Chapter 100: Stunned by the audacity

And this is the last one. I will be working on other thing for the rest of the week. Thank you to everyone's support. I will try to keep an eye on the comments to get some edits out asap.

Enjoy.

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Facing Orochimaru's skepticism, Obito retorted, "Orochimaru, I've heard you're researching immortality. If you can maintain your youth, why can't I, Uchiha Madara?"

Obito's words were laced with mockery, causing Orochimaru's expression to stiffen.

Sasori, who enjoyed seeing Orochimaru taken down a peg, chimed in, "His methods are incorrect, leading him further down the wrong path, while I have achieved true immortality."

Sasori and Orochimaru, despite their mutual disdain, shared a common pursuit: immortality. Orochimaru delved into life sciences, researching genes, cells, and soul possession, developing techniques like the Reanimation Jutsu. Sasori, on the other hand, was a puppet master who discarded his flesh body for a puppet one, believing this to be true eternity.

In response to Sasori's mockery, Orochimaru chuckled darkly, "You, who only hides in puppets, are nothing more than a child who lost his parents too early and lacks a sense of security. I've seen through your tricks, you know?"

Sasori, stung by Orochimaru's words, retorted angrily, "Let's try again then, this time I'll definitely take you down."

"Stop!" Obito intervened, halting the brewing conflict. He realized he was dealing with two eccentric individuals.

"Instead of wasting energy on each other, I have a better task for you both. A chance to show off your skills and see who's superior. How about it?"

"What task?" Sasori asked, curious about Obito's intentions.

Obito's voice was cold as he uttered four words: "Destroy the Leaf Village!"

Destroy the Leaf Village? After a moment of silence, Orochimaru regained his composure, his eyes gleaming with interest as he looked at Obito, "I'm starting to believe you might be Uchiha Madara, making such a grand move as destroying the Leaf Village. But how do you plan to do it, with just the three of us?"

"How about it, Orochimaru, once the leader of the Legendary Sannin of the Leaf, don't you have the confidence?" Obito retorted.

Sasori seized the opportunity to mock Orochimaru again, "He's a rogue ninja who was kicked out of the Leaf, whether he dares to return is a question, let alone seeking revenge on the Leaf. I'm not in the same league as this guy."

After belittling his partner, Sasori agreed to Obito's proposal without hesitation. "I once wiped out a country with my puppetry, but that country wasn't well-known. The Leaf Village, a major ninja village, might be the real test to see how strong my puppetry has become."

Orochimaru, after some consideration, also agreed to join. "Alright, I'm in." He was becoming more interested in the Akatsuki.

Here, he had met Pain, the leader with the Rinnegan, and now the legendary Uchiha Madara. This mysterious organization had piqued Orochimaru's curiosity.

Of course, his agreement was merely to get closer to Obito and gather information. As for destroying the Leaf Village, Orochimaru knew it wouldn't be easy. If things went south, he would be the first to flee.

As the three of them were discussing, White Zetsu suddenly emerged from the ground. He looked like he had just been through a fierce battle, appearing very disheveled and panicked, "Big... big trouble!"

"What happened?" Obito's brow furrowed beneath his mask.

White Zetsu took a breath before delivering the bad news, "The Uchiha have attacked the Mountain Graveyard!"

"What?!" Obito exclaimed in shock, completely losing his composure. "What did you say?"

Orochimaru and Sasori also heard. Were they talking about the Uchiha clan from the Leaf Village? What was the Mountain Graveyard, and why was it so important to Obito that it caused him such alarm?

As they speculated, Obito tried to calm himself, giving them orders in as steady a voice as he could manage, "Orochimaru, Sasori, you two head out immediately. Infiltrate the Leaf Village and wait for me. I'll find you later and give you the specific plan."

With that, he didn't wait for any questions and activated Kamui, disappearing into a spatial vortex.

Space-time ninjutsu? Orochimaru and Sasori were taken aback by Obito's exit, exchanging surprised glances. White Zetsu also sank into the ground, following Obito.

Outside the Rain Village, in a forest where it wasn't raining, Obito reappeared with a spatial ripple. He knew that Pain liked to watch the rain, actually using his Rinnegan to monitor the Rain Village by mixing his chakra with the rainwater.

He couldn't let Pain, or rather Nagato, know about the Mountain Graveyard.

At that moment, White Zetsu emerged from the ground, completing his fusion with Black Zetsu.

"What exactly happened?" Obito asked impatiently once they were out of Nagato's sensing range.

