsu decided to let him proceed.
After all, Black Zetsu was merely a manifestation of Madara's will, a support, not the commander. It was enough to offer advice. Doing more would overstep its role.
Just then,
A White Zetsu emerged from the rooftop, grinning widely, and shouted, "Obito! They're coming! The guest you've been waiting for is about to arrive."
To keep track of Uchiha Sōgen's movements, Obito had deployed numerous White Zetsus to monitor the Leaf Village's army. These spies, blending into the foliage, allowed him to orchestrate this play perfectly.
At the right moment, Obito launched a surprise attack on the border defense command center, a location he had precise intelligence on. During the assault, he deliberately let a few patrol ninjas escape, who then encountered Uchiha Sōgen on their way to the front lines.
All of this—
Was arranged to lure Uchiha Sōgen here!
Strictly speaking, this plan wasn't particularly clever. So many coincidences would naturally raise suspicions. But Obito didn't care if flaws were noticed. This was an open scheme. Unless Uchiha Sōgen was willing to ignore the fate of the border defense command center at Black Tide Mountain, he'd have to investigate.
And,
The longer he delayed, the greater the risk to the command center. This left Uchiha Sōgen little time to gather enough manpower to act.
"So, he's finally coming? And so soon!" Obito raised his head, squinting his single eye to spot Uchiha Sōgen, who was walking steadily up the gentle slope leading to the castle. Dressed in crimson armor and black battle gear, Sōgen's appearance caused Obito's disfigured face beneath the mask to twist into an odd expression.
If he remembered correctly,
Uchiha Madara had a similar set of armor. Madara had also left behind some of his old weapons—scythes, fans, and the like.
"Interesting! Is he imitating Madara?" Obito let out a low, raspy laugh, the crimson light in his single eye flickering ominously. "Well then… let's see if Uchiha Sōgen has Madara's power!"
Before the words had fully left his mouth,
Obito's body disappeared into thin air, as if he had never been there. Beside him, the pitcher plant-like Zetsu disappeared even earlier, using the *Mayfly Technique* to hide, ready to watch the action from some hidden corner.
Inside the castle,
The Fourth Mizukage suddenly paused as he carried a corpse. Letting it drop like a piece of trash, he turned to face the front gate of the castle.
"Prepare to engage the enemy!"
"New prey has arrived!"
At his command, the fourteen remaining members of his elite guard immediately moved into action.
Originally, the Mizukage's guard had twenty members, but during the attack on the castle, they encountered fierce resistance. Even with the Mizukage leading the charge, six elite jōnin, utterly loyal to the Mizukage, were taken down by desperate Leaf ninjas using suicide tactics.
That loss,
Would be painful for any Kage.
However, the Fourth Mizukage had no choice in the matter. His own life was no longer his own. He couldn't afford to care about the fate of his subordinates. In fact, under Obito's genjutsu, the Mizukage wasn't even aware that six of his closest aides had been lost.
Led by the ice-cold Fourth Mizukage, the group quickly moved to the front gate, where they saw Uchiha Sōgen standing outside.
(End of Chapter)