"You want the Terumi family to live... fine. Let it be the reward for this commission," said the Fourth Mizukage as he emerged from the shadows, voice flat.

"However, they must leave the Mist Hidden Village as traitors. Leave the Land of Water, and never return."

Terumi Jun looked at the Fourth Mizukage, stunned.

But then relief. A flicker of joy flashed in his eyes. A spark of hope.

"Then I have to thank you, Mizukage-sama, for your generosity." Obito put on his best fake gratitude face and bowed slightly.

Then, turning back to the girl still pinned before him, he continued:

"See? The things I promised aren't that hard to deliver... now what's your choice?"

"I..."

Terumi Mei's gaze dimmed, her eyes slightly red.

For the first time in her life, she was being forced like this.

For the first time, completely and utterly crushed.

And for the first time… powerless. No hope in sight. No strength to resist.

Her pride, trampled under the boot of the masked man in front of her.

"I... promise you."

Her voice came slowly, blank, as if that one line drained all her remaining strength.

"Wise choice."

"Well… after all, better to live than to die."

"Doesn't matter how many dreams you have for the future, how big your ambitions are, how many people are waiting on you..."

"When you're dead, none of it means shit."

"So..."

Obito bent down and pinched her chin with one hand, tilting her face up to meet his eyes.

"I want you to remember...don't even think about suicide. Don't try to die on purpose."

"You're my tool now. That means your life belongs to me."

"If you die without my permission... well, then your dear father and your whole clan? They'll be buried with you. I promise you that much."

"Do you understand?" Obito asked lightly, his Sharingan burning into her eyes.

The girl looked up, trembling. That blood-red glow under the moonlight made her insides freeze.

"I... I understand."

"Good!" Obito smiled, releasing her chin and straightening his back before turning to Terumi Jun.

"So... got any objections?"

"..."

Silence for a beat. Then Terumi Jun exhaled deeply and bowed.

"My lord."

Obito watched as he bowed his head and bent over.

Seeing him so understanding, Obito gave a satisfied nod.

He turned to glance at the Fourth Mizukage.

Hmph... my Talk No Jutsu's getting close to Naruto-level, he thought, pleased.

"Then Mizukage, I'll leave the rest to you."

"The Terumi clan must leave the main island of the Land of Water within a day. After that, out of the country."

"When I return to the village, I'll suppress the pursuit."

The Fourth Mizukage simply nodded, turning to leave.

The Terumi clan had to go. That was unavoidable.

In the character Obito had written for the Fourth Mizukage, ruthlessness was non-negotiable. Anyone who resisted him was erased without hesitation.

And if an entire ninja clan openly rebelled yet got to stick around untouched? That'd be way too suspicious.

Plus, by now the Mist Village had probably caught wind that something was off.

Thinking this through, Obito released the seal on Terumi, letting her move freely again.

"Now, head back immediately. Take your people and sail to the South Island."

"I'll arrange your next stop from there."

(The South Island was where Base 2 was located—yes, he made up that name.)

"Yes."

The father and daughter nodded without choice.

Then Obito gave them one last look.

"And don't even think about running."

"There are very few places in this world that I can't find, just so we're clear."

As soon as he finished speaking, the space around him started to warp.

"Wait!" Terumi Mei called out suddenly, just as Obito was about to vanish.

"Tell me… your name!"

"...Uchiha... Madara."

With that, his figure completely disappeared leaving only that single name echoing through the woods.

Madara Uchiha?!

Both father and daughter stared wide-eyed at the empty spot he'd just vanished from, disbelief frozen on their faces.

A moment later, Obito reappeared on the original battlefield and returned to Base 2 with Yugao, who was still waiting, and the scroll packed with corpses.

Now came the logistics: where would the Terumi clan go?

The Land of Grass?

Hmm… no good. Not under his control.

There was only one base there, and you couldn't expect a whole clan kids, elderly, civilians to live in a goddamn cave.

Also, the Land of Grass was too high-profile.

A sudden influx of an entire ninja clan? People would notice. Too risky.

The Land of Rain?

Hell no. That was Akatsuki HQ.

And it wasn't even fully his yet...Nagato was still in control. Until Obito replaced or killed him and fully took over, that wasn't an option either.

He sighed.

Guess he needed a new base. One fully under his thumb, where the Terumi clan could be locked down safely, of course.

Not because he gave a damn about them.

No, it was all about her.

From start to finish, Terumi Mei was the only one who mattered.

The members of the Terumi clan...

They weren't just her family.

They were the shackles that bound Terumi Mei... the perfect tools to control her.

Unlike that cold bastard Uchiha Itachi, Terumi Mei couldn't just turn her back on her clan and slaughter them for some greater cause. That was her weakness.

And as long as the Terumi clan remained under Obito's control, so did she.

She wouldn't have the guts to go against him.

She'd obey. And he could do whatever the fuck he wanted with her.

Thinking this, Obito leaned back in his study, thinking quietly.

Then...an idea.

"Zetsu," he called out.

A white Zetsu popped out from the wall.

"Yo, Obito! Wassup?"

Zetsu was clearly learning a little too much from Obito lately.

"Got any recent intel on the Land of Snow?" Obito asked calmly.

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