Uchiha Madara died in quiet solitude.
Obito laid him to rest. To be honest, up until this point, Obito felt a great sense of gratitude toward the man. After all, he had effectively been a dead man until Madara saved him, subsequently teaching him everything he knew. Madara had given him a new hope, the chance to create a world where Rin still existed. Thus, Obito handled Madara's final arrangements with meticulous care.
After burying Madara, Obito turned to the figure that was half-black and half-white, the being known as Zetsu. "What do we do first?"
White Zetsu remained silent, but Black Zetsu, acting as the embodiment of Madara's will, spoke directly: "The Land of Rain. We go there first to convince Nagato to join us. He is a core component of this plan. Only he, possessing the Rinnegan, can perform the Gedo Art: Rinne Rebirth. We also need to consolidate powerful forces; it would be best for him to step forward as our proxy."
"Fine. To the Land of Rain, then," Obito nodded.
"By the way, have you heard of Rodriguez Diarmuid or the Yorozuya?" Black Zetsu asked.
Obito paused, then shook his head. "No. Who is he? What is the Yorozuya?"
When the incident at Kannabi Bridge occurred, Diarmuid was still in the Land of Earth drinking with Jiraiya. Although Diarmuid had previously killed the Third Raikage, the intelligence during the war was often a tangled mess, and Obito hadn't paid him any mind. The Yorozuya was established even later. During that time, Obito had been recovering in this bizarre underground cavern. How could he have known about the outside world?
"Rodriguez Diarmuid is immensely powerful and is currently an S-Rank international criminal. The Yorozuya is the organization under his command. Their methods are erratic and bordering on madness, but if we can employ them, they would undoubtedly be a formidable asset," Black Zetsu said with a chuckle.
"An S-Rank international criminal... How strong is he?" Obito asked. After a short pause, he puffed out his chest. "How does he compare to me?"
It must be said, the boy was truly brimming with confidence now. Then again, anyone who had gone through what he had would likely feel the same. He was receiving the full "main character" treatment: starting as a dead last, becoming a tragic hero of Konoha, barely escaping death to be saved by a legendary "god-tier" old man, working tirelessly to recover so he could return to become Hokage, only to witness the death of his beloved. Now, having inherited everything from that old man, his power had skyrocketed.
It was... a very familiar pattern.
Black Zetsu, looking at the overconfident Obito, didn't have the heart to tell him the truth. He smiled and said, "You should be stronger. He might not even be able to touch you..."
Well, at the start of the plan, it's best not to crush his confidence. What if he becomes a shut-in and refuses to work? Besides, with Kamui in his arsenal, as long as someone doesn't know his weakness, it really is difficult to land a hit on him.
Obito grew even more confident upon hearing this. He nodded. "Then I'll give him a chance to work for me."
Black Zetsu didn't bother correcting him, simply adding, "There's no rush for that. We should focus on Nagato first."
"Fine. Let's go. We'll head to the Land of Rain and see what kind of person this man entrusted with the Rinnegan actually is," Obito said.
Soon, he and Zetsu left the cave, heading toward the Land of Rain. The location wasn't far from Kannabi Bridge, so the journey wouldn't take long. Furthermore, with Zetsu's intelligence-gathering capabilities being top-tier in this world, they had already locked onto the Akatsuki's location as soon as they set out.
…
Meanwhile, at the Yorozuya base not far from them...
Orochimaru was leisurely walking back into the base from outside the cave. Before he had gone far, he ran into Rin, who was coming out carrying trash bags. She looked like she was heading out to dispose of them.
Undoubtedly, during this period, Rin had started helping out with the chores. She was responsible for daily life—brewing tea for the busy crew, tidying up the rooms, and handling the trash. She had wanted to show off her cooking skills, but Sasori wouldn't allow it; he seemed to have a strange obsession with doing the cooking himself.
Upon seeing Rin, Orochimaru said with a hint of helplessness, "Diarmuid is truly thick-skinned. This place isn't far from Madara's old nest. Isn't he afraid you'll be discovered?"
Rin replied with a smile, "I'm just throwing out some trash at the entrance, Orochimaru-sama. It should be fine."
"In any case, you'd better change your appearance further," Orochimaru nodded. He didn't say much more to her and quickly headed inside.
Upon entering the cavern base, he saw Kakuzu, Jūzō, and Sasori huddled around Diarmuid. The area was quite spacious, resembling a mountain plaza.
"Is it coming?" Sasori asked curiously.
Kakuzu followed up, "After waiting so long, is the Wood Release finally going to be developed?"
Jūzō looked extremely excited, shouting, "If this succeeds, will you reach the same level as the First Hokage, the God of Shinobi?"
"Not yet. He needs to at least learn... no, he needs to completely master Sage Transformation first," Kakuzu said seriously. As an old-timer, he clearly understood Hashirama better than the others. After all, he had once been sent to assassinate Hashirama. If he hadn't been "soft-hearted" back then, well... cough, he'd probably be dead now.
Orochimaru's interest was piqued instantly. He walked over and asked, "What's going on?"
