"Alright, everyone, proceed according to the plan!" Nagato declared.
Having officially become the Jinchūriki of the Ten-Tails, Nagato had ascended to the Six Paths level, and his appearance had undergone corresponding changes.
For instance, horns now adorned his head, Truth-Seeking Balls floated behind him, his body was covered in scales, and he wielded the iconic Six Paths Rod.
It made one wonder—when the Sage of Six Paths split the Ten-Tails, did he leave behind some hidden mechanism? After all, why did every Ten-Tails Jinchūriki end up looking like this?
Obito looked like this, Madara looked like this, and now even Nagato had taken on this form.
But that wasn't the focus right now. The key issue was that in order to combat the arrival of the ancient gods, the forces of Tenjingakure had to temporarily split up.
As the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki and a Six Paths-level entity, Nagato would lead the charge against Mōryō in the Land of Demons. Accompanying him were Konan, Itachi, Kisame, and a unit of ninja troops.
Meanwhile, in addition to the Land of Demons, two other battlefronts had emerged. In the Land of Whirlpools, an army of the dead led by the Shinigami had appeared, and in the Land of Hot Water, followers of the Evil God were wreaking havoc.
It was important to note that the army of the dead and Mōryō's undead legion were not the same thing.
According to the Great Toad Sage, Mōryō represented the malice of the world, a being formed from the negative emotions of all living creatures. This was why neither Mōryō nor its undead legion could truly be killed—so long as life existed, malice would never disappear.
As for the Shinigami's army of the dead, it consisted of souls dragged from the underworld and revived using forbidden techniques, turning them into zombie-like entities.
In essence, it was a low-tier version of Impure World Reincarnation, but what it lacked in quality, it made up for in sheer numbers.
This was because the Shinigami didn't actually have full control over the underworld; it merely held authority over certain aspects of it.
As for the Evil God, it represented the antithesis of existence—destruction. Violent and ruthless, it sought to obliterate everything. Its followers, however, were individuals like Hidan, and while troublesome, they weren't overly difficult to deal with.
The true bodies of the Shinigami, Evil God, and other ancient deities were still being restrained. Although the Sage of Six Paths and his brother's suppressive power had weakened, it hadn't disappeared entirely.
Currently, the only ancient deity active on the ninja continent was Mōryō.
Thus, for the battlefront in the Land of Whirlpools, Tenjingakure dispatched Kakashi, Guy, Tsunade, and a unit of ninja troops.
For the followers of the Evil God in the Land of Hot Water, the team consisted of Hidan, Kakuzu, Sasori, Ōnoki, and additional ninja troops.
As for Deidara and Jiraiya, they had an even more critical mission: finding Orochimaru.
There were three reasons for this.
First, Deidara needed Orochimaru to help him quickly perfect his Perfect Clay. The necessary material, White Zetsu, had already been collected.
Once he had Perfect Clay, Deidara believed he could reach the Six Paths level. With his ultimate art unlocked, he might even achieve a decisive, world-shaking victory.
Second, Jiraiya needed to locate Sasuke. Even though the threads of fate had unraveled to this extent, Naruto and Sasuke, as the original "Children of Prophecy," remained crucial.
With proper guidance, the two of them could play pivotal roles in the upcoming war.
Third, it was to counter Kabuto's use of Impure World Reincarnation. If Kabuto sided with Obito to unleash a large-scale Impure World Reincarnation army, Deidara could use Orochimaru to deploy a similar technique, neutralizing the enemy's advantage.
But where had Orochimaru gone?
After much thought, they realized there was only one person in the ninja world who could locate Orochimaru—the White Snake Sage of Ryūchi Cave.
If the White Snake Sage used reverse summoning, Orochimaru could be brought back.
Thus, Deidara and Jiraiya traveled to Ryūchi Cave via the pathways of Mount Myōboku.
"Welcome! Welcome!" The three snake beauties lined up to greet them. They seemed particularly interested in Deidara, the anomaly of fate.
"Oh my, you're quite handsome!"
"Have you considered spending a romantic evening with me?" Tanjinji teased, sidling up to him.
Deidara quickly declined. "Sorry, but I think this gentleman here, Jiraiya-sama, might be more interested."
"Besides, he's inherited the power of the Great Toad Sage. Surely, he's more appealing to you."
"Hahaha, I wouldn't mind at all," Jiraiya said, rubbing the back of his head with a roguish grin. "Meeting such beautiful ladies has given me inspiration for my next book."
Of course, this was all just playful banter. Nothing serious was going to happen.
Under the guidance of the three snake princesses, Deidara and Jiraiya soon met the White Snake Sage.
"An anomaly of fate, and the inheritor of that toad's legacy. What brings you to me this time?" the White Snake Sage asked, her tone less than friendly.
Well, she was a snake, after all—that was just her nature.
"We'd like to request that you use reverse summoning to bring Orochimaru here," Jiraiya explained.
"Orochimaru? I can do that, but I have a small request," the White Snake Sage replied.
"Please, go ahead," Jiraiya said.
"You see, during that toad's last operation, I lost a portion of my power. Recently, those troublesome beings have been stirring again.
"For my own safety, I'd like you to help me recover what I lost," the White Snake Sage said.
Deidara and Jiraiya exchanged glances. This was no small request.
Six Paths-level power wasn't something that could be easily restored.
The White Snake Sage noticed their hesitation and added, "It's actually quite simple. I don't expect you to pay me immediately.
"Since you're already enemies with those beings, you'll inevitably kill or capture some of them in the future.
"When that happens, just bring one of the ancient gods to me, dead or alive.
"Of course, if you fail, I'll consider it an act of charity.
"I do have a bit of mercy for the dead," she said with a sly tone.
With the terms laid out like that—deal now, pay later—what reason did Deidara and Jiraiya have to refuse?
"Alright, please summon Orochimaru," they agreed.
The White Snake Sage nodded, and soon, a red-haired child appeared in Ryūchi Cave.
"O-Orochimaru! Why do you look like that?!" Jiraiya exclaimed in shock.
Having taken over the body of Uzumaki Yusuke, Orochimaru's current physical age was even younger than Naruto and Sasuke.
Orochimaru turned his head, initially puzzled as to why the White Snake Sage had summoned him.
But upon seeing his old friend, he licked his lips and asked, "Jiraiya, what's so urgent that you had to summon me like this?"
"Orochimaru, where is Sasuke? We need him now," Jiraiya said.
Sasuke again?
Hearing how highly Jiraiya valued Sasuke, Orochimaru figured he could demand a high price.
But for now, he turned to Deidara. "And you? What do you need from me?"
"I need your help researching a new type of clay," Deidara replied.
"Very well..." Orochimaru thought for a moment. "Meet me off the coast of the Land of Waves.
"But you'll need to pay me first."
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