Obito didn't have to wait long.
A short while later, a pitcher-plant-like figure sprouted from the ground near his feet. It was Zetsu, both Black and White. At this moment, Black Zetsu's expression was incredibly grim, looking as if Kaguya herself had just died.
Obito turned to look at them, his voice tinged with surprise. "What happened?"
"A major catastrophe has occurred!" Black Zetsu said in a heavy tone.
"What do you mean?" Obito's brow furrowed, his voice sinking.
He felt as though he had been plagued by ill fortune lately. Ever since his miraculous survival, his luck had been abysmal. First, his beloved was killed by his best friend; then, he inherited everything from Madara. It should have felt like an unstoppable momentum, but he stumbled right out of the gate; his first meeting with Nagato ended in a cold rejection.
Just when things seemed to be turning around and he thought he could go with the flow to stir up trouble, Black Zetsu returned only to announce a "major catastrophe." What the hell?
With a dark expression, Black Zetsu explained, "Everything was proceeding according to our plan quite smoothly. Yahiko of the Akatsuki did indeed die at the hands of Hanzo of the Salamander. Driven by hatred and rage, Nagato truly unleashed the power of the Rinnegan and successfully summoned the Gedo Statue..."
"And then? Was Hanzo unexpectedly powerful? Did he defeat Nagato?" Obito asked hurriedly.
"No. Hanzo was strong, and they had a fierce battle, but it was clear his defeat was only a matter of time. However..." Black Zetsu said, his voice laced with irritation.
"However what?" Obito pressed.
"However, the Yorozuya suddenly intervened. That Rodriguez Diarmuid appeared alongside Orochimaru..." Black Zetsu stated.
Before Obito could ask anything else, Black Zetsu continued, "I just checked, it's true the Yorozuya accepted a mission to kill Hanzo of the Salamander. But when they struck, they acted under the banner of someone named 'Danzo' to gain Hanzo's trust. They actually made the first move against Nagato..."
Indeed, on the way back, Black Zetsu had White Zetsu clarify the situation. It turned out the Yorozuya had recently accepted a contract in the underworld to assassinate Hanzo.
What a coincidence.
It just happened to collide head-on with their plan. So far, Black Zetsu hadn't overthought it. He didn't believe he had exposed himself; after all, he was always extremely cautious and had no prior connection to the Yorozuya. He concluded it was simply a freak accident.
As for why they attacked Nagato first despite having a mission to kill Hanzo, Black Zetsu saw two possibilities. First, as he mentioned, Diarmuid and Orochimaru used Danzo's name to win Hanzo's trust, looking for a better opening to strike. Or perhaps their mission included extra conditions, like obtaining intel or treasure, requiring them to play nice with Hanzo first. That was standard mercenary behavior.
The second reason likely involved Orochimaru. As a renowned figure in the Shinobi world, Black Zetsu knew of his obsession with bizarre research. It was highly probable that while lurking, they discovered the power of Nagato's Rinnegan and decided to seize them for study.
Regardless, Black Zetsu treated this all as an accident.
"So?" Obito asked, his expression souring.
"That Rodriguez Diarmuid is truly formidable. He actually went head-to-head with Nagato's Rinnegan and... killed him," White Zetsu chimed in.
Diarmuid had checked the battlefield, but he hadn't spotted White Zetsu observing from afar. White Zetsu hadn't dared get too close; the area had been blasted by massive scale ninjutsu, and getting caught in Hanzo's crossfire would have meant instant death.
Diarmuid had considered the possibility of being spotted by Zetsu, but he ultimately didn't care. Would Zetsu really run to Konan and tell her the truth? That would be insane and completely unnecessary.
In the current state of affairs, Konan was a "nobody" whom no one took seriously. Black Zetsu likely felt the same. His next move would inevitably be to find a way to contact Diarmuid to gain his trust; he wouldn't dare do anything to provoke him. Thus, Diarmuid wasn't worried.
"What? Nagato is dead?" Obito asked, completely dazed.
He felt like he was in a dream. He had joined a plan that sounded incredibly grand, initiated by the legendary Uchiha Madara himself. Madara had solemnly sworn the plan was foolproof and that Obito just needed to follow it. Then, after entrusting everything to Obito, the old man had simply passed away.
And the result?
The moment the man died, the plan completely collapsed at the very first step! As the core figure of the first phase, the one wielding Madara's Rinnegan, Nagato hadn't even begun his role before being wiped out by the Yorozuya!?
How am I supposed to move forward? Without the Rinnegan, Madara can't be resurrected. Without the Rinnegan, the Infinite Tsukuyomi cannot be cast!
