The Akatsuki were moving too fast.
Their actions had not only put Konoha on high alert, but what worried everyone most was Uchiha Obito. Uchiha Madara and Emiya Shirou were surely pulling out all the stops to hunt him down.
As Obito's ally, Orochimaru—for once—wasn't just planning his betrayal. He had two solid reasons to stick with Obito: neither of them had any other choice but to cooperate for the time being, and Orochimaru was still intensely curious about the secrets Obito was hiding.
Following a decision he and Obito had made together, Orochimaru was now visiting Tsunade in Konoha. At such a dangerous time, they desperately needed to make use of Kakashi Hatake's Kamui Sharingan. And… they also needed Konoha's cooperation.
Inside the Kamui dimension.
The unique space created by the Mangekyo Sharingan was actually quite prosperous now. To evade the Akatsuki's constant surveillance, Obito and Orochimaru had stored all their resources here—even Uchiha Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki were currently hiding within it.
You had to admit, it was completely safe here. No one could enter the Kamui dimension unless allowed by Obito or Kakashi's Mangekyo Sharingan.
Even Kakashi was experiencing it for the first time. Though he had possessed the Kamui Mangekyo Sharingan for years, he'd never tried to explore the secrets of this alternate world, deeming it too risky.
But all of that was unimportant now. Kakashi's gaze was immediately locked on Obito. The moment he saw his old friend, his expression completely shifted.
"Obito!"
"Hmph..." Seeing Kakashi, Obito wore his usual dismissive sneer.
If it weren't for the threat of Madara, he wouldn't want to see this guy at all.
Compared to the tense reunion of the former teammates, Orochimaru was chatting easily with Tsunade.
"This is the only place that's truly hidden," Orochimaru explained with a smile, telling Tsunade why he and Obito were taking refuge here.
He then revealed one of the Akatsuki's secrets: "The Akatsuki has creatures called Zetsu. Their ability to hide is extremely potent, allowing them to lurk anywhere and collect intelligence. Right now, this space is the only place where secrets are still safe."
"Three of Konoha's most wanted rogue ninjas..." Tsunade looked with frustration at Orochimaru, then shifted her gaze between Obito and Itachi. "You, I can maybe tolerate, Orochimaru. But those two are unforgivable criminals."
Since defecting, Orochimaru hadn't posed a direct, existential threat to Konoha—not even before he left. But Obito and Itachi were another matter entirely.
Obito had caused the Nine-Tails incident, which led to the deaths of the Fourth Hokage and his wife and nearly destroyed Konoha. Itachi had wiped out his entire clan. No matter how she looked at it, Tsunade didn't want to work with either of them.
"None of us have a choice anymore," Obito said, his displeasure with Tsunade's stubbornness clear. "And neither do you."
He reminded her coldly, "Think carefully, Fifth Hokage. Madara and Emiya Shirou aren't opponents Konoha can handle. They could wipe your village out with ease."
Obito glanced at Kakashi. "I don't actually need to cooperate with you, you know. I could just take my eye back from Kakashi whenever I want. Orochimaru thinks cooperation is the better path, so I agreed to his plan."
"You—"
"Alright, alright..." Orochimaru interrupted with a light laugh, trying to keep Tsunade and Obito from starting a fight. "Right now, our common enemies are Emiya Shirou and Uchiha Madara. There's no point in arguing about the past."
"Orochimaru, let's hear the plan," Itachi interjected suddenly, his voice sharp.
"Very well," Orochimaru's eyes gleamed, and his smile widened. He knew that revealing his battle plan now was the best way to persuade Tsunade.
The plan wasn't complicated.
Nearly all the Tailed Beasts in the ninja world were under Akatsuki's control; only Konoha still had the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. It was inevitable that the Akatsuki would attack Konoha. At the same time, that attack would create an opportunity.
If Konoha's defenses were strong enough, it could force the Akatsuki to spread out their forces. At least one of their leaders—either Emiya Shirou or Madara—would have to appear on the battlefield. When that happened, Obito would also make his move.
To deal with Obito, the Akatsuki's other members weren't enough. It would have to be either Madara or Emiya Shirou. This meant that the Akatsuki's base would become effectively empty.
"At that point," Orochimaru continued, "Kakashi will secretly sneak into the Akatsuki's base. By taking advantage of the linked spaces of the two Kamui Mangekyo Sharingan, Obito can instantly infiltrate their headquarters and release the Tailed Beasts and captured Jinchuriki."
As he spoke, Orochimaru glanced over at a tall structure hidden within the Kamui dimension.
He added casually, "Finally, we gather the other villages, combine the full strength of the ninja world, and go for a final showdown with the Akatsuki."
The core of the plan rested on the two Kamui Sharingan, which allowed Kakashi and Obito to travel instantly across long distances. It was a trick of spatial displacement.
They reasoned that even if Madara was fast, and even if Emiya Shirou had the Flying Thunder God technique, they couldn't possibly make it back to the Akatsuki base in time.
On the surface, there seemed to be nothing wrong with the plan. It appeared Konoha wouldn't have to do much, aside from providing Kakashi's Kamui Mangekyo Sharingan.
"We have no other options, Tsunade." Orochimaru's snake-like eyes narrowed, his tone a mix of threat and plea. "In a crisis that could mean the end of the world, even an old enemy's power must be borrowed."
"Let me think about it," Tsunade said, massaging her forehead.
"You're running out of time," Orochimaru warned her. "And so are we."
"Even if your plan succeeds in getting all the Tailed Beasts back," Tsunade's voice was heavy, "there's still little hope of actually defeating the Akatsuki in the end."
"But... it's the only hope," Orochimaru said, his tongue flicking out subconsciously. "We can't just sit around and wait to die, can we?"
No matter how slim the chance, nobody could simply sit back and do nothing.
Tsunade and Kakashi left the Kamui dimension. Before leaving, she had made her decision: she would work with this dangerous man, Orochimaru, in order to resist the even greater threat of the Akatsuki.
But Tsunade hadn't given up on other avenues of hope. As Orochimaru persuaded her, she realized something else. If she could work with rogue ninjas like Orochimaru to face a greater threat, then maybe the five great ninja villages, who had once fought each other, could finally unite.
Coincidentally, now was the best opportunity. The other villages had already witnessed the Akatsuki's terror firsthand. They knew a single village couldn't stand against them. A massive ninja alliance might actually be possible.
However, after Tsunade left the Kamui dimension with Kakashi, the conversation between Obito and Orochimaru took a sudden turn.
"As long as this plan works..." Obito peeled away a large sheet covering something massive within the dimension, revealing the fearsome Gedo Statue. "If I can infiltrate the Akatsuki's base and snatch back the Gedo Statue and the Tailed Beasts, then neither Emiya Shirou nor Madara will be a threat to me."