There was no movement.
Because Akatsuki had failed to locate Uchiha Obito.
Even Black Zetsu was uneasy now, afraid that Obito would suddenly appear as the Ten Tails' Jinchūriki. Only Shigen and Uchiha Madara remained composed.
"Hah…"
Madara remained rather magnanimous about the situation:
"Though I'd love to experience the power of the Ten Tails' Jinchūriki, the success of the Eye of the Moon Plan is what matters most. If we can't stop Obito, and he achieves eternal peace as we intended, it's not a loss for us…"
As for Shigen—
He was the mastermind behind all of this.
And Akatsuki conveniently had someone to do the dirty work.
Kabuto Yakushi, the man who once delivered the corpses of the Gold and Silver Brothers to Orochimaru, hadn't expected them to become such a massive problem now.
But Shigen had a much simpler reason:
He allowed Obito to become the Ten Tails' host in order to gain more power.
Over the years, since completing Jiraiya's commission to uncover the Child of Prophecy, Shigen hadn't received many missions of high value.
"Lord Shigen…"
"Obito becoming the Ten Tails' Jinchūriki…"
Kabuto cautiously inquired,
"Surely that outcome was within your expectations? Won't it interfere with your true plan?"
"And how exactly would it interfere?"
Shigen idly toyed with a Truth-Seeking Orb on his fingertip and explained,
"This is a Gudōdama—formed from the pinnacle of all seven chakra natures. In theory, it can nullify every elemental jutsu in existence…"
"…!"
That alone made it the bane of all ninjutsu.
"Only Ten Tails Jinchūriki or those blessed with Six Paths power can produce these. Even then, they can only ever manifest nine orbs, and each use consumes one. They'll never truly understand the essence of the Gudōdama."
"But I…"
"…can create them endlessly."
With a flick of his hand, Shigen caused the orb to vanish.
"…!"
Kabuto lowered his head in reverence.
The gap between them was simply too vast.
"Still…"
"The true enemy we must face possesses the same power as me. Perhaps even greater…"
"!!!"
Kabuto's pupils contracted.
"Wait and see…"
"She's almost here…"
Shigen gently tapped the armrest of his wheelchair.
"Before I confront her directly, we must prepare everything we can."
Even if…
In his memories of the past world, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki hadn't been particularly impressive…
This wasn't a manga.
To Shigen, Kaguya remained cloaked in mystery—an immortal deity, eternal and undying.
"Speaking of which…"
Kabuto, sensing Shigen's moment of contemplation, decided to shift topics:
"Orochimaru seems oddly loyal to Obito these days…"
It was strange.
Partly due to Shigen's pressure, yes.
But Orochimaru—who would usually betray anyone on a whim—had surprisingly remained cooperative. That didn't match his usual M.O.
"To him, immortality is everything."
Shigen speculated aloud,
"Aside from eternal life, I think he enjoys watching the world turn. Obito is just a windmill he's helping spin."
There was another possibility—
Obito kept feeding Orochimaru interesting things.
The Eye of the Moon Plan, the secrets of the Rinnegan, and the Ten Tails—all would fascinate Orochimaru.
Of course…
It wouldn't be unlike Orochimaru to attempt to take over Obito's body with Living Corpse Reincarnation. In fact, it seemed he was pushing Obito to grow stronger just so he could snatch the prize when it was ripe.
That…
Was exactly the kind of thing Orochimaru would do.
He was brilliant, but never quite self-aware about his own strength—and clearly didn't understand what it truly meant to become the Ten Tails' Jinchūriki.
Meanwhile, in the Kamui dimension…
Orochimaru really was thinking that.
Anyone with his reincarnation technique, watching Obito's Kamui and Rinnegan powers, couldn't help but feel tempted.
"As soon as he becomes the Ten Tails' host…"
Orochimaru stared at Obito's body with something like longing.
"…I'll finally reap the rewards of all these years."
Of course…
He hadn't forgotten about Sasuke.
After Sasuke awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, Orochimaru transplanted Itachi's eyes into him, allowing Sasuke to obtain the Eternal Mangekyō.
"Such a dilemma…"
Orochimaru looked at both Obito and Sasuke.
He'd never felt this fulfilled before.
Both of these Uchiha…
Were ideal vessels.
"…?"
Obito noticed Orochimaru's gaze, but he didn't care.
He simply gave his order:
"Get ready."
"The Ten Tails is too unstable…"
"We can't resurrect it within Kamui space."
"We don't have enough of the Nine Tails' chakra—it might delay its transformation and cause complications."
"While I'm becoming the Ten Tails' Jinchūriki…"
"I need you all to fend off Akatsuki."
"There's no way they won't notice what's coming."
"Let's just hope it doesn't take long."
Orochimaru turned to his resurrected Edo Tensei soldiers.
"They may be able to hold off Madara…"
"…but not Shigen. That man can sever the souls bound by Edo Tensei with a wave of his hand."
"It won't take long."
Obito raised his hand and opened the Kamui portal, placing the Gedo Statue and the Gold and Silver Brothers' corpses outside.
He was fully prepared.
"Once I become the Ten Tails' Jinchūriki…"
"Even Shigen will be nothing to worry about."
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Powerstones?
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