In the Land of Water.
Sasuke has learned Sanbi’s location and is preparing to capture it on a certain day. However, he suddenly receives a message from White Zetsu asking them to abandon their mission and go to the Land of Fire.
After what happened with Kumogakure and Kirigakure, no matter how confident Sasuke was, he couldn't help but wonder if his team's whereabouts had been discovered in advance. After looking around, he naturally suspected White Zetsu.
Among the four members of Team Taka, Sasuke trusted no one but himself. If there was a leak, it had to be from the outside.
"What's wrong, Uchiha Sasuke?" White Zetsu saw Sasuke looking at him with a scrutinizing look and felt unsure. After all, the order was indeed a bit abrupt.
Sasuke had joined the crumbling Akatsuki halfway through, and their cooperation was only temporary. If Sasuke decided to ignore the order, there was nothing White Zetsu could do.
"Why are we abandoning the mission now?” Sasuke gave White Zetsu a cold look, "We have already prepared our plan to capture Sanbi. We were going to act tomorrow."
"Something happened in the Land of Fire, and Uchiha Madara plans to capture Kyubi." White Zetsu explained.
At this time, Sasuke still didn't know Obito’s true identity.
"Kyubi?" Sasuke frowned.
After White Zetsu left, Karin cautiously checked their surroundings.
After confirming that nothing was wrong using her Sensor Technique, she turned to Sasuke and said, "Those guys… are they playing a trick on us?"
Sasuke glanced at Karin but said nothing.
"Capturing Kyubi in the Land of Fire? Can't they handle it themselves? Why drag us into it?" Suigetsu rolled his eyes and said in a frivolous tone.
"We're about to make our move here, and now they want us to go to the Land of Fire? It's obvious they don't care about the Biju, so why even bother having us capture them?"
Suigetsu's words were crude, but they are not wrong.
Sasuke frowned and looked up, thinking for a long time before speaking.
"Maybe... something's happened over there that even Uchiha Madara can't handle. That's why they're urgently calling us over."
"Sasuke, if even Uchiha Madara can't handle it, what's the point of us going there?" Karin couldn't help but frown and asked back.
"There's clearly something fishy going on, especially with that messenger. He looks shady. It's possible he's the reason we've been failing so much lately."
Karin was clearly dissatisfied, and Suigetsu was even more frustrated.
"Yes, during this period of time, almost everything we did was discovered. If you say it's a coincidence, I won't believe it even if you kill me. Someone's definitely leaking information!"
"Last time we infiltrated Kumogakure, we almost died. Those big guys chased us like madmen. And the last time we invaded Kirigakure, we were discovered again. Fortunately, the enemies weren't that strong."
"And now, after falling into their traps twice, they want us to go to Konoha? I can already picture it. Before we even step foot in the village, a group of Konoha’s Anbu will surround us."
Jugo sat silently to the side, saying nothing.
Karin and Suigetsu's complaints reached Sasuke's ears, and his expression grew more complicated. The nearby campfire had died out, and the forest was eerily quiet.
All three pairs of eyes were fixed on Sasuke, waiting for his decision.
After a long silence, Sasuke finally looked up and glanced at Suigetsu and the other two.
"We'll go, but we won't enter Konoha. We'll observe from the outskirts."
"Why?" Karin asked in confusion, "We're about to capture Sanbi. Everything's ready. Why abandon it now?"
On the other hand, Suigetsu didn't care. It didn't matter to him whether Sanbi was caught or not.
If they didn't catch Sanbi, he could do less work, which suited him just fine. Slacking off was always the best.
"Capturing Sanbi is meaningless. We can't completely trust that man who claims to be Uchiha Madara." Sasuke said, "But he is stronger than us, so we have to go and see the situation."
"This world is too chaotic. If we want to achieve peace, we must eliminate all extremes, seal the Biju, kill the Five Kage, and become the rulers of the Shinobi World."
"The strength of just a few of us is not enough. We need to use them as well."
…
When Obito kidnapped Ino and Hinata, the gears of the fate of the Shinobi World began to spin. This marked the official entry of the Shinobi World's most powerful forces onto the stage, ready to clash head-on.
It was like throwing a massive boulder into a deep pond, and the water instantly turned murky.
The only one who benefited was probably Sanbi, who is hiding at the bottom of the lake. It had narrowly escaped disaster without knowing it and continued to lounge carefreely in the water.
In the Konoha Forest, only seven or eight minutes had passed, and Naruto was still confronting Obito.
Rin was frightened by Obito, and felt both shocked and pitiful.
Naruto didn't care about Rin's emotional state, but was more concerned about Obito's situation. Naruto's goal was to negotiate, so everyone should not be so extreme and take a step back.
Extremists never end well. A more peaceful approach could lead to a resolution talk.
As long as Ino and Hinata were safe, Naruto was willing to consider any conditions. The personal safety of the two women is his top priority, and the rest could be dealt with later.
Now, the key to breaking the deadlock lay with Rin. Naruto didn't expect this young girl to reform a madman like Obito.
As long as Rin can influence Obito's emotions, it will be enough. After all, only in front of Rin will Obito, a multifaceted man, take off his mask and speak honestly.
Otherwise, Obito would be Uchiha Madara one moment and Akatsuki's Tobi the next. Such people are used to playing other people’s roles and had a firm grip on their beliefs.
It is difficult for Naruto to influence Obito with just a few words. If Rin hadn't opened Obito's heart, even if they sat down to negotiate, the effect would not be very good.
Naruto could already imagine the scenario. He started spouting a bunch of nonsense about Rin, but Obito, hiding behind layers of identities, remained unmoved, perhaps even amused.
But now, Naruto knew his gamble had paid off. Rin had a good effect on Obito. After just a few words, she forced Obito to reveal his monstrous beliefs.
The more agitated Obito became, the calmer Naruto felt.
Nohara Rin, the woman Uchiha Obito had longed for day and night, was standing by Naruto's side. Meanwhile, Naruto held the moral high ground, able to advance or retreat as needed.
If it had been the original Uzumaki Naruto, hearing such monstrous words, he would have been furious, clenching his fists and shouting back. After all, his parents had been killed by this ungrateful traitor. It would have been unbearable.
Fortunately, Naruto had a high tolerance for such extreme rhetoric, and he has also heard even more outrageous remarks from those Chunnis.
Looking at Obito who grew increasingly agitated, Naruto remained calm throughout the whole process.
Seeing that Rin's words were weak and could not refute Obito at all, Naruto couldn't help but sigh in his heart, ‘This little girl is too timid and submissive.’
So he took a step forward, shielding Rin with half his body, and then said to Obito who was not far away, "Don't be so extreme, Uchiha Obito, Nohara Rin doesn't like a monster who killed his own teacher."