Obito only laid out his plan to Itachi from a broad, macro-level perspective. As for the precise operational steps, he still possessed enough tactical sense not to expose them to Itachi.
In truth, Black Zetsu hadn't wanted Obito to share this so-called "Eye of the Moon Plan" with Itachi at all. His original intent was to have Obito pitch Nagato's now-abandoned "Shinobi World Nuclear Peace Plan" instead.
However, Obito anticipated that Itachi would fiercely reject that kind of global terrorism concept. He figured it was better to try using their true, idealistic vision to see if it could sway Itachi's convictions. After all, Obito knew the tragic truth behind the Uchiha genocide; Itachi was just like him, a man shackled by the dark, carrying heavy burdens while desperately protecting the person he cherished most in his heart.
He felt that the Eye of the Moon Plan was a perfect fit for someone of Itachi's psychological profile. Who knew? It might actually move the boy enough to make him join their true cause.
Black Zetsu considered this ideal scenario highly improbable, but upon deeper reflection, he realized it wouldn't hurt to try. As long as it didn't disrupt his own "Mother, Let Me Love You Again Plan," he didn't care how much Obito amused himself. So long as Obito didn't make a complete mess of things, Black Zetsu was content to sit back and let him present the Eye of the Moon Plan.
And so, this bizarre interaction unfolded.
To be fair, for a split second, Itachi actually felt a momentary tug of temptation. The waking world was simply too cruel, too unforgiving. If one could truly live out a lifetime of absolute happiness within an illusion, perhaps he wouldn't have to carry such an exhausting, unbearable burden anymore. In that perfect reality, he would have a whole, loving family. There would be no political power struggles, no devastating wars, and he could live happily alongside his little brother forever.
Huh.
When put that way, it really does sound tempting.
However, Itachi wasn't the same kind of broken soul Obito was. Obito had been completely shattered by reality to the point where he simply refused to accept factual existence anymore. Itachi, by contrast, had lived through a deeply tragic, horrific ordeal, but the path he walked was one he had chosen entirely on his own terms.
Ultimately, he wasn't genuinely swayed by Obito's heartfelt pitch. But taking all variables into account, he had no intention of turning his back on Obito just yet. This grand design clearly relied on several critical, unmentioned prerequisites that Obito was withholding. Moving forward, Itachi knew his primary angle of infiltration should focus on unearthing those missing pieces to figure out exactly what these men intended to do.
With these calculations running through his mind, Itachi spoke in a level voice, "Fascinating. You have piqued my interest, to some degree..."
Obito scrutinized Itachi closely. Even though Itachi was trying to project an air of 'I am deeply moved by your vision,' the boy was unfortunately a deadpan poker face. Asking him to play the role of a cold, detached double agent was well within his acting capabilities; asking him to play a fanatical, wide-eyed disciple was completely beyond his range.
Consequently, Obito was absolutely certain that he had failed to convert Itachi.
But it didn't matter. This was only the beginning. There would be plenty of time to slowly break him down later. For now, the intricate details of the plan would remain classified. Itachi would simply be utilized as a highly effective tool.
"It's good that you are interested. We'll leave it at that for now. You should take some time to familiarize yourself with the layout here," Obito remarked, his passionate demeanor cooling instantly as he regained his calculating composure.
Itachi cast a quiet look at him, sensing that these two entities likely had covert matters to discuss that they didn't want him witnessing. Being the pragmatic individual he was, he offered a concise nod. "Understood. However, this grand plan of yours can't possibly rely on just the three of us, can it? If I may offer a piece of tactical advice, our immediate next step should be expanding our roster."
Leaving them with those words, Itachi paid no further attention to Obito and Black Zetsu. He turned smoothly on his heel and walked toward a neighboring cavern network, intent on mapping out and studying the layout of their stronghold.
Once Itachi's footsteps faded into the distance, Black Zetsu turned his gaze toward Obito. "I told you so. His will is an iron fortress; it is impossible for our Eye of the Moon Plan to break a conviction like his."
Obito felt a prick of irritation, but he remained stubbornly defiant. "Nothing is absolute in the future. I could tell that he was genuinely tempted back there."
"Whatever floats your boat," Black Zetsu replied, too exhausted to bicker over semantics. The pitch had already been made anyway.
