Chapter 553: Only Uchiha Obito

Chapter 553: Chapter 553: Only Uchiha Obito

After returning home from the ANBU base, Kagami discovered an inconspicuous scroll that had appeared inside his house.

"Another contact scroll?"

His brows furrowed slightly as he thought to himself, "Tch, they come knocking every few days. Isn’t Akatsuki getting a little too impatient?"

Leisurely opening the scroll, Kagami discovered that it once again contained nothing but a set of coordinates.

After pondering for a moment, he decided to head to the designated location anyway.

Maintaining contact with Akatsuki would not only temporarily ensure Neji’s safety, but also allow him to gather intelligence on Akatsuki’s movements.

This had become particularly important now that Shinichi was under such strict surveillance that he could no longer pass intelligence to the outside.

Just like their previous contact, the coordinates pointed to a location near the village. Thus, it wasn’t long before Kagami quietly arrived at the designated meeting place.

Rustle, rustle...

Kagami had barely arrived when a rustling sound came from the bushes nearby.

Activating his Byakugan, he spotted a mass of chakra emerging from underground. The corners of his mouth curled upward as he chuckled inwardly.

"Heh, they’ve finally arranged for someone to meet me in person!"

The fact that Akatsuki had arranged for a contact to meet him meant that they had begun to place some trust in him.

This was undoubtedly a promising start.

In the blink of an eye, a white figure emerged from the bushes and entered Kagami’s field of vision.

The figure wore absolutely nothing. Its entire body consisted of white muscle tissue, which had a somewhat colloid-like appearance, lacking the distinct structure and definition of normal muscle tissue.

Without a doubt, this was one of White Zetsu’s specially created clones.

Kagami asked, "Who are you?"

The White Zetsu clone sized up Kagami before saying, "Hyuga Kagami, I’m your contact. You can call me Zetsu."

Kagami’s expression remained indifferent. "When are you going to give me what I asked for?"

Shrugging, the White Zetsu clone replied, "The organization was very dissatisfied with the intelligence you provided last time. If you want your reward, you’ll have to provide the organization with more valuable intelligence."

Kagami’s face darkened. "Are you playing games with me?"

"No, no, no..." Waving his hand, the White Zetsu clone continued, "We Akatsuki have always been fair. If you want a reward, you have to offer intelligence worthy of that reward in exchange. Last time, you said that only your village’s Hokage knows anything about Kamigami. Since that’s the case, you should find a way to obtain information about Kamigami directly from the Hokage—"

Swish...

A flash of sword light streaked through the air, and the White Zetsu clone’s right arm was severed at the shoulder, falling to the ground.

"You...!?"

The White Zetsu clone retreated two steps, staring at Kagami, who was holding a short sword, with a mixture of shock and uncertainty.

Slowly sliding the Kusanagimaru back into the sheath at his waist, Kagami said in a cold voice, "Who the hell do you think you are, daring to tell me what to do? Go back and tell that guy wearing the spiral mask that if he wants our cooperation to continue, he must release my disciple immediately! If Akatsuki can’t show me some sincerity, then don’t bother bringing up cooperation again!"

The White Zetsu clone had never expected Kagami to be so forceful. After a brief moment of stunned silence, he said, "Don’t forget, the intelligence scroll you handed over last time is still in our possession. Think carefully about what will happen to you if we hand that scroll over to the Hokage!"

Resting one hand on the hilt of the Kusanagimaru, Kagami replied coldly, "Threats won’t work on me. I know breaking the Caged Bird Seal won’t happen overnight, but releasing my disciple is a prerequisite for our cooperation. If you won’t even release my disciple, why should I believe in your sincerity? Why should I risk my neck for you?"

The White Zetsu clone was momentarily at a loss for words.

For Akatsuki, breaking off their cooperation was hardly the ideal outcome. Even if they eliminated Kagami, they would gain nothing from it. And if they tried to find another informant, not only would they risk alerting Konoha, but they would also encounter the same problems they were facing with Kagami.

"Fine. I’ll report your conditions to the organization. However, if you truly want to get rid of the Caged Bird Seal on your forehead, you must provide us with genuine, reliable intelligence. There is no room for negotiation on that point."

With that, the White Zetsu clone hurriedly sank into the ground without giving Kagami a chance to respond.

It couldn’t quite explain why, but whenever it faced Kagami, it always felt an inexplicable sense of unease. Moreover, it had the distinct impression that Kagami was nowhere near as unimpressive as Obito had made him out to be.

After confirming that the White Zetsu clone had left, Kagami stepped forward and picked up the right arm he had just severed from it.

His sudden attack earlier had actually been deliberate.

If he wanted Danzo to endure the Kekkei Genkai Fusion Ritual for longer and provide him with more extensive and detailed experimental data, he first needed to resolve the problems with Danzo’s body.

Although the right arm Danzo had currently transplanted possessed the ability to accept any transplanted organ without rejection, it was ultimately not his own flesh and blood. During the ritual, it would inevitably become an unpredictable variable.

The best way to remedy this flaw was to replace it with another right arm—one that could remain compatible with Danzo’s body.

Kagami had previously considered using the cellular tissue of a White Zetsu clone to cultivate a replacement right arm.

However, not only would that be time-consuming and labor-intensive, but it would also expose his cloning technology to Danzo and Orochimaru.

Thus, when he discovered that Akatsuki’s contact was a specially created White Zetsu clone, the idea of severing its right arm had naturally occurred to him.

Since Danzo had already transplanted First Hokage cells into his body, transplanting the White Zetsu clone’s right arm would pose no obstacle whatsoever. Furthermore, it could even strengthen his already aged physique.

However, figuring out how to get this right arm into Danzo’s hands would require Kagami to put some thought into it.

Fortunately, this place was very close to the village, and not far from Root’s new base either. All he needed to do was set up a simple scheme, and he could lead Root’s shinobi to discover this extraordinary right arm...

...

At another contact point.

Like Kagami, Itachi had also received a contact scroll from Akatsuki.

Worried about Sasuke’s safety, Itachi had arrived at the coordinates indicated in the scroll well ahead of time. Finding no Akatsuki contact waiting for him, he leaned against a large tree and quietly waited.

A short while later, the White Zetsu clone, which had just lost an arm to Kagami, finally appeared before Itachi in a rather sorry state.

Seeing that Akatsuki’s contact was not the mysterious man wearing a spiral mask who had introduced himself as Uchiha Madara last time, but instead a strange, entirely white figure missing its right arm, Itachi furrowed his brows.

The White Zetsu clone didn’t bother playing any mysterious games and went straight to the point.

"You can call me Zetsu. From now on, I’ll be responsible for contacting you. We’ve already begun investigating the intelligence you provided last time, but we need you to provide us with more suspects."

Itachi replied calmly, "As you requested, I went through the relevant records of my clan. Although quite a few clan members went missing during the Third Shinobi World War, their remains were subsequently discovered one after another, or there were eyewitnesses who could confirm their deaths."

He continued, "The only one who was officially classified as missing, whose life or death could not be determined, was Uchiha Obito. You’re already asking me to find more suspects so soon. Does that mean you’ve ruled him out as a suspect?"