"Haven't you talked enough?" Just as the two Kuramas were chatting happily, a cold voice suddenly cut in from the side.
The two Kuramas turned their heads instinctively and saw Orochimaru standing next to Minato. His face carried that creepy, cold smile, and he looked full of pride, like someone who had just come back to life.
The light Kurama frowned. "It really is you, you creepy snake."
Orochimaru just shrugged without saying anything.
The dark Kurama clicked his tongue and looked at Orochimaru beside him. "I really don't get why you'd team up with Madara. You know about the Infinite Tsukuyomi, right? That dream world thing completely goes against your goals."
Orochimaru's dream was to learn all jutsu and live forever.
Sure, the Infinite Tsukuyomi would create a perfect world where Orochimaru could achieve that dream—but someone like him should know there's a big difference between working toward a goal and just having it handed to you in a dream.
I mean, when players turn on god mode in a single-player game and go full power, how many of them actually play more than a hundred hours?
Orochimaru just doesn't seem like the type who enjoys being unbeatable.
That's why the dark Kurama couldn't figure him out.
But Orochimaru clearly wasn't planning to explain. He just smiled and said, "I don't need you to remind me what my goals are. It's time to get back to business. Your little chat should be over."
The dark Kurama clicked his tongue, annoyed.
The light Kurama looked at Orochimaru and added with a mocking smile, "I didn't expect you to side with Madara, but you're not thinking you can beat me with just the Gedo Statue, are you? Or are you planning to somehow create a Ten-Tails out of thin air without Shukaku?"
To bring back the Ten-Tails, you need to seal all the tailed beasts from One to Nine inside the Gedo Statue in order. But Shukaku hasn't been caught yet, and even if you add up all the others, they still wouldn't stand a chance against Kurama.
In this situation, not even Orochimaru could do anything. Heck, even the Sage of Six Paths would have trouble.
...Okay, to be fair, the Sage could still probably beat up Kurama.
He is his dad, after all.
"This really isn't something a tailed beast like you should worry about," Orochimaru said with a sneer, then formed a hand sign.
A white tube suddenly rose from the Gedo Statue's head and, to the surprise of the Kuramas, stabbed right into the back of Orochimaru's neck. In the next moment, the Gedo Statue—
—let out a deafening roar, like a machine fueled up and ready to go.
"He's actually using his own chakra to fuel the Gedo Statue?" The light Kurama was stunned.
He had thought this Orochimaru was just a clone or something. But now… this guy was the real deal?
Using his own chakra to power the Gedo Statue—just like Nagato did the first time he summoned it—makes the statue way harder to take control of, and it even gets stronger depending on how much chakra the user has.
But the price? The Gedo Statue drains chakra like crazy—so much that even Nagato couldn't handle it for long.
So where's Orochimaru getting the chakra to keep this up?
Something's not right with this guy! Both Kuramas thought of that at the same time. No matter why Orochimaru was working with Madara, it was obvious he had discovered something from studying him.
"If you can control the Gedo Statue, that means you have a Rinnegan too, don't you? Is it Madara's?" the dark Kurama asked, crossing his arms and staring at Orochimaru. "You're the one who put that Rinnegan genjutsu on me, right?"
If he weren't tied down by Edo Tensei and the Rinnegan genjutsu, he would've already blasted Orochimaru with a Tailed Beast Bomb.
But Orochimaru didn't seem the least bit stressed as the Gedo Statue drained him. He smiled and turned toward the dark Kurama. "It's not your turn to act. Minato, it's all up to you now."
Just as he said that, the dark Kurama's eyes suddenly widened. A powerful wave of eye power hit him, and his eyes turned into Rinnegan. He lost control and slumped down inside his inner world.
Mito took over his body again, and the moment she appeared, she shouted toward the light Kurama, "Kurama! He's after you! He wants to use your—"
"So noisy." Orochimaru formed another hand sign. Minato, who stood next to him, instantly shut up. His face was full of struggle, but he couldn't say a single word.
Lowering his hand, Orochimaru said with a bit of surprise, "Still, I didn't think you'd figure out my plan just from the current situation. You really do know me well, Minato."
Minato kept his mouth shut, holding back his frustration, but he couldn't say a word.
Kurama frowned as he watched, staying alert. "In this entire ninja world,"
"the person I should be most careful with isn't Uchiha Madara or Black Zetsu—it's you, Orochimaru."
"You always manage to come up with something unexpected."
To be honest, everyone knows how smart and skilled Orochimaru is. The saying "Uncle Snake holds the keys to advanced science" isn't just a joke.
If this guy ever got his hands on the Ten-Tails, who knows what he could come up with. Kurama even felt that, without Uchiha Madara, Orochimaru might still find a way to bring Kaguya back.
Don't doubt it. With Orochimaru, that's not impossible.
"You really think highly of me," Orochimaru chuckled softly, putting his hands together in a hand seal. "But I've said enough. Let me see for myself… the power you have, passed down from the Sage of Six Paths."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Gedo Statue suddenly released a powerful force. It stomped across the barren land, heading straight toward Kurama step by step.
"Tch." Kurama clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Things like the Gedo Statue shouldn't exist in the ninja world."
As he spoke, Kurama brought his claws together. White chakra surged around him, black patterns appeared on his body, and nine huge Truth-Seeking Orbs floated behind him—Six Paths Mode, activated again!
But the Gedo Statue showed no fear. Even when facing Six Paths Mode Kurama and sensing his overwhelming power, it still roared and charged with a raised fist.
"Hmph." Kurama snorted and threw a punch right back. "Tailed Beast: Monster Strength!"
The two fists collided—and in the next second, it was over.
Kurama's power now was on a whole different level. The Ten-Tails' shell couldn't even compare. As soon as their fists clashed, the Ten-Tails lost control and was sent flying. The shockwave passed through its body and shattered the ground in a one-kilometer radius.
Minato, standing on the Gedo Statue's head, looked shocked. Clearly, he hadn't expected the Kurama inside Naruto to be this strong.
Orochimaru let out a cold "tch" but didn't react much. He just tried to control the Gedo Statue to get back up.
Kurama saw the opening and quickly jumped onto the Gedo Statue, pinning it down. Looking down at Orochimaru from above, he said, "If this is all you've got, I could take on ten of you!"
He opened his mouth as a massive Tailed Beast Bomb began to form.
Six Paths Sage Art: Tailed Beast Bomb!
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