141 Obito Takes Action

The training ground was filled with the rush of wind and the rhythmic, dull thuds of fists and feet meeting in combat.

Uchiha Shinsuke moved with the grace of a stroll through a garden, deftly navigating Kabuto's relentless offensive. Despite being a fraction slower than Kabuto, he countered every strike with pinpoint precision, keeping the battle firmly within his grasp. If Kabuto sped up, Shinsuke matched him; if he slowed, Shinsuke did the same. He was deliberately prolonging the fight to maximize the training benefits for Kabuto.

Watching from the sidelines, Orochimaru nodded in satisfaction. In taijutsu training, learning the forms was merely the foundation; the true essence lay in combat. Having a top-tier ocular jutsu specialist provide such meticulous guidance was an invaluable luxury—something even Orochimaru could not replicate. He could easily crush the weak, but to turn the process into an art form required the finesse of an Uchiha.

The fight did not last much longer. Once Shinsuke noticed Orochimaru’s arrival, he increased the intensity of his attacks, and Kabuto soon faltered. Drenched in sweat and on the verge of collapse, Kabuto was led to Orochimaru, where Shinsuke bowed and said, "Lord Orochimaru."

"You have done well." Orochimaru was never stingy with praise for competent subordinates. To bring Kabuto to a level where his taijutsu alone could rival a Chunin in such a short time was no small feat; a single vial of Yamato’s cell fusion serum could not achieve this alone. Shinsuke had clearly put in significant effort.

"It serves as good training for my Sharingan as well. I have benefited greatly from this process," Shinsuke replied with a smile. It was no mere platitude; keeping Kabuto challenged without causing injury required a high level of focus and was a taxing exercise for an ocular jutsu user.

"Lord Orochimaru, I fear I will be unable to continue tutoring Kabuto for a while, as the Anbu has a mission to execute." He glanced sideways at Kabuto before adding hesitantly, "Besides, Kabuto is not cut out for taijutsu. He trusts his intellect more than his body's instincts. Perhaps focusing on ninjutsu would better enhance his combat effectiveness."

"No matter. What Kabuto needs is not raw combat power, but the development of his physique," Orochimaru said, nodding slightly. He understood Kabuto's strengths and weaknesses better than Shinsuke did. "This applies to you as well. Developing ocular power may provide a temporary boost in strength, but to go far, your body must be able to keep up."

Shinsuke felt a shiver of realization. He trusted Orochimaru's judgment implicitly and nodded hastily.

"Kabuto will be assisting me with an experiment soon. If the old man probes into our activities, tell him about this," Orochimaru instructed, before asking casually, "What is this Anbu mission?"

The Anbu were always on assignment, and as a rising star, Shinsuke was rarely idle. However, the fact that he felt the need to mention it specifically suggested the mission was both critical and time-consuming.

"Kumogakure has sent delegates to discuss peace terms, and we have been assigned as their escort."

Shinsuke ignored the Anbu's strict codes of silence and spoke plainly.

"I see... those two old fools are certainly taking their time." Orochimaru didn't seem concerned and walked off toward the underground laboratory with Kabuto in tow.

Behind him, the Genie remained lost in thought. The current state of the ninja world had shifted drastically from the original timeline: Orochimaru had not defected, Konoha remained a formidable power, and the Fourth Raikage had been injured. Would Goro still attack the Hyuga clan to steal Hinata's eyes? That was something worth watching.

...

Night fell, the moon obscured by dark clouds.

On a high peak in Kumogakure, a thick mist swallowed the faint moonlight. Obito stood in the shadows of the treetops, gazing at the distant flickers of light in the village, his scarlet eyes flashing with irritation. He had just finished re-applying the genjutsu on the Fourth Mizukage and the Three-Tails, Isobu, and had rushed back to Kumogakure without a moment's rest. Only to be met with this 'good news' upon his return.

"The peace talks between Konoha and Kumo are set for a fortnight from now. This is far earlier than expected; the Fourth Raikage won't have recovered by then."

Zetsu emerged from the tree trunk. "What should we do? Should we abandon the plan?"

Obito was silent for a moment before saying coldly, "Have the organization intervene. Eliminate the Kumo delegation and force a delay."

"A sound strategy, but Nagato will not agree," Zetsu noted. "He doesn't fully trust our plan yet; he's only focused on amassing wealth."

The Akatsuki was not a unified front. Nagato, the nominal leader, held a philosophy distinct from Obito's. While both intended to collect the Tailed Beasts, Nagato viewed it primarily as a means to weaken the Five Great Nations, and he harbored deep doubts about whether the Ten-Tails could truly function as a weapon of war. To him, controlling the Gedo Mazo was already difficult enough, let alone a Ten-Tails fueled by the chakra of all nine beasts. He believed that dismantling the existing ninja system and establishing an independent military organization was a more reliable path to world peace.

Obito could hardly argue with that; after all, he couldn't reveal the full extent of the "Eye of the Moon" plan. Nagato did not realize that if one possessed the true power of the Rinnegan through Uchiha lineage, controlling the Ten-Tails would be trivial. The gap in information made their ideological differences impossible to reconcile, forcing Obito to concede for now. He was not in a hurry; once the Tailed Beasts were sufficiently collected, Nagato would lose his utility. But for now, Nagato’s 'dream' had to be maintained.

After a moment of deliberation, Obito said slowly, "Leak the news of the peace talks to Iwagakure."

"If Iwagakure fails to act, use the funds gathered from Kirigakure to issue a bounty in their name. Increase the reward enough that Kakuzu and his lot won't be able to refuse, and you will be responsible for providing the intelligence."

"Leave it to me." Zetsu nodded and sank back into the tree.

...

Inside the underground laboratory, Orochimaru handed a vial of pale red cell fusion serum to Kabuto. "Drink it."

The Yamato-based serum had lost its effectiveness on Kabuto; to push further, a new concoction was required. Though Aoi's cells still held great potential, the bloodline, now refined by Tsunade’s care, was usable. Considering Kabuto's current age, maintaining a steady progression of strength was more important than seeking a more potent serum.

Kabuto did not hesitate. He uncorked the vial and drained it in one gulp. Before long, his body began to tremble violently, and sweat poured from him like rain, yet compared to the agony of his previous treatments, this was negligible.

Once the rejection reaction subsided, Orochimaru scanned him with instruments, his brow furrowing slightly. Kabuto’s chakra had doubled, vaulting him from Chunin to the level of a Special Jonin, not far from a regular Jonin. However, this level of improvement was far less than he had anticipated. Aoi, despite having no ninja training, possessed a chakra volume several times that of a standard Jonin.

"The cellular activity has increased significantly; it seems Aoi’s serum acts primarily on life force." Orochimaru pondered for a moment before telling Kabuto, "The original plan is void. You don't need to stay here on guard duty anymore. Go find Guy and have him train you."

Cultivating the soul was important, but it was not dangerous, and the laboratory would be fine under the Genie's watch. Rather than keeping Kabuto here, it was more vital to increase his chakra reserves in preparation for Sage Mode training.