Naruto : Cruel Rebirth

Sasuke looked up at Obito and said in a deep voice, "What do you want me to do?!"

Hmph, so you're finally giving in...

Obito's expression softened slightly under his mask. He sat down and spoke gently, "Well, as a fellow survivor of the Uchiha clan, I don't want to force you. I just hope we can continue to benefit from each other."

Sasuke stared at him. "Benefit from each other?" 

Obito said, "Your goal is to take revenge on Konohagakure, the village that pushed Uchiha into the abyss, and bring about the revival of the Uchiha clan. My goal is to gather the power of all the Tailed Beasts and declare war on the entire world…"

"…" Sasuke's gaze grew dark.

Obito continued, "But by yourself, you can't get revenge on Konohagakure. You should have realized that after facing me, right?"

"I have long passed my prime. What remains now is just an empty shell. But even at my peak, I was still defeated by the founder of Konohagakure, Senju Hashirama!" 

Sasuke replied, "Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage, is already dead…"

"But the will and power of the Senju era still live on!" Obito said with a deep look. "Sasuke, how much do you really know about Konohagakure?"

"…" Sasuke fell into thought.

Obito said, "Sasuke, you compared yourself to Nagato, trying to judge your chances of attacking Konohagakure. Let me make it clear to you: even without Naruto, Nagato would never be able to challenge all of Konohagakure!"

"Well, if Nagato insisted on fighting Konohagakure to the death, maybe the casualties on their side would be much worse than now, but in the end, Nagato would still be defeated. And I'm talking about a situation where Naruto doesn't intervene…"

"So, bringing the Hawk to attack Konohagakure is nothing but a dead end!" 

"…" Sasuke gripped the edge of the stone chair tightly, his eyes filled with unwillingness.

Obito changed his tone, "But if Akatsuki helps you, the outcome will be different."

"Heh heh heh…" Sasuke suddenly laughed.

Obito frowned, "What are you laughing at?"

Sasuke coldly replied, "First you belittle yourself, then you praise Konohagakure so highly. What's so special about Akatsuki? Aside from you, Akatsuki only has a bunch of white guys!" 

White Zetsu was unhappy, "Hey hey, Sasuke, there's a limit to how much you can look down on us!"

Obito stared deeply at Sasuke. "Fine, it's time for you to understand Akatsuki's true strength…"

Sasuke's eyes flashed, "True strength?"

"Follow me…" Obito stood up and led the way.

"…" Sasuke followed, still uncertain. 

When they reached the depths of the hideout, Sasuke's eyes widened in shock as he looked at the terrifying number of White Zetsu troops. "What is this…?!"

Obito said in a deep voice, "Do you think Akatsuki is just playing around with the Tailed Beasts? I've used the chakra of all the Tailed Beasts up to this point, and with the Outer Path's Statue as a catalyst, I've cultivated White Zetsu, the so-called 'white guys' you mentioned. The total number is about a hundred thousand…"

Sasuke gasped, "A hundred thousand…?!"

White Zetsu added, "That's more than the number of ninja who are capable of going to the battlefield in the current Shinobi world~ By the way, our individual combat ability is between Chunin and Jonin level, and the top ones even have the strength of Kage-level~ Plus, our abilities are more diverse than those of ninjas, making us perfect for large-scale battles~"

Obito picked up where White Zetsu left off, "I originally planned to use this as the foundation to declare war on the Shinobi world. But since the Five Great Shinobi Villages haven't united through the Five Kage Summit and the Eight-Tails are already in my hands, there's no need to create unnecessary enemies…" 

"Sasuke, I can use these 100,000 White Zetsu to assist you in attacking Konohagakure!" 

Sasuke's eyes glimmered with light: "Naruto has already betrayed Konohagakure and helped me declare war on them. What do you gain from this? Isn't it more straightforward for you to just declare war on Naruto directly?"

Obito saw through this more clearly: "Naruto has mastered the Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God Technique, so his movements are unpredictable. If we don't have a way to tie him down, we won't be able to confront him!"

Sasuke turned to look at him: "So, Konohagakure is the 'bargaining chip' you're talking about?"

