Mastermind of the Akatsuki

As he watched Obito fall deeper into his fervent dreams, Black Zetsu couldn't help but sneer internally.

Both Madara and Obito, like Black Zetsu, harbored fantasies of resurrecting the Ten Tails and leading all of humanity into the dream world of Infinite Tsukuyomi—an eternal paradise without war, where everyone could achieve their desires and live in everlasting happiness.

However, they were unaware of the truth. Black Zetsu, the creation they saw as their servant, was actually a product of Infinite Tsukuyomi, having been once human. After the God Tree absorbed both their chakra and souls, these ancient humans were left with only their bodies. The Infinite Tsukuyomi, from the very beginning, was merely a lie designed to deceive Indra.

Unfortunately, every reincarnation of Indra had been a failure, unable to meet the requirements to collect the Tailed Beasts, which hindered the success of the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan. This had led to Black Zetsu's mother being trapped on the moon for nearly a thousand years.

But that was all in the past.

This time, Black Zetsu had spent several decades orchestrating the plan. Not only had he unearthed a talent like Byakuya, but he had also guided Ashura's growth, significantly increasing the likelihood of success.

The only issue was Byakuya's rapid development.

In less than a decade, Byakuya had gone from being an Akatsuki member to the mastermind behind several ninja villages, commanding multiple Hokage -level ninja. Even Nagato, the wielder of the Rinnegan, listened to him without question.

Black Zetsu was worried that Byakuya might grow beyond his control. After the resurrection of the Ten Tails, he feared Byakuya might refuse to activate the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

After all, unlike the failures of Obito and Madara, Byakuya had never faced much hardship. He didn't need Infinite Tsukuyomi to escape the harshness of reality.

As Black Zetsu contemplated how to counterbalance Byakuya, he realized that, unlike his ungrateful siblings Hagoromo and Hamura, he had inherited only part of his mother's power. He knew that defeating a Hokage-level ninja alone was impossible.

Thus, he could only rely on Obito to help manage Byakuya. Keeping Byakuya and Obito in a competitive relationship was the best way to manipulate both, allowing Black Zetsu to remain the ultimate winner.

After a long moment of thought, Black Zetsu spoke to Obito, "I know your ideals, and Madara's too, but there are others who are eyeing the Uchiha clan as well."

Obito frowned, clearly displeased. "Who else is after the Uchiha?"

"Byakuya..." Black Zetsu said flatly. "According to reports from Shiro, Byakuya recently left Amegakure and has been active near Konoha. I suspect Byakuya is planning to act against the Uchiha as well. Do you remember the night of the Nine-Tails...?"

Obito's expression darkened upon hearing this.

Of course, he remembered the night of the Nine-Tails. Back then, he had intended to release the Nine-Tails on the night Kushina gave birth, using its power to weaken Konoha while also collecting the beast. However, the summoning contract he had with the Nine-Tails disappeared, and he was defeated by the Fourth Hokage—his former teacher.

Had it not been for Black Zetsu's modifications to his body, he would have died that night.

It was only after escaping that he learned Byakuya had been nearby all along but had refrained from intervening, watching him get defeated by the Fourth Hokage and then mocking him afterward.

Byakuya had laughed at him, saying that he was too weak to take on the Nine-Tails at that time and that his plans to gather the Tailed Beasts were progressing too slowly.

Now, years later, he had spent time influencing Itachi, trying to exploit the tensions between the Uchiha and Konoha, in the hopes of creating a Mangekyō Sharingan subordinate. Yet Byakuya was now eyeing his prey again...

Black Zetsu noticed Obito's displeasure and pressed on. "Obito, why don't you just give up on working with Itachi? Byakuya has already set his sights on the Uchiha."

Obito glanced at Black Zetsu, then replied with a cold sneer, "Are you saying I'm inferior to Byakuya? Just because he wants my prey, I should just step aside?"

Black Zetsu shook his head. "I only think that a more efficient approach would be to avoid conflict with him. Byakuya's goal is also to collect the Tailed Beasts, and there's no need for us to clash. Once the Tailed Beasts are collected, we can deal with him as we wish."

Obito, as though recalling something amusing, gave a cold laugh and said, "Byakuya doesn't understand the Uchiha. His methods won't work on them. I will prove that I am far more capable than he is."

A sharp glint flashed in Obito's eyes.

Obito knew in certain aspects, he couldn't measure up to Byakuya. Byakuya was a genius even more talented than Kakashi, and when Obito had been around Madara, he could feel that Madara greatly admired Byakuya.

Had it been him and Byakuya who fell into the hole together, Byakuya might have inherited Madara's legacy and become the executor of the Moon's Eye Plan.

But what Obito couldn't stand the most was that self-righteous genius attitude. Even though the reality was dull and fake, he didn't want to always lose to Byakuya. He wanted to prove that he was stronger than these so-called geniuses and that the Uchiha clan was superior to the Uzumaki clan.

With his fighting spirit reignited, Obito's resolve grew. Black Zetsu, sighing, quietly retreated into the shadows.

This upcoming war between the Uchiha and Konoha was just a stage. Byakuya and Obito were the actors, and Black Zetsu was merely the silent observer in the audience, waiting patiently for the performance to unfold.

---

After receiving Obito's promise, Itachi returned home.

His mother, Mikoto Uchiha, had prepared dinner, and the family sat around the table eating in an oppressive, tense silence.

The atmosphere had been like this ever since Shisui had gone missing.

Itachi knew that Fugaku planned to initiate a coup. Fugaku suspected that Itachi had killed Shisui, and a severe rift had formed between father and son.

Sasuke, holding a perfect report card, had been eagerly awaiting praise. But seeing the tension in the air, he was unsure of how to react.

Fugaku glanced at both Sasuke and Itachi before speaking in a calm voice: "After dinner, come to my study. I need to talk to you."

Itachi nodded silently, finishing his meal quickly before heading to the study.

After closing the study door, Fugaku activated his Sharingan and spoke coldly, "Tomorrow night, I will lead the Uchiha clan in a coup."

Itachi froze in place at hearing those words.

Fugaku noticed Itachi's stunned silence and continued, unbothered:

"Our plan is to kidnap the Jinchuriki and release the Nine-Tails. While the defense forces are distracted, we will attack the Hokage building and capture the Third Hokage. For this day, the clan has endured for more than a decade. And so, I will be waiting for you at the clan meeting tomorrow. If you are still an Uchiha, then join me in the coup."

Fugaku laid out his entire plan without a second thought for Itachi's feelings.

If they kept delaying, the pressure on the clan would eventually drive them mad. The village owed the Uchiha too much, and these debts needed to be repaid.

After speaking, Fugaku left the study, leaving Itachi alone to silently reflect on what had been said.