"Alright, everyone, let's proceed according to plan!" Nagato declared.
Now that he had officially become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki and reached the level of the Sage of Six Paths, his appearance had undergone significant changes.
For instance, he had grown horns, the Truth-Seeking Orbs hovered behind him, and his body was now covered in scales. He even wielded the iconic Six Paths Staff.
Clearly, the Sage of Six Paths had left some kind of hidden mechanism within the Ten-Tails. Otherwise, why would every single Jinchūriki of the Ten-Tails take on this form? First Obito, then Madara, and now Nagato.
As the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki and now fully in the Six Paths tier, Nagato was tasked with heading to the Land of Demons to confront Moryō. Accompanying him were Konan, Itachi, Kisame, and a battalion of shinobi.
Aside from the Land of Demons, two more battlegrounds had emerged—an army of the dead had appeared in the Land of Whirlpools, while cultists of the Evil God were stirring trouble in the Land of Hot Water.
It was important to distinguish between the undead army and Moryō's immortal legion, they were not the same thing.
According to the Great Toad Sage, Moryō embodied the world's malevolent thoughts—an entity formed from the collective negativity of all living beings. This explained why it and its undead army couldn't truly be killed. As long as living beings existed, negative emotions would never cease to manifest.
On the other hand, the army of the dead summoned by the God of Death was composed of souls forcibly dragged from the Underworld and reanimated through forbidden techniques—something akin to a low-tier version of Edo Tensei, but with the advantage of sheer numbers.
This was because the God of Death didn't truly control the Underworld—he only had dominion over certain aspects of it.
As for the Evil God, he represented the antithesis of existence—destruction. Cruel and violent, he sought to annihilate everything. His followers, much like Hidan, were fanatics, though they weren't particularly difficult to deal with.
As for the true forms of the God of Death, the Evil God, and the other ancient deities, they were still being contained. The Six Paths brothers' suppression over them had weakened, but it hadn't vanished entirely.
For now, the only one freely roaming the ninja world was Moryō.
Thus, the forces of Tengakure were divided accordingly:
Kakashi, Guy, Tsunade, and a group of shinobi were dispatched to the Land of Whirlpools to handle the undead army.
Hidan, Kakuzu, Sasori, Ōnoki, and another group were assigned to deal with the cultists in the Land of Hot Water.
Meanwhile, Deidara and Jiraiya had a different task—to find Orochimaru.
There were three reasons for this mission.
First, Deidara needed Orochimaru to help him perfect his ultimate explosive clay. The primary material, White Zetsu, had already been gathered, and once the perfect clay was created, Deidara was confident he would ascend to the Six Paths tier. In fact, unlocking the final stage of his ultimate art could potentially decide the fate of the entire war.
Second, Jiraiya needed to locate Sasuke. Despite how far the threads of fate had unraveled, Naruto and Sasuke remained crucial figures. If trained properly, they could play a key role in the battles ahead.
Third, Orochimaru's presence was needed as a countermeasure against Kabuto's Edo Tensei. If Kabuto allied with Obito and unleashed an army of resurrected shinobi, Orochimaru could use Edo Tensei to counterbalance their forces.
But the question remained—where had Orochimaru disappeared to?
After much deliberation, there was only one individual in the ninja world who could reliably track him down: the White Snake Sage of Ryūchi Cave.
If she performed a reverse summoning, they could pull Orochimaru to them directly.
Thus, Deidara and Jiraiya traveled through the pathways of Mount Myōboku and arrived at Ryūchi Cave.
"Welcome! Welcome!"
The three Snake Beauties lined up to greet them. They were particularly intrigued by Deidara, the anomaly of fate.
"Oh my, how handsome!"
"Would you care to spend a lovely night with me?" Tagitsuhime leaned in flirtatiously.
Deidara quickly refused. "Sorry, but I think Lord Jiraiya would be far more interested."
"Besides, he's inherited the power of the Great Toad Sage, which should make him even more fascinating to you."
"Ahaha, I wouldn't mind at all."
"Such lovely ladies—just seeing you has already given me inspiration for my next book!" Jiraiya chuckled, rubbing the back of his head, looking completely at ease.
Of course, it was all just playful banter—nothing was actually going to happen.
Under the guidance of the three Snake Beauties, Deidara and Jiraiya were soon brought before the White Snake Sage.
"An anomaly of fate, and the inheritor of that wretched toad's legacy. What business do you have with me?" The White Snake Sage's tone was far from friendly.
Well, that was just the nature of snakes—they weren't particularly warm to anyone.
"We would like you to perform a reverse summoning and bring Orochimaru here," Jiraiya stated.
"Orochimaru? That's possible. But I have a small request."
"Please, go ahead."
"As you know, during the last incident orchestrated by that toad, I lost some of my power. And recently, those creatures have been growing restless again."
"For my own safety, I need you to help me recover my strength."
Deidara and Jiraiya exchanged glances—this wasn't going to be easy.
Power at the Six Paths tier wasn't something that could just be 'recovered' on demand.
Sensing their hesitation, the White Snake Sage continued, "It's actually quite simple. I don't expect immediate payment."
"Since you're already fighting against those creatures, you will inevitably kill or capture some of them."
"When that happens, just bring one of those ancient gods to me—dead or alive."
"Of course, if you fail, I'll simply consider it a charitable act."
"After all, I do have a bit of compassion for the dead."
With the terms laid out like that, what choice did Deidara and Jiraiya really have?
"Fine. Please proceed with the reverse summoning."
"Very well."
With a nod, the White Snake Sage performed the technique, and a red-haired child appeared in Ryūchi Cave.
"O-Orochimaru?!"
Jiraiya was stunned.
"What happened to you?!"
Orochimaru, now inhabiting the body of Uzumaki Yūsuke, had a physical age younger than both Naruto and Sasuke.
Orochimaru turned to face them. He had been wondering why the White Snake Sage had summoned him, only to find himself face to face with an old acquaintance.
"Jiraiya? You went through all this trouble just to find me—what do you need?" He licked his lips.
"Orochimaru, where is Sasuke? We need him now."
Sasuke again?
Hearing how desperate Jiraiya sounded, Orochimaru figured he should demand a high price.
But first, he turned to Deidara. "And you? What do you need from me?"
"I need your help in researching a new type of explosive clay."
"I see…" Orochimaru mused for a moment. "Meet me at the offshore waters of the Land of Waves."
"But you'll need to pay up first."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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