Chiba's capture of Konan didn't just strip Akatsuki of a major combat asset - it shifted the balance of power in a way even veterans could feel. On one side, the enemy had been forced to bleed. On the other, Chiba's camp gained a new, invaluable advantage.
For Jiraiya, that outcome carried a deeper weight.
Minato. Yahiko. Nagato.
All of them were gone, leaving behind scars that time never truly erased. Yet, amid that loss, there was one fragile consolation: at least one of his students still had a chance to turn back, to atone, to reclaim what had once been lost to desperation and grief.
Because of this, Jiraiya's attitude toward Chiba softened in a way he didn't openly announce. The gratitude came first. Then, slowly, the lingering edge of hostility and suspicion melted away, replaced by a wary respect that grew a little steadier with each passing moment.
Konan's request was simple, but it carried the full weight of a lifetime.
She wanted to return Nagato's body to Amegakure - to send him home to the rain-soaked land where it had all begun. And she wanted Yahiko to return with him, so that even in death they would no longer be separated from the place that shaped them.
Chiba agreed.
Not only that - he chose to travel with her.
Part of it was to honor the dead. But the more practical reason was impossible to ignore: the hunt for Akatsuki couldn't stop now. Konan, as one of the organization's founders, knew every hidden refuge they had ever used. Secret bases, underground outposts, contingency shelters - she could expose them all.
With her at his side, Akatsuki had fewer places left to disappear.
Back on Turtle Island, the training continued without pause. Killer B remained there, guiding the other Jinchūriki through the brutal discipline required to become perfect hosts - control honed until instinct and power moved as one. To ensure nothing went wrong, the Yondaime Raikage personally stationed forces on the island, turning it into a fortress no enemy could casually approach.
Jiraiya and the others stayed as well, guarding and watching, fully aware that Akatsuki might lash out in desperation.
Kakashi Hatake and the rest eventually departed Turtle Island and returned to their respective villages, carrying news, injuries, and the uneasy knowledge that the war beneath the surface had only entered a new phase.
And so, Chiba and Konan set out together.
Meanwhile, far from any Akatsuki base, in a secret stronghold known only to two, Zetsu appeared before the mysterious masked man once again.
This wasn't one of Akatsuki's hideouts.
It was an older place - one once used by the real Uchiha Madara himself. A location buried so deeply in secrecy that only Zetsu and Uchiha Obito knew it still existed.
After the battle on Turtle Island, Akatsuki's defeat was total.
Pain was dead. Konan had been captured. The other members were scattered, wounded, and shaken. Worst of all, the plan to capture the Tailed Beasts had collapsed completely, leaving nothing but failure and resentment in its wake.
With their foundation broken, the Eye of the Moon Plan could only be delayed - indefinitely.
Obito's fury was a storm he could barely contain. It wasn't only anger; it was humiliation, bitterness, and a hatred so sharp it felt like it might split him open from the inside.
And the name at the center of it all was Chiba.
His loathing had reached its limit.
That was when Zetsu stepped out of the shadows again, watching Obito's despair with a faint, unsettling smile.
"Uchiha Obito," he said, calm and certain, "it's time to carry out Lord Madara's final plan."
Obito's body tensed.
"What do you mean?"
Zetsu's smile widened.
"Revive Lord Madara… and fully unleash the Eye of the Moon Plan."
Obito's voice dropped.
"Now?! The timing isn't right." His gaze narrowed behind the mask. "The Tailed Beasts and the Jinchūriki haven't been secured, and the shinobi world is still unstable. Reviving Uchiha Madara isn't the best move yet."
Zetsu's expression darkened.
"Uchiha Obito… don't tell me you intend to defy Lord Madara's will."
His tone sharpened, pressing hard.
"Don't forget - your life was saved by Lord Madara. If not for him, you would've died under those boulders. Without him, you wouldn't have survived, and you certainly wouldn't possess power like this."
As he spoke, Zetsu produced a single Rinnegan - recovered from Nagato's body at the moment of death.
"This was reclaimed from Nagato before he died," he said coldly. "He can no longer serve as the tool to revive Lord Madara."
Zetsu's eyes fixed on Obito.
"Which means… the sacrifice must be you."
The implication was unmistakable. Zetsu wanted Obito to give up his life and use the Rinnegan to perform Rinne Tensei ("Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique"), reviving Uchiha Madara so the hunt for the Tailed Beasts could resume - and the Eye of the Moon Plan could be forced back onto its path.
But Zetsu was naïve.
Obito was no longer the boy who believed in simple ideals.
Yes, he still intended to complete the Eye of the Moon Plan.
But the one who executed it, controlled it, and stood at the center of it all would be him - not Uchiha Madara.
He would never sacrifice himself to resurrect a man who would immediately take everything from him.
Zetsu saw the hesitation. A fraction of a pause.
For the first time, something like fear flickered through him.
Obito stared at him coldly.
"Zetsu… Madara claimed you represented his will."
He let the silence stretch, suffocating.
"But now I'm starting to wonder if that's true."
Obito's voice tightened with suspicion.
"Why do I feel like you have a will of your own - one that doesn't perfectly align with Madara at all?"
Zetsu's mind jolted.
He hadn't expected Obito to come this close to the truth.
But it made sense. Madara may have "created" Zetsu, yet he never kept him close. He assumed Zetsu was nothing more than his living will, and sent him to monitor Obito from the shadows to ensure the Eye of the Moon Plan advanced.
In the end, the one who had spent the most time with Zetsu - the one who knew him best - was Obito.
Zetsu's voice lowered.
"What are you trying to say?"
Obito answered evenly.
"Nothing."
Then he tilted his head slightly.
"If you truly want the Eye of the Moon Plan to succeed, you don't need Uchiha Madara, do you?"
His words were calm, but the threat beneath them was unmistakable.
"I can be your partner."
Zetsu froze internally.
In truth, Obito couldn't be - not in the way that mattered. But Zetsu could feel Obito's killing intent coiled beneath the surface, ready to strike. If he refused outright, he would die here.
And Zetsu, whether white or black, was not built for direct confrontation against someone like Obito.
So he chose the only path left: yield, for now.
Zetsu smiled.
"You're right," he said lightly. "In that case, you should be the one to use this Rinnegan."
He leaned in, almost persuasive.
"You've already been calling yourself Uchiha Madara. With this, no one will ever doubt it."
Obito took the eye. He studied it for a moment, then smiled beneath the mask - slow and satisfied, like someone closing his hand around destiny.
"Good."
His voice swelled with confidence.
"With my Kamui Mangekyō Sharingan's power, plus the Rinnegan… even if it were the real Uchiha Madara, even if it were Chiba - none of them will be beyond me now."
Then he laughed - loud, unrestrained, intoxicated by the sensation of approaching the summit.
He immediately began forcing the Rinnegan's power to merge with his own.
As the fusion took hold, his presence shifted, rising toward the peak of the shinobi world - power reminiscent of the "white mask" Obito from the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Watching him laugh, Zetsu understood one thing with cold clarity:
Obito could no longer be trusted - not as an ally, not even as a tool.
If the Eye of the Moon Plan was to return to its "proper" course, Zetsu needed another way to revive Uchiha Madara.
And in his mind, a name surfaced without hesitation.
Kabuto Yakushi.
If he could find Kabuto and quietly guide him to Madara's corpse, then with the forbidden techniques they each possessed, they could revive Madara through Edo Tensei ("Impure World Reincarnation").
Only Uchiha Madara could seize control of the whole board.
Only Madara could force the endgame back onto the correct track.
And in Zetsu's eyes, a sinister smile slowly curled.
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