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After encountering Naruto in Sunagakure, Obito departed without conflict and returned directly to the White Zetsu base.
The moment he arrived, he stormed into Kabuto's lab, irritation radiating off him.
"Kabuto! Get over here. We need to talk."
"Shhh!"
Seeing Obito's furious expression, Kabuto immediately quieted down, glancing toward the room where Sasuke was resting to ensure he hadn't disturbed him. Confirming that the boy was still asleep, Kabuto shut the door gently and followed Obito outside.
"What's gotten you so pissed off after just a short trip?" he asked nonchalantly.
Obito snorted coldly. "That damned Naruto. Of all people. What are the odds? I go to Sunagakure to stir up trouble, and he shows up at the exact same time!"
Kabuto frowned. "Didn't you already remove the Flying Thunder God seal he placed on you?"
Obito's brow furrowed. "He didn't follow me using that. When I attacked Suna, I hadn't even revealed my identity yet. Even Gaara was surprised by his sudden appearance."
Kabuto sighed, mildly annoyed. "Well, that's quite the coincidence."
Obito waved his hand impatiently. "Forget that. Bring me the Akatsuki members who died before. I want them now."
Kabuto put on an innocent expression. "Most of the Akatsuki are dead. What do you expect from me? I'm not the Sage of Six Paths. Where am I supposed to pull them from?"
Obito pointed a finger at him, his voice sharp. "Don't play dumb with me, Kabuto. You're a grave-robbing expert. You even brought back Uchiha Madara. Don't give me that crap about not having access to Akatsuki members."
Kabuto let out a hesitant chuckle. "Oh, well…"
"We're partners now," Obito interrupted harshly. "I'm not even asking for anything major. Just give me a few bodies to stir up some chaos—it's for our plan."
Kabuto shrugged and sighed. "Fine, fine."
He began weaving hand seals. In the next moment, four coffins emerged from the ground with a dull rumble. With four distinct thuds, the coffin lids dropped to the floor, revealing the figures inside.
Uchiha Itachi.
Deidara.
Kakuzu.
Sasori.
Adjusting his glasses, Kabuto smirked and looked at Obito. "Well? Satisfied?"
Obito grinned. "Yoshi… Kabuto, you really don't disappoint."
Kabuto's smirk deepened. "Just four pieces and you're already impressed? I haven't even brought out my trump cards yet."
He clapped his hands. At once, the four corpses walked forward, and the coffins behind them sunk back into the ground. Kabuto withdrew four kunai embedded with talisman seals. One by one, he inserted the kunai into the heads of each reanimated corpse, then formed hand seals. With a low hum of chakra, the four were instantly awakened.
"From this moment on," Kabuto said, "you four will follow Obito's orders without question. Understood?"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
Once the process was complete, Kabuto turned to Obito. "There you go. Use them however you want. Let Akatsuki rise again and shake the shinobi world."
Obito nodded. "You're a reliable partner, Kabuto. I mean that."
Kabuto gave a half-bow. "I'm flattered."
As the four resurrected Akatsuki members regained their awareness, Itachi was the first to speak.
He looked around in confusion, then at his own hands. "This is… Edo Tensei…"
Obito approached him. "Long time no see, Itachi."
Itachi narrowed his eyes. "You… Tobi? No… Uchiha Madara? You're the one who brought me back?"
Obito replied evenly, "No. That was Kabuto."
Itachi studied Obito for a moment and then noticed something. "Your eye…?"
Obito smirked. "I retrieved it."
Deidara, meanwhile, was already twirling excitedly in place. "Unbelievable! A jutsu that can bring us back from the dead! This… this is true art!"
Kabuto approached with a smile. "Not only are you revived—you're now immortal. You can unleash your art without any fear of death."
At the mention of an immortal body, Deidara's excitement doubled. "So I can self-detonate endlessly?! That's amazing!!!"
Kakuzu cracked his neck, eyeing his hands. "Didn't think I'd ever return to this world."
