Kisame and Kurita Kyoko had arrived in Konoha a few days ago. But by the time they got there, Kawasaki and his group had already departed.
Kisame had no choice but to find Orochimaru first and hand over the scroll containing the machine. Afterwards, he and Kyoko went for a stroll through the village.
The Uchiha clan's departure seemed to have little impact on the ordinary villagers. Konoha had never truly made a place for the Uchiha, so their absence now felt almost natural. Since the Uchiha withdrew from the Konoha Military Police Force, their presence in the village had become even scarcer. Now, they could only be found in the Uchiha Snack Street.
With Kawasaki having left the clan compound, Kisame and Kyoko had no plans to go there. They wandered through the village, taking in Konoha's bustling atmosphere. Eventually, they found themselves in the Uchiha Snack Street. Although some of the shops had changed owners, the area was still primarily run by the Uchiha.
Kyoko, holding two skewers of grilled tofu skin, handed one to Kisame. "Kisame, try this. It tastes a little different from the ones in Otogakure."
Kisame took the skewer. "Alright, I'll give it a try. Be careful, Kyoko. Don't bump into anyone."
As he spoke, Kyoko spotted a bubble tea shop up ahead and ran over to buy some. Kisame smiled and took a bite of the tofu skin. It tasted more or less the same to him.
Seeing the crowd in front of the shop, Kisame moved to Kyoko's side. His massive frame acted like a wall, shielding her. A man as tall as Kisame was a rare sight in Konoha, especially one carrying a large weapon on his back. He looked formidable, and the people in line instinctively gave them a wide berth.
Kyoko ordered two bubble teas—a medium for herself and a large for Kisame. A few minutes later, the drinks were ready. Kyoko happily handed Kisame the extra-large cup, which was bigger than her head.
"Look at this jumbo cup, Kisame! You won't be able to finish this one in a single gulp!"
The last time they had bubble tea in Otogakure, Kisame had drained his drink in one go, which had made Kyoko laugh for a long time. Seeing that she still remembered, Kisame chuckled. He took the massive cup. "I was just getting thirsty."
Kisame took two long sips, but the level of the tea barely dropped. Kyoko was delighted to see this.
As they ate their way from one end of the street to the other, Kisame's gaze never left Kyoko. In these moments, an indescribable feeling would wash over him. He didn't know if this was what people called happiness, but he cherished the sensation.
Kyoko's feet began to ache, so they sat down on one of the benches lining the snack street. Their hands were full of food they had bought. Most of it was spicy, but they also had an assortment of drinks: bubble tea, ice jelly, chilled jelly snacks, and watermelon juice.
Seeing how happy she was, Kisame asked, "Kyoko, do you like the food here?"
Kyoko swung her legs gently. "It's a little different from the food in Otogakure," she said. "But not by much. Each has its own charm."
Then Kisame asked, "Kyoko, what do you think about settling down here?"
"Settle down?" Kyoko thought for a moment. "Let's see. We've only just arrived."
Kyoko stood up and handed her things to Kisame. He got to his feet, holding all the snacks in one hand and leaving the other free. She reached out and took his free hand. "Let's go," she said softly. "Let's head back."
Kisame paused for a second, then smiled. "Alright."
News that Obito had suffered a major setback—even gouging out his own Rinnegan—quickly reached Black Zetsu via a White Zetsu. Black Zetsu was baffled when he received the report.
Rin was Obito's weakness, something no one dared to touch. And the Edo Tensei was Orochimaru's signature jutsu; why would he ever help the Uchiha? Moreover, Kakashi had been present, which clearly indicated it was a premeditated plot.
The White Zetsu relayed the entire sequence of events to him. Black Zetsu could only sigh. It was all so perplexing.
Kawasaki had played only a supporting role from start to finish, yet Obito had still been defeated. He had broken down so completely that he could barely maintain the Rinnegan. Black Zetsu began to question whether Madara's choice of Obito had been the right one.
Things had been going well before the incident in the Land of Water, but ever since Obito encountered Kawasaki, everything had started to go wrong. Obito was constantly being targeted. Whenever he went up against Kawasaki, he ended up getting crushed.
I wonder if this tool, Obito, is still usable, Black Zetsu thought, frustrated.
Obito had retreated into the Kamui dimension with the Rinnegan, a place no one else could enter. No matter how furious Black Zetsu was, he could only fume helplessly.
Time to check on our new partner. It will take a while to get him under control, though.
Black Zetsu gave instructions to the nearby White Zetsu, telling him to have Tobi handle the next phase of their plans. Then, he slowly sank into the ground.
Not long after, Tobi returned. He had come back for two reasons. First, Kaito had discovered a clue leading to the moon, though he hadn't secured it yet. The second reason was that the two White Zetsu operating in Konoha had disappeared. White Zetsu were typically disciplined; they wouldn't vanish without a reason. The only possibility was that they had been captured or eliminated.
Tobi was surprised to find that both Obito and Black Zetsu were gone. After a remaining White Zetsu explained the situation, Tobi jumped for joy.
"Oh my, Obito made such a huge mistake! And Black Zetsu is gone too! Now Tobi can slack off!"
Danzo spoke up. "You can't be careless. With Obito and Black Zetsu absent, the White Zetsu are under your command now."
Tobi replied flippantly, "Who knows who got rid of those two scouts? Guess we'll have to investigate some more."
Danzo had always wanted Sarutobi Hiruzen dead. With Obito and Black Zetsu out of the picture, he saw his chance to act. Compared to Obito and Black Zetsu, this Tobi persona was far easier to manipulate. Once Hiruzen was gone, Konoha's strength would surely diminish. What Danzo failed to realize was that such a plan required far more careful preparation than the hasty action he was contemplating.
Back in Konoha, after several days of work, Orochimaru finally finished calibrating one of the machines. The device, designed to help Jugo absorb natural energy, was now operational.
Not only that, but Orochimaru had also made improvements. He could now extract natural energy and dilute it into a medicinal compound. However, this natural energy was extremely unstable, with a shelf life of only one day. After that, the compound would become inert.
Once the new laboratory was built, Orochimaru moved much of his equipment there. He also assigned Team Genma to temporarily handle the lab's security.
After developing the drug, Orochimaru was eager to find a few test subjects. As it happened, all three team members were present, so he summoned them immediately.
"Consume it." Orochimaru didn't waste time explaining what it was, simply ordering the three of them to take the drug.
Shiranui Genma, Tatami Iwashi, and Namashi Raido swallowed the pills without hesitation. As his personal guard, they would have to obey even if they were being handed poison.
Fortunately, it wasn't poison—it was merely an experimental prototype for testing the Spore Technique.