"Ah."
"This is the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, is it not."
Inside the Land of Grass, within the stronghold that had once belonged to Uchiha Madara during his lifetime, an unexpected figure had appeared. He looked up at the enormous demonic statue seemingly embedded into the mountain above him and let out an eerie quiet chuckle.
"The next Great Ninja War will definitely be instigated by the Sand Village."
"When that happens, it will become a situation where the Sand Village is fighting against many enemies simultaneously. The Fourth Kazekage understands this clearly. Even though he single-handedly elevated the Sand Village to its current position, relying solely on the village's own strength would make it very difficult to contend against the other four great hidden villages combined."
"Even if the Sand Village ultimately wins, it will certainly suffer heavy losses."
A low voice echoed from within the darkness.
Orochimaru withdrew his gaze from the statue and looked toward the shadowy figure.
"So. What is your purpose in finding me?"
"You have become a rogue ninja. In the future, even if you want to strike Konoha, as long as Namikaze Minato is alive, success will be very difficult."
"I can help you achieve your plan."
"My purpose is only one."
"Destroying the Sand Village. Killing the Fourth Kazekage."
"So that is why you helped me escape from Hiruzen and the others' pursuit," Orochimaru said with a smirk.
"It seems you truly hate him."
The figure in the shadows said nothing.
"However, worthy of the Fourth Kazekage. Truly intelligent. He made arrangements this early to prepare for the coming great war. No wonder Danzo and the Sensei were never a match for him, always being toyed with in the palm of his hand. Truly formidable."
Orochimaru stroked his chin, murmuring to himself. A certain glint flickered in his eyes.
"I can provide you with internal Sand Village research materials that you would find very interesting. Including the Fourth Kazekage's research on gene-modifying medicines. If you want to build your own force, I can also provide clues toward that end."
"At present, there appears to be no one in the entire ninja world capable of killing the Fourth Kazekage in a direct confrontation. But with the Fourth Great Ninja War underway, if the plan is sound, even someone as powerful as him can be placed in a position of certain death.
Ideally both he and Namikaze Minato would fall together in this great war. That outcome benefits both you and me."
"Why me?" Orochimaru said with a light laugh.
Meaning, why would this figure think Orochimaru would help? And furthermore, the Fourth Kazekage was recognized across the ninja world as extraordinarily powerful. Why would anyone think Orochimaru specifically had the ability to kill him?
"The Sand Village's prosperity is the product of its rise over the last ten years. Unlike Konoha."
"Although Konoha may appear inferior to the Sand Village at first glance right now, its accumulated depth is still the greatest among the Five Great Hidden Villages. The Reanimation Jutsu alone is enough to accomplish incredible things when wielded correctly."
"The First Hokage, the Second Hokage, and including Uchiha Madara himself. If you could summon them and intervene at a crucial moment, even the Fourth Kazekage might not be able to handle it."
"Uchiha Madara's corpse is currently in the Fourth Kazekage's possession. But I also possess a Reanimation sacrificial offering. In short, as long as the Fourth Kazekage dies, the Rinnegan and the Mangekyo Sharingan can easily fall into your hands."
"Aaa."
Hearing these words, Orochimaru suddenly laughed softly.
"What are you laughing at?" the shadowy figure asked.
"Let me confirm something," Orochimaru said, studying the figure before him.
"You were created by Uchiha Madara to eventually destroy Konoha. But by bad luck you were discovered by the Fourth Kazekage, brought under his control, and are currently serving within the Sand Village."
"That is correct."
"Hmm. Sounds interesting," Orochimaru said.
"If you want my agreement, you at least need to first demonstrate your capabilities and your value as a partner."
"What do you want?"
"You mentioned that the Fourth Kazekage is researching several types of gene-modifying medicines."
"That is possible. But not so quickly."
"I have considerable patience," Orochimaru said with a smile.
The conversation between the two abruptly ceased.
Orochimaru turned his head and glanced toward the stronghold's passageway, having heard footsteps. He vanished from the spot instantly.
Shortly after, a Sand Village Anbu member assigned to guard this stronghold emerged from the passageway and entered the space beneath the statue.
He stood there staring blankly into the cave, frowning slightly.
After confirming there was nothing out of the ordinary, the Anbu member turned and left.
This person was one of the informants the Sand Village had assigned to monitor the White Zetsu production. He was also one of the two personnel keeping watch on Black Zetsu specifically. An elite Jonin with a Sharingan transplant.
After the Sand Village Anbu departed, Black Zetsu emerged from the shadows.
This time it was not with the White Zetsu but acting alone.
The truth was, the more Black Zetsu considered its situation, the less it was willing to simply sit and wait for death.
Although Yuji had promised that he would help resurrect Otsutsuki Kaguya in the future, Black Zetsu had never truly believed that promise was sincere. During this period, it had been closely following developments and attempting to quietly probe Yuji's real plans and intentions, but every attempt had been deflected and thwarted. Yuji was clearly and deliberately guarding against it.
Furthermore, Black Zetsu had been sent to this base and assigned to manage the White Zetsu production on a daily basis. It was being used as a pure instrument. It had no influence over Sand Village affairs whatsoever.
Because of all this, Black Zetsu had eventually found Orochimaru.
It had now completely abandoned any plan involving the Rinne Sharingan and using it to resurrect Kaguya in the conventional way. Its singular desire now was for the Fourth Kazekage standing above it to disappear.
As long as Yuji lived even one more day, Black Zetsu could not advance its plans.
If he died, then at some point in the future it would only need to find another figure comparable to Madara or Obito, including finding an heir for the eye techniques, and that would be sufficient.
Black Zetsu had to take a risk. And the Fourth Great Ninja War was the opportunity it had been waiting for. It had enough time to plan.
Beyond calculation, it was also intuition. Black Zetsu had developed a premonition that Yuji was intending to move against it at some point. Not now, but eventually. It absolutely needed a countermeasure, something that could serve as a trump card if the relationship ever turned adversarial.
Orochimaru was the best available choice. And he had now conveniently become a rogue ninja as well.
Black Zetsu had found Orochimaru without hesitation, willing to expose its own existence to do so. It had also elaborated its disguise, not actually expecting Orochimaru to help it resurrect Kaguya. Its singular objective was to use Orochimaru's hand to eliminate Yuji.
That was all.
Completing the first stage of the plan.
As long as Yuji was dead, Black Zetsu would immediately disappear into hiding and then wait for the right moment in the future, finding another person to use in pursuing its ultimate goal once more.
"If it fails," Black Zetsu thought, and its heart sank slightly at the consideration.
From its current observations, Yuji appeared to have some connection to the Otsutsuki clan. His own power might also be undergoing some kind of ongoing development or change. He was not as terrifyingly unassailable as Black Zetsu had initially assessed.
Otherwise, dealing with the Four Great Ninja Villages would not require using White Zetsu as cannon fodder at all.
Theoretically, at this point in time, Black Zetsu still retained the ability to make a move against the opponent.
The only thing required was to be sufficiently careful about it.
...
STONES 💎
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