[Obito POV]
Obito stood at the edge of the desolate cliff, his cloak billowing in the wind as the underground cavern behind him began to seal shut with thick layers of chakra stone.
The twisted roots of Gedo Mazo trembled slightly, restless, waiting for the next command. But there were no more commands to give. At least not now.
The message had just arrived.
One hundred thousand White Zetsu. Gone. Erased. Slaughtered.
A lone remaining functioning white zetsu clone had relayed the truth, confirming the mass grave his forces had become.
"…Damn you, Kakashi…" Obito murmured through gritted teeth.
His purple Rinnegan pulsed, ominous, glowing with suppressed fury.
He destroyed it… all of it.
The carefully cultivated underground army by Madara, grown from Hashirama's stolen cells, was meant to be the tide that drowned the shinobi world in one wave. The true weight behind the Eye of the Moon Plan.
And now?
Reduced to ash, frost, and broken shells.
A faint crunch echoed as Obito clenched his fist tightly, pulverizing a rock beneath his boot into dust. "I should've released them earlier. Sent them marching directly into Konoha, let them raze the village to the ground before that bastard could react…"
He had hesitated. Waited for the right moment. Trusted that the army's secrecy was its greatest weapon.
And Kakashi, the one he once pitied, once thought of as his brother, had torn it apart.
Obito turned slowly, cloak rustling, his breath fogging in the chilled mountain air. The Gedo Statue loomed behind him, massive and silent. His hand twitched slightly, an old habit… almost as if reaching for something that wasn't there.
The chains that once dragged the Tailed Beasts had begun to grow cold.
"All of this… everything I've done," Obito muttered, voice low, dark. "For Rin. For peace."
He stared at the sky.
"And now even Konan… even she… has taken refuge with him."
The word spat out like acid.
"Greedy bastard," Obito growled. "How many women does he need? Tsunade. Mei. Kurenai.Anko. Now even Konan? Rin would be disappointed in you, Kakashi…"
A low scoff came from the shadows.
Black Zetsu slid out of the ground behind him, nearly invisible against the rocks and dying moonlight. His single yellow eye squinted with a tired, bitter glare.
'Oh please,' Black Zetsu muttered inside his own head. 'Disappointed? Really? You're talking about disappointment?'
He didn't dare speak it aloud, of course. He'd seen what Obito did when angry. He didn't feel like being blasted into mist.
'Still crying about Rin after all these years,' he continued internally, rolling his mental eyes. 'Let's see… You lost Nagato, failed to get the second Rinnegan, lost control of Konan, lost half your Akatsuki members, got your Zetsu army turned into mulch, and you're still complaining about one Hatake brat who keeps outplaying you.'
Getting out of his thoughts, Black Zetsu slowly crept up behind Obito, nodding supportively. "Mm. Kakashi's definitely a problem. A dangerous one."
"Of course he is," Obito muttered aloud, not realizing the sarcasm was in Black Zetsu's mind. "That bastard ruined everything."
"I warned you," Black Zetsu said in a rare gentle tone. "We should have killed him when he was weak. Back during the Pain attack. Or when Itachi was fighting Sasuke. Or even during the missing white zetsu incident. I have a whole list of chances."
"He even has Sasuke. And Itachi is alive. How…?" Obito ignored him, staring off across the landscape, eyes distant.
More bitterness surfaced in his voice.
"And now the Raikage wants to call a Five Kage Summit…" Obito muttered, voice thick with contempt.
"Do you think Konoha will appear?" Black Zetsu asked, eye flickering with interest.
Obito's brow furrowed. "Unlikely. They've been quiet. Kakashi hasn't made a move… not an official one."
He grunted. "But it doesn't matter. I've still got the Eight-Tails. Killer Bee is half-dead in the pod. I'll extract the chakra soon. Then I only need the Nine-Tails."
'And that,' Black Zetsu thought, 'you'll probably mess up too if I let you.'
He sighed heavily, though it didn't make a sound. Honestly, what was Madara thinking, letting me work with this guy?
Sure, he's strong, but emotionally? He's like a wounded squirrel with a god complex and abandonment issues.
If I had a mouth, I'd scream. Loudly.
Black Zetsu shifted slightly. "So… about the summit. Should we use it? Perhaps stir conflict, manipulate a few minds?"
Obito nodded slowly. "Yes. Let them argue. Let the Kage grow paranoid. I'll watch from the shadows. If I can force them to divide, weaken themselves… perhaps Kakashi will be drawn out."
'Or,' Black Zetsu thought, 'he'll just teleport you into a volcano next time and be done with it.'
"I need more information,' Obito said aloud. "I'll send scouts to the borders. Maybe infiltrate the summit's planning."
"Kakashi…" he whispered. "You keep taking everything from me."
He looked up, sharingan blazing red beside the cold Rinnegan. "But in the end, I'll take what you care about."
"And then," he finished in a growl, "you'll understand."
Black Zetsu hummed in his mind. 'Yes, yes. Pain. Understanding. Despair. The usual. Have your little edgy monologue.'
'If only I had Madara. Or even Nagato. Someone competent. This boy had one job!'
Black Zetsu slithered silently around Obito's feet, hiding in the stone, praying to Kaguya for patience.
All this work to resurrect Mother, and I get paired with a guilt-ridden Kakashi-fanboy who can't even keep track of his own things. And don't get me started on that Orochimaru clone. Ugh. That thing is a whole bastard for stealing Madara's corpse.
Still, he had to admit, even with all the setbacks, the goal wasn't lost.
He just had to wait a little longer. Be patient. Plant more seeds. Keep the idiot from self-sabotaging too badly.
Obito stood still, breathing deeply, eyes slowly dimming. His rage hadn't vanished… but it had cooled. Hardened into resolve.
He turned away from the cliff, cloak snapping behind him.
"Prepare the extraction," he said coldly. "And find out where Kakashi is hiding the Nine-Tails."
"Yes. As you command." Black Zetsu dipped lower, voice quiet.
But in his head?
'Stupid idiot. You don't even know what Kakashi has become. And when he's done, you'll be nothing but another smudge under his boot.'
'Just like Pain. Just like Danzo. Just like Orochimaru'
Black Zetsu sighed deeply again, slithering off behind him, mumbling to himself.
"This is what I must endure… for the sake of freeing Mother."
He paused, deadpan.
'I miss you, Madara.'