Thinking of this, a strange smile curled up under Hanzo's gas mask.
"Uchiha... Ri, is it? I can consider your proposal, but... it seems that Konoha is not the only one who wants to cooperate with me, hehehe."
Obito was not surprised that Danzo had already contacted Hanzo. That man loved scheming the most, so nothing he did would be unexpected.
However, precisely because Danzo enjoyed scheming, Obito didn't actually need to do much. With just a little guidance, the alliance between the two would naturally collapse.
He chuckled and said, "Lord Hanzo, you're talking about Danzo, right? He doesn't have good intentions in working with you."
Hanzo glanced at Obito, who was disguised as a white-haired Uchiha, his gaze seemingly saying, As if you all have good intentions.
He spoke, "Good or bad intentions, he has promised me many benefits. If you want to outbid him, your offer doesn't seem enough."
Obito cursed Hanzo as an old fox in his heart. Clearly, he was planning to reap the benefits while Danzo and they fought.
However, Hanzo had miscalculated. Obito's core objective in coming to Amegakure was the Akatsuki; meeting Hanzo was just a casual side event. If Hanzo insisted on causing trouble, he would make Amegakure return to the embrace of Akatsuki.
So, he spoke frankly, "Lord Hanzo, what we Uchiha can offer is one hundred million ryō and the friendship of the Uchiha clan. If you want more, then congratulations. May you and Lord Danzo have a happy partnership."
"Of course, I'll also remind you, some people love to make empty promises, offering many benefits in words, but when it comes to actually fulfilling them, how much will you really get?"
"At the very least, we can guarantee that once we form an alliance, we will not betray our allies. If our allies are in trouble, we will do everything within our power to help them..."
Hanzo was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected this Uchiha to be so... straightforward, directly laying out everything they could offer, with a take-it-or-leave-it attitude.
It was nothing like dealing with Danzo, who had gone back and forth so many times, constantly probing each other's limits.
However, Hanzo, being a veteran from the ancient times, had a deep understanding of the Uchiha.
So, this kind of behavior was very Uchiha-like.
Honestly, compared to cooperating with the old schemer Danzo, the Uchiha were indeed more straightforward.
Having made his calculations, Hanzo maintained his composure and asked, "Do you think Danzo will betray me?"
Obito sneered, "A sinister man like Danzo flips faces faster than flipping pages. Lord Hanzo, if you don't believe me, when you meet Danzo, watch closely and see if he tries to kill your men."
"We'll wait and see."
With his past life's experience, Obito knew very well what Danzo would do after coming to Amegakure.
Kill Hanzo's people and frame the Akatsuki.
Honestly, this kind of scheme wasn't even that clever. A little investigation would expose the truth.
Hanzo probably knew this in his past life too but didn't want to lose Konoha as an ally.
But now, he had more options.
No one liked the feeling of being backstabbed by an ally. Danzo's promised benefits might be great, but Hanzo also had to consider whether he could actually receive them, right?
Hanzo nodded, pondered for a moment, then said, "That's not something you Uchiha need to worry about. I've understood your stance; you may return and report now."
Obito stood up and cupped his fists slightly toward Hanzo, "Then, Lord Hanzo, I'll take my leave."
After saying that, he turned around to leave.
However, Hanzo suddenly appeared beside Obito in a flash, whispering a warning in his ear, "Next time you come, submit a formal visit request to Amegakure. Otherwise, I will treat you as an intruder."
"Don't blame me for being ruthless."
Obito was slightly startled, Hanzo's Body Flicker Technique was indeed fast. As expected of a former "Demi-God."
Though he could handle it, there was no need to make a move. Since Hanzo chose this method to warn and threaten him, he might as well comply with Hanzo's wishes.
He pretended to have just realized the situation, a bead of cold sweat appearing on his forehead, and respectfully said, "I... understand, Lord Hanzo."
Hanzo seemed quite satisfied with Obito's attitude. He patted Obito's shoulder and said, "The Sharingan is indeed powerful, but it hasn't reached the point of ignoring everything. The ninja world is vast, with countless strong warriors. Put away your arrogance."
After speaking, Hanzo turned his back and walked away.
Uchiha Obito watched his retreating figure, maintaining his self-importance, but inwardly, he was madly mocking him, 'Yo, acting all high and mighty now? Have you forgotten how you'll be beaten up by Pain in the future?'
———
After meeting Hanzo, Obito found a secluded place, entered the Kamui space, and used it to teleport to the rendezvous point with Minato's squad.
Since the location wasn't too far from Amegakure, the chakra consumption for teleportation wasn't too high.
Recently, as more of Hashirama's cells fused within him, the cost of using his Mangekyō Sharingan's abilities was getting lower and lower.
When Obito arrived at the destination, he didn't see Minato's squad yet. However, they were operating nearby, and he immediately sensed three Flying Thunder God marks, left on Minato-sensei, Rin, and Kakashi.
So, in the next second, he activated Flying Thunder God and appeared at the Seventh Squad's location.
At this moment, the Seventh Squad was stationed on a cliff in a gorge, monitoring the Kumo and Suna camps below.
Minato had also sensed the Flying Thunder God mark on Obito, so he wasn't surprised at all when Obito teleported in.
He simply smiled and asked, "Obito, is everything settled?"
Obito nodded, "I've already spoken with Yahiko. He accepted Chief Fugaku's one hundred million ryō funding and also promised that as long as we uphold Jiraiya-sama's values, they will align with us in the future."
Minato smiled, "Then it's completely settled. As expected of my junior brother."
After a brief pause, Minato looked at Obito, "So, Obito, did you join the Akatsuki?"
Obito blinked, "Yeah, I did."
He even raised his hand and showed his fingers with a bitter smile, "I had no choice but to apply the Akatsuki's signature nail polish."
Rin immediately noticed the deep purple nail polish on Obito's fingers and curiously asked, "Joining the Akatsuki requires nail polish? That's weird. But, Obito, why did you choose the same color as the paint on my face?"
Obito showed a nostalgic smile.
"In my past life, I picked this color myself. Back then, all Akatsuki members had to wear it. This time, Konan-nee also used the exact same color. Maybe it's telepathy."
"Konan-nee?", Rin immediately caught onto the name.
She glared at Obito, "Obito, you didn't deceive some innocent girl again, did you?"
However, seeing that Obito had chosen the same color as the markings on her face, she felt warm inside.
Obito awkwardly said, "Rin, Konan is also a kind girl, just like you. But her 'Obito' isn't me. It's Yahiko."
"In my past life, I personally killed her to take Nagato's Rinnegan. This time, calling her 'nee-san' is my way of making amends."
Rin's face turned slightly red, "What do you mean 'her Obito'? That's nonsense!"
Then, she punched Obito.
Sensing the incoming fist, Obito quickly phased through it.
BOOM!
The tree behind him was smashed in half.
Obito tensed up. If that punch had landed, would he have needed Rin to take care of him for the rest of his life?
Thinking about it... that didn't seem so bad.
He suddenly regretted phasing through it.
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