Chapter 52: Shot in the Dark

Sitting in the dark of his cave, Obito glared at a wall filled with the preserved eyes of his former clansmen. He had been caught off guard by Minato's son and to make matters worse, it had been in nearly the exact way that Minato had managed to best him.

His mask had been shattered and his arm destroyed, both things could be replaced without any real effort. He had planned to wait before revealing himself as Madara, but that was no longer an option. The Uzumaki brat had forced his hand and revealed his eyes… However, that didn't seem to matter.

The Uzumaki knew about him, the Kyuubi of all beings had seen fit to inform him about the truth behind its attack on Konoha, it was apparently something that drove the two to work together. That in itself was a major issue. There was, however, another issue that he had to consider now.

Who else knew of his existence? Naruto wouldn't have kept it to himself, no… But he also hadn't shared it with the world. He had proven himself to be patient and used his time to grow stronger, waiting for him to make his move.

The Hokage likely knew, alongside a few of the more trusted higher ups of Konoha. Going forward from this point, he would need to assume that Kumo and Suna also knew alongside the Jinchuriki as well. He wouldn't be able to trick them with his Tobi persona any longer.

Iwa likely didn't know about his existence yet as the Tsuchikage chose to keep his village out of the current affairs in the Shinobi world, choosing to watch and wait. However, due to Deidara's actions when he defected, they likely wouldn't be a willing ally.

Kiri on the other hand likely had their suspicions… The civil war had drawn to an end and the new Mizukage had grown suspicious about the previous Mizukage's actions, believing that he might have been controlled by a third party.

The situation wasn't looking favorable for the Akatsuki. They had managed to make an enemy of three major villages, which hosted over half of the Jinchuriki. To make matters worse, they had lost two members… Three counting Orochimaru, and they hadn't even managed to secure a single Biju.

Albeit, Hidan wasn't exactly the most useful, or powerful member and Sasori, while useful for his spies and poisons, wasn't that major of a loss.

The main issue right now was the allying villages. If things continue as they had been, the Akatsuki would be fighting an uphill battle which would result in major loss.

If they didn't change anything, the timeline on some of their plans would need to be accelerated and as much as Obito distrusted Madara, his power was necessary. Nagato would need to be sacrificed in order to bring Madara back.

Luckily, there was another path available to him. As it stood, the only thing that stood in his and the Akatsuki's way was the stability between the five great nations along with the fairly new alliance between Konoha and Kumo.

Peace was such a hard thing to achieve between nations and so easily lost when one felt slighted. With the nations at war with each other, the Akatsuki would be able to freely move about and begin to collect Biju.

All it would take to cause tension between the villages would be the slightest suggestions.

"We're baaaack," White Zetsu called out as his body slipped out of the wall. "And we've got gifts… A gift, there's only one, but I'm sure that you'll love it. It's just a pity that it's not your birthday. Hey, when's your birthday again? Maybe if it's soon enough, we could wrap this up and give it to you then…"

"Silence you fool," Black Zetsu snapped. "We don't have the time to play your incessant games."

"I'm just saying, if his birthday was tomorrow, or even a week from now, we could wait," White Zetsu defended.

"There will be no waiting," Black Zetsu growled while removing a glass jar from his coat. "If we are to take advantage of the current situation, we will need to strike while the iron is hot."

Taking the glass jar from Zetsu using his remaining hand, Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyou Sharingan stared back into Obito's own.

This was exactly what he needed. Placing the fourth Mizukage under an illusion had worked, but it had required his near constant attention. He had to check up on him to ensure the Genjutsu wasn't fading.

With Shisui's Mangekyou, he would be able to influence things much more subtly. Those under it would even believe his suggestions to be their own ideas. There would be no need to micromanage.

Iwa had remained silent for a little too long, Obito decided. It was about time they entered the stage and made a mess of things.

