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Konan's eyes widened, her mind a chaotic blur, as if trapped in a dream.
The relentless barrage of fatal attacks from multiple fighters—had Danzo really just dodged it all?
Wasn't that the kind of thing that only happened in dreams?
"This... is this real? What's Izanagi?" Konan asked Obito.
Obito coughed twice, keeping silent, but inwardly cursed Danzo a thousand times over.
If the Sharingan had any closely guarded secrets, "Izanagi" was definitely one of them.
In critical moments, this dojutsu could save your life. Sure, losing an eye was a steep price, but it could turn defeat into victory.
And now, Danzo had just blurted out that secret.
Others knowing was one thing—but Pain was right there!
Thankfully, the scene was so shocking that Konan's attention was quickly drawn to the massive white serpent before them.
The serpent was nearly as tall as "Susanoo," its eight heads twisting in different directions.
"The Eight Branches Technique... a forbidden jutsu. I never thought Orochimaru would master it..." Obito said.
"You're still not stepping in?" Konan asked, eyeing the battlefield uneasily.
Win or lose aside, the longer this dragged on, the greater Amegakure's losses—and the more money they'd need to rebuild.
For Amegakure, unnecessary expenses could easily tank the village's economy. Worse yet, when Kakuzu returned, he'd probably throw a fit.
"I don't need to... I'm not exactly suited to take on Orochimaru." Obito shook his head.
Konan's brow furrowed, puzzled by his words.
Danzo, seeing the white serpent, suddenly brimmed with confidence.
This was a high-level technique, excelling in both offense and defense, and incredibly hard to kill.
Even if Itachi had "Susanoo," taking down the "Eight Branches Technique" head-on would be no small feat.
Add to that his own Wood Release and "Izanagi," and it was almost certain: even if they couldn't crush "Akatsuki," self-preservation was well within reach.
"If I'd known you had the 'Eight Branches Technique,' I wouldn't have been so impatient." Danzo said.
"I didn't want to use this jutsu. It consumes too much chakra, after all." From one of the white serpent's heads, a figure emerged from its tongue.
Orochimaru, only his upper body visible outside the serpent's mouth, smirked. "We just want the 'Rinnegan.' Hand over the real 'Rinnegan,' and Danzo and I will leave immediately."
"The real 'Rinnegan'?" Pain's eyebrows shot up. "Seems you know more than I thought."
"It's not hard to figure out. After all, the Rinnegan—something only the Sage of the Six Paths possessed—can't possibly exist in six pairs in one village. In other words, if all six pairs were real, no ninja village could stand against Amegakure. But your sneaky behavior? Doesn't scream 'six pairs of Rinnegan.' So, at least some of those six pairs are fake... maybe even all of them. Am I right, Pain?"
Pain's eyes sharpened, his resolve to kill Orochimaru solidifying.
"And you, Itachi—if you help me get the Rinnegan, I'll hand Sasuke over to you right away. How about it? Interested?" Orochimaru grinned at Itachi. "Don't you want Sasuke back? With my guarantee, you could leave 'Akatsuki,' no?"
Konan froze, then felt a wave of disbelief.
Could he just openly poach like that?
Originally, she hadn't thought much of Itachi, but after he unleashed "Susanoo" and overwhelmed Danzo with crushing force, her opinion of him had risen considerably.
If Itachi really got "recruited" by Orochimaru, the situation could flip entirely.
"No need! If 'Akatsuki' wants to find someone, there's no one we can't track down!" Konan cut in before Itachi could respond, rejecting Orochimaru outright.
"Really? Who'd believe you?" Orochimaru countered. "If you could actually find me, you wouldn't have been out of touch for so long, would you? Sasori, what do you think?"
On the rooftop, Sasori was tinkering with the Kazekage puppet's mechanisms.
After the earlier battle, the puppet's arm had taken damage, rendering it unable to perform ninjutsu properly. He had to make quick repairs—it might need to protect him later.
Hearing Orochimaru call him out, Sasori looked up, his expression sour.
This wasn't exactly a proud moment. He snorted coldly and stayed silent.
"See? He doesn't even dare speak. That proves you never found my base." Orochimaru extended a hand toward Itachi.
"Itachi, don't worry about it. As long as we capture them—whether it's Danzo or Orochimaru—I have ways to pry Sasuke's whereabouts from them..." Pain's Deva Path cut Orochimaru off.
Itachi's brow creased.
For him, this was indeed a tough call.
"Even if you help Orochimaru, can you really trust his word?"
Itachi followed the voice and saw the masked Obito.
"Who are you?"
"Uchiha Madara." Obito said.
"Impossible—he's long dead!" Itachi shook his head, though inwardly he was shocked.
Midorima had mentioned "Uchiha Madara" to him before, and he knew this impostor existed—but hearing someone claim the name outright still caught him off guard.
A fake had the gall to strut around, scamming openly!?
"The Valley of the End, right? History is written by the victors, and I'm just a loser." Obito shook his head. "Don't worry—after this fight, I'll have a long talk with you about the Uchiha clan, and the grudges with Konoha."
"Can I see your face?" Itachi abruptly changed the subject.
"..."
Obito blinked.
Itachi seemed sharp—how was he asking such a pointless question?
Could he see?
Of course not.
Wouldn't that blow his cover?
"I have a way to resolve the conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha clan." Obito awkwardly shifted topics.
"Really?" Itachi was taken aback.
"Yes. You kill Orochimaru, Pain can help you find Sasuke, and I'll tell you how to settle the Konoha-Uchiha feud. All your problems, solved."
"True, but..." Itachi eyed Obito suspiciously. "If you're so capable, why not handle it yourself? Why drag me into it?"
"..." Obito's mouth twitched as he took a deep breath. "Because I no longer consider myself part of the Uchiha clan. Satisfied?"
Seriously, were kids these days this much trouble?
Back in his day, he was way more obedient.
"You'd better not go back on your word." Itachi turned back to Orochimaru. "Sorry, I still have to kill you."
"So, negotiations are off!" Orochimaru's lips curved, his eyes glinting with malice.
*****
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