(Nagato's POV)
Rain was a constant in Amegakure, always present, always alert.
Nagato was on his mechanical life support device as always, but the next moment, he opened his eyes slightly when he saw the familiar spatial vortex forming.
The figure with the orange mask wearing the Akatsuki cloak slowly emerged from the whirlpool, which closed soon after. The pair stared at each other for a moment while a strange fern slowly rose from the ground.
The fern leaves opened, revealing black and white Zetsu.
Nagato simply stared at the figure and Black Zetsu immediately began to speak. - It has been confirmed that Otogakure possesses the Six-Tails, but I haven't been able to find out who the Jinchuuriki is.
-Your clones still haven't managed to enter the village? - "Madara's" voice was gruff, a departure from Tobi's "comedian" persona.
It was White Zetsu who answered this time. - No, all those I sent, even the spores, were quickly neutralized, probably because the village leader, Jugo, possesses Wood Style, none of my clones managed to get through.
Nagato's eyes narrowed slightly. -It doesn't matter, when the plan gets underway, they'll fall if they get in my way.
-Even so, we need to find out who the Jinchuuriki is.- Madara said lightly. -Otogakure isn't weak, besides, Orochimaru is with them. If he's not the mastermind behind everything, he really dared to show himself without caring about our pursuit. Like a slippery snake, he must be confident enough, especially knowing your eyes.
-Orochimaru knows our plan, there's no way to know what he's thinking.- Black Zetsu said.
-Leave Orochimaru aside, I only need to use the Human Path to read the memory of a high-ranking member of Otogakure. When one of them leaves, you just need to let me know.- Nagato said lightly.
-It's difficult. There's been a lot of change in Otogakure in the last few days. Four of the five major villages were involved, yet Otogakure didn't even suffer any retaliation.- Madara said calmly.
-Yes, my clones in Kirigakure spoke of ten giants who could trample any village with a few steps, the visual impact was truly tremendous.- White Zetsu commented, a smile on his face, not at all worried. -The Kumogakure group was sent back with their tails between their legs, Danzo's root fared even worse, completely decimated by the Uchiha boy. He seems to have gotten quite strong.
-In front of these eyes, nothing matters.- Nagato showed no emotional wavering, clearly extremely confident in the Rinnegan.
Neither Zetsu nor "Madara" denied this, also confident in the Rinnegan.
-I'll keep an eye out for anyone strong who comes out, they should know who the Jinchuuriki is.- Zetsu promised.
"Madara" remained thoughtfully silent for a moment. - Itachi must be very interested in his brother's whereabouts, Sasori is also very interested in getting rid of Orochimaru, probably thinking of adding him to his "perfect" puppets, Hidan also seems very interested in this god of Otogakure, "Father of Devils", he wanted to run to the Land of Sound and massacre all those "infidels".
Nagato almost sighed, this group of guys is really unreliable.
-I'll keep them in line, it's not time to move yet.- Nagato said lightly.
The conversation soon ended and the room fell silent again. Nagato watched the pair leave quickly as he slowly closed his eyes again to rest.
//-//
(Obito's POV)
On a rooftop in the Village Hidden in the Rain, Obito stood gazing at the rainy sky, drops slowly dripping from his mask.
Zetsu slowly emerged from the ground behind Obito, but he didn't move, still staring at the rain behind his mask with his single eye.
-This Jugo could be a big problem.- Black Zetsu spoke slowly. -This village grew too fast and the white Zetsus was easily discovered, something's wrong here.
Obito didn't speak for a long time, unlike Nagato, he knew much more about this world, the Rinnegan, the Ten-Tails, the Eye of the Moon plan...
Jugo was a variable, he wanted to go there to spy, but when he tried, he was quickly discovered. No matter where he tried to go, Obito didn't try to fight Jugo's clones because he didn't want to give his information to his opponent, so he didn't know how strong Jugo really was, but Obito was still confident in his own strength.
-Just follow Nagato's plans for now, there's no reason to rush things now, the Three-Tails hasn't appeared yet.
-As you wish.- White Zetsu said, without losing his smile.
Black Zetsu followed soon after. - Itachi and Sasori can hold back, but that guy Hidan seems difficult to control, plus the bounties for Otogakure ninjas have gone up again, Kakuzu is very tempted, it's quite likely that duo will cause trouble.
Obito gave a scornful laugh, he didn't want to worry about those two, but two fighting powerhouses like them would be very useful during the plan. Unfortunately, Obito didn't have any good ideas for controlling them without exposing himself, he only hoped that Nagato would do a good job of keeping them in line.
Obito didn't comment, but asked. -Are the other Jinchuuriki still stable?
-The One-Tails became Kazekage, but Sunagakure's strength still leaves something to be desired, even a direct invasion is a possibility. The Two-Tails is a perfect Jinchuuriki and difficult to deal with, but its overall strength is still at an acceptable level. The Three-Tails remains missing... finally, the Nine-Tails is training fiercely with Jiraya for a fight against Sasuke. It seems there's some kind of two-year wager to retrieve Sasuke from Otogakure. It seems the Nine-Tails' Jinchuuriki will fight the Uchiha boy to decide Sasuke's future.- Black Zetsu spoke calmly.
Obito scoffed when he heard about Naruto, he despised that kind of cheerful, shouting-out type, because it reminded him of himself when he was younger.
//-//
(Black Zetsu POV)
After hearing Black Zetsu's words, without responding, Obito slowly disappeared into his spatial vortex, Zetsu simply remained there, observing.
Black Zetsu's internal animation was about to explode, just a little more, a thousand years... it would finally end.
But Jugo surprised him greatly, he knew very well who Jugo's ancestors were, the Hagoromo. Why? Because he himself orchestrated their destruction, diminishing the Senju's friendships and balancing power with the Uchiha.
A marriage alliance was about to be made between the Senju and Hagoromo, specifically between the young leader of the Hagoromo clan and the sister of the Senju leader.
This could unbalance the power, so Zetsu moved, transformed love into hate, and in the end, the Hagoromo fell.
It was just a chess move for Black Zetsu, he would have already forgotten about that clan if he hadn't discovered Jugo's information.
-Little thing... I hope you don't mess up my plan...- Black Zetsu thought, slightly annoyed.