"Man, getting a hold of it was pretty hard," White Zetsu whined. "Tsunade had it hidden in her secret lab filled with a bunch of her clones. We had to sneak past a dozen Kage level Shinobi while also navigating the security that was put in place…"

Half listening to the story, Obito stared down at the jar in his hand. As annoying as the white half was, Zetsu still was the best infiltrator in the world. To date, the only one that was able to catch him was Naruto. It shouldn't come as a surprise that Zetsu managed to sneak into the Hokage's secret lab, but something just wasn't sitting right with him.

"This eye… Are you sure that it's Shisui's?"

"Yep," White Zetsu replied cheerily.

"I have personally examined it," Black Zetsu said in his usual gravelly tone of voice. "It is Shisui's."

"And nothing's been done to it?" Obito asked.

"Much like her granduncle, Tsunade opted to study the Mangekyou Sharingan," Black Zetsu replied. "It has been taken apart and put back together multiple times… Although, it hasn't lost any noticeable power. It appears to be the opposite. Tsunade seems to have tried improving upon it, likely in an attempt to assist Uchiha Sasuke and Hatake Kakashi."

"Improving the Mangekyou," Obito hummed.

"Likely to prevent it from degrading through multiple uses," Black Zetsu continued. "As it is now, it should be slightly more potent, regardless of the damage done to it in the past. There are no poisons or seals hidden in the eye."

Nodding, Obito glanced to his right side. "I'll implant it after I get a new arm."

"I can get one for you right now," White Zetsu volunteered eagerly. "Just wait here with my other half, I'll be right back," He said, racing off down the hallway where they kept the other Zetsu clones.

"How will I wait here when I'm attached to you, idiot!" Black Zetsu snapped.

Placing the jar containing Shisui's Mangekyou on a nearby table, Obito walked up to the wall containing all of his spare Sharingan. Reaching up with his remaining hand, he didn't even flinch as he pulled it back and placed the spare Sharingan in one of the tanks.

Heading to a chair, he sat down and waited. With everything that had been happening in the Shinobi world, his plans were starting to look unachievable, but all of that would change now.

"We're back… Again!" White Zetsu announced cheerfully, holding the severed arm of one of his brethren.

"Idiot," Black Zetsu muttered miserably.

Pulling his sleeve up, Obito wordlessly took the artificial arm from Zetsu and placed it against his stump. Steam hissed from the wound as the arm attached itself to his body in a matter of seconds.

It wasn't perfect. It would likely be a day before he would be able to use the arm in combat, but that wasn't that large of an issue. He didn't intend on getting into another fight any time soon.

Using his new hand, Obito removed the Mangekyou and briefly looked down at it. Here was the answer to all his problems and he was oddly hesitant. Something about this seemed too easy.

"It is a right eye, but I'm sure that it'll work just as well for you," White Zetsu hummed, before a grin came to his face. "In fact, I believe that it should be better. Your vision will be better than before, it'll be alright."

Hearing Black Zetsu groan tiredly at White Zetsu's bad pun, Obito suppressed a snicker. The entire exchange reminded him of happier times when he was just a kid on Minato's team, unaware of the horrors of the Shinobi world.

That's why he was doing all of this… To bring an end to this blood soaked world and usher in a new, happier time where no one would have to see what he had seen. To bring about a new, better world, one where Rin never died.

Placing the eye in the empty socket, it only took a few moments for Obito's regenerative factor to connect all of the necessary blood vessels and optic nerves. Blinking, he found that the clarity of his new eye was on par with his own Mangekyou.

"The last user of that eye was Shimura Danzo," Black Zetsu informed. "From what we've heard, he was able to use the Kotoamatsukami once per day due to having a portion of Hashirama's cells implanted in his body. As you have both Hashirama's cells and you are an Uchiha, you should be able to use it to a greater degree than Danzo."

Feeling an itch in his new eye, Obito stood, eager to use it for the first time. "Then let's take a stop in a minor village to see how it works. Then Iwa."

Using his limited ability with Mokuton to make a new mask, Obito paused as he felt a stabbing pain in Shisui's Mangekyou, before it spiked, causing him to involuntarily drop his mask.

"What's wrong, Obito?" White Zetsu asked.