His mindset was incredibly relaxed now. Let alone Itachi, even Obito was merely a dispensable contingency plan in his grand strategy. Black Zetsu's true chip was currently placed squarely on Diarmuid. That was an individual who was genuinely reliable and efficient. As for this side of the operations, he would just see how things played out. If it succeeded, fantastic; if it failed, his primary countermeasure remained securely in play.
In short, Black Zetsu wasn't panicking at all.
Brushing the topic aside, Black Zetsu spoke up, "Though Itachi isn't entirely wrong about one thing. It is indeed time to initiate the second phase of our operational strategy. Relying solely on the three of us makes it impossible to execute the subsequent stages of the Eye of the Moon Plan. We require a massive volume of specialized manpower."
"Precisely, that is exactly what I was thinking," Obito agreed, nodding. He then turned to the shadow and asked, "Do you have any solid proposals?"
Black Zetsu let out a low chuckle. "Why don't we take a page out of Diarmuid's playbook? We could recruit some of the prominent rogue ninja wandering through the underworld. Those outlaws may be unruly and arrogant, but they possess undeniable combat capabilities..."
Obito nodded initially, but then countered, "Your proposal is logical on paper. However, Diarmuid has already set a flawless precedent. There's no tactical advantage in simply copying his homework. If those rogue ninja genuinely wanted to join an organization, their absolute first choice would be the Yorozuya, not us. If we follow that route, we will constantly find ourselves eclipsed by the Yorozuya's massive reputation, and our recruitment efficiency will be abysmal."
Black Zetsu looked at Obito with a sudden flash of astonishment. This brat... did his brain just experience a sudden evolutionary breakthrough?
He actually formulated a coherent, structured critique?
Thinking along these lines, Black Zetsu felt a small spark of renewed expectation toward Obito. After all, having dragged this prone-to-blundering tool through the mud for so long, a bizarre semblance of 'paternal attachment' had inevitably formed. Seeing the boy finally show signs of competence actually brought a rare wave of gratification to Black Zetsu's ancient heart.
He was, after all, a product of my personal cultivation!
Furthermore, while the boy was an absolute incompetent compared to the brilliant Diarmuid, an incompetent tool carried its own distinct advantages: he was exceptionally easy to manipulate, simple to deceive, and lacked Diarmuid's terrifying, razor-sharp shrewdness. If Obito could actually pitch a viable strategy, Black Zetsu was more than willing to back him up.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Obito asked, frowning with slight irritation.
Black Zetsu instantly masked his astonishment, replacing it with an expression of paternal pride. "I am merely pleased to see that you have matured further. You are becoming far more dependable."
Obito nodded in smug satisfaction. "Naturally. A man doesn't stay stationary forever."
"Very well. Since you believe my recruitment strategy is structurally flawed, what superior master plan have you been formulating?" Black Zetsu inquired.
"I do have one, and I have been analyzing and refining the parameters of this plan for a very long time!" A dangerous gleam flashed within Obito's single eye as he spoke in a low, resonant tone.
Black Zetsu felt an internal jolt of alarm. Have I been too negligent lately? How did I fail to notice this shift in his behavioral patterns? I'll need to keep a much tighter watch on him moving forward, lest this bastard accidentally orchestrate some massive, uncontrollable disaster.
Despite his internal calculations, Black Zetsu quickly chimed in, "Oh? Is that so? Let us hear the details then."
"My plan is to forcefully seize control of Kirigakure! We will use Kirigakure as our primary operational base, leveraging its military apparatus and sovereign resources to aggressively accelerate the execution of our grand design!" Obito declared coldly.
As he spoke, a localized current of pure, unadulterated venom swirled within his eye.
When it came to Rin's tragic demise, he laid a massive portion of his deep-seated hatred squarely at the feet of Kirigakure. Back then, the Third Shinobi World War was clearly drawing to a definitive close, yet Kirigakure had allowed themselves to be manipulated into instigating that final, pointless black-ops skirmish.
Ultimately, their interference had resulted in Rin's gruesome death.
If those Kirigakure bastards hadn't disrupted everything, he might very well have returned to Konoha as a celebrated hero, married Rin, and successfully run for the office of Hokage.
