Chapter 278: Chapter 278: Black Zetsu: "Lately, There’s Something Off About Obito"

Chapter 278: Chapter 278: Black Zetsu: "Lately, There’s Something Off About Obito"



The gentle sound of rain pattered down as Obito sat alone, his face hidden behind a swirling mask that only revealed his right eye. He wore the iconic black cloak adorned with red clouds, the uniform of the Akatsuki, sitting quietly on a fallen tree trunk, deep in thought.

During his time in the Akatsuki, under the alias Tobi, he had always maintained a goofy, playful persona. But moments like this-silent, contemplative, amidst the rain-were rare for him.

Who knew what was going through Obito's mind as he sat there alone?

Suddenly, from the tree trunk behind him, a shadow emerged. The half-black, half-white figure of Zetsu appeared.

"Tobi, our plan is encountering serious obstacles," Black Zetsu said, addressing Obito directly.

"You're right. Uchiha Akira's power is indeed terrifying," Obito responded, his voice low, not even bothering to turn around as he spoke.

He paused for a moment before continuing, "Before his death, Madara Uchiha laid out the entire plan. He wanted everything to proceed according to his script."

"But in his script, there was no place for someone like Akira. In terms of raw power, Akira has already reached a level equal to Madara."

"And Madara's plan certainly didn't account for the existence of Otsutsuki Urashiki, either," Obito added grimly. "So trying to follow that script now is exponentially harder than it was before."

Obito's voice was heavy as he spoke, his mind lingering on the recent attack on Konoha, where Akira had transformed into a dragon in front of everyone's eyes. Even now, Obito felt a deep sense of shock just thinking about it.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"You are Madara Uchiha now," Black Zetsu's voice rang out, reminding Obito of his role.

Obito fell silent at that.

"Obito, what do we do next?" Black Zetsu pressed, growing impatient with the lack of a plan. Was the whole operation going to fall apart at this stage?

"The current situation is extremely difficult. I need more time to think about our next steps," Obito replied, his tone somber.

"Very well. I won't disturb you further," Black Zetsu said, and with that, he and White Zetsu sank back into the tree trunk, disappearing from sight.

As they left, Black Zetsu turned to White Zetsu. "Did you notice anything... off about Obito lately?"

"Off? What do you mean? He seems the same to me," White Zetsu responded, sounding as clueless as ever.

"Never mind. It's pointless to ask you," Black Zetsu muttered, clearly unimpressed by White Zetsu's lack of awareness.

But in his mind, Black Zetsu couldn't shake the feeling that something about Obito had indeed changed.

When did this change start?

After thinking about it for a while, Black Zetsu realized that it must have begun around the time of the Water Country incident.

What exactly had happened during that mission in the Land of Water?

Wasn't the report that Akira had shown up and thwarted their plans?

"It seems there's something we're missing about what happened in the Land of Water," Black Zetsu mused silently. Whatever had occurred during that mission, something important had been hidden from them.

"Was there anything else? Nothing unusual involving Tobi, for example?" Zetsu pressed

further.

"Tobi, huh..." Kakuzu's eyes narrowed slightly. It seemed like he understood what Zetsu was

getting at.

Was this about the forbidden technique Akira had used, the one that summoned a weak girl and left Tobi unable to act?

"Yeah, Tobi. Was there anything significant that happened to him specifically during that mission?" Zetsu asked, his tone serious.

"Let me think..." Kakuzu said, furrowing his brow in thought as he tried to recall the details of their mission in the Land of Water.

After a long moment of silence, Kakuzu shook his head. "No, nothing unusual. Tobi didn't show any signs of odd behavior."

"I see. Thanks," Zetsu said, offering his thanks before starting to sink into the ground again.

"Use the door next time!" Kakuzu barked after him, clearly irritated by Zetsu's sudden appearances and disappearances.

To his surprise, Zetsu actually listened this time, walking out the door like a normal person. Kakuzu rolled his eyes, muttering to himself as he finally summoned Akira's snake.

He handed over the prepared scroll, along with a letter, and watched as the snake opened its mouth, swallowing the items whole before slithering away.

Meanwhile, back in Konoha, Akira had paid his usual visit to the hospital to check on Hinata.

She was still weak, lying in her hospital bed with a high fever, but her chakra levels were steadily increasing.

After exchanging a few tender words with her, Akira finally left the hospital and returned

home.

Upon arriving, his thoughts shifted. He sensed a familiar presence-a snake appeared before

him, bringing a smile to his face.

Akira recognized this snake immediately. It was the one he used to communicate with

Kakuzu.

It seemed that after nearly a month, Kakuzu had finally gathered enough money to send his

latest payment.

Looking at the scroll and letter that the snake had delivered, Akira didn't open the scroll right away. Instead, he opened the letter first to see what it said.

The letter was short but important. It mentioned that Black and White Zetsu had recently confronted Kakuzu, asking about the events in the Land of Water and specifically about Rin's Edo Tensei revival. Knowing that this information would be valuable to Akira, Kakuzu had made sure to inform him.

POWER STONE!!!

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