"Shisui's eye hurts," Obito replied, covering his new eye. Feeling the pain in his eye grow worse, he turned to Black Zetsu. "You said the Hokage improved it… How?"

"The Hokage has a Shinobi with a bloodline that's capable of unconsciously forming a weaker version of Sage Chakra," Black Zetsu explained. "From what I could tell, she transplanted some of his cells into Shisui's Mangekyou."

Doubling over in pain, Obito dug his fingers into his eye socket and grabbed a hold of Shisui's Mangekyou. With one fluid movement, he removed the eye and immediately felt relief. Looking down to the offending eye with his lone Sharingan, Obito found that the entire sclera had turned black.

As if it had a mind of its own, the optic nerve that was still attached to the eye burrowed into his artificial arm, reattaching itself to his body.

Obito let out a pained scream as black marks began to climb up his arm. Using his free hand, he grabbed a hold of his upper arm and clenched down as he tugged it, ripping the limb from his body, only for black tendrils to shoot out of the separated arm, reattaching itself to his body.

Dropping to his knees, Obito attempted to use a Kunai to separate the infected flesh, but ultimately it hadn't helped. The black markings covered the majority of his right side, only stretching to cover the artificial Hashirama cells.

Leaning forward, Obito caught himself with his remaining arm, unable to even grunt as blood poured from his mouth. The entire right side of his body began to ripple and swell, before bursting as a half formed tree made from wood, blood and flesh began to sprout, quickly filling the room.

The containers filled with Sharingan shattered, coating the floor with preserving fluid. Straining to free himself, Obito found himself well and truly trapped. Even if he had to use his Kamui to free himself, there was no guarantee that it would remove the entirety of the tree. The roots were buried deep within his body.

His vision slowly began to fade. Looking up he found that the branches of the tree had targeted White Zetsu, burrowing within his body. Feeling the life drain from his body, he turned to see where Black Zetsu had escaped to, only for his fluid like body to latch onto Obito's own.

Feeling the roots being forcefully removed from his body, Obito finally succumbed to unconsciousness.

"I was wondering when I would see the Akatsuki again," A large muscular man hummed, leaning on his fist as the air twisted into a spiral pattern in front of his throne. "Although you seem a little different since I last saw you."

"We are in need of your assistance," Zetsu said gutturally, revealing a portion of Obito's injured body.

"I see that," The man said, before a smirk came to his face. "But what makes you think I will freely give my assistance?"

"Don't forget who it was that supplied you with the seal to turn the Land of Fire's citizens against Konoha and informed you of the perfect time to strike," Zetsu ground out. "You owe the Akatsuki, Shinnō!"

Climbing off his throne, Shinnō strode forward. A spiral of dark Chakra formed in his hand as he stopped in front of Zetsu. "I do, but what makes you think that I need to help you, especially when you've been weakened to this degree."

Staring down one another, Zetsu growled and activated Obito's Mangekyou, readying himself for a fight.

Staring down the pair, Shinnō chuckled as he extinguished the Chakra in his palm. "I see now why Orochimaru was once a member of your little organization," He said. "Such an interesting thing you are. You're able to keep your host from death even after such devastating wounds. If I hadn't already perfected my own healing technique, I would have been interested in studying you."

"You will be able to heal him then."

Shinnō smirked. "Wounds of such a caliber are nothing special. My ability with regenerative techniques even exceeds that of the legendary Tsunade."

"Then you will do so immediately," Zetsu ordered. "If you betray us, the full might of the Akatsuki will be pointed at you."

"I won't. I've already got everything I need right here," Shinnō said, stretching his arms out. "Betraying you would serve me no purpose. The only thing I want now is the destruction of the Five Great nations."

Zetsu simply nodded and silently followed Shinnō as he led them to another part of his base. Using Shinnō to save Obito's life was risky, but ultimately necessary. Obito was needed to keep Nagato in line and force him to use the Gedō Rinne Tensei when the time was right.