Consequently, Obito would never, under any circumstances, let go of this vendetta. He had wanted to extract bloody retribution from Kirigakure for a decade, but he had simply lacked a viable tactical window. Now, after years of meticulous deliberation, he had finally structured a blueprint that he deemed entirely flawless.
Black Zetsu was visibly taken aback. He pressed, "What exactly do you mean by that?"
"Allow me to break down the logistics for you," Obito said, reining in his volatile emotions as a cold, analytical focus took over. "Kirigakure has historically remained isolated from the continental superpowers. Although they retain their status as one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, they operate under an aggressively xenophobic, closed-door policy. For years, they have completely withdrawn from international diplomacy, effectively existing in total geopolitical isolation. For our purposes, this is a flawless strategic environment. Because of Kirigakure's structural insularity, any covert operation we execute against them can be fully contained. With proper operational security, there is an incredibly high probability that the other major nations won't notice a single thing. Am I correct?"
Black Zetsu analyzed the premise rapidly and found himself forced to admit that the brat's logic was incredibly sound. Upon deeper reflection, Kirigakure truly did operate like a closed country completely cut off from the global landscape, marooned across the sea and largely ignored by the international community...
"Continue," Black Zetsu nodded, a genuine sense of anticipation building in his chest.
Obito smirked beneath his mask. "Those are the external variables. Internally, Kirigakure's structural integrity has been deteriorating rapidly over the last few years. Karatachi Yagura not only lost the previous Shinobi World War, but he also catastrophically lost possession of the Three-Tails. His political authority and prestige within the village have plummeted to an all-time low. Furthermore, Kirigakure operates under a dual-authority governance model; aside from the Mizukage, Genji also commands a substantial portion of administrative and military power. Their internal political landscape is highly volatile. Add to that their barbaric 'Bloody Mist' curriculum, which constantly breeds high-tier rogue ninja, and you have a nation crippled by internal strife and external vulnerability. For an entity like us, is that not the ultimate textbook opportunity? All we need to do is identify the perfect tactical window to agitate and escalate their internal friction, and then we either install our own hand-picked proxy, or..."
"Or what?" Black Zetsu pressed eagerly.
Before this conversation, he had no idea Obito was capable of such strategic depth. The moment the boy opened his mouth, his presentation was incredibly persuasive, driving Black Zetsu's expectations higher than they had ever been.
"Or... I can personally attempt to use my Sharingan to place Yagura under a direct, permanent genjutsu. If successful, by completely subjugating the Fourth Mizukage, we can systematically usurp the entirety of Kirigakure from the inside out without making a sound. Operating behind the scenes, we can use Yagura's sovereign authority as a shield to govern one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations. When the time comes to launch the final stages of the Eye of the Moon Plan, wouldn't having an entire hidden village at our disposal make things infinitely more convenient?" Obito explained, his voice low and calculating.
Black Zetsu stared at Obito in absolute astonishment. This entire operation was actually conceived by him alone?
While the implementation parameters were still visibly unrefined, the core strategic architecture was remarkably coherent. Furthermore, when analyzed pragmatically, the plan carried an exceptionally high probability of success!
If they could successfully secure a sovereign foundation as massive as Kirigakure, it would yield unprecedented advantages. Whether it was facilitating the logistical requirements for the Eye of the Moon Plan, or secretly setting up the pieces for his own "Mother, Let Me Love You Again Plan," everything would become exponentially easier to execute! They could use the sovereign immunity of a hidden village as a perfect legal front to covertly track down the Tailed Beasts, or even instigate localized wars to extract them.
In short... this concept was a massive masterstroke!
Obito, you've finally grown up!
You've actually learned how to utilize your own brain!
I am deeply gratified!
"Well? Compared to your uninspired idea of rounding up a bunch of destitute rogue ninja, isn't my strategy infinitely superior?" Obito inquired, his tone brimming with absolute self-assurance.
Black Zetsu let out a genuine, appreciative sigh. "It is indeed vastly superior. Your strategic vision is exceptional. We should immediately map out the granular details of this operation. I will have White Zetsu deploy his clones to Kirigakure to run an exhaustive intelligence sweep. The moment our data confirms the viability of the parameters, we strike!"
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