Late night, Konoha Tavern.
Tsunade, who rarely had some leisure time, was drinking heavily when an Anbu appeared by her side and whispered something.
"Lady Hokage, the Anbu just received a report that an entire patrol squad was killed, and only a human skin left by Orochimaru was found at the scene..."
"..."
Tsunade suddenly crushed her glass with force.
This kind of evidence is conclusive, no matter how one tries to deny it.
Upon hearing the Anbu's report, Tsunade sobered up immediately, her face darkening as she gritted her teeth: "It's that bastard Orochimaru again... Send two Anbu teams over immediately, and follow me to hunt him down!"
"Yes!"
After agreeing, the Anbu hesitantly spoke again: "But Intelligence Division Captain Yamanaka Inoichi reported that the four killed ninjas died instantly, Nara Shikaku speculates that Orochimaru might have resurrected the Fourth Hokage using Reanimation..."
"..."
Tsunade punched the table.
The table couldn't withstand her immense strength and instantly shattered into a pile of fragments, shocking the drinking patrons!
Tsunade quickly put on a smile, somewhat embarrassed: "Ahahaha... It's fine, everyone continue drinking, I'm just too happy..."
"Oh ho ho!"
The tavern's atmosphere instantly became lively again.
After borrowing money from the Anbu to compensate for the damage, Tsunade left the tavern, her expression turning somber: "Can it be confirmed that the Fourth Hokage was resurrected using Reanimation?"
"No."
The Anbu shook his head and said in a low voice: "But according to Nara Captain's analysis, only the Fourth Hokage would have that kind of power, able to kill four ninjas in an instant without revealing his identity. Nara Captain and Yamanaka Captain are both waiting for you in the Hokage Office."
"…That bastard!"
Tsunade bit her teeth in hatred.
At this moment, she harbored extreme hatred towards Orochimaru.
In fact, Orochimaru, who had been blamed without any reason, was now clenching his teeth in hatred as well, but it was Yakushi Kabuto and Uehara Naraku he hated.
Through a casual conversation between Uehara Naraku and Yakushi Kabuto, Orochimaru finally realized that Yakushi Kabuto was always a spy placed beside him by Uehara Naraku.
Even Orochimaru's quest for White Zetsu and unraveling the Dead Demon Consuming Seal were all guided by Yakushi Kabuto under Uehara Naraku's instructions behind the scenes.
Isn't this just playing with his life?
Orochimaru's true form, a small white snake, was hiding in Yakushi Kabuto's pouch, deeply pondering whether he had been manipulated by Uehara Naraku all this time?
He once thought of himself as the true seeker of truth in the Ninja World, but unexpectedly, the truth he pursued was all under someone else's control...
He thought he had become strong enough.
But he didn't realize he was just a pawn secretly controlled by Uehara Naraku.
Is this Ninja World even worth living in, or should he just fight Uehara Naraku?
This thought flashed through Orochimaru's mind.
Forget it; a bad life is still better than a good death.
As long as he is alive, he can still chase his dreams.
As for Yakushi Kabuto, even though he was always Uehara Naraku's spy, he secretly helped him and even pleaded on his behalf...
Orochimaru's thoughts gradually became complicated.
Uehara Naraku, Yakushi Kabuto, and Karin didn't pay attention to Orochimaru; after leaving Konoha, they found a secluded place.
Uehara Naraku straightforwardly took out a scroll from his ninja pouch and handed it to Yakushi Kabuto: "This is Uchiha Obito's Kamui Mangekyo Sharingan. You can combine it with Hashirama Cells for transplantation."
"Understood."
Yakushi Kabuto nodded seriously, taking the scroll from Uehara Naraku's hand.
The Uchiha Clan's Sharingan and Hashirama Cells can counterbalance each other. Yakushi Kabuto had also participated in this kind of research before, and he had personally delivered Shimura Danzo's arm full of Sharingan.
But what Yakushi Kabuto didn't expect was that Uehara Naraku was willing to give him a Mangekyo Sharingan, such a precious resource is hard to find!
As Uehara Naraku watched Yakushi Kabuto put away the scroll, he continued speaking: "I previously met the White Snake Sage at Ryuchi Cave. When you go to Ryuchi Cave, mention my name, and it will teach you Ryuchi Cave Sage Mode."
"Yes."
Yakushi Kabuto nodded again.
Although Yakushi Kabuto's face remained extremely calm, his heart was already stirred by a tempest. Is this the advantage of choosing the right side?
The power of the Mangekyo Sharingan is something they all know well.
Especially Uchiha Obito's Kamui Mangekyo, its bizarre abilities make most in the Ninja World unable to deal with him!
Having followed Orochimaru for so long, Yakushi Kabuto had also heard of the Ryuchi Cave Sage Mode, and it was said that Orochimaru sought it for years but could not gain the White Snake Sage's teachings...
Unexpectedly, Uehara Naraku just arranged it for him like that.
This new boss is far more generous than imagined.
Not to mention Yakushi Kabuto himself, even Orochimaru in his pocket was immensely envious at this moment!
Why can't people trust each other sincerely and cooperate?
If Uehara Naraku used such a method to deal with Orochimaru, Orochimaru would definitely agree to cooperate with Uehara 100%!
The gains for Yakushi Kabuto are just too ample!
The Orochimaru in Yakushi Kabuto's pocket is practically drooling with envy; what Yakushi Kabuto has received are treasures he had dreamed of!
Uehara Naraku was a bit worried about Yakushi Kabuto having problems while cultivating Sage Mode, so he patted Yakushi Kabuto on the shoulder and whispered, "Tell the White Snake Sage that you are my most trusted subordinate now, and make sure nothing goes wrong to turn you into a snake during the cultivation of Sage Mode."
"Yes."
Yakushi Kabuto hurriedly nodded, a slight excitement gradually appearing on his face, "I won't let Lord Naraku down!"
"Mm."
Uehara Naraku was very satisfied with his attitude and continued instructing, "From now on, I will arrange for you to take on two identities, one as Orochimaru's successor and the other as Uchiha Obito. You'll have to endure temporarily for a while."
If tasks are entrusted to subordinates, rewards are naturally indispensable.
After stating the tasks, Uehara Naraku consoled Yakushi Kabuto, "The orphanage in the Hidden Rain Village has already started to operate smoothly. Currently, Karin is assisting Teacher Konan in managing it; all the orphans in the Land of Rain have been gathered by the orphanage.
Moreover, the biological science lab you wanted is also set up, usually managed by Karin, equipped even more completely than you imagined."
"Yes, thank you, Lord Naraku."
After hearing this, Yakushi Kabuto raised his head and said, "By the way, there is one more thing... Orochimaru-sama was always worried about not being able to control the First and Second Hokage at their peak, so he never re-performed the Edo Tensei jutsu on them."
Yakushi Kabuto pushed his glasses and looked at Uehara Naraku with a fervent gaze, "If Lord Naraku performed the Edo Tensei, you would certainly be able to control the First and Second Hokage at their peak, right?"
"Collecting Hokage, huh?"
Uehara Naraku stroked his chin, and a hint of interest dawned on him, "Does Orochimaru's base have the materials of the First, Second, and Third Hokage?"
Yakushi Kabuto nodded with a slight smile, "Yes, and Orochimaru-sama's collection is richer than Lord Naraku might imagine."
"Let's go, let's go!"
Uehara Naraku expressed a hint of excitement and spoke repeatedly, "Aside from those, are there other Edo Tensei materials?"
"Yes."
Yakushi Kabuto nodded, speaking quietly, "Recently, I've obtained the materials for the Second Mizukage, Second Tsuchikage, and Third Raikage, but they are still kept dormant because Orochimaru-sama was concerned about insufficient control."
"You keep those for yourself!"
Uehara Naraku waved nonchalantly, saying, "I'm only interested in collecting Hokage. Once you've learned Edo Tensei, resurrect and control them!
As someone who will succeed Orochimaru and Uchiha Obito in the future, you cannot fight alone; you must have some combat power!"
In the historical Fourth Shinobi World War, Yakushi Kabuto revived many Kage-level fighters, indicating that he already had the power to control these Kage-level figures.
If at that time, the souls of the First and Second Hokage were still available, Yakushi Kabuto might have performed Edo Tensei on them.
However, Yakushi Kabuto might not have been able to control them!
After all, the strength of the First Hokage could alone suppress all other Kage-level figures without much effort!
The strength of the Second Hokage was just below that of the First Hokage!
Even Uehara Naraku himself was only confident about controlling the Second Hokage, and for the peak First Hokage, Uehara Naraku still felt a bit unsure.
The strength of the First Hokage Senju Hashirama and Rinnegan Uchiha Madara was just below Six Paths Level combat power.
Uehara Naraku suddenly felt that his own strength was lacking again…
Unless a Shinobi World War broke out, allowing Uehara Naraku to engage in a one-against-many battle, thus accelerating his attribute stacking through Dark Harvest.
"Right."
Upon recalling Uchiha Madara, Uehara Naraku grabbed Yakushi Kabuto's shoulder and solemnly instructed, "If one day you find Uchiha Madara's corpse, without my permission, never attempt to resurrect that guy!"