The Third Hokage: First Move Send Danzō to Prison

Chapter 91: Loyalty and Brotherhood Worth a Thousand Gold

Obito's Secret Hideout

I have no hope, no light.

All that's left is despair.

Obito curled up in the corner of a stone wall, his shattered mask tossed carelessly to the side. Moonlight filtered through cracks in the rock, cutting his body into scattered shards of pale light.

That so-called white-bearded giant had taken only one strike to smash apart the proud fortress Obito had built so carefully.

Frustration gnawed at him. At some point, his life had turned into a streak of bad luck.

Nothing went right anymore, and it was all that wretched Jiraiya's fault! Ever since he came back to Konoha, the village had been thrown into chaos.

And now… Konoha somehow had a terrifying, peerless warrior like that.

Did he really still have a chance?

Everything was spiraling out of control. Maybe in the past he'd just been lucky. Maybe he was still the same useless bottom-rung loser he had always been…

Obito's confidence faltered.

From the ground, Black Zetsu rose like a pool of thick tar, inching closer with caution.

He gazed at Obito's withdrawn figure.

Black Zetsu sighed long and deep. Oh, Obito… here we go again.

Honestly, he was harder to deal with than a moody teenage schoolgirl.

Black Zetsu slapped his own face lightly, trying to perk himself up. No… I can't sink into gloom with him.

After a quick mental pep talk, he finally spoke.

"Obito, Obito, what happened this time? Tell me about it."

Obito stayed silent, still hiding in the shadows.

"A temporary loss is nothing to fear," Black Zetsu said, his voice gentler now. "I know you. You must have done your best. It must've been some underhanded trick from Konoha that made you suffer a small setback."

"Any setback is just a step on the road toward eternal peace. Obito, what you carry is not just one man's grudge it's the salvation of the entire world."

Obito's shoulders stiffened.

At last, he spoke, his voice uncertain.

"Zetsu… do you really think we can succeed? I… I'm starting to feel… hopeless."

Of course we can, Black Zetsu thought. I've been planning this for decades no way I'm quitting now.

He replied smoothly, "We absolutely can. I believe it without a doubt."

But when Obito mentioned that Konoha now had someone who might even surpass Uchiha Madara, Black Zetsu scoffed inwardly. Foolish Obito, have you ever even seen Madara at his peak? You lost because you don't know how to fight properly.

In this ninja world, aside from the descendants of my two "brothers," how could there possibly be such a monster?

Of course, that wasn't something he could say aloud.

"Hopelessness? Isn't that your greatest fuel? You, the once-useless underdog, got this far because of despair, didn't you?"

"No matter what obstacle comes, I'll face it with you."

Obito's breathing hitched at that. He turned his head away with a soft snort.

"You're only following Madara's orders. Don't make it sound so sentimental."

Black Zetsu decided to add some flair. He tapped the spot over his heart, then pointed a finger at Obito.

"Obito, I've followed you longer than I ever followed Madara. Now, in my eyes, you are the true savior."

Loyalty and brotherhood worth a thousand gold through blades or hellfire, I have no regrets!

Maybe… maybe Zetsu was truly a comrade, like Kakashi had once been.

Obito's eyes flickered uncertainly. After a moment's hesitation, he said,

"I've undone the curse mark Madara left on my heart. You probably have some kind of safeguard from him too."

He paused, then continued,

"If we want to resurrect Uchiha Madara with the Impure World Reincarnation, we'll have to remove any control marks he put on you as well."

Black Zetsu felt as if stars were popping in his vision. Oh, you little… So the scraps of brainpower you have are all being used against me now, huh?

Great. Now Obito's going off-script. I need to think. Think!

Outwardly, though, he kept his expression neutral, scratching his head in mock confusion.

"I don't think I have anything like that. I mean, technically speaking, I am kind of Madara's clone. Why would I curse myself, right? Hahaha…"

He quickly added, "Of course, I've had my own independent will for a long time now."

Obito gave a slight nod. "And the Impure World Reincarnation?"

Black Zetsu produced a scroll and handed it over.

Obito unrolled it and frowned immediately.

"What's with 'Devil Fruit Experiment Log,' 'Chakra Cellphone Research Report,' 'Hokage Office System Redesign'…? What even is this? Isn't this supposed to be Impure World Reincarnation material?"

Black Zetsu sighed.

"I just organized all of Orochimaru's research. The Impure World Reincarnation part is after page seventeen."

It wasn't like Orochimaru would gift-wrap the forbidden technique and leave it waiting for him to steal. Naturally, the stolen haul was a mess of all kinds of nonsense.

Obito flipped through more pages until he finally found the right section.

"Tch… what a hassle. Still, it's only a dozen or so pages. With my learning ability, I can…"

"That's just the table of contents," Zetsu interrupted. "I've already sorted all the real materials. They're in Room Three. You can start studying any time."

Obito walked to Room Three, opened the door, and found piles of books and scrolls stacked like mountains.

He closed the door.

"Zetsu, you can start studying."

Me? Zetsu tilted his head.

"Give me the method to trigger the failsafe on Nagato. I'll go retrieve the Rinnegan."

Study? Study my Obito thought sourly. I'm the eternal underdog, remember?

Private Three-Person Chat

In moments like this, of course he had to share with his friends.

Hiruzen Sarutobi:

Guys, I'm about to fight Nagato.

Finally understand what Ace meant before.

Hiruzen:

Shame this group doesn't have a screenshot function my rebellious disciple is literally up in the air right now, about to drop in! Wish I could show you!

The replies came quickly.

Ace:

Hahaha, so the Hokage's side is finally starting a big fight, huh? By the way, how are you even going to take on Nagato?

Hiruzen:

Hmph. If you can attend online classes, you think I've just been sitting around doing nothing? I'm the strongest Hokage in history.

Yoriichi:

The Third will definitely win.

Hiruzen blinked. Huh. You have that much faith in me?

Ace:

What? You haven't watched Naruto? Nagato's really strong, you know.

Yoriichi:

I haven't seen it all, but I've scrolled past some short videos.

Yoriichi:

Isn't the Third from Planet Vegeta? I heard the First Hokage died young trying to stop his rampaging giant-ape form during a full moon.

The video channels you've been watching… really are creative.

Ace:

You didn't just "not finish it." You haven't watched it at all.

Hiruzen:

Stop watching those chopped-up clips.

Hiruzen:

I've already laid out a foolproof net. Just in shadow-level fighters alone, I've got four, five, maybe six. Not to mention the hidden reserves of the village.

Ace:

Impressive. Anyway, gotta run old man Kaido's chasing me again.

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