Once again stepping into the Land of Lightning, Obito didn't feel like much had changed.
The strength of a great nation lay in its ability to lose—even if the defeat was crushing.
And in its ability to shift the cost of war elsewhere, minimizing its own losses.
For the citizens of the Five Great Nations, most never had to worry about their homes being destroyed by war.
In a way, Hashirama's dream had come true. The era of hidden villages had given the majority a peaceful life. Those who suffered were in the minority, and even they weren't worse off than in the Warring States Period. Of course, to those who suffered, such comparisons were meaningless.
Still, the effects on society were clear. The Five Great Nations occupied most of the habitable land, providing stability to large regions. With the unique chakra-based technologies of this world, productivity had skyrocketed.
This was something Masashi had once discussed with Obito, and his words had shown just how much he approved of this system.
Obito, however, had no interest in any of that.
To him, Masashi—who called himself an individualist—was nothing more than a collectivist at heart. If anything, he was a self-serving collectivist.
In his eyes, neither the ninja villages nor the clans mattered much. They were just groups with a few extra buildings.
The system Masashi found so satisfying? To him, it was absolute garbage.
Because it had only created more ninja, expanding the scale of war.
During the First Great Ninja War, each of the Five Great Ninja Villages had only a few thousand ninjas at most. A force of 3,000 was considered an army. When Kumo had launched an all-out attack on Konoha, they had just a few thousand troops.
Yet, only twenty years later, during the Second Great Ninja War, a force of 3,000 was barely enough for a vanguard. And by the time of the Third Great Ninja War—just a few years later—the major villages had not suffered any loss in military strength. Konoha had fought all four other villages. Aside from the time they were caught off guard by Iwa, they always had thousands of troops on every front.
Iwa, in particular, had seemed to have an excess of manpower. They had sent 10,000 ninja just to wear down the Third Raikage. Their vanguard against Konoha alone had over 2,000 ninja.
This was how the Land of Rain was reduced to rubble. The nations of Earth, Wind, and Fire had taken turns shifting the cost of war onto its land.
And this so-called "great era," this "era of ninja," had destroyed the lives of Obito and his friends.
If the system brought suffering to individuals, then it needed to be shattered.
If no system could care for everyone, then why have a system at all?
In the world of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, everyone would achieve their dreams.
No pain.
No regrets.
And those who died in this reality wouldn't truly be gone. Because, in the end, they would all live on in the dream. It wouldn't be a sacrifice—just a temporary pain. Everyone would be free from suffering.
That meant Obito alone would bear the pain.
In that world, Rin wouldn't have to die for the village. Kakashi wouldn't lose his father. He wouldn't have to watch Rin impale herself on his Chidori.
His kind-hearted teacher's wife, Kushina, wouldn't have to become a jinchūriki. Instead, she would become the Hokage.
Everyone would be happy.
And he could return to his grandmother.
To Kakashi.
To Rin.
He would finally find happiness too.
Oh, right—there was also that guy. Liked drinking tea, huh? Obito would make sure he had more than enough. He'd dunk him in a vat of tea and let everyone watch him drink!
As for Kiri? Whatever. Let fate decide.
Obito was dressed just like last time—only with a new mask and no bandages.
Wearing bandages was annoying.
Too stuffy.
He had blended into a merchant caravan, taking the same route as before. But unlike last time, his goal was different—this time, he would become the man behind the Raikage.
This was his expertise.
Last time was just an accident. The perfect jinchūriki had been an unexpected factor. And that guy messing things up? That had been the real reason.
Break his genjutsu? As if! No way Obito believed that.
It had to be Shisui who had undone it.
The only downside of being "Mizukage" for a while was that he had gotten too into the role. The moment Kakuzu had mentioned the organization's finances, he had instinctively started acting like an accountant.
Not a great performance. It might have raised suspicions.
He'd be more careful next time. No big deal.
Worst case? He'd bribe Kakuzu to shut up.
Once he became the man behind the Raikage, money wouldn't be an issue.
And once that happened, Kakuzu—the money-obsessed miser—would be completely under his thumb.
The caravan slowed as they approached a familiar sight.
They had arrived at the gates of Kumo.
Built into the mountains, the village had a naturally defensible terrain with multiple checkpoints.
Obito's cover was the same as last time—he was a relative of the caravan leader. At least, that's what the others in the caravan believed.
After all, he was a genjutsu master.
It wasn't like he didn't contribute. Any trouble on the road? He had taken care of it in secret.
The gate guards recognized the caravan leader.
"Yo, old man! Brought your nephew along again?"
The Kumo ninja glanced at Obito.
"Still haven't gotten that face treated? You should visit the village hospital. The medical-nin there might be able to help. It's open to outsiders now—though it's expensive, medical ninjutsu is pretty amazing."
The guard sighed.
"A young guy like you, stuck with scars like that… What a shame."
Obito stayed silent. He didn't feel like talking.
Why does this guy always feel the need to chat? Just do your job, man.
Wait… why is business so slow this time?
The guard noticed Obito looking around and explained, "Yeah, not many people lately. Can't be helped. Rumors of war are spreading—Fire and Earth just allied, and Konoha lent Iwa a ton of money for infrastructure. A lot of traders are heading there instead. Things will pick up soon, though. The Raikage is about to sign an agreement with the Hokage."
Lending money? Must have been that guy and his weird financial schemes again.
He really had a knack for this kind of stuff.
Fine. In the Infinite Tsukuyomi world, he'd be the Hokage, and that guy could be his treasurer.
If he didn't make enough money? No tea for him!
Everyone else would get their own perfect world, but for him? Obito would share his world with him—and he controlled the settings.
At the gates, the guard and the caravan leader finished their conversation. With a wave of his hand, they were cleared to enter.
