"So, the most likely scenario is that the mastermind behind Nagato's revival deliberately controlled Edo Itachi, framing you to take the blame for their crimes?" Kakashi, no fool, quickly pieces together the truth—or rather, part of it.
Of course, he doesn't know that Edo Nagato and the others are currently free, with no one pulling their strings.
"Exactly, that's what I think!" Kabuto nods in agreement.
"Then who is this person? Do you know?" Kakashi asks.
"Maybe the masked man…" Kabuto ventures.
"The one suspected to be Uchiha Madara?"
"No, no, no, the masked man isn't Uchiha Madara. Since I could summon Madara with Edo Tensei, it proves he's dead. So, the masked man definitely isn't Madara!" Kabuto says confidently, backed by the undeniable results of his ninjutsu experiments.
But who is the masked man, really? Kabuto doesn't know…
Kakashi presses, "Can that person also use Edo Tensei?"
"I'm not sure. In theory, only Orochimaru-sama and I currently master this forbidden technique. But Orochimaru-sama is dead, his arms sealed by Shiki Fuujin. Even if the masked man revived him somehow, Orochimaru-sama couldn't use ninjutsu…" Kabuto says, full of doubt.
These uncertainties about Edo Nagato were why Kabuto didn't rush to contact them. He feared his hand wasn't strong enough, and acting rashly might get him devoured by the other side.
So, he decided to squeeze Konoha, the 'soft peach,' first…
Who knew Konoha's 'soft peach' would be so hard it knocked his teeth out?
Had he known, he'd have probed Amegakure instead.
"This is bad!" Kakashi frowns, a sinking feeling growing.
While learning Kabuto isn't the mastermind eases Konoha's side slightly, it means the threat from Edo Akatsuki hasn't vanished…
It might even be greater!
With the true mastermind's identity unknown, there's no way to counter them specifically. They're forced to take hits passively—a painful situation.
The only silver lining is Naruto's newfound, immense power, surpassing even Minato's, enough to protect Konoha!
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
"Ah! So, the big villain reviving the Juubi is the mastermind controlling Nagato?!" Naruto slaps his head, suddenly recalling something.
"Juubi? What's that, Naruto?" Kakashi grows more confused.
Naruto briefly recounts his dream conversation with the Sage of the Six Paths. The gray-bearded old man appeared in his dreams nights ago, teaching him knowledge, principles, and sharing much information.
He even eased Kurama's deep hatred for humans, slightly improving Naruto and Kurama's bond. Otherwise, Kurama wouldn't have opened up today or lent Naruto his full power…
Hearing about the Juubi from the Sage, Kakashi is stunned.
Initially, he thought Naruto's recent stress caused odd dreams. But today's events, including Kurama's openness, prove the mysterious old man in Naruto's dream isn't an illusion—he might truly be an unimaginable Sennin!
From this angle, the information he provided is likely true!
"The Juubi?!?" Kabuto exclaims, visibly shocked.
"You know about it?" Kakashi asks immediately.
"It's the true goal of the original Akatsuki! They aimed to combine all Bijuu from Ichibi to Kyuubi to create a terrifying biological weapon capable of destroying the world. It might also cast some kind of wide-area illusion? I'm not entirely sure; this is all from Orochimaru-sama…" Kabuto explains.
"A superweapon combining the power of all nine Bijuu?!" Kakashi's scalp tingles with alarm. Just half of Kurama's power in Naruto is terrifying.
He can't imagine how horrifying the Juubi, formed from all nine Bijuu, would be…
"Wait, isn't Kurama inside me? How could the Juubi be revived then?" Naruto catches the key issue.
"I don't know. Maybe they got Kurama's chakra from somewhere else? Akatsuki's too mysterious now; I can't predict…" Kabuto answers honestly. As a prisoner, he has no reason to hide this.
Naruto grows more anxious. "What's going on? The old man in my dream said the Juubi is super, super strong! Stronger than all the Bijuu…"
"If the villain controlling Nagato attacks Konoha with the Juubi, it'll be really dangerous!"
Naruto increasingly trusts the Sage's information, his imagination running wild with fear. The more he thinks, the scarier it gets.
Can Konoha, as it is now, withstand a giant Bijuudama from the Juubi?
"This is indeed very dangerous…" Kakashi frowns. He's not even Hokage yet—why does the village face destruction crises repeatedly?
Who can endure this?
Suddenly, Kabuto, still writhing on the ground, his eyes gleaming, eagerly volunteers. "Let me help!"
"You?"
"Am I not qualified? Don't you want to protect Konoha? Aren't you afraid of the Juubi' terrifying power?"
"You want to cooperate?"
"Yes, yes, yes! If you work with me, with my strength and Edo Tensei army, we can definitely protect