"Heh, don't worry," Obito said casually.

"Sooner or later, I'll make my move on Sand Village."

"When the time comes, I'll let you personally deal with the ones who betrayed you."

"You're really planning to do something... to Sand Village?" Pakura blinked in surprise, then asked,

"Can you tell me your plan? I mean...attacking one of the Five Great Nations isn't exactly a small thing."

"Hmm... fine," Obito nodded after a moment of silence, locking eyes with her.

"Look into my eyes."

The moment he said that, his Sharingan spun.

An illusion triggered just like the one Madara had once used on him and Pakura's consciousness was pulled into Obito's mindscape.

Then, Obito told Pakura about some of the secrets of the ninja world and his own plans.

This wasn't impulsive.

Obito had thought it through. Pakura was different from the others around him, she owed him a life, but that was it. She wasn't tied to anyone emotionally.

She wasn't like Yugao, shackled by childhood friend. Not like Chihori, who followed him for her daughter's sake.

And definitely not like Terumi Mei, who couldn't disobey for fear of her clan's safety.

She wasn't like Konan either, who placed her friends lives above all else.

Pakura had the freedom to walk away after paying her debt. And that was a problem.

If he wanted someone like her to stay, it would take more than threats. It would take an ideal.

A grand vision. A cause she could believe in.

A future she could fight for.

And, of course, the real leash...Obito's trump card.

The special item he'd given her during the healing? Yeah. That wasn't just medicine. If she ever betrayed him, he'd detonate her from across dimensions with a thought.

So sharing his plan wasn't a gamble. It was calculated.

If she agreed, great...she'd devote herself to the mission.

If she disagreed... well, she'd die before she finished the first syllable of rebellion.

A moment later, the illusion ended.

Pakura blinked and stumbled slightly as her mind returned to her body.

"..."

She stared at Obito, eyes wide.

Maniac.

That was the first word that popped into her head.

"Collect all the tailed beasts... destroy the Five Great Nations... unify the entire ninja world?" she muttered.

"That's insane."

"But it's beautiful, isn't it?" Obito replied calmly.

"Most of the wars in the ninja world today are caused by conflicts of interest between the major villages. But if we were all from the same country, all of us compatriots..."

Pakura found herself imagining it. A single nation. One army. One goal. No more shinobi wars. No more dying in foreign deserts or misty valleys.

A world without betrayal.

...It was beautiful.

"But still," she frowned, grounding herself.

"There's going to be war to make this happen. Countless people will die."

Obito just shrugged. "Aren't people already dying? Every day?"

He continued. "You can't reach peace without sacrifice. You know that. You were the sacrifice."

Pakura clenched her jaw. He wasn't wrong.

"But even if you succeed in unifying the nations... people won't accept it. Rebellion will follow."

"That's why I need the Ten Tails," Obito said flatly.

"There has to be overwhelming force. If they fear it, they won't resist. Fear first, peace later."

"If the ninja world is forced into stability, there'll be fewer orphans, fewer child soldiers, fewer broken families. Kids like I was... kids like you trained... they won't have to kill to live."

Pakura's lips pressed together.

"And if they still don't agree?" she asked quietly.

Obito's voice dropped into a cold smile. "Then they die. Let the next generation be raised in unity, without bias. And if not them...then the next. And the next after that."

"But over time, they'll adapt. People always do. Eventually, they'll understand that peace is far better than meaningless struggle."

After all, Obito's plan was very similar to Sasuke's before Naruto hit him with Talk no Jutsu.

Sasuke had also intended to use absolute force to control the Five Great Nations.

The difference was, Sasuke wanted to keep the existing system and rule from above.

Obito wanted to completely dismantle the system, erase the borders, and unify the entire world.

It was a difference in vision.

The truth was, people in this world had never experienced real unification so they didn't even have the concept of it.

He turned his gaze to the village in the distance, voice calm but resolute.

"I want the future. Not this generation. They're already broken."

"If I can build a unified ninja world, even if it takes 50 years, even if I have to kill 10,000 to save 100 million... I'll do it."

"It's going to take a long time." Obito smiled faintly.

"But I'm confident in my abilities. I know I can live long enough to see it through."

"And one day, even if someone comes along to shatter it... someone else will rise to restore it."

He glanced back at her.

"Well? Any questions?"

After a long while, Pakura came back to her senses from Obito's shocking words. She stared at him, her eyes wide.

"It's crazy... Hearing all this, I'm afraid that if I say 'no' now, you won't let me go."

"That's right," Obito calmly replied.

"Sure enough." Pakura shook her head helplessly.

Obito smiled faintly, then slowly spoke:

"You're someone I've taken a liking to. How could I let you slip from my grasp?"

"Now that you know my secret... I have every reason to tie you to my side forever."

"You... why are you saying it like that...?"

Hearing those words, Pakura's face suddenly flushed. She hurriedly turned away, hiding the heat rising on her cheeks.

After a moment of silence, she calmed the restlessness in her heart. Raising a hand, she tucked the loose hair behind her ear, then said quietly,

"You're right. It's a crazy plan... but it's beautiful."

"And honestly, with all these secrets in the ninja world... I'm starting to believe you really are Madara Uchiha."

As she spoke, Pakura turned back to look at him again. A soft smile played at the corners of her lips.

"Well then... please advise me from now on... Mr. Young Madara."

"Uhh..."

Obito was speechless.

Okay, maybe his Madara cosplay still needed work.

But it didn't matter, what mattered was that another tool was now firmly in his hands.

Of course... he hadn't told her everything.

Truth was, Obito's real goal wasn't to use the Ten Tails as a deterrent.

It was to devour it.

Because one day, this world would face a far greater threat: the Otsutsuki Clan.

He would use them as the ultimate excuse, the one enemy everyone could blame. He knew how human nature worked.

People forget old hatred in the face of a bigger threat. A shared enemy unites even lifelong enemies.

Just like in the anime.

Naruto achieved "peace" the same way by uniting the Five Great Nations against a common foe.

But even then... that so-called peace?

It was selective.

Only the five major villages benefited.

The smaller ones were still overlooked, still suffering.

Rain Village? Worse than ever.

Naruto had completely forgotten the promise he made to Nagato.

Kawaki's village? Just another victim, filled with human trafficking and dark dealings.

So... can peace built on the happiness of just five villages...

really be called peace?

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