Is it too late for me to go back to Konoha and continue my dream of becoming Hokage? Following these guys feels like a total dead end!
"Yeah." Black Zetsu's face looked as if he had swallowed a fly. For thousands of years, he had planned countless times, and this was the closest he had ever come to success. He had even managed to trick a man like Madara, leaving only the final touches. He was so close to finishing his thousand-year journey of "Little Zetsu Finds His Mommy."
But then... things suddenly veered off course. It was agonizing.
"Not only is Nagato dead, but the Rinnegan was also snatched by that Diarmuid," Black Zetsu added.
Obito's face paled. "That is indeed terrible news..."
"Worse still, the Gedo Statue was sealed away by Diarmuid too," White Zetsu added.
Obito was speechless. He thought for a moment and really wanted to say, "Let's just pack it up and go home."
After all, the Rinnegan wasn't entirely irreplaceable, finding a way to awaken his own wasn't impossible. But the Gedo Statue? That was a one-of-a-kind original. You couldn't exactly find a spare.
However, Obito was a man possessed by obsession. When he finally spoke, it was: "So, what do we do now?"
"Naturally, we must find a way to contact the Yorozuya. We need to see if we can bring Rodriguez Diarmuid into the fold. If we can win him over, perhaps this isn't as bad as we think. It might even turn out to be a good thing," Black Zetsu said with a touch of helplessness. He had failed many times over millennia; he wasn't about to give up now.
Initially, because Rin was still alive, he didn't want too much involvement with the Yorozuya. But now, through sheer coincidence, the leader of the Yorozuya had seized both the Rinnegan and the Gedo Statue. No matter how reluctant he was, he had to make contact with Diarmuid.
Obito held the Rinnegan in high regard because Madara was powerful, and Madara had hyped the eyes up to be invincible. Consequently, even with his own strength growing, Obito hadn't planned to use force against Nagato, fearing he wasn't yet a match for him.
He had been quite confident regarding Diarmuid before. But now, the Nagato he was wary of had been taken down and "gutted" by Diarmuid in a single wave. His mental state was crumbling; he now viewed the Rodriguez Diarmuid he once looked down upon with a sense of awe and dread.
Anyone who could defeat Nagato with the Rinnegan was undeniably a powerhouse. Such experts are never easy to deal with. To have to initiate contact while clearly in a position of weakness... Obito felt incredibly frustrated.
But as Black Zetsu said, if they could convince Diarmuid to join their Eye of the Moon Plan, the project would gain a massive power boost. The Rinnegan and the Gedo Statue would no longer be obstacles, success might even come sooner.
"You're right," Obito nodded. He paused, then asked, "But how do we contact this Yorozuya? Do I go?"
"No, you cannot!" Black Zetsu retorted immediately.
If you go and find out Rin is alive, I'll truly be a lone wolf again, set back to square one. Not only will we not get the Rinnegan back, but you'll be gone too. Black Zetsu would have to change his name to "Total Failure."
Obito looked at Black Zetsu with surprise. "Why are you so worked up?"
Realizing he had lost his cool, Black Zetsu quickly recovered. "The situation is so fragile now; we can't afford any more mistakes. Obito, you can't go. In fact, you likely can't even be the public leader anymore..."
"What do you mean?" Obito frowned.
"A man as powerful, arrogant, and erratic as Rodriguez Diarmuid would never tolerate anyone lording over him. Without the overwhelming strength to suppress him, he will never let you lead the plan. Furthermore... a man like him likely has no interest in the true Eye of the Moon Plan. We can't approach him with the truth; we need another angle. Therefore, you must not expose yourself. You must become the final line of defense for the Eye of the Moon Plan!" Black Zetsu said righteously.
It was actually quite a persuasive argument. Obito found no fault in it. After considering it, he nodded. "You have a point."
He wasn't incapable of yielding; in the original timeline, he initially stayed hidden under Nagato's power, only stepping out after Nagato died. Now, with a man who could kill Nagato in the picture, he felt he couldn't handle Diarmuid personally. If yielding served the Eye of the Moon Plan, and Rin, it wasn't a problem.
Seeing Obito agree, Black Zetsu breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, Obito asked, "Since the true Eye of the Moon Plan isn't suitable for him, how do we proceed?"
"I need to think this through. But for a man like him, interest usually lies in things like power. Given his sudden decision to seize the Rinnegan, he is clearly a seeker of strength. I've heard the Yorozuya demands ninjutsu as payment for high-level missions, which confirms this. There is an opening, but it will require careful planning," Black Zetsu mused.