Chapter 289: Obito Being Isolated
In truth, Utatane Koharu had a great deal she wanted to say to Sarutobi Hiruzen. However, considering that Hiruzen was still the Hokage, coupled with the fact that the things she wanted to say might be a bit too foul, and factoring in Hiruzen's formidable strength, Koharu could only choose silence.
Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen had said himself, even if Tsunade truly assumed the position of the Fifth Hokage, Hiruzen would always be her teacher. When the time came, he could still manage to secure a position as a Hokage Advisor, meaning he wouldn't completely lose his grip on power.
But what about her, Utatane Koharu?
Sarutobi Hiruzen had taken over the kind of role she usually performed; what was left for her to do?
Oh, she could still return to the Konoha Prison and try to see if she could achieve enlightenment there like a sage in exile—
"I can only hope that the people in the Akatsuki organization are a bit more reliable."
"As long as they can eliminate Uchiha Ikeizumi, even if Tsunade truly inherits the position of the Fifth Hokage, there will still be room for a turnaround in everything!"
Utatane Koharu knew that Sarutobi Hiruzen could no longer be counted on. In order to preserve the power in her hands, she had actually contacted Akatsuki beforehand!
As for the inner thoughts of his old teammate, Sarutobi Hiruzen was naturally completely unaware. He even felt a bit of lingering guilt right now; he could only hope that once he stepped down, she would look at things more open-mindedly.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Ikeizumi, Uchiha Izumi, and Kojirō had begun their departure from the Land of Water.
"Lord Ikeizumi, is it really fine to just hand the Land of Water over to Biwako Jūzō and those people?" Uchiha Izumi looked at Ikeizumi ahead of him, unable to resist asking the question he had been bottling up in his heart.
"There's no problem at all, meow!"
"That Biwako Jūzō is a clever person, meow! Besides, he has no path of retreat left anyway; he will absolutely give it his utmost effort!" Kojirō chimed in before Uchiha Ikeizumi could speak. It would never dream of doubting Uchiha Ikeizumi's decisions—unlike certain individuals who actually dared to question Ikeizumi's choices!
"Regardless of how well he performs, after I return to Konoha, I will send a few people over."
"When it comes to constructing a Police Force, the Uchiha clansmen are still highly experienced."
"Previously, three clansmen completed Gato's mission. I plan to send them to the Land of Water. They have served in the Police Force before, and since they have already initially proven their own justice, working alongside Biwako Jūzō shouldn't present any major issues."
Uchiha Ikeizumi patiently explained to Uchiha Izumi. For him, the Land of Water was an experimental site—a trial ground to see if Absolute Justice could make the ninja world a bit better.
As for whether it could become better?
After Uchiha Ikeizumi established the initial order of justice in the Land of Water, he had received a new feedback of justice: The Water Covenant!
The effect of the covenant was very simple: so long as he was in any place containing water, Uchiha Ikeizumi could arbitrarily convert that water into the chakra he required. In other words, Uchiha Ikeizumi would never have to worry about running out of chakra ever again!
However, the progress of the Water Covenant was currently only sitting at just over twenty percent. As Absolute Justice truly took root and sprouted in the Land of Water, it would grow robustly. By the time the progress of the Water Covenant was fully completed and the true covenant was achieved, it would mean that however much water existed in the entire ninja world, that would be the exact volume of chakra Uchiha Ikeizumi commanded!
Just as Uchiha Ikeizumi and his group had walked a certain distance, White Zetsu and Uchiha Obito manifested out of thin air.
"Didn't Nagato say not to clash with Uchiha Ikeizumi?"
"Why is he still making us scout out Uchiha Ikeizumi's route back to the Land of Fire?"
White Zetsu looked blankly at Uchiha Obito, having no idea why they had appeared here. Nagato had clearly stated within Akatsuki that they would no longer clash with Uchiha Ikeizumi, and even Kakuzu had been shut down with a few sharp words. How could they turn around in the blink of an eye and start scouting Ikeizumi's movements?
Obito's expression right now was exceptionally grim. He hadn't been assigned by Nagato to scout this intelligence until right before the action began. The most crucial point was that he had still been presenting himself under the guise of "Tobi" within the organization at the time.
With the identity of Tobi as an outer member of Akatsuki—and under the direct gazes of Kakuzu, Sasori, Kisame, and Hidan, who had joined not too long ago—Tobi had absolutely no way to refuse the mission!
Obito also understood perfectly in his heart: this was a deliberate move by Nagato, directly putting his lack of trust on display.
"Nagato and Konan are still being influenced by Uchiha Ikeizumi's words!"
"First it was Utatane Koharu of Konoha, and then it was the Land of Earth... How could a fellow as proud and arrogant as Nagato not take any action?"
"That fellow named Hidan who recently joined Akatsuki was recruited by them entirely behind our backs."
"Before, I thought recruiting Hidan was merely to expand Akatsuki's strength. Looking at it now, Nagato had clearly made preparations to go to war with Uchiha Ikeizumi long ago!"
Obito felt rather uncomfortable. To think he had just been admiring his own newfound intelligence, only to be ruthlessly outmaneuvered by Nagato in the blink of an eye. For the longest time, it had almost always been him scheming behind the scenes to direct others' actions—even if the vast majority of those schemes were formulated for him by Black Zetsu, it was still his will carrying them out!
Yet ever since Ikeizumi took a trip to the Land of Rain, Nagato and Akatsuki were now acting as if they didn't want to include him in their games at all.
"Didn't Black Zetsu say not to clash with Uchiha Ikeizumi?"
"He also said Uchiha Ikeizumi hasn't affected our plan yet. Is it really a good idea to let Nagato and Akatsuki go to war with Uchiha Ikeizumi?" White Zetsu had also been forced to grow a bit of a brain during this period; though it wasn't much, he could at least raise objections now.
"What's not good about it?"
"If Nagato fails, he will only become even more dependent on us."
"If he succeeds, then removing a scourge like Uchiha Ikeizumi is also a good thing!" Obito spoke up with pure venom. Whether it was Uchiha Ikeizumi or Nagato, both appeared somewhat loathsome in Obito's eyes right now.
Uchiha Ikeizumi went without saying—though Obito had no idea how the guy discovered his true identity, since you knew, you knew; what was the point of running your mouth off to others for no reason?
As for Nagato? A chess piece that had slipped out of control was naturally loathsome to Obito!
"What if... I'm just saying what if... Akatsuki gets completely broken and ruined by Uchiha Ikeizumi?" White Zetsu spoke up with deep worry. Uchiha Ikeizumi seemed to be absurdly strong; based on the intelligence they currently possessed, Ikeizumi could already manifest his Susanoo to its Perfect Form. Add to that the Lava Release and Wood Release the man had displayed, and White Zetsu was genuinely a bit worried that Akatsuki would be entirely wiped out.
"There is no such possibility!"
"I will be monitoring the battle the entire time!"
"If Uchiha Ikeizumi truly breaks Akatsuki, I will take them and leave!"
Obito's tone was exceptionally firm. Yet he knew better than anyone that if given the choice, he didn't want to stand face-to-face with Uchiha Ikeizumi at all. There was no other reason; he was simply terrified of Ikeizumi's Flames of Judgment.
He wasn't immortal like Black Zetsu. If he truly took a blast from the Flames of Judgment, he feared he might not be able to endure it and would end his own life!