"If Uchiha Madara, Obito... or even Black Zetsu were to find out about this Otsutsuki's existence..."
Genie Lamp said gravely, " it would inevitably lead to complications."
Although Madara and Obito were utterly outmatched by Orochimaru at the moment, they absolutely could not be underestimated because of it.
Especially a formidable figure like Uchiha Madara, his only disadvantages compared to Orochimaru right now were his lack of initiative and foresight.
If they were to connect with Otsutsuki Isshiki, it wouldn't necessarily bring about earth-shattering changes, but at the very least, the Outer Path Statue in Nagato's possession could be lost. They had to be wary of this.
"What we need to know now is..."
Orochimaru frowned slightly, "how much Nagato told Konan."
Things had already happened, and no amount of regret could undo it. After all, no matter how much he planned, he could never have foreseen Uchiha Madara attacking Konan at this particular time.
What needed to be done now was to fix the damage and minimize future harm as much as possible.
"What a shame, I wanted to observe little White Snake for a while longer."
Orochimaru's gaze shifted to the sea, where there was a 'sea island' spanning two to three hundred meters in diameter.
As previously deduced, little White Snake's adaptability was terrifying. After entering the sea, its form had changed further.
Unlike the absolute switch between 'night' and 'day' modes on land, little White Snake now seemed like a rootless lotus floating on the sea. The deeper its stem went into the lightless depths, the clearer little White Snake's consciousness became.
Under the guidance of little White Snake's consciousness, it was no longer aimlessly heading towards the setting sun. Instead, it avoided clouds and storms, staying as much as possible in well-lit areas.
After collecting fungal samples from various depths, Orochimaru was currently researching how to coax little White Snake out of the sea. There had been some success, but further experimentation was needed.
"Things can't be perfect, there isn't enough time."
Genie Lamp glanced at White Snake Sage, who was manipulating the clouds and fog to alter little White Snake's course. "We'll leave this to her for now. At least it won't cause any trouble when it approaches the coast."
"Very well." Orochimaru nodded slightly, flying into the sky. He said a few words to White Snake Sage before disappearing from the spot.
...
In an underground pipe forty to fifty li away from Amegakure, Madara and his group had escaped there with the help of White Zetsu's possession.
This location was very close to Amegakure, still within Nagato's control, but the group was not worried at all.
The thick earth layer served as the best barrier. Nagato wasn't Orochimaru; his sensory abilities wouldn't be that abnormal.
Moreover, Obito and Madara were already impatient to confirm certain facts.
After sending Shinno and the others away, Obito turned to Uchiha Madara. "For casting genjutsu, should you do it or should I?"
"For a ninja like him, you're already capable, let alone..."
Uchiha Madara's eyes, a pair of black orbs, said gravely, "I've expended a lot of energy in this battle and need to recover."
Ordinarily, summoning three or five meteors was nothing to him; the only concern was the lack of sufficient small asteroids in near-Earth orbit.
But the current situation was different. If he used any more energy, he would be forced to release the seals placed on his fungal body to recover his eye power.
He would only take such a risk if he confirmed that the body Hiruko had created was usable, using it to recover his eye power while completely abandoning his current body and transferring into a new one.
"Then I'll do it."
Obito's gaze shifted to Konan, who was half-possessed by Black Zetsu, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
Even though Konan was in poor condition at the time, her strength was still above that of an elite ninja. To be restrained so easily in one encounter... The only one capable of doing this was Naoto, who was sitting harmlessly at his feet.
Obito wasn't foolish; he guessed that Black Zetsu was one of the countermeasures Madara had left behind to control him. He hadn't expected it to be so effective. If not for Orochimaru, and if everything had gone smoothly, Konan's current fate would have befallen him.
However, now was not the time to dwell on these matters. The abnormal red light in his eyes flashed, and Obito easily controlled the defenseless Konan.
"Tell me, what are Nagato and Orochimaru doing?"
Konan's face was blank, and her eyes reflected an unusual light. She mumbled, "One enemy. They are dealing with a terrifying enemy."
Obito and Uchiha Madara exchanged glances, their expressions darkening.
