HTP: Ch. 49

The sea sparkled under the moonlight, it was a beautiful night. Atop the mast of the Moby Dick, Itachi sat alone, holding a bottle of rum in his hand. Having spent many days in this world, he had grown increasingly fond of the sailors' drink here.

When one's will was numbed by alcohol, the torment inside always seemed to lessen a bit.

"Getting used to the taste?" Marco's voice came from nearby. He casually tossed his empty bottle into the sea; under the moonlight, the glass traced an arc before being swallowed by the waves.

"Better than I expected," Itachi replied calmly.

Marco walked up beside him and said, "The World Government sent people again to negotiate."

Itachi understood immediately. "But they still refuse to release Ace, right?"

Marco grinned. "Anything can be negotiated, except for releasing him. Seems they've made up their minds."

"But it's still valuable intel. At least with the news of an admiral attacking a Celestial Dragon getting out, the Marine's bound to be in chaos for a while."

Itachi said, "It's a heavy blow to the Marine's morale."

Marco sighed, a bit regretfully. "Tch. Too bad Kizaru didn't get discharged. Things would be a lot better if he had."

"He's one of their top forces, and with war looming, the timing makes it hard." Itachi shook his head. "The newspapers have already started casting doubt on the Celestial Dragon we have in custody. They're laying the groundwork for when negotiations break down."

Marco clicked his tongue. "Didn't expect Ace's identity to be this important."

"Gol D. Roger started this era," Itachi said calmly, taking a sip. "They want to end it with the blood of his son."

Marco was silent for a moment, then suddenly chuckled. "So stupid. A World Government like this doesn't deserve to end any era."

"As things stand, it looks like we'll have to fight a dangerous war in the end," Itachi said with a hint of resignation.

Marco laughed heartily. "Guess doing business with the Whitebeard Pirates isn't easy."

Itachi shook his head. "True. Few missions are this troublesome."

Marco looked curious. "You've had more troublesome ones?"

"Yes. I have."

He finished his drink with a gulp and tossed the bottle. Silence spread between them. From afar came the lively voices of crew members, mingling with the sound of waves striking the ship.

"If negotiations fail," Itachi broke the silence, "can we supplement our fighting strength?"

Marco shook his head. "The Whitebeard Pirates don't need anyone's help."

Itachi stared at him.

Marco gave in. "Okay, okay… among those qualified to fight, there aren't really any forces we can trust. Shanks might help, but his position is pretty ambiguous."

Itachi asked, "What about the remnants of Roger's old crew, could they assist?"

"Shanks himself came from Roger's ship," Marco said, taking a swig. "The others… they're either dead or hiding away somewhere, living out their retirement."

"Silvers Rayleigh," Itachi said softly.

That name made Marco pause mid-drink, eyes widening. "You're not even from this world, how do you know all this?"

That couldn't be explained. Itachi could only speak the truth. "Our mission intel from Konoha includes this information."

"Incredible." Marco thought for a moment and said, "No idea if he'd be willing to step in again, but we should send someone to reach out, just in case."

The night wind blew, filling the sails with sound. That matter settled, the two each uncorked another bottle, clinked them together, and moved on to other topics.

"The Haki training material you asked me to compile last time, I've finished organizing it."

"Thanks."

"Planning to take it back to your village?"

"Yeah."

"Looks like your village means a lot to you. I was actually hoping to invite you to stay once all this is over, haha."

At that, Marco swirled his bottle, paused, then teased, "By the way, remember that mermaid lady from last time? I heard she kept asking about you after you left."

Unwilling to continue that line of conversation, Itachi shifted back to serious matters. "Seems the Marine plans to livestream the execution."

Marco, now focused, replied with irritation, "Tch. Then let's execute the Celestial Dragon at the same time. I'll build a gallows on the ship tomorrow."

"That would mean total war, no room left for negotiation between the Whitebeard Pirates and the World Government."

"Hahaha, who cares about them. Cheers!"

---

"Obito! Obito, where are you?"

Obito had gone missing after their last encounter, and Black Zetsu was deeply worried about his mental state. Every time White Zetsu caught a trace of him, Obito vanished again shortly after.

At this point, Black Zetsu was like a desperate father searching the entire shinobi world for his lost child.

Don't fall apart, Obito. Stay strong… Black Zetsu thought. If you die, that's one thing, but what about my mother?

What did they do now? Jiraiya really was born to be a nuisance...

After much consideration, Black Zetsu realized there was only one viable path left to keep the plan going, he'd have to turn back to Nagato. He'd think up some story to convince him.

Black Zetsu sighed helplessly. Ever since Madara's death, the burden on him had become overwhelming.

Obito's erratic, disjointed plans were enough to drive anyone crazy. The Eye of the Moon Plan was perfectly fine, why did he always have to mess it up?

Don't think I don't know. You never even intended to revive Madara.

Black Zetsu's face darkened as he started resenting Madara too, Just look at the guy you picked. Typical Indra reincarnation, terrible judgment.

Just as he was preparing to dive underground again to go find Nagato, a spatial vortex appeared.

Obito emerged.

He removed his mask, revealing the grotesque scars stretching across half his face like a centipede crawling through the shadows.

"We're going to Konoha," he said. His voice sounded like it came from the depths of a grave. "To retrieve my other eye."

His eyes were ash-gray, his expression resolute. He was no longer the crazed youth obsessed with creating a world where Rin existed, nor the grim actor who played the role of Madara.

Now, he was a man completely resigned to despair, a failed player from the first run-through, eager to start a second.

To him, there was nothing worth lingering for in this world. It was time to activate the Eye of the Moon and begin again.

And since that was the case, Obito would sever his final karmic bond.

Black Zetsu thought, This guy really was a true Uchiha.

Out loud, he cheered, "You've finally come to your senses! Once the Eye of the Moon is realized, true peace will descend! All the sacrifices will be worth it!"