The caravan, loaded with goods, began to pass through.
This was the last checkpoint.
Beyond this point, they would be officially inside Kumo.
The caravan slowly ascended the mountain path.
The earliest settlement of Kumo had been in a place called Valley of Clouds and Lightning.
Today, the entire valley was within the territory of Kumo.
Because the village was built on multiple mountain peaks, it was divided into districts based on these peaks. Even if an enemy captured the outer peaks, they would still have to fight their way through the steep valleys and additional peaks.
Conquering the entire Kumo in one swift attack was nearly impossible—unless they unleashed a devastating technique that flattened the entire valley.
To reach the commercial district, the caravan had to proceed along a specially constructed passageway, advancing little by little.
Finally, they arrived at a platform built within the village and began unloading their goods.
Once the inventory was checked, the Kumo staff paid in full without hesitation. The caravan members beamed with joy.
They were all from the Land of Fire.
Although Kumo was at war with Konoha, it welcomed merchants from the Land of Fire, as long as they were legitimate traders. Business was conducted fairly—once the goods were inspected, payment was made on the spot. Even if some items were damaged, the village would offer a reasonable discount.
This particular caravan had a long-standing relationship with Kumo, which was precisely why Obito had chosen them.
Though Kumo had personnel skilled in detecting genjutsu, they failed to see through his illusions.
They didn't even realize he was a ninja.
Of course, how could they?
Let's get this straight—Obito was not only a genjutsu master but also an exceptional actor!
If he didn't use chakra, no one could see through him—except that damn guy!
After completing their business, the caravan didn't leave immediately. Since they had traveled such a long way and now had money in their pockets, they naturally wanted to enjoy some foreign entertainment.
Everyone unanimously decided to watch the local women dance.
After all, the women of the Land of Lightning had stunning figures.
Under his mask, Obito wore a deadpan expression.
But he still needed this identity.
He endured.
After analyzing the failure at Kiri, he had concluded that the main reason was—he hadn't fully immersed himself.
People had suspected him because he wasn't originally from Kiri; he had been an outsider who had suddenly appeared.
Kumo was extremely united and xenophobic.
Right now, they only had an Interim Raikage, not a true one. The loss of their tailed beast and Fourth Raikage had left a power vacuum, making the villagers uneasy.
It was the perfect time.
He would join Kumo as a descendant of the Senju clan.
Even after decades, the Uchiha and the Senju clans were still regarded as the strongest.
And recently, this belief had been reaffirmed.
During the Third Great Ninja War, two rising Uchiha—Shisui and Masashi—had demonstrated their clan's strength. The latter, in particular, had amassed an overwhelming record, proving to the ninja world just how formidable the Uchiha members were. If the Senju clan, who had once rivaled and even surpassed the Uchiha clan in the Warring States Period, were to reappear, would they be weak?
But to convincingly request entry into Kumo, he needed a solid reason. So, he had to find one.
This time, he would follow proper procedures, rise to power within Kumo, and seize control.
He might even aim for the Raikage position.
He had already gathered intelligence—Kumo currently had no suitable candidate for Raikage, only an acting leader. To withstand pressure from Konoha, they needed a true powerhouse to end the transitional period.
That guy had bought him time.
Keep your Kiri! I've found something better!
"Tobi, come on, let's go celebrate with everyone."
The caravan leader, hypnotized by genjutsu and convinced that Obito was his nephew, cheerfully approached and gave him a hearty slap on the shoulder.
"Don't make such a big deal about your face injury. I will take you to have some fun first, then we'll visit the hospital."
"No need," Obito turned away. "It's a waste of money. I'm fine as I am."
Beneath his mask was a face even Masashi wouldn't recognize.
During his recovery, Obito had used White Zetsu cells to give himself an entirely new face.
Black Zetsu had even based it on the features of an old Senju clansman, arguing that it would make the backstory more convincing. As the descendant of this forgotten Senju, he would be valued by Kumo.
Apparently, the man's name had been Muzo—or maybe that had been just a nickname. Even Black Zetsu hadn't known his real name. By now, no one did.
Though there were still some terrifying scars, it was enough.
There were countless people with facial scars—what were the chances of two having a similar style? No one would question it.
"You're such a stubborn kid..."
The caravan leader sighed. But having seen his nephew's face, he thought the boy wasn't disfigured—he still looked quite handsome. A few scars didn't matter. They were merchants, constantly dealing with bandits. A man with battle wounds looked even tougher.
How else would he eventually travel alone as a merchant of the family?
"Don't worry. A man isn't judged by his looks alone. Tonight, I will introduce you to women!"
The caravan leader grinned. "A real man conquers with strength!"
Obito remained silent.
The leader assumed his nephew was shy. Since their carts were temporarily stored with proper security, he waved his hand and led the group to the bustling market street with high spirits.
First, they found a restaurant and indulged in a grand feast. Without touching alcohol, they ate to their heart's content, then went looking for a bar.
"Oh? This place looks promising."
With his experienced eye, the caravan leader judged the establishment's quality based on its decor.
He had found his ideal target.
Obito glanced at it—it seemed familiar.
"Come on, let's have fun tonight!"
The caravan leader strode toward the entrance.
The others cheered and followed.
Obito was left standing alone.
He hesitated about going in. Last time, he had found this place incredibly dull.
Wait... last time?
Looking at the familiar entrance, Obito suddenly remembered—
Wasn't this the same place he had been before?!
"Tobi, what are you doing standing there?"
The caravan leader returned, having noticed his nephew missing.
Grabbing Obito's arm, he dragged him inside while offering fatherly advice.
"In this business, you need to know everything. A man's pleasures are simple, and it's not a crime. Don't be so shy, or people will look down on you!"
"..."
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Currently 80 advance chapters!
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