So, White Zetsu, still shaken, recounted the events, "Obito, the White Zetsu you sent to monitor the Uchiha clan was discovered. It was captured by Uchiha Dan, who used genjutsu to extract the location of the Mountain Graveyard. After that, the Uchiha clan's elite attacked the Mountain Graveyard. I barely managed to escape in the chaos..."

Obito clenched his fist at the news, veins bulging on the back of his hand. Uchiha Dan, always Uchiha Dan!

Obito had never expected that before he could carry out his plan to destroy the Uchiha clan, they would preemptively strike, catching him off guard.

The Leaf Village was thousands of miles away from the Mountain Graveyard, which was hidden deep within a primeval forest. It was not only well-hidden but also guarded by many White Zetsu, making it easy to defend and hard to attack.

Despite this, the Uchiha clan, based on information of questionable veracity, had launched a full-scale attack on the Mountain Graveyard without hesitation. This reckless behavior was no different from that of a gambler.

And they had won the bet.

The determination, audacity, and execution shown by the Uchiha clan had taken Obito aback. He even suspected that if they knew he was in the Akatsuki, they might launch another full-scale attack, this time on the Rain Village.

"By the way, where's Guruguru?" Obito suddenly asked.

He had ordered Guruguru to guard the Mountain Graveyard. With Guruguru's abilities, he should have been able to hold off the Uchiha clan for some time.

White Zetsu, however, looked troubled and finally had to tell Obito, "Guruguru... Guruguru has joined the Uchiha clan."

Upon hearing this, not only Obito but even Black Zetsu, who was usually calm and composed, was shocked.

Guruguru, a clone of Hashirama Senju created by Madara, had been tampered with by Black Zetsu to serve the Moon's Eye Plan and was not supposed to betray them.

When they heard that Guruguru had sided with the Uchiha, even Black Zetsu was stunned.

Regaining his composure, Obito grabbed White Zetsu by the collar, demanding angrily, "What exactly happened? Explain!"

"I really don't know. Guruguru fought with the Uchiha and was defeated by Dan. Dan seemed to have done something to him, and Guruguru's personality changed. He joined the Uchiha. And..."

White Zetsu answered quickly, his face filled with fear.

"And what?" Obito pressed, a sense of foreboding growing within him.

Sure enough, White Zetsu swallowed hard, continuing in a trembling voice, "And Guruguru helped the Uchiha navigate, they plundered everything in the Mountain Graveyard. All the ninja tools, secret techniques, Sharingan, and Hashirama's cells were taken. The Uchiha even set fire to the place, killing all the White Zetsu underground and completely destroying the Mountain..."

Crack!

Before White Zetsu could finish, Obito punched a nearby tree, shattering it.

"Guruguru..."

At that moment, he gritted his teeth, almost fainting from the audacity of Guruguru's betrayal.

Obito didn't have friends. Whether it was White Zetsu or Black Zetsu, they were merely tools left by Madara in his eyes.

But Guruguru, who always asked him what it felt like to go to the bathroom and who had once helped him enthusiastically, held a small place in Obito's heart.

He considered Guruguru half a friend.

And now, Obito's only half-friend had betrayed him. How could he not be devastated?

What angered Obito more was Uchiha Dan. The attack on the Mountain Graveyard and the manipulation of Guruguru were all Dan's doing.

"Let's go!" Obito commanded, heading towards the Mountain Graveyard.

He still held out hope and needed to see for himself what had happened.

Meanwhile, in a clearing within a forest in the Land of Fire, the Uchiha clan was resting during their return journey.

Guruguru jumped onto a tree, curiously looking around, appearing excited. He had left the underground where he had lived for many years, donned the high-collared blue robe of the Uchiha, and was about to go to the Uchiha clan's area in the Leaf Village to start a new life.

For Guruguru, everything about the future was new and exciting.

On the ground, Itachi, Fugaku, and Shisui were sitting together, discussing in secret.

"I never thought that Madara's chosen successor would be Obito," Fugaku said, surprised by the news.

From Guruguru, they learned that Obito wasn't at the Mountain Graveyard because he had joined the Akatsuki as Uchiha Madara.

In other words, the Uchiha clan's operation, which seemed to have destroyed the enemy's base, might have provoked a bigger enemy.

The Akatsuki.

Thinking of this, Fugaku and Shisui couldn't help but worry.

Before they could gather more information about Obito, the three decided to keep this news secret and not tell the rest of the clan to avoid unnecessary panic.

Setting aside the matter of Obito for now, "Dan, we need to talk about your doctor friend," Fugaku said seriously.