Sasori sighed in a low voice. "So we're fighting again… still cursed to battle in this world."
Suddenly, Deidara frowned as something came to mind. He turned to Obito and Kabuto. "Wait… did I manage to kill that brat Sasuke?"
At the mention of Sasuke, Itachi immediately flashed forward, grabbing Deidara by the collar. His Sharingan flared with rage.
"What the hell did you do to my brother?!"
Seeing Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan activate, Deidara burst into gleeful laughter. "Ha! That expression! You're just like your brother was—full of rage and fear! Hahaha!"
Deidara's hatred for the Uchiha was personal. Both Sasuke and Itachi had eyes that seemed to look through him, eyes that lacked any appreciation for his art. They mocked him with their gaze—stoic, unimpressed, untouchable. It infuriated him.
He remembered the first time he fought Itachi—how he was trapped in a Genjutsu before he even realized it. The humiliation had burned into his pride. And now, he finally had the upper hand.
Itachi gritted his teeth. "You bastard…"
He began forming hand seals for Amaterasu, the black flames already flickering to life in his eyes.
"Wait," Obito interrupted. "Sasuke isn't dead."
"WHAT?!"
Deidara's face twisted in disbelief. He slipped from Itachi's grasp and stormed up to Obito.
"What did you say?! Sasuke's still alive?!"
Obito nodded firmly.
"No way!" Deidara growled. "There's no chance! My ultimate art should've obliterated him! He doesn't have space-time Ninjutsu like you. He can't teleport. How the hell did he survive that blast?!"
Kabuto stepped in. "Sasuke summoned Manda, Orochimaru's giant serpent. Then, using the power of his Mangekyō Sharingan, he forced Manda under Genjutsu and hid inside its mouth. When your explosion hit, Manda took the full impact. Sasuke curled up and shielded himself within it, using the snake's body as cover."
Hearing that, Itachi smiled softly to himself.
Smart boy… well done.
Deidara stared, stunned. Then his face twisted in frustration. "Tch! That's absurd! That guy is so damn sly!"
Kabuto chuckled. "Don't take it personally. Your explosion was powerful enough to kill Manda—Orochimaru's toughest summoning creature. That alone proves your art's might."
Deidara folded his arms, scowling. "Of course. My art is the ultimate form. Still… damn it! He escaped."
Itachi threw Deidara a cold look, his hatred for the man burning.
Sensing the tension, Kabuto said, "Deidara, maybe tone it down. Bragging about killing his brother right in front of him isn't smart."
Deidara snorted dismissively. "Doesn't matter. What's he gonna do? Kill me? I'm immortal now."
Kakuzu stepped forward, eyes narrowing. "Where are the other members—Pain, Konan?"
Obito tilted his head. "Nagato… betrayed the Akatsuki. He left with Konan."
"What?!"
All four were stunned—Kakuzu, Sasori, Deidara, even Itachi.
"The leader… betrayed us?!"
Obito scoffed. "Well, since you're all dead already, no point hiding it anymore. I'll be honest—I was the real mastermind behind the Akatsuki."
With that, he removed his mask, revealing his face.
"I'm not Uchiha Madara. My real name is Uchiha Obito. I used Madara's name and manipulated Nagato to fulfill the Moon's Eye Plan. Everything Akatsuki did—the tailed beast captures, the wars—that was all from Madara's will passed down to me. But I've been leading things behind the scenes."
Itachi narrowed his eyes, staring directly into Obito's. "I suspected you weren't Madara. I tried to investigate your identity, but nothing came up. I never imagined… Obito. You were Kakashi's teammate."
Obito gave him a smirk. "I've known about your schemes for a long time, Itachi. Your plans, your genjutsu hidden in Sasuke's eyes… If I hadn't taken precautions, I'd be dead."
Itachi's eyes narrowed further. His worst fears confirmed.
Sasuke… has fallen into his hands.
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