Naruto: The Abstract Strategist of the Akatsuki

Obito was planning to trick Naruto, but despite the trickery, the information he needed to share was still with Naruto.

It's not that Obito has been influenced and actually become a good person, but rather that if he suddenly stops talking or fabricates illogical false information, it will be easily seen through, and he will end up losing more than he gains.

Moreover, letting Naruto know the information first, knowing exactly what will happen, and then letting him fall into the abyss, that is true despair.

That's right.

At this moment, Obito, just like Obito in the Fourth Shinobi World War in the original work, desperately wanted Naruto, whom Kakashi described as "like himself," to experience the same despair as him.

This kind of mentality is actually quite normal.

Like many traitors, he will spare no effort to hope that others will betray him as well.

Only in this way can they find solace and feel that "I am not alone" and "my choice was right".

If Obito were a Thanos-like villain, he would only need to quietly pursue his goals and wouldn't need to waste time and energy trying to gain recognition from others.

Ultimately, he is still the same Obito Uchiha who longed for recognition in his youth, even though what he does now is completely different from what he did before.

"Naruto, do you know what this place is called?"

"Kusagakure? What's wrong?"

"That's right, this place is Kusagakure in the Land of Grass, but did you know? A long time ago, this place was actually called the Land of Coffins, the 'coffin' in 'coffin'."

"Huh? A coffin?"

Naruto shuddered upon hearing this.

Although he was a ruthless killer, he inherited the original's memories, so apart from his different choices in dealing with others, everything else was the same.

Therefore, Dark Naruto also has a fear of ghosts and monsters.

Most importantly, he himself is Naruto's dark side. If he can exist, then why can't demons exist?

"Are Karin and Furutae both dead? Is this place actually a mass grave?"

When Naruto heard Obito mention this, he immediately made a connection.

"No."

Obito shook his head. "You're guessing the wrong way. What I mean is, this place was renamed the Land of Grass, the Hidden Grass Village. Don't you realize why they changed its name?"

"Because there's a lot of grass here?"

Naruto answered tentatively.

if not?

"wrong."

"Because everyone who comes here knows mugwort."

"?"

A question mark appeared above Naruto's head.

What does it mean?

Is this the grass in Kusagakure Village?

That's not right either.

"Even if Kusagakure has such a custom, with our current strength, are we afraid of them using force?"

Naruto asked, puzzled.

He had a feeling that Karin was suspicious, but he still chose to enter Kusagakure for food, which showed his confidence in his own strength.

So what exactly is Obito afraid of?

Is there some unspoken information?

"You're oversimplifying things, Naruto. This place was renamed in ancient times. If it weren't for Black Zetsu's memories, outsiders would have no way of knowing about it."

What happened in ancient times?

"Alright, I'll tell you the whole story."

"The incident occurred sometime after the death of the Sage of Six Paths. After the death of the Sage of Six Paths, the whole world was in mourning, and everyone came to pay their respects."

The people of the Coffin Country came to oversee the funeral of the Sage of Six Paths.

According to the Sage of Six Paths' last wishes, his body should be cremated, a task entrusted to the people of the Land of Coffins.

However, one of the people in the Land of Coffins harbored greed and, during the cremation, secretly and selfishly hid a portion of the Sage of Six Paths' remains.

After the funeral ceremony was completed, the man took this part of the remains back to the Land of Coffins.

He wanted to gain immense power through this, thereby conquering the ninja world and becoming a powerful being like the Sage of Six Paths.

But figuring out how to use this part of the body proved difficult for the man.

Is it to eat it directly, or transplant it, or some other method?

He decided to start by trying the simplest method.

After all, if it's about eating or transplantation, once it fails, there's no going back...

"Did that person steal a piece of the Sage of Six Paths' flesh?"

Naruto seemed to understand something. "So, this place is actually dangerous because someone here possesses the power of the Sage of Six Paths?"

"It's not about a piece of meat, it's about style."

"?"

"Otherwise, why do you think this place was renamed Kusagakure (Grass Hidden Village)?"

Obito rolled his eyes at Naruto and continued his lecture.

"That person discovered that the Sage of Six Paths' body had a very strong life force. As long as it was given some offerings and absorbed some kinetic energy and chakra, it could produce Hero's Water, which could enhance a person's strength."

Furthermore, this heroic water can bring bountiful harvests to the land and accelerate the reproduction of livestock.

So, that person found a few people who were loyal to him, and sacrificed them to the body of the Sage of Six Paths, thus gaining initial wealth.

After his strength increased, he took control of the entire Coffin Country and renamed it the Grass Country.

The Hero's Water of the neighboring Takigakure Village is actually just a deceptive facade left behind by that person.

That way, if a crisis occurs and the village is invaded and plundered, it will be Takigakure Village that suffers.

The source actually lies in Kusagakure.

"So that sacrifice refers to...?"

Naruto asked tentatively.

"It's the one you're thinking of."

Obito gave his approval.

"?!"

Naruto instinctively covered his back with both hands.

"The person who is sacrificed will have their chakra drained. Even if they don't die, they will become an idiot who only knows how to say 'oh ho'."

Furthermore, the stronger the person being sacrificed, the more Hero's Water is produced.

It is said that the First Hokage, who should have lived a long life, was lonely and isolated after Madara's death. As a result, the village chief of Kusagakure took advantage of his vulnerability and "given" the status of the Sage of Six Paths to the First Hokage.

After the First Hokage used it, a large amount of his chakra was absorbed, and he became a person who only knew how to say "oh ho". After being discovered by Mito Uzumaki, he painfully killed her.

The Hero's Water, which absorbed the First Hokage's chakra, brought decades of good weather and abundant harvests to Kusagakure.

Only now has the village of Kusagakure begun to experience drought and food shortages.

I reasonably suspect that the two of them want to use you and me as new sacrifices so that the Sage of Six Paths can produce more Heroic Water!

Obito revealed the truth that had been hidden for many years, which directly shocked Naruto.

He only knew that the ninja world was dark, but he didn't expect it to be this dark.

"My dad's so promiscuous, could he have been sacrificed too?"

Naruto suddenly thought of Minato Namikaze.

"Uh, that's probably natural."

Obito's lips twitched slightly.

"So, Obito-san, you mean those two drank the Hero's Water and their strength was enhanced? But why did they make us drink it too?"

Naruto raised a question.

"No, they haven't drunk it."

Obito shook his head. "Naruto, have you ever thought about what the founder of Kusagakure's original wish was when he stole the Sage of Six Paths' body? It was to gain power and conquer the ninja world."

He has indeed gained strength; consuming the Hero's Water can indeed enhance one's power. So why is he still hiding in a corner of Kusagakure?