"Madara, your mask is shattered. It seems the battle just now was quite dangerous!" Black Zetsu said, looking at the scars on Obito's face.
"Call me Obito. I won't wear a mask anymore, Black Zetsu."
Although Obito was always clumsy and caused trouble whenever he pretended to be Madara, now that Obito had given up the pretense and was just letting things go, Black Zetsu couldn't sit still.
"Madara, even if Konoha discovered your true identity, Konoha wouldn't spread it. In the Ninja World, you are still Madara!"
Black Zetsu earnestly tried to persuade Obito. Based on Black Zetsu's understanding of Tomoki, Konoha would certainly not widely publicize such a matter once they knew about it.
There was no need to completely abandon the name Madara after being exposed in Konoha.
"You are merely Madara's will, and I am Madara's collaborator. I have made my decision, and even Madara can only accept it, let alone you, Black Zetsu!"
After gaining complete freedom, Obito's mindset changed.
He already wanted to initiate the Infinite Tsukuyomi by himself and shape a new world according to his own will.
Since he would ultimately contend with Madara for control, why should he continue to act in Madara's name?
If it were merely the Release of the curse mark, Obito wouldn't have acted so immediately, but the subsequent unmasking incident made Obito indifferent to continuing his pretense as Madara.
After careful consideration, Obito no longer wished to be Madara's proxy.
Since he was already exposed, why continue to pretend? Each time the pretense was so exhausting, and he didn't feel that Madara's name had much effect.
Before, I had no choice. Now, I want to be the boss myself!
Something's not right!
Very not right!
Black Zetsu felt a sense of unfamiliarity looking at Obito. It wasn't because Obito no longer wanted to pretend to be Madara, but because of the change in Obito's attitude.
What made this kid Obito change so much?
Black Zetsu's gaze swept over the large hole in Obito's clothing on his chest, and he instantly understood.
Without the threat of the curse mark, had he reverted to the true nature of the Uchiha Clan?
Having figured out the cause and effect, Black Zetsu slightly lowered his head and said,
"Obito, Madara always intended for us to assist you in your actions. Since you wish to revert to your original identity, everything will naturally be as you command."
"Very good, Black Zetsu. The cooperation continues, but from now on, you will need to follow my orders."
Obito felt inexplicably pleased when he saw Black Zetsu lower his head.
Black Zetsu did not refuse Obito's request and immediately responded,
"No problem, Lord Obito!"
With his head bowed, a hint of smugness flashed in Black Zetsu's eyes. Uchiha, huh? I'm all too familiar with this.
Black Zetsu's cooperation made Obito feel immensely satisfied. To demonstrate his authority, Obito continued,
"This mission failed because I discovered our shortcomings."
"Oh? What are they?" The straight man, Black Zetsu, naturally took up the conversation and asked.
Obito, who also needed to prove himself, didn't hide anything and answered directly,
"Our power is too weak. I'm not saying the Akatsuki Organization's power isn't enough, but rather the power truly in our hands, the power of Ninja, the power of Ninja Villages!"
Black Zetsu thought to himself, 'You just realized that? Back then, Hidden Mist had such great conditions. You, a brainless guy, messed everything up. What's the use of realizing it now?!'
With infinite contempt for Obito hidden in his heart, Black Zetsu, who was very cooperative on the surface, asked,
"Then what should we do? Attack Hidden Mist again?"
Obito immediately shook his head and said,
"No, Hidden Mist is already on guard, and they're too close to Konoha. Absolutely not!"
After rejecting Black Zetsu's idea, Obito continued,
"Not just Hidden Mist, we can't consider any of the Five Great Shinobi Villages!"
Then what are you even talking about? Black Zetsu grumbled inwardly. If not the Five Great Shinobi Villages, are we going to play house with a small Ninja Village?
It wasn't that Black Zetsu looked down on Obito, but a person who played a King-tier account like a Diamond-tier. Expecting Obito to find a Gold-tier account and climb to King-tier was less likely than Uchiha Tomoki suddenly dropping dead.
Black Zetsu, who didn't expect Obito to say anything insightful, continued to ask,
"So, which Ninja Village is the target?"
Obito answered with great self-satisfaction,
"To be precise, it's not a Ninja Village, but a country, the Land of Demons!"
This was the conclusion Obito had reached after much deliberation. With the constant intelligence from White Zetsu, Obito was exceptionally familiar with all the countries in the entire Ninja World.
In some aspects, he even surpassed some Kage of the Great Ninja Villages.
The Land of Demons?
A country that was relatively unfamiliar, yet not entirely unknown, to the Ninja World.
Black Zetsu's first reaction was disdain. A country without Ninja Villages? You, Obito, can't even manage a Gold-tier account, and you want to start a new one?
However, information about the Land of Demons instantly appeared in Black Zetsu's mind.
A country without Ninja, without Daimyo or nobles, ruled by a Priestess.
Besides the Priestess, the Land of Demons also had demons!
Black Zetsu looked at Obito with some disbelief. Was this the legendary 'even a fool, after much thought, will have one good idea'?
He carefully considered the feasibility and benefits.
Although Black Zetsu commanded nearly a hundred thousand White Zetsu, he had never revealed their full extent to Obito, as these were his ultimate trump cards.
In the original story, the reason Obito could command a hundred thousand White Zetsu was that Black Zetsu saw hope right before his eyes.
At that time, the Gedo Statue only needed the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tailed to be revived as the Ten-Tails. Seeing this, Black Zetsu went all-in and gambled, and he did indeed win, successfully rescuing Kaguya.
In direct combat, the White Zetsu army actually did not have an advantage against a Ninja army.
Although the weakest of them had Chunin-level strength, the proportion of Jonin in a Ninja force far exceeded that in the White Zetsu army.
Only a very small number of chosen White Zetsu possessed strength superior to other White Zetsu.
As biological weapons created by the God Tree, the White Zetsu's greatest advantage was actually in intelligence gathering, infiltration, and stealth.
Black Zetsu pondered, if he could control the demon army of the Land of Demons to serve as cannon fodder on the front lines, while the White Zetsu handled behind-the-enemy-lines operations...
It wasn't that Black Zetsu looked down on the Ninja army, but Black Zetsu was certain that Obito couldn't manage a Ninja army. After all, Ninja are human, and Obito truly didn't have that capability.
Thinking about it this way, it had great potential.
Black Zetsu's reaction also gave Obito a great sense of accomplishment, and he immediately ordered,
"Depart! Target: the Land of Demons!"
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