Chapter 169: Ch.169 Hidden Leaf Cannot Be Trusted!
Inside a dark cave.
Zetsu emerged from the ground and approached Obito. "They failed to capture the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki; this time, they only managed to catch the Two-Tails Jinchuriki."
Obito's face darkened.
Although the original plan was for him to handle the Eight-Tails and for Nagato to capture the Two-Tails, the actual situation was different. He had to face both the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, two highly synchronized Kage-level opponents, while Nagato only had to contend with the Two-Tails. Obito's side was considerably more challenging.
Under these circumstances, Nagato should've set aside his reservations and helped with the Eight-Tails capture first.
Realizing that clashing with Nagato now was unwise, Obito swallowed his frustration and asked Zetsu, "What was that beam of light that defeated Moryo?"
Zetsu shrugged, indicating he was unsure. "At the time, the beam felt like it had the Eight-Tails' chakra, but the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki shouldn't have that kind of power. If he did, the Third Shinobi World War would've had a different outcome."
"Nagato still refuses to admit that he has the Two-Tails Jinchuriki. It seems his hostility toward us is stronger than we thought," Obito remarked.
Zetsu also felt a sense of helplessness.
He had initially seen Nagato as nothing more than a puppet on strings. Yet, after recent events, he realized this puppet might have intentions of taking control.
After a moment's silence, Obito asked, "How much longer until Moryo can be revived?"
Zetsu replied, "Moryo mentioned before that the priestess is his source of revival, but to fully return, he needs more hatred from people's hearts. So it may take a while. However, before this mission, he provided Shinnō's Zero-Tails with enough chakra, so Shinnō's artificial-tailed beast project is progressing quickly."
Knowing he would face the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Moryo and Shinnō had prepared in advance, even anticipating Moryo's potential defeat.
This didn't concern Moryo, as long as the priestess was alive. Like the tailed beasts, he could revive even after temporary defeat.
"It seems we'll have to treat Nagato as an enemy now." Obito paused, then added, "That priestess Moryo wants is in the Hidden Leaf, right?"
Zetsu hesitated. "Are you really planning to let him merge with the priestess?"
Obito said nothing.
"Moryo is the kind of monster who has no concept of loyalty," Zetsu warned. "Right now, you barely control him, but once he merges with the priestess and gains her full powers, there's no guarantee he'll listen to you."
Unlike Obito, Black Zetsu was a witness to the history of the shinobi world.
He knew well what a fully powered priestess from the Land of Demons was capable of. If Moryo gained that level of power, he would no longer be the Moryo they knew.
"I have my ways. Don't worry about it," Obito said with a grin. "And if the timing is right, whether he listens to me won't matter much."
Zetsu quickly grasped Obito's intentions.
Obito continued, "Tell Shinnō to expedite his artificial-tailed beast project. The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki is a major threat to us. We need to find a way to deal with him."
...
Hidden Leaf Village.
After the Five Kage Summit, the Fourth Mizukage led his team back to the temporary encampment for the Hidden Mist.
Mei Terumi, Zabuza, and Kisame, along with other Mist elites, gathered around him, awaiting orders.
The Fourth Mizukage thought for a long time before saying, "What did you all observe during the summit?"
Zabuza chuckled, "What else? It was full of fear and hesitation; the stench of it was almost sickening."
The Fourth Mizukage nodded.
Zabuza had hit the nail on the head.
At the last summit, the Kage were more focused on each other, barely taking the Akatsuki seriously. They'd thought that even a powerful bounty hunter organization couldn't truly challenge the combined strength of the Five Great Nations.
But this time was different. The reality of the Akatsuki's power had shaken them all.
Many, including the Five Great Nations, began to develop new ideas.
"The one who manipulated the Third Mizukage and caused chaos in our village was likely this Akatsuki organization," the Fourth Mizukage continued coldly. "Other villages may still have room to cooperate with the Akatsuki, but we in the Mist do not!"
The Hidden Mist elites nodded in agreement.
In this altered timeline, they each had different fates. Because the Mist discovered traces of genjutsu manipulation on the Third Mizukage, many things had changed.
For instance, the Fourth Mizukage remained vigilant and hadn't been attacked by Itachi. Zabuza's coup attempt never happened, and Kisame didn't assassinate his superior, Fuguki Suikazan.
The Fourth Mizukage said, "The Cloud's Jinchuriki has been taken by the Akatsuki. Their interests align with ours, so we can trust them against the Akatsuki."
Mei Terumi asked, "And the other villages?"
After a moment's thought, the Fourth Mizukage answered, "The Third Kazekage of the Sand was killed by Sasori, who joined the Akatsuki. Also, their Jinchuriki is the Fourth Kazekage's son, so we can likely trust the Sand as well. But the Leaf and the Stone… that's uncertain."
Mei Terumi seemed puzzled. "Even the Leaf? They proposed the Five Kage Summit in the first place."
The Fourth Mizukage shook his head. "There are too many Mangekyo Sharingan in the Akatsuki. If the Leaf doesn't clarify this, no one will trust them."
...
Temporary Encampment of the Hidden Cloud.
The Fourth Raikage said resolutely, "We can't trust the Leaf!"
Killer Bee, still looking weak, remained silent nearby.
Cee spoke up, "Lord Raikage, without the Leaf's cooperation, our investigation won't get anywhere!"
"Even so!" The Raikage waved a hand dismissively. "With so many Mangekyo Sharingan in the Akatsuki, how can the Leaf be uninvolved? And the mysterious elder who defeated Killer Bee had the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan. How can we trust the Leaf?"
Without question, the Cloud had been hiding details about Killer Bee's defeat.
The elder's Byakugan was simply too distinctive.
Everyone in the shinobi world knew that only the Hyuga clan of the Leaf possessed the Byakugan, and due to the Caged Bird Seal, it was nearly impossible for Hyuga clan members to defect.
Unless, of course, it was a member of the Hyuga main branch, without the Caged Bird seal.
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