Their ominous premonition had come true. In the ninja world, there really was an Otsutsuki clan member. Besides that, who else could make Orochimaru and Nagato feel terror?
Uchiha Madara's gaze turned serious. "Who is that enemy? When did they appear? And where are they now?"
"I don't know," Konan murmured.
"You don't know? How could you not know?" Obito frowned. "Nagato is still hiding things from you?"
Faced with this question, a look of struggle appeared on Konan's face, showing signs of breaking free from the genjutsu. Obito immediately intensified his eye power.
"Nagato said that knowing this information would only bring me danger, and that he was hiding it to protect me."
Konan accepted this reasoning, but a sense of resentment still lingered deep in her heart.
The most difficult thing for comrades was being unable to share each other's burdens.
"..."
Obito fell silent for a moment. He naturally understood her feelings. He turned his gaze to Uchiha Madara beside him. "Now, what should we do?"
"...At least confirm their existence."
Uchiha Madara took a breath, his eyes regaining their usual calm. "Besides, having someone like that here isn't necessarily a bad thing for us."
He had already confirmed the threat the Otsutsuki posed to the ninja world from both the messenger and Konan, as well as Orochimaru and Nagato's animosity towards that person.
When two sides fight, a third party benefits. No matter who among the Otsutsuki, Orochimaru, and others outsmarted whom, he might still have a chance to be the mantis behind the cicada.
After all, even if he could regain his peak strength through Hiruko's surgery, he would still not be Orochimaru's match.
Uchiha Madara was self-aware of this fact.
He had originally placed his hopes on increasing his strength after becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki. Now, he had an additional option.
"Black Zetsu, you're in charge of searching for traces of the Otsutsuki."
Uchiha Madara looked at the semi-black, strange figure on Konan's body and ordered, "According to her account, Orochimaru should have encountered that Otsutsuki recently. There must be some clues left behind."
"I understand,"
Black Zetsu replied in a hoarse, low voice, a faint gleam reflecting in the depths of his eyes. His own assessment was far less optimistic than Madara's. Being a bystander depended on whom you were observing.
Whatever Orochimaru was up to, none of those Otsutsuki were easy to deal with.
What he needed to figure out now was whether that Otsutsuki was from Hamura's lineage, who came down from the moon, or if they had crossed the void and newly arrived in the ninja world.
The former was manageable; the worst-case scenario would be maintaining the status quo. But if it were the latter… not only the ninja world, but even his mother's life would be in danger.
"As for her..."
A fierce light flashed in Uchiha Madara's eyes. He produced a kunai in his hand.
"Leaving her here is also a hidden danger. Why not just kill her? Who knows what fallback Orochimaru might have left on her."
"I understand your concern, but it's best not to."
Obito stopped Madara's movement, shaking his head. "Nagato wouldn't allow Orochimaru to leave any methods behind, and we can't harm Konan's spiritual body."
"If we kill her completely, and she dies and returns to the Pure Land, it would instead give Orochimaru an opportunity to meet with her."
To return to the origin of everything, the cause of all this was that mysterious 'messenger'. Considering that person was in enemy territory and would act cautiously, they wouldn't send another mysterious messenger. Obito could confirm that Orochimaru didn't know about this.
There was an information gap between them.
Even if Orochimaru had suspicions, he wouldn't be certain that he had kidnapped Konan because of the 'Otsutsuki'.
And when perceptions differ, so does the level of importance.
"What you're saying has some merit."
Uchiha Madara put away his kunai and knocked Konan unconscious with a palm strike.
Black Zetsu detached himself from the fallen Konan, preparing to carry out the mission Madara had assigned him.
However, at this moment, after being freed from Black Zetsu's possession, Konan turned into a puff of white smoke and disappeared from the spot.
Uchiha Madara was stunned for a moment, his expression turning ugly. "Summoning Technique..."
And it was an extremely difficult Summoning Technique to perform. He knew Orochimaru had summoned Jiraiya before, but this was Konan... Had Orochimaru's understanding of ninjutsu reached such a level?
Obito was momentarily speechless seeing Konan's disappearance.
All the analysis he had just done seemed to have turned into a joke.
