Madara's figure slowly reformed. He looked at his damaged body and grinned, "You may have won this battle, but this war is not yet decided."
Then, Madara quickly departed.
"Wait, Madara! That's cheating! If you lose, you should admit it, Madara!!"
Seeing Madara leave, Hashirama felt something bad was going to happen and also hurried to chase after him.
Meanwhile, in a cave far from this place, the battle between Orochimaru, Itachi, Sasuke, and Kabuto had also begun.
Kabuto, his hiding place discovered, was slightly taken aback when he saw Orochimaru. However, this did not change his intention to continue the war. After negotiations failed, Sasuke no longer wanted to hear his nonsense. A purple bone grabbed Kabuto.
"Release the Edo Tensei. This is my advice to you."
"You're still so cold and arrogant, Sasuke." Kabuto, caught, showed no sign of panic and laughed, "That's right. We forced Neji to his death, so you don't know much about my information. Let me reintroduce myself."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kabuto's body quickly liquefied and slid off Susanoo.
"The Hozuki clan's ability, huh? It seems you've transplanted their cells into yourself, Kabuto. But this path is wrong. This isn't your true self. I understand this now, so Kabuto, stop."
Orochimaru saw through Kabuto's abilities at a glance. Remembering his past self, he tried to persuade him.
"No, Lord Orochimaru, you failed only because you didn't imitate enough. But I'm different." Kabuto, having liquefied, roamed the cave. The ground was covered in bodily fluids, making it impossible for Mangekyo Sharingan to locate him.
"Lord Orochimaru, look at my achievements. What you couldn't complete, I have completed. Now, I have shed my snake-like form and transformed into a dragon."
Kabuto suddenly appeared directly above Itachi, spraying webs from his palm.
Kidomaru's Spider Web!
"Be careful, these webs cannot be cut by blades." The moment Orochimaru spoke, he had already turned his lower body into a snake tail and slithered along the ground to Kabuto's back.
At the same time, Sasuke and Itachi both used Amaterasu to burn away the webs.
"Now!"
Sasuke and Itachi simultaneously extended their Susanoo to grab Kabuto's body. Orochimaru had already gotten close to Kabuto's back.
"This should be the end," Sasuke said coldly.
Kabuto chuckled, "I intentionally let you catch me, so you would know the vast difference in strength between us."
Almost simultaneously, Orochimaru's pupils contracted. A blue blade-like Charka slash cut Orochimaru in half at the waist. However, Orochimaru was only stunned for a moment. With Edo Tensei, he healed instantly.
"Lord Orochimaru, you taught me the Great Snake Flow Substitution Jutsu. You haven't forgotten it yourself, have you?"
"This is indeed unexpected, Kabuto," Orochimaru said, licking his lips.
"Fire Style: Kagutsuchi!"
Whiz!
Seizing the moment Kabuto stopped moving, an arrow made of black flames sped towards Kabuto.
Kabuto slightly shifted his body and easily dodged it.
"With Sage Mode, my perception has increased. Coupled with my fluid body, you simply cannot hit me. Furthermore, I have sealed my vision, so even your proudest dōjutsu is useless against me."
"Sage Art: White Strike Technique!"
Kabuto's belly swelled, and a dragon flew from his mouth, merging with the dragon pearls he carried. A blinding light erupted in the dark cave, lingering for a long time. The humming sound in the air vibrated their eardrums.
"This is bad! Susanoo is about to..."
Sasuke clutched his ears, his eyes stinging so much he could barely open them. Susanoo slowly disappeared.
"This jutsu can obstruct your vision and disrupt your hearing. Next..." Kabuto quickly retreated, putting distance between himself and the three. He formed hand seals and shouted, "Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation!"
Under Kabuto's jutsu, the rocks in the cave seemed to come alive. Under Kabuto's control, they rapidly extended and stabbed towards the three.
"Summoning Technique: Tripe Rashomon!"
Orochimaru endured the noise in his ears and pressed his hands to the ground. Immediately, three large gates, engraved with the image of a green-faced Ryo-ga monster, enclosed the three.
"Itachi!"
After casting the jutsu, Orochimaru shouted. Itachi understood and, with difficulty, activated Susanoo to block the rocks from above, thus avoiding Kabuto's attack.
At the same time, the effect of the White Strike Technique wore off, and the three's movements returned to normal.
"This narrow, dark terrain is disadvantageous for us. We should combine forces and force him out..."
"No, this is the most advantageous terrain for us."
Sasuke, seeing Kabuto's jutsu interact with the surroundings, immediately thought of fighting outside. But before he could finish, Orochimaru negated his idea.
"Sasuke, I remember teaching you that snakes are always cunning creatures. Clearly, you've forgotten that." Orochimaru's eyes regained their light, revealing his signature lip-licking gesture.
"However, Kabuto, you've also forgotten that, which is why you will lose today."
"Huh? Lord Orochimaru, what are you talking about? The three of you were just captured by me..."
Kabuto stopped instantly before he could finish speaking. Although he couldn't see, a large amount of Orochimaru's Charka suddenly appeared within his sensory range.
"What is that?" Itachi looked at the dense swarm of small snakes, mouths spitting out swords, emerging from around Kabuto, his eyes showing a flicker of shock.
"To have laid such a wide-ranging snake swarm without me noticing. This guy is as cunning as ever. Even if I hadn't used Susanoo just now, he probably could have escaped by burrowing."
"Lord Orochimaru, when did you...?" Kabuto asked, confused.
"Kabuto, I admit that your current strength is indeed far greater than mine. However, such rapid growth in power has made you forget the cunning that a serpent should possess," Orochimaru said calmly. "When it comes to manipulating snakes, I have never lost."
"No, I am a dragon! I am a dragon!"
Kabuto shouted loudly, but he was quickly submerged by the snake swarm. At such close range, with snakes all around, above, and on the ground, he had no possibility of escape.
Orochimaru quietly walked to Kabuto's side, looking at the Kabuto pierced by snakes, a flicker of regret in his eyes.
Whiz!
Just then, Kabuto used the Great Snake Flow Substitution Jutsu and broke out from a snake in his abdomen. But before he could get close to Orochimaru, he was entangled by snakes emerging from Orochimaru's right arm.
"Kabuto, release the Edo Tensei. I don't like experimenting in dreams."