So, he chose to endure, working with Black Zetsu to gather as much information on Kirigakure as possible.
Then, he convinced Nagato to join him in taking action against the village.
The Akatsuki was no longer what it used to be.
After Amegakure was reduced to ruins and his own lifespan was severely shortened, Nagato had started to feel lost.
What should he do next to fulfill Yahiko's wish?
At this moment, Nagato wasn't in the mood to care about Obito's true identity.
Whether it was Uchiha Obito or Uchiha Madara, it didn't matter anymore.
Once he had mostly recovered from his injuries, Obito approached him with a suggestion.
"The Akatsuki can't go head-to-head with the Five Great Shinobi Villages, so why not break their alliance from within?"
"Let's start with Kirigakure. I get my revenge, and you take control of Kirigakure. It's a win-win."
"With Madara's curse mark on you, no matter what you do, you won't be able to escape. So why bother worrying about surface-level authority?"
"The important thing is to use others to achieve your goals. As for the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan..."
"If it comes to that, we'll just dig up Madara from underground."
Obito had already fallen into darkness—that was a fact.
But that didn't mean he was stupid. Before he changed, he had been too naïve and kind.
Once he got rid of that naivety, he wasn't someone you could easily manipulate.
The way he constantly guarded against Madara in the original story showed he didn't trust him at all.
But with both Madara and Black Zetsu playing tricks on him, no matter how cautious he was, he still ended up drinking the poison they fed him.
"It doesn't matter. As long as I can get revenge on Kirigakure, that's enough."
Obito slowly lifted his head. Under the mask, only one eye was visible, and his expression was twisted and terrifying.
To carry out his revenge plan, he had endured for years.
During that time, he hadn't taken his own Sharingan back, hadn't attacked Kirigakure, and had only gathered information—waiting for Nagato to recover.
Nagato's injuries were severe, and combined with his shortened lifespan, his recovery was painfully slow. It had taken several years.
Those years had been tough for Obito, but now the time was finally right.
He had once hated Konoha the most. But after learning the truth about Rin's death, all his hatred shifted to Kirigakure.
Back then, Yan had sold out Kirigakure to direct Obito's hatred toward them.
But he hadn't expected Obito to be patient—to hold back for years.
Obito had even given up other opportunities, choosing to pull Nagato in for an attack on Kirigakure.
Trying to control an entire village with just Akatsuki's strength—especially one of the Five Great Villages—was impossible.
But controlling Yagura, the Mizukage? That was doable.
With Yagura under their control, he would become their eyes and ears.
They could use Kirigakure's forces for intelligence gathering.
They could even stir up internal conflict, depleting Kirigakure's power from within—or better yet, start a war.
If they dragged other villages into the mess, the Five Great Villages would wear each other down.
The plan was insane, but it was far more practical than slowly building up Akatsuki's strength.
Of course, it all depended on whether they could successfully control Yagura.
"So..."
Obito and Tendo Pain both turned their eyes toward a certain old mercenary who only cared about money—Kakuzu.
"...."
Kakuzu.
Damn it, you're selling me out just to take control of Kirigakure?
Considering Obito and Pain's strength, along with the materials they've supplied him over the years, Kakuzu had no choice but to grit his teeth and accept it.
"Leader, I'll handle sneaking into Kirigakure and luring out Yagura, but I need Sasori's help."
If he had to go, he wasn't going alone.
Yagura, being a perfect Jinchuriki, was no pushover. Kakuzu knew he couldn't take him alone, so it was better to drag Sasori along.
If things went south, at least he'd have a better chance of escaping.
"..."
Sasori's cold stare locked onto Kakuzu, and Kakuzu glared right back.
Just because he feared Nagato didn't mean he feared Sasori. They were on the same level—neither was stronger than the other.
Even though Sasori had turned himself into a puppet, he still had emotions.
Otherwise, in the original story, he wouldn't have held back against Chiyo.
"Then Kakuzu and Sasori will infiltrate Kirigakure together and lure out Yagura."
Pain didn't care if it was one person or two—as long as the job got done.
And if they disobeyed… they knew the consequences.
With the leader's orders given, Kakuzu and Sasori had no choice but to accept.
Unbeknownst to the five great ninja villages, a scheme targeting Kirigakure—one that would involve other villages as well—was about to unfold.
Getting into Kirigakure was the easy part. Obito could just warp them there.
The real challenge was drawing Yagura out.
Given how seriously the five great villages took the Akatsuki, Yagura would definitely take action the moment they showed up.
Since the situation would be urgent, Yagura wouldn't have too many people with him—just his personal guards and a small Anbu squad, which were no match for the Akatsuki.
And as Mizukage and a perfect Jinchuriki, Yagura had his own pride.
With his personality, he was unlikely to wait for reinforcements before launching a counterattack.
Obito planned to use this against him—to lure Yagura out and take control of him.
Even though Yagura was a perfect Jinchuriki, the tailed beast sealed within him was only the Three-Tails.
Even if he went all out, he wouldn't stand a chance against the Six Paths of Pain.
The plan was set in motion.
Obito used Kamui to warp Kakuzu and Sasori into Kirigakure, while Nagato and Konan brought the Six Paths of Pain to the ambush site, waiting for Yagura to take the bait.
Black Zetsu was in charge of gathering intel and monitoring Kirigakure's movements.
If anything unexpected happened, he would alert the others immediately.
After the battle in Amegakure, Kirigakure had suffered heavy losses.
Even the wealthy Kumogakure and Iwagakure felt the pain, and Kirigakure was no exception.
Their ninja force had never been as strong as those two villages, and losing hundreds of elite fighters was a huge blow.
Many high-ranking officials and ninja clans were unhappy about it, but thanks to Yagura's past ruthlessness, no one dared to cause trouble.
His swift and brutal methods had kept any dissent under control.
With years of stability, Kirigakure had recovered significantly.
They still weren't on the same level as Konohagakure, Kumogakure, or Iwagakure, but at least they were stronger than Sunagakure.
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