Mastermind of the Akatsuki

Hearing that it was Black Zetsu who helped Byakuya master the Wood Release, Obito's mind began to suspect whether the two had secret dealings. Otherwise, why would Black Zetsu give such a powerful ability to Byakuya?

After some careful thought, Obito dismissed his suspicions.

In the minds of most ninja in the world, Wood Release was legendary, a Kekkei Genkai that only the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, had mastered. Any ninja who could awaken Wood Release was considered a once-in-a-century genius.

But for him and Madara, that was not the case.

After Madara awakened the fabled Rinnegan and gained divine abilities, he created the special life form known as the White Zetsu. This greatly reduced the difficulty of transplanting Wood Release.

As long as someone possessed significant proficiency in Yin-Yang Release and an extraordinary body, transplanting Wood Release became a straightforward and risk-free process.

Even though Obito was reluctant to admit it, he had to acknowledge Byakuya's talent. Byakuya was a rare genius in the ninja world, far surpassing Kakashi and even prodigies like Itachi and Shisui.

After all, Itachi and Shisui were once called geniuses only because people believed they could one day rival the Sannin.

Byakuya, on the other hand, possessed strength comparable to the Sannin from the very start. His current power had grown so much that even Obito had no absolute confidence in defeating him.

But it was impossible for Obito to willingly hand over his spoils of war.

If he conceded to Byakuya again this time, he would truly become subordinate to Byakuya, losing control over the Eye of the Moon Plan.

Having made up his mind, Obito's figure flashed as he charged toward Byakuya.

Byakuya glanced at Obito out of the corner of his eye and said calmly, "Attacking a comrade is forbidden in the organization. Are you sure you want to fight me?"

Obito didn't reply. He was carefully searching for an opening in Byakuya's defenses, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

After a few attempts to materialize from his intangible state, Obito still couldn't find an opportunity to attack Byakuya. On the contrary, frequent use of his Kamui had begun to drain his stamina rapidly.

When Byakuya's sword slashed through Obito's intangible body, Byakuya smirked, "Obito, your intangibility may make you immune to all attacks, but you can only harm me when you materialize. Once I understand that, I'm invincible before you. I bet this is exactly how the Fourth Hokage defeated you back then…"

Byakuya then smiled and shrugged his shoulders, "Besides your space-time ability, your taijutsu and ninjutsu are pretty mediocre. I have reason to believe that before Black Zetsu recruited you, you were probably the 'dead last' in your academy class."

The "dead last" remark pierced Obito's heart like a knife.

As he materialized to thrust a wooden spike toward Byakuya, Obito suddenly felt his movements slow down unnaturally.

Quickly retreating, Obito stared at Byakuya with extreme caution.

He had no idea where this anomaly in his body had come from. He was certain he had stayed intangible almost the entire time, and only dematerialized when he was far enough from Byakuya.

Seeing this, Byakuya floated in midair, looking down at Obito and said, "I remember telling you before—space-time ninjutsu isn't invincible. I have countless ways to counter your ability. Setting explosive tags at your landing points is one way. Altering the environment in secret to create favorable conditions is another. After clearing out the small fry, I secretly released a paralytic gas. This gas won't cause any fatal damage, but it will dull a ninja's reflexes. Now then, are you feeling weak right now? Struggling to even mold chakra?"

As Byakuya casually revealed his plan, Obito's expression darkened. Ever since his defeat by the Fourth Hokage's Flying thunder God combo, he had grown far more cautious. He never acted rashly without absolute certainty.

But even with his caution, Byakuya had still managed to trick him. Byakuya had spoken confidently about defeating him through taijutsu and ninjutsu, only to resort to underhanded tactics like poison.

As time ticked on, Obito could feel his strength slipping further.

Stepping closer, Byakuya floated in midair and looked down at him, saying coldly, "Masked Man, I know you're scheming and developing your own forces in secret. I've sent ninjas to scout Kirigakure multiple times and noticed the Fourth Mizukage implementing bizarre policies. Not only has he isolated the village from the world, but he's also ordered a brutal purge of the bloodline clans. More importantly, I've heard that the Fourth Mizukage hasn't left Kirigakure in years. Is he suddenly obsessed with studying ninjutsu at home, or is there some special reason keeping him from leaving?"

Pausing, Byakuya's tone grew sharper, " Masked Man, I don't oppose you secretly developing your forces. After all, you and I both share the goal of reviving the Ten-Tails. But aside from that role, you're also a member of the Akatsuki organization—my subordinate. I hope that the next time we meet, you'll show a bit more humility. Remember who the true leader of Akatsuki is, and who is the driving force behind reviving the Ten-Tails."

With that, Byakuya tossed a small bottle of pills at Obito and glanced toward Shisui's location, saying expressionlessly, "These pills will neutralize the paralysis poison. Take them and get back to your mission. After this Uchiha operation is over, I want to see a full mission report from White Zetsu—and a five-hundred-word reflection paper from you."

Having said his piece, Byakuya left the scene, disappearing into the night sky, leaving Obito standing there with a stormy expression.

For the umpteenth time, Byakuya had humiliated him. Not only had Byakuya exposed his secret operations in Kirigakure, but he had also ordered him to write a mission report and a reflection—something Obito hadn't done since becoming Madara's successor.

In front of Black Zetsu, he was the executor of the Eye of the Moon Plan. In front of Kirigakure's ninjas, he was the mysterious Fourth Mizukage. In front of Itachi, he was the enigmatic masked man, Madara Uchiha.

The more he thought about it, the angrier Obito became. He punched the wall, leaving a spiderweb of cracks while blood seeped from his knuckles.

Just as he was about to continue venting, he saw Itachi Uchiha approaching. Obito quickly composed himself, suppressing his anger and acting as if nothing had happened.