Obito smiled: "Naruto himself told you, right? If you attack Konohagakure, he will stop you! This will draw him out and give us a chance to confront him directly!" 

Sasuke looked away, his hand clenching into a fist: "And once we confront him, how do we divide things up?"

Obito said: "Naruto is for us to deal with. You can focus on your revenge. Of course, the White Zetsu army will continue to assist you..."

Sasuke's gaze darkened, and he didn't respond immediately. 

Hm, Sasuke, is your hesitation because you can't bear to see the only person who considered you a friend be used like this, or is it simply that you don't trust me? As the thought crossed his mind, Obito calmly added, "Well... don't overthink it. From a practical perspective, your large-scale attack on Konohagakure will distract Naruto, making it harder for him to focus, which increases our chances of success. Our interests still align... whether you act or not, that's up to you."

He and the White Zetsu silently waited for Sasuke's decision. 

After a while, Uchiha Sasuke closed his eyes.

Figures from his past flashed in his mind... former comrades, village elders, clan members, parents, and Naruto, but ultimately... it all stopped at Itachi's smile just before his death! The fire of revenge overcame everything!

Sasuke's eyes snapped open, the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan gleaming coldly.

"I will take revenge on Konohagakure!!"

Hm, as expected, the so-called hope doesn't exist. No one can escape the chain of hatred. The Infinite Tsukuyomi is the true transcendence of the world...

Obito smiled: "Very well, the Akatsuki will fully support your actions. This war isn't Akatsuki against the entire ninja world, but Akatsuki against Konohagakure. The outcome was decided from the very beginning!" 

"Mm?" White Zetsu, standing nearby, moved slightly.

Obito asked, "What's wrong?"

White Zetsu replied: "The individual stationed at the abandoned base contacted us. Jugo and Suigetsu have arrived there and are heading to meet Sasuke!"

Obito thought for a moment, then said: "Those two still have some use. Bring them here..."

--- 

About half an hour later, Jugo and Suigetsu, guided by White Zetsu, arrived at Akatsuki's new hideout.

After seeing Sasuke, Suigetsu started venting about their experiences after separating in the Land of Iron.

Sasuke sat on a stone chair, listening coldly until he heard something important, his eyes flashing. "You said... you joined Naruto in attacking Kumogakure Village? And he even took you to Amegakure?"

Swish! Obito appeared in front of Jugo.

"Don't move!" 

Under the mask, the Sharingan gleamed with the sharpness of a Genjutsu, trapping Jugo! Without hesitation, Obito ripped open Jugo's shirt, revealing the 'Flying Thunder God Mark' on his shoulders!

"Hmph."

Obito coldly snorted and, without a word, grabbed both of Jugo's arms and forcefully tore them apart!

"Ah...!!!" The intense pain broke Jugo free from the Genjutsu. He screamed, collapsing to the ground, blood and sweat pouring everywhere! 

Whoosh! Kamui's black vortex sucked Jugo's arms into Obito's right eye.

"Hurry up and stop the bleeding..." Obito coldly said before turning away.

Even Suigetsu couldn't bear to watch, shouting at Sasuke, "Hey!! Sasuke!! Are you just going to stand there and watch him treat our people like this, without saying a word!!?"

"..." Sasuke's gaze remained somber, not responding.

"Heh, whatever, if you want to eliminate any threats to our security, his actions are justified!" Jugo gritted his teeth, enduring the pain. Supported by Suigetsu, he stood up and turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke, that Uzumaki Naruto wants me to pass a message to you!"

Sasuke supported his chin with his hand, his eyes flickering slightly. "What message?"

Jugo said, "He says that Danzo isn't in Konohagakure anymore. He's gone to Yakushi Kabuto, seeking a comeback. You should act before he does... I think it's the right call!"

Sasuke clenched his fists, coldly staring ahead. "My revenge doesn't need his input! No matter how much Danzo tries to use outside help, ugly, foolish, and pathetic as it is, trying to align with Uchiha power, my hatred will destroy him completely!!!" 

"As for Naruto..."

Sasuke paused slightly, a complicated emotion flashing across his face.

"He can barely protect himself, so he should worry about that..."

--- 

————— ----

You can read 10 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu