Orochimaru: "..."
Did he hear that right?
This guy actually wants to settle things with Uchiha Itsuki?
Hmm, no, that's not wrong. He's about to get settled!
Orochimaru couldn't think of any other outcome.
Seriously!?
So what if you have the Rinnegan?
As the most mad scientist in the shinobi world, Orochimaru had already hypothesized about Uchiha Itsuki's power.
Itsuki's power was absolutely unique.
No one could compare.
Even though it's the Rinnegan, with Orochimaru's knowledge, he had noticed that there's a subtle connection between the Rinnegan and the Sharingan.
So, your Rinnegan might not necessarily overpower Itsuki's Sharingan.
Where do you get the confidence to think you can challenge Uchiha Itsuki?
The Rinnegan isn't as invincible as you imagine!
Otherwise...
Would I, Orochimaru, dare to stand in front of you?
Do you think I'm reckless?
Still, if Obito wanted to give it a shot, Orochimaru didn't mind either. He'd be happy to observe the Rinnegan's limits against Itsuki.
Even if Itsuki died, or if White Zetsu and the others failed, it wouldn't matter.
After all, Orochimaru wasn't particularly invested in the Moon's Eye Plan.
He was simply too bored.
Yeah, just bored.
How could he pass up being part of such a major event in the shinobi world?
A shinobi world war, with so many gathered to fight one person.
The thought alone got Orochimaru excited.
So, he immediately joined in.
Truthfully, he didn't care much for the Moon's Eye.
"Fine!"
Orochimaru grinned and said, "Obito-kun, since that's your wish, let me help you fulfill it."
He formed hand seals and gave another command to the reanimated ninjas.
"Hmph!"
Obito snorted and turned to leave.
"Heh heh!"
Orochimaru chuckled quietly, saying, "Zetsu, this must be hard for you."
"Hmph!"
Zetsu gave a cold snort and slowly sank into the ground.
Orochimaru didn't care at all that he hadn't gathered more information. He simply watched Zetsu's departure thoughtfully.
Of all the Akatsuki members, the one Orochimaru most wanted to study was Zetsu.
He was incredibly curious about Zetsu's composition.
Orochimaru really wanted to lay him out on a dissection table and examine him thoroughly.
Zetsu definitely wasn't a normal human being.
Kakuzu was odd, sure.
Hidan too.
Even Sasori.
They were unique, but there were clues to follow.
Zetsu, though, left Orochimaru completely puzzled.
What was he?
What kind of creature was he?
"Captain Fugaku!"
A Hyuga shinobi with Byakugan suddenly caught up with Fugaku, shouting, "There's a large amount of chakra approaching!"
Fugaku glanced at the shinobi and asked, "White Zetsu?"
"No, it doesn't seem like it!"
The Hyuga shinobi, surprisingly, began to sweat.
Trembling, he added, "A lot of powerful chakra, and some of it feels... familiar. I've confirmed one—Hyuga Hizashi-sama!"
Fugaku's face darkened.
The Hyuga Byakugan user in front of him was one of the rare sensory ninja from the Hyuga clan.
Byakugan combined with sensory skills had made him a valuable asset for Konoha.
Before they set out, Fugaku had scolded this shinobi several times for not appearing earlier and had even used his authority as captain to forcibly bring him along.
So Fugaku trusted his judgment.
But Hyuga Hizashi was already dead.
So!
It's the Reanimation Jutsu, then?
Fugaku's expression became serious as he came to an abrupt halt, shouting, "Everyone, stop! We are about to encounter reanimated shinobi up ahead!"
Reanimation Jutsu?
The advance team looked grim.
They were no strangers to how troublesome reanimated shinobi could be.
Itsuki had trained them early on, teaching them how to handle reanimated enemies.
In one word: You can't kill them. You have to seal them!
"Seal squad, get ready!"
Fugaku shouted loudly.
Immediately, more than fifty ninjas stepped forward.
Fugaku was very satisfied.
Over half of these ninjas were from Fire Shadow Village.
After founding Fire Shadow Village, Itsuki had ordered the Uchiha clan to focus on increasing their combat power, while other ninjas concentrated on developing their sealing and sensory skills.
As a result, in just a few short years, the village had produced a large number of sensory and sealing ninjas.
Now was the perfect time to use them.
Fugaku was certain that Itsuki had long anticipated facing reanimated enemies, which is why he had ordered the ninjas to master sealing and sensory techniques.
It was said that Itsuki himself was a highly skilled sensory and sealing ninja.
Thud, thud, thud!
The sound of footsteps approached.
A large number of ninjas appeared in front of the advance team.
Many were unfamiliar faces, but there were a few that looked familiar.
When Fugaku saw those faces and noted their eyes, he confirmed his suspicions.
"Reanimation Jutsu!"
Fugaku snorted coldly, a trace of anger in his eyes.
Among the reanimated figures, he saw several Uchiha clan elders.
"Fugaku?"
The reanimated Uchiha looked at Fugaku in surprise, then glanced at the people behind him, finally fixing their gaze on the symbol on Fugaku's forehead protector.
This symbol...
An X?
Which village was this?
It seemed even more laid-back than Konoha.
Also!
Wasn't the Uchiha clan part of Konoha?
Why had the emblem changed?
"Greetings to all of you!"
Fugaku bowed slightly and said, "You are my elders, and some of you..."
One of them was even related to him by blood.
"You should be aware of your current state, so let me send you on your way."
Fugaku's voice was completely emotionless.
"You brat!"
One of the reanimated Uchiha shouted angrily, "Fugaku, are you crazy? How dare you attack us?"
"You're the crazy one!"
Another reanimated Uchiha turned to scold him, "Why wouldn't he? You're just a walking corpse now. Are you still going to follow orders? Don't you have any shame?"
"Well…"
"Attack!"
Fugaku didn't bother with more talk.
No matter what they said, it wasn't going to change his mind.
They had to be sealed!
"Charge!"
"Attack!"
The advance team rushed forward immediately.
Their hands formed seals rapidly.
"Fire Release…"
"Earth Release…"
"Wind Release…"
Boom!!!
Countless jutsu flew towards the reanimated ninjas.
The reanimated shinobi launched their counterattack right away.
Anyone chosen by Orochimaru for this jutsu had at least jōnin-level skills.
Even if they weren't quite there, they possessed unique abilities.
However.
Faced with the elite forces of the six great villages, the reanimated shinobi were caught off guard.
Mainly because the reanimation reduces a person's power compared to their original self.
Their reactions were also slower.
But still.
Their advantages were immortality and infinite chakra.
However, in this first clash, those advantages didn't count for much, since none of the shinobi lacked chakra at the moment.
Everyone was at full strength.
As for immortality...
Boom!!!
After one round of attacks, dozens of reanimated shinobi were destroyed on the spot.
"Seal them!"
Immediately, the sealing ninjas moved in, skillfully sealing away the dozens of enemies.
They had practiced this many times before.
"Well done!"
Fugaku shouted.
A decisive first victory!
Out of around 400 reanimated ninjas, they had sealed about one-tenth of them in one go!
"Charge!"
Fugaku let out a loud shout, and his eyes transformed into the Sharingan.
It wasn't that he didn't want to use the Mangekyō Sharingan.
That technique consumed too much, and the cost was too high.
After this battle, he might even go blind.
But even with just the regular three-tomoe Sharingan, Fugaku was confident that his power wouldn't fall short of any Kage-level opponent.
...
"Clack!"
At that moment, Orochimaru was sitting in front of a game board, scattered with hundreds of pieces.
Suddenly, three or four dozen of those pieces shattered right before his eyes.
Even Orochimaru couldn't help but furrow his brow.
Over forty of his Edo Tensei ninjas were destroyed in an instant?!
"I see now!"
Orochimaru chuckled darkly. "Itsuki, it's you, isn't it? You've been preparing all along to deal with my Edo Tensei ninjas."
He began to reflect.
Ever since he had mastered the Edo Tensei jutsu, he had grown somewhat arrogant.
As long as he had enough corpses, he believed he could overturn the entire ninja world.
Even Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha were no longer a threat in his eyes. They were still just people, not gods. Their power would eventually run out.
But now...
This time, Uchiha Itsuki had taught him a hard lesson.
It turns out, things weren't as simple as he had thought.
With the right preparation, even the top-level Edo Tensei ninjas were no big deal.
And furthermore...
Orochimaru was certain that after today, the corpses of any fallen ninjas would be tampered with.
At the very least, they would make sure he couldn't summon them.
The most brutal method? Simply destroying the bodies.
Orochimaru believed that even those destroyed wouldn't want their corpses to be manipulated, especially when it involved their very souls.
"Indeed, it's unwise to rely too much on a single jutsu."
Orochimaru muttered to himself.
This battle had taught him that lesson. Even if he backed out now, he believed the knowledge he gained was more than enough.
As for the Eye of the Moon Plan...
Orochimaru pondered.
What are you really trying to do?
...
By now, the battlefield had shifted once again.
After the first wave of attacks, the vanguard ninjas were all standing by, awaiting orders from Uchiha Fugaku.
Then!
They witnessed something they would never forget for the rest of their lives.
Countless explosive tags!
Literally countless explosive tags!
They fluttered through the sky like snowflakes, raining down from above.
Every single one of those explosive tags landed in the area where the Edo Tensei ninjas were gathered.
Escape?
Impossible!
There were just too many of them.
It was a total barrage.
BOOM!
The explosions started, one after another, without pause.
The ground shook.
Dust spread through the air.
Even the vanguard ninjas instinctively began to retreat.
Fugaku stood silent in the face of the relentless explosions.
Unless he resorted to forbidden techniques, using both eyes at once, he knew that even he would be reduced to nothing but bones in the midst of such intense blasts.
Susanoo?
Heh!
Even Susanoo would be blown to pieces.
...
At the command center.
The giant water orb trembled.
Several of the Kage and their aides stood up, their faces serious.
"So many explosive tags?"
Onoki glanced at Itsuki. "Is this the work of that Konan ninja?"
Konan's abilities were no secret anymore.
Itsuki had used explosive tag bombardments more than once, so everyone was familiar with this tactic by now.
"The Angel of Amegakure!"
Itsuki didn't hide it. "Next time you all decide to visit Amegakure, think about it carefully. The Angel can fly. What if she drops a rain like this on your village?"
Everyone fell silent.
Even the Raikage.
No village could withstand a bombardment like that.
A few powerful individuals might escape, but what about the village itself?
Ninety percent of the population wouldn't be able to flee in time.
Even Deidara, who loved explosions, closed his mouth at the sight of such a display.
He used ninjutsu, but Konan had tools.
Money!
Influence!
This was a completely different level.
Ninjutsu drained chakra, but what did explosive tags use?
Mei Terumi suddenly spoke up, "First the Uchiha vanguard and the sealing ninjas, and now Angel Konan. Commander, it seems you've put a lot of thought into this battle."
Kirigakure and Konohagakure were allies.
Mei's words had to be taken with a grain of salt by the Raikage and Tsuchikage.
But still!
It was an undeniable fact.
Itsuki had played a crucial role in this skirmish.
If nothing unexpected happened, he would have an even greater impact going forward.
"This is nothing!"
Itsuki smiled. "I just want to show you all that I'm taking this battle seriously. I hope you do the same and don't hold us back."
"Kumogakure will not!"
The Raikage replied coldly, "We have our pride."
"Iwagakure as well!"
Mifune raised his voice, "We are samurai, and we have our samurai spirit!"
In just two brief rounds of combat, the hidden tensions among the higher-ups of the various villages had begun to ease.
As for the regular ninjas...
Itsuki wasn't Gaara, giving grand speeches. He only knew how to fight.
If they didn't listen, he would cut them down.
If he cut down a few thousand, they'd naturally fall in line.
...
No one knew how much time had passed, but the explosions finally stopped.
The vanguard seized the moment and rushed in.
The smoke hadn't even cleared.
Many ninjas were fighting purely by instinct.
The sealing ninjas followed closely behind.
Various sealing techniques were unleashed.
In the blink of an eye, another hundred or two Edo Tensei ninjas were sealed, while the remaining ones struggled desperately against the vanguard.
It was only a matter of time before the rest were sealed.
Watching from the shadows, a pair of furious eyes burned with rage.
Uchiha Obito!
He was hiding, observing.
Initially, he believed the Edo Tensei army would win.
After all, there were hundreds of Edo Tensei ninjas, many of them high-level jonin, each with unique abilities, unlimited chakra, and immortal bodies.
How could they possibly lose?
Yet, they had.
In just a few rounds, the enemy had sealed them up.
"Orochimaru, that useless fool!"
(End of chapter)