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Chapter 181 - 181

Battle... Fighting... This was a genuine blind spot in Kabuto Yakushi's skillset.

In fact, this was not something he had much real experience with. Kabuto always had a clear sense of his own strengths and weaknesses, and direct combat had never been his focus. He always believed that simply being able to protect himself was enough.

But now... it seemed there were things he needed to start taking more seriously. At least, when facing Kage-level opponents, he couldn't afford to be careless.

Right now, Kabuto was once again at a disadvantage. It was a disadvantage that made his goal of capturing Sasuke Uchiha seem almost impossible, even with the help of the Second Tsuchikage, Mu.

On Orochimaru's side stood Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki, while the reanimated bodies of the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, and the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, were quickly recovering.

On the surface, Orochimaru's group already had five Kage-level combatants. Kabuto, however, was left with only the Second Tsuchikage.

But then, a sudden development occurred on the battlefield.

When Sasuke Uchiha saw his brother, Itachi, his face twisted in fury. The anger was so intense it instantly shattered his rationality.

"Itachi!"

Sasuke immediately pulled a kunai from his pouch and lunged toward Itachi, aiming to slash his throat.

However, the attack was completely ineffective.

Itachi didn't even bother to look, acting as if he knew every one of Sasuke's moves. He simply caught Sasuke's wrist with one hand.

Crack!

A sharp twist sent a jolt of pain up Sasuke's arm as his wrist dislocated, the kunai clattering uselessly to the ground.

"Ah..." Sasuke cried out in pain.

Still, his brother seemed completely unconcerned, almost annoyed by the shout. Itachi released the dislocated arm and drove a fist squarely into Sasuke's stomach.

Thud...

Sasuke's mouth opened in a silent gasp of pain. The shock from the blow spread through his body, and he collapsed to his knees.

"...Ha... ah... ha..." Wide-eyed, Sasuke knelt there, struggling to breathe.

"Pretty ruthless with your own little brother, Itachi..." Orochimaru observed, unable to stop a smile from forming on his lips.

"This is Mr. Itachi's little brother?" Kisame grinned, showing his shark-like teeth. "I really can't see what's so special about him, considering both Obito and that Lord Emiya are fighting over him."

"Let's take care of the enemy first," Itachi said, shaking his head, clearly not wanting to discuss it further. He turned his focus to the Second Tsuchikage, Mu, considering his next move.

Based on his observations, the Second Tsuchikage's abilities were unusual. At the very least, his ability to fly and his powerful stealth techniques made him a difficult opponent to deal with.

But that didn't matter. Itachi's real goal was to buy time. The longer it took to bring down Mu, the more likely it was that Konoha's ninjas would arrive, making it less likely that Sasuke would escape the village.

And that was exactly what happened.

Neither Orochimaru nor Kisame had an immediate way to counter Mu's flight and stealth, so their only option was to slow things down and wait for a perfect opening. But just as they struggled to overcome the Second Tsuchikage, he couldn't easily defeat them either. A stalemate set in almost immediately.

"This is bad..." Kabuto thought, controlling Mu's body to dodge a gigantic sword spat at him by Orochimaru while simultaneously destroying Kisame's water dragon with a simple gesture. "I really thought that with two Kage, I'd get this done..."

"But... oh well," he mused. "Fighting has never been my strong suit. Tasks that involve battles should be left to those who truly enjoy them."

Then, as if directly responding to Orochimaru, Kabuto added, "Orochimaru, we both use the Edo Tensei. Whether we win or lose depends on the quality of the reanimated."

"..."

Orochimaru's gaze suddenly turned cold.

What did that mean?

Did Kabuto still have stronger 'stock' up his sleeve?

This man had been robbing graves across the ninja world for years, how many hidden corpses had he stashed away for himself?

In a situation like this, only another Kage-level fighter could change anything. Did he really have so many hidden away?

Suddenly, the Second Tsuchikage, under Kabuto's control, landed a short distance away. The summoner, who had been hiding behind his reanimated pawns, now spoke with a different tone. There was a hint of sly amusement in his voice, as if he was confident he held the advantage in the next round.

"Well then... our warm-up is over."

"Before the real battle begins," Kabuto continued, "I should represent Lord Emiya and ask you all one final question. After all, that lord is known for his mercy as a medical ninja, and he truly values human life. I have to look after his reputation a little..."

Kabuto's voice turned icy, almost as if he were issuing an ultimatum. "All of you here… have you really made up your minds? Are you ready to betray Lord Emiya and the Akatsuki?"

"What's with this..." Kisame flashed his fanged grin, confused by Kabuto's words. "Is he trying to win us over on Lord Emiya's behalf?"

Although Kisame respected Emiya Shirou, he cared more about what Obito had promised him.

"Confident, aren't we..." Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, a flicker of unease in his heart. Yagura and Rasa now stood behind him, fully restored. At his sides were Kisame and Itachi.

No matter how he looked at it, Kabuto had no reason to make such a bold declaration. Even if he summoned five more Kage with the Edo Tensei, the outcome would still be uncertain.

What kind of 'collection' did he have that gave him such confidence?

Mu's fingers suddenly formed a hand sign, his voice taking on a tone of finality as if revealing his last trump card.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

A summoning formula formed instantly on the ground. A coffin emerged, rising from the smoke.

But Orochimaru smirked. Knowing the weaknesses of the Edo Tensei, he instantly flung a shuriken at the coffin. During the summoning, the coffin was still a vulnerable vessel for the reanimated.

"Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

As Orochimaru threw the shuriken, his fingers formed a seal. In mid-air, the single shuriken split into over a dozen copies, all of them targeting the emerging coffin.

"Foolish..." Orochimaru sneered, using the moment to taunt his former assistant. "Kabuto, a battle isn't child's play. The weaknesses of the Edo Tensei are right there. I won't just let you summon..."

Boom!

The lid of the coffin flew off with a bang. It was as if the one inside could no longer wait.

With the coffin breaking open, a huge burst of chakra erupted, blasting dust high into the air and swallowing all of Orochimaru's shadow shuriken. There was no stopping this summoning anymore.

"Such incredible chakra..." Kisame, whose own chakra was immense, grew serious. He could sense the overwhelming power of the newcomer. Who could possess such terrifying chakra?

"No way..." Orochimaru's pupils shrank. "This level of chakra..." The sensation was eerily reminiscent of when he had used the Edo Tensei to summon the First Hokage years before.

"..."

Itachi's face remained calm, but he shifted his stance just enough to shield the still-recovering Sasuke behind him.

Tap.

A black-gloved hand landed on top of the coffin. It was the hand of the person being resurrected, causing everyone's tension to peak. They were coming out.

"Welcome back to the living world..." Kabuto said through Mu's body.

He opened his palms wide, speaking with both respect and a small smile, as if genuinely pleased to see this reanimated legend return. He showed no sign of concern that this person could break free from his control at any moment.

Watching the figure rise from the dark coffin, Kabuto continued, "It is truly my honor to welcome you back on Lord Emiya's behalf…"

And then, Kabuto said a name—a name that left all present utterly shocked.

"Mr. Madara."

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