Part of him wondered if he shouldn't just push back Kaguya's revival by a few more decades. He had already waited centuries after all. No, that wouldn't do. The board was fully set. He could always go back to waiting if the Akatsuki ended up losing. There was no point in giving up before even trying.

"We're here," Shinnō announced as he came to a stop in front of a pair of double doors.

Pushing them open, he revealed a large room that was nearly completely empty with the exception of a stone table in the center that had numerous glowing seals inscribed onto it.

Following Shinnō's instructions, Zetsu laid Obito's body on the stone table and waited, recording everything that he was seeing. If this technique worked as well as Shinnō promised it would, then he might have use for it later.

"Use of this technique requires an abundance of exceptionally potent Chakra," Shinnō explained. "For this next part, you're going to need to separate from the body."

"His body won't be able to sustain life for long," Zetsu replied.

"There's no problem there. If his heart stops, I'll just restart it," Shinnō said with the utmost confidence. "Can you remove yourself from him?"

Oozing off the table, Zetsu left Obito's gasping body behind, revealing the extent of the damage done. All of the effort Madara had gone through in order to preserve Obito's life years prior had been violently undone, leaving his body in a state worse than what it was when he had been crushed by a boulder.

The artificial flesh that had once covered the majority of his right side had been removed, revealing far too much of his internal organs.

"Someone really did a number on him," Shinnō whistled as blood began to leak from Obito's mouth. "I'm actually impressed. How did they do it?"

"It was a type of poison that targeted a specific aspect of his body," Zetsu explained, not wanting to go into detail.

Humming to himself, Shinnō placed his palm against Obito's bloodied chest and began examining his body. "If that's the case, then it seems that it's still in his body, wreaking havoc on this so-called 'specific aspect.' It will need to be removed to prevent further damage."

"Do what you must," Zetsu grunted. He didn't care what needed to be done, so long as Obito remained useful.

Cycling through several hand seals, Shinnō finally came to a stop. Obito's body jolted as the wounds on his body began to regenerate. Bone began to grow, muscles knitted themselves together and skin slowly began to cover his exposed organs.

Seeing that the operation was going smoothly, Shinnō slipped a scalpel into his hand and hovered it over his chest as he prepared to remove the remaining artificial flesh that had been infected by Jugo's cells. "I hope your friend has a good tolerance for pain, because anesthesia doesn't work with this technique."

Saying nothing, Zetsu continued to observe the technique Shinnō had used to heal Obito's body. It seemed fairly complex, needing quite a bit of preparation, but the results spoke for themselves. Yes, he definitely had a use for this technique.

It would be risky and remove what little leverage they had over Nagato, but at the same time, it was a necessity. Both Konoha and Kumo had perfect Jinchuriki after all. Why not strike back with something just as powerful.

The night had passed and the sun had dawned on Konoha.

It hadn't even been a full 24 hours since the initial attack from the Sky Nation and the village was well on its way to making a recovery.

The majority of the debris had been cleared through the help of civilians and Shinobi alike, including a hundred or so of my own clones that were helping out wherever they could. There wasn't much more I could do for the village right now.

While my clones worked to repair the village and be on alert for any potential future attacks, I got to train.

Sitting in a clearing at the far edges of Konoha, I clasped my hands together, taking slow controlled breaths. Pulsing my Chakra, nature reacted. The grass became more vibrant, flowers bloomed and trees grew new leaves.

Mokuton was fairly easy to use, especially since I'd already mastered the five basic elements. It also helped that my body adapted to Hashirama's cells so well.

The only true issue I was having with Mokuton was keeping myself from accidentally growing an entire new forest whenever I used it, a problem that was easily solved with time and practice… Shadow Clones helped as well.

Placing my hands on the ground, several new saplings sprouted in the forest and rapidly grew to their full size. I released my hold on the technique before they grew any larger. Just a few more seconds and they would have been as big as the trees in the Forest of Death.

"Not bad. How many were you intending on growing this time?"

"Just one," I answered aloud.