Diarmuid had his eyes tightly shut, as if he were brewing something powerful, so he didn't explain.
Sasori took over the explanation: "Diarmuid is attempting to fuse Water and Earth Nature Transformations. He's at the final step. He said success is imminent, so we came to watch. I've never seen Wood Release before..."
Orochimaru felt a slight surge of excitement as well. Was it finally happening? Wood Release!
Just then, the quiet aura around Diarmuid suddenly became turbulent. His eyes snapped open, and he thrust a palm forward.
"Wood Release: Great Forest Jutsu!!!"
With that shout, the Water and Earth natures successfully fused within his body. In that moment, even Diarmuid's brow carried a hint of a smile.
But in the next second, the entire group was collectively dumbfounded.
Because what erupted from Diarmuid's hand wasn't the vibrant, life-filled Wood Release. Instead, it was a surge of sludge. The muck sprayed out, turning the tidy floor into a messy, swamp-like bog.
Diarmuid: "???"
Kakuzu and the others: "???"
Jūzō was the first to snap out of it. "That... isn't Wood Release, is it?"
"It's Mud Release... right?" Kakuzu said awkwardly.
Sasori couldn't help but let out a mocking sneer. His human puppet form looked lifelike as he gave Diarmuid a disdainful glance before turning to leave.
Diarmuid shouted in anger, "What was that look for just now?"
"The look for someone expecting Wood Release," Sasori said without looking back.
Diarmuid nearly spat blood from frustration. He turned toward Orochimaru. "What happened? I definitely combined Water and Earth! Given that I have Hashirama's cells and a powerful life force, it should have been Wood Release! Why the hell did it come out as Mud Release?" he asked with a mixture of helplessness and sorrow.
In his memory, there wasn't really a Kekkei Genkai like this. He supposed he had technically developed a new direction, but he really couldn't bring himself to be happy about it. The moment he used it, it just felt... low-tier.
Orochimaru, however, was in a contemplative mood. He crossed his arms, rubbing his chin as he looked at the puddle of mud. "While it looks unimpressive, it should be a strong Kekkei Genkai... As for why Wood Release didn't manifest, I'm not entirely sure. Perhaps the timing isn't right?"
"The timing again..." Diarmuid complained. "Can I try to refuse the Water and Earth natures again?"
Kakuzu shook his head. "Theoretically, no. Once a new Kekkei Genkai manifests, it becomes a fixed pattern in your system. Further attempts at fusion likely won't change it."
"So I've botched it?" Diarmuid asked in shock. Was his character build ruined?
Orochimaru added, "Indeed, there has never been a precedent for a new Kekkei Genkai forming after one has already been established through fusion. As Kakuzu said, it becomes fixed... however..."
"So Wood Release is out of the question? I'm cooked?" Diarmuid asked.
"No. Actually, I think your chances of awakening Wood Release have increased," Orochimaru said.
Diarmuid looked up with hope. "How so?"
"Before, you were trying to consciously guide the formation of the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai, but the result was... well, let's call it Mud Release. However, you have successfully fused Water and Earth natures once. Wood Release is extremely unique. Perhaps if you stop trying to force it, the instinctual fusion of these two natures will subtly nourish the 'seed' within your body. I suspect it will eventually awaken naturally. The probability is high," Orochimaru analyzed.
Diarmuid didn't quite understand the theory, but Orochimaru was the authority. He chose to believe him. "So I should just leave it alone?"
"Leave it alone," Orochimaru nodded.
What else can you do? You tried to fuse them for Wood Release and got a pile of mud. Clearly, kid, you don't have the talent for conscious manipulation. Better leave it to your instincts.
Orochimaru's explanation wasn't just to comfort Diarmuid; it was a conclusion drawn from his years of research. Planting the "seed" in Diarmuid had always been an "experiment," and he had been monitoring the progress. Today's result was a breakthrough of sorts, and he had reached a new conclusion based on it. Letting the Wood Release seed grow on its own seemed very viable.
"Or perhaps... is it the lack of a Sharingan?" Orochimaru murmured to himself before continuing aloud, "By the way, I've settled things in Konoha. I am now an S-Rank rogue ninja. Before I left, I 'acquired' a few Sharingan. I'll be starting research on them soon..."
"I've been waiting for that!" Diarmuid said happily. Finally, you're going to start on the Sharingan!
After a pause, Diarmuid asked, "Is the equipment here sufficient for your research?"
"Not quite, but it's no matter. I've already had my subordinates transport some things; they should be on the way," Orochimaru said.
Even though Orochimaru had been a Konoha ninja, he wasn't exactly working alone. He had secret subordinates in various countries and had established several research bases (funded by Danzō's money). Years ago, when Anko was even younger, he had taken her to one of his peripheral bases.
Speaking of which, before leaving Konoha, he had indeed branded Anko with the Cursed Seal of Heaven. He had asked if she wanted to come with him, but she had refused. Orochimaru didn't kill her; instead, he went to the trouble of sealing her memories.