"Heh... clever tricks are ultimately futile," Uchiha Madara sneered. "You can't achieve great things by relying on luck; ultimately, we need hard power to prepare for what's to come."
It should have been like how they dealt with Nagato before, where strategy was merely supplementary.
Obito nodded slightly, a mocking expression flashing across his face.
"Since Orochimaru has already reached the Akatsuki organization, the bait left in the ruins should soon be seen, and we will gain another force among us."
"...He might have had better value staying in Konoha, but oh well." Uchiha Madara looked towards Black Zetsu. "Send someone to inform him. Orochimaru is moving fast. Don't let him swallow the bait entirely."
"Understood," Black Zetsu replied and disappeared underground.
...
The light of day scattered, and the dark clouds dispersed.
In the ruins of Amegakure, with the longtime head manager gone, the rescue and reconstruction efforts, though not entirely ineffective, were somewhat chaotic.
Therefore, Kakuzu, who had always been solely responsible for finances, had to step up, barely managing to control the situation.
Despite the complexity and arduousness of the task, Kakuzu had no complaints.
When Amegakure faced great disaster, he had not participated in the aid with Yakushi Kabuto, opting instead to protect himself.
This mindset wasn't unusual among bounty hunters, but in the face of that overwhelming 'natural disaster,' Nagato had surprisingly survived.
This left his position somewhat awkward.
Fortunately, the other party didn't have the luxury of being distracted.
Kakuzu glanced towards the newly built black tower on the ruins, then continued with his work, directing the still-shaken ninja of Amegakure.
...
On top of the tower, Orochimaru saw Konan reappear before him. He casually tossed a piece of flesh and blood onto the ground, a smile appearing on his face. "Fortunately, they revealed a slight opening."
Cultivating a piece of flesh and blood containing chakra from Konan's cell samples was a trivial matter for him.
But to summon Konan back using it required a condition: she had to be free of any sealing techniques or similar obstructions.
When he initially had no response, he was about to give up. It was only due to Nagato's persistent pleas that he reluctantly tried a few more times.
He never expected it to actually work.
"Thank goodness, thank goodness..."
Nagato rushed forward to check, and upon confirming that Konan had only fainted, he slumped to the ground with immense relief, exhaling deeply.
Yahiko had died before his eyes. If Konan were to also... he would truly be unforgivable.
Beside him, Yakushi Kabuto approached and quickly healed Konan. The latter moaned and woke up from her unconsciousness.
Upon seeing Nagato before her, Konan's stern gaze softened. Realizing she had been rescued, she said, "Nagato, I..."
Nagato covered Konan's mouth and shook his head. "Don't say anything. None of that matters. I'm just glad you're safe."
"That's not entirely true; some things still need to be said."
Orochimaru, undeterred by the atmosphere, interrupted the seemingly heartwarming moment with a smile, though his tone was blunt. "Although I'd like to give you more time, some matters are very important. Konan... why did they capture you?"
"..." Konan recalled her recent experience and knew this wasn't the time for pleasantries. She immediately replied, "They were asking about the previous event, about the enemy you and Nagato were facing. Their name was 'Otsutsuki,' and then... could it be that..."
Even though she had heard about the Otsutsuki clan from Orochimaru, she had always treated it as a myth. Although she could sense the importance they placed on that mysterious enemy from the attitudes of Orochimaru and Nagato, she hadn't considered this possibility.
"As expected," Orochimaru's eyes darkened, and he turned his gaze to Konan. "How much did you tell them?"
"They seemed to have already guessed something about it. I just confirmed it for them."
Konan showed a hint of relief. "I didn't think that far ahead, so I didn't say too much."
However, it wasn't exactly a little either.
Orochimaru shook his head, not voicing that thought.
Since Uchiha Madara had confirmed this, he would inevitably come into contact with Otsutsuki Isshiki, it was only a matter of time.
And if Isshiki knew there were other ways to obtain Kaguya's fully matured Ten-Tails without going through him, he would certainly not refuse.
This was a devastating blow to his original plan.
"To achieve perfection and completely exploit Isshiki seems unfeasible now."
Orochimaru licked his lips.