Large scale techniques like the massive wooden statue with several thousand hands shouldn't be an issue. It was the smaller scale ones that wouldn't wipe out a village that I was struggling with.

"Not exactly a problem if you ask me. Just fight outside of the village then," Kurama snorted. "By the way, it looks like your little practice session's coming to a premature end... Unless you've decided to show off your skills with Mokuton."

I'd save that for another time. I really didn't feel like explaining why I had Mokuton to some of my former classmates. Standing, I turned just as the trio arrived. "So, the three of you have been promoted," I noted, glancing at the group's Chunin vests and their change in earrings.

"We have," Shikamaru replied. "The Hokage was impressed with our performance during the Coup in Suna."

I nodded along. While they weren't the strongest team out there, their skills were useful and Konoha was at war with the Sky Nation after all. If Tsunade had promoted them, it meant that she believed that they were ready.

"What brings you here?" I asked, getting straight to the point. There was only so much time before the team Tsunade sent found the Sky Nations main base and I was called in.

"I personally don't really want to be here, it's Ino that's…"

"Damnit Shikamaru, can you stop being lazy for five minutes?!" Ino snapped, cutting him off. "We wanted to ask you for your help. Things have gotten so serious and we're really far behind."

"You want me to help you train?" I clarified.

"Sakura mentioned that you helped her and Sasuke grow stronger before you left for Kumo," Ino replied. "And that you even helped train a Kumo team that ended up helping us during the Coup."

Ino looked hopeful while Choji seemed a little nervous. Shikamaru on the other hand looked tired and bored.

"I wouldn't let their looks deceive you," Kurama hummed. "They're hiding how they truly feel. They know that they're not ready and that scares them."

I knew that much already. They wouldn't be out here asking me for help if they didn't feel that it was necessary. It was a bit too late for them to start taking their training seriously now, especially since they were promoted to Chunin. They just wouldn't have as much time.

I could probably help them out a little by having a clone give them some tips, but there was a better option.

"Together as a team, you're pretty powerful. Individually, however… You need some work," I glanced between the trio. "I could probably step in and help with a few things, but I honestly think it would be better if you met up with the other teams and shared your knowledge."

"You're… Not going to help us?" Choji asked, speaking up for the first time.

"I really don't have that much time as is. Besides, the type of training I would have you three do is pretty much identical to the type of training Gai's team does," I explained. "You could strengthen your bodies by training with them and in turn, help them with their teamwork. It's similar to that saying about how a Shinobi needs both body and mind to overcome greater obstacles."

Team 10 was lacking in the body department with the exception of Choji who was the strongest of his team… Although he could stand to grow stronger. If Choji grew to be even half as fast and as strong as Lee, there would be very few Shinobi that could match him.

At the end of the day, they didn't need my help to grow stronger. Everything they needed already existed in Konoha, they just had to open their eyes to the possibilities.

It would be a while before they each reached the level of speed and strength that's expected of a Jonin, but at the very least, they were smart enough to realize that they needed to get stronger. It was a step in the right direction.

Feeling a clone dispel, I blinked as I sorted through its memories, before smirking. It seemed that the team Tsunade had sent was finally in position.

That's chapter 52.

Obito's attempt of using Shisui's eye to destabilize the current peace goes horribly wrong in a really gory way and Black Zetsu is forced to abandon White Zetsu in order to save his life. Shinno makes an appearance and gives Zetsu some ideas for the future.

Naruto gets some practice with Mokuton and is finally called in to handle the Sky Nation while Team 10 realizes just how far behind they are and the danger that comes with that.

Anyways, I'm up to chapter 59 on the spooky P word website.

P
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I go by the name of ThatKircguy. Just copy the name and paste it in the Patty Rio On search bar. It'd help me out immensely, but don't worry if that's not your style. I will be uploading weekly, so it's not going to be stuck there permanently.

Also, I post my original stuff there as well. It's nothing much, just two short stories for now, but I'll post more as I write them.

The next chapter will be posted on the 27th of December.
See you all then, dudes and dudettes.
Have a great week for whatever holiday you may or may not celebrate.