That day, Kisame did not bring Killer Bee to the designated location.

"..." Obito left without a word.

Late at night, in the Akatsuki hideout.

In the dimly lit inner chamber, Sasuke, dressed in black, had white bandages over his eyes.

To gain greater ocular power, he had transplanted Itachi's eyes.

"Heh heh heh, I can feel it, the power is surging, I'm getting stronger...!"

Sasuke's occasional maniacal laughter echoed in the dark room, accompanied by the flickering candlelight.

In the corner, Karin hugged her knees, trembling as she sensed Sasuke's descent into the dark chakra.

In the outer chamber, Obito waited silently for news.

The oppressive atmosphere, flickering candlelight, and the tension that seeped through his mask were palpable.

Finally, the aloe-like leaves sprouted from the wall, signaling Black Zetsu's return with a series of bad news.

"Kisame has betrayed us and joined Naruto. The Eight-Tails has been reclaimed by Kumo and is on its way back to the village."

Under the candlelight, the shadow of Obito's mask elongated as he spoke in a low voice.

"The least likely person to betray has done so, and to the least likely person."

"Such an absurdity can only be achieved by Uchiha's ocular powers, specifically that person's ocular powers..."

"Shisui's right eye has indeed fallen into Naruto's hands."

"Once again, he has outpaced us."

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Black Zetsu said, "What now? We are severely undermanned and at a disadvantage..."

White Zetsu added, "Isn't there still Sasuke? He has transplanted Itachi's eyes and is about to gain even greater ocular power!"

Black Zetsu countered, "If only it were that simple..."

Obito said, "Sasuke is currently fixated on avenging Konoha and won't prioritize our plans. Moreover, with his new ocular power, it will be difficult to half-coerce him as we did before..."

White Zetsu suggested, "Isn't there a girl who has a crush on him? We could use her to threaten Sasuke..."

Black Zetsu retorted, "You said it yourself, it's a 'crush,' and with Sasuke's current cold-blooded nature, he might even kill her instead!"

White Zetsu proposed again, "Then let her have a child with Sasuke. We can use the child to threaten him. No matter how cold-blooded Sasuke is, he wouldn't let his own flesh and blood die, right..."

"..." Black Zetsu was speechless.

"Are you done?" Obito asked coldly.

White Zetsu awkwardly replied, "Ah, I was just joking to lighten the mood since you seemed upset. This kind of thing is really more Afei's style..."

After the brief interlude, the atmosphere grew tense again.

Obito's gaze darkened, "Since Naruto's unusual actions began, we've been on the defensive. The Moon's Eye Plan has seen no substantial progress for a long time..."

"The Eight-Tails, the Nine-Tails, the Rinnegan... Two of the three remaining elements needed to revive the Ten-Tails are in Naruto's hands."

"He has also obtained the dangerous ocular power of 'Kotoamatsukami.'"

"To fully confront Naruto now, we must, at the very least, secure the Eight-Tails firmly in our grasp!"

White Zetsu said seriously, "But we've failed twice in our attempts to capture the Eight-Tails, and we've lost Kisame. Who should we send this time? Try to persuade Sasuke to clean up the mess? Or find someone else?"

Crack!

In the vortex of Obito's mask, the Kamui Mangekyo Sharingan split with blood vessels.

"I'll go myself."

He stood up, walking slowly but with determination towards the exit of the hideout.

Watching his back, White Zetsu sighed, "Since the battle with the Kirigakure ninja, I haven't felt such a fierce killing intent from Obito. It seems this time, he's really angry..."

Black Zetsu said in a low voice, "If it's like that time, he might accidentally kill the Eight-Tails, which would ruin everything. Someone should keep an eye on him..."

"It seems a lot has happened while I was away..." A nonchalant voice sounded, accompanied by a white figure with a swirly face.

White Zetsu exclaimed, "Oh~ you're finally back, Afei...!"

Black Zetsu frowned, "You stink. Did you just come from a latrine? By the way, did you hear what we were talking about?"

"I heard. He's going to capture the Eight-Tails alone, but he's in a bad mood and might accidentally kill it..." Afei's lazy demeanor turned serious. "So, I'll go with him."