Land of Earth, Otogakure.
After the collapse of the entire mountain that once housed the old site of Iwagakure, Otogakure was no longer located in its original position. Instead, it was rebuilt downstream in a flat valley near the border of the Land of Grass.
A grand river ran through the entirety of Otogakure, flowing downstream to easily connect with the Land of Grass and the Land of Fire. The convenient transportation routes and the relatively flat terrain of the valley greatly aided agricultural development.
As a result, the region surrounding Otogakure experienced rapid economic growth. The Tsuchikage, however, paid little attention to taxing the residents or overseeing the economy. Consequently, governance over this area was handed back to the daimyo's administration, which partly explained why the daimyo was willing to cooperate with Orochimaru.
If the high-ranking members of Otogakure were to evaluate the Tsuchikage, they might describe him as more of a "researcher" than a ruler. Apart from personally handling major issues, he delegated most of the village's affairs to his assistants.
Today, however, the underground laboratory outside Otogakure welcomed an unexpected guest.
"So, you're the Tsuchikage?"
A deep, commanding voice, brimming with authority, echoed through the empty underground plaza.
Orochimaru, alerted by the barrier's warning of an intrusion into the lab, appeared on the scene.
"Hiss~"
"What an extraordinary figure we have here…"
Clad in a gray-blue robe, Orochimaru's expression momentarily froze. After all, no matter where Uchiha Madara appeared, his presence carried an overwhelming sense of dread, capable of stopping hearts.
Madara was dressed in a black, tight-fitting combat uniform beneath a red layered armor. A massive war fan, the Uchiha Gunbai, was strapped to his back, with a black chain dangling from its handle.
"Yes, Lord Madara," came a response.
From the ground beside Madara, a peculiar figure emerged, black and white in color, as if molded from viscous glue. It was none other than Zetsu.
Black Zetsu had endured years of frustration. It had taken him countless centuries to guide Indra's reincarnations toward evolving the Rinnegan. After enduring numerous setbacks, he finally succeeded in reviving Madara with the Rinne Tensei.
Just as Black Zetsu anticipated Madara wreaking havoc, capturing all the Tailed Beasts, and summoning the God Tree, Madara had been swept into the Dragon Vein's temporal currents, disappearing without a trace.
The sudden turn of events had left Black Zetsu utterly stunned.
After regaining his composure and confirming that Minato Namikaze had also vanished, Black Zetsu began infiltrating Konohagakure, intending to manipulate the new reincarnation of Indra. However, wary of Indra's "brother," he made little progress.
Just as Black Zetsu was at his wit's end, White Zetsu units stationed near the Rōran Lake unexpectedly detected Madara's presence once more.
Reuniting with Madara, Black Zetsu proposed a plan: to ally with Orochimaru of Otogakure and launch an attack on Konohagakure.
Black Zetsu, who kept a close eye on the shinobi world's political landscape, was well aware of Konohagakure's current predicament. The village was embroiled in a full-scale war with Kumogakure, leaving it stretched thin. If Madara and Otogakure launched a surprise attack from behind, the Nine-Tails would undoubtedly fall into Madara's hands. They could then seize the opportunity to invade Kumogakure and capture the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails.
With the Chakra of the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails infused into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, its power would be unleashed to a significant degree, making world domination merely a matter of time.
Moreover, Black Zetsu, having previously collaborated with Orochimaru, knew that the latter possessed some valuable "resources."
"Orochimaru…"
Madara murmured the name. During his time hiding underground and gathering intelligence through White Zetsu, he had heard of this individual.
"I hear you've collected Hashirama's corpse?"
"Then summon him with the Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation technique, now!"
Madara's voice suddenly deepened, his tone leaving no room for refusal.
Standing opposite him, Orochimaru's expression turned visibly uneasy. All his techniques were essentially useless before Madara's Rinnegan. Furthermore, after performing the Living Corpse Reincarnation, Orochimaru's soul had inherent flaws, leaving him defenseless against the terrifying ocular powers of the Rinnegan.
In this moment, Orochimaru even felt the urge to humbly say, "Lord Madara, you can just call me Little Orochimaru…"
Meanwhile, in the Land of Hot Water, within the hot spring valley.
After settling their bill, Sōmi and Sasori were preparing to head up the mountainside for a brief view of the Wind Shadow.
Suddenly, from the shadows of a small forest to their right, a young man emerged.
He had slicked-back gray hair, a metal necklace around his neck, and dragged a blood-red scythe behind him. With his modern, edgy appearance, the youth swaggered toward Sōmi.
"Hey!"
"Outsider!"
"Do you believe in religion?"
"If you worship Lord Jashin, you'll gain unimaginable power!"
The young man spoke with a mix of fanaticism and madness.
"Uh…"
Sōmi curiously studied the man before him. He was, of course, familiar with this person, though his previous engagements had caused him to momentarily forget about him.
The peculiar "Jashin power" emanating from this man… Since he had delivered himself to Sōmi's doorstep, it was only fitting to study him thoroughly.
However, such matters were best left to professionals. Once Sōmi dealt with the Tailed Beasts and Madara, he could send this individual to Orochimaru for dissection and analysis.
For some reason, after meeting Sōmi's gaze, the young man's pale violet pupils revealed a hint of fear, as though he were a slab of meat laid out on a butcher's table.
Since becoming a successful "experiment" of the Jashin cult, the young man had never encountered an opponent in the small Land of Hot Water. However, the local residents, yearning for peace and stability, showed no interest in his cult, leaving him unable to recruit new followers.
Thus, Hidan shifted his focus to outsiders like Sōmi.
Unbeknownst to him, the moment Sōmi's gaze locked onto him, his fate had already been sealed.
One could only imagine Orochimaru's excitement upon encountering such an unusual experimental subject. He would likely salivate uncontrollably, his tongue flicking out in anticipation.
At the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rice Fields.
In the shinobi world, weakness was a sin.
Whenever Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Konohagakure clashed, their armies would inevitably pass through the Land of Rice Fields. Using the pretext of harboring enemy spies, these armies would pillage the land, stealing women and wealth—a common occurrence.
This was precisely why the great nations deliberately left small countries as "buffer zones" along their borders. These regions were like fields of wild grass, growing back after each wave of destruction, only to be trampled again.
This war, however, had brought unprecedented devastation to the Land of Rice Fields.
The territory had become the battleground for the strongest forces of Konohagakure and Kumogakure.
Kumogakure's Raikage, Two-Tails, and Eight-Tails…
Konohagakure's Itachi Uchiha, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, the Third Hokage… Even Konoha's new generation of "rookies" were undergoing their harshest trials in this war.
Their personalities and abilities were undergoing significant transformations.
Among them, the most profound changes were, of course, seen in the reincarnations of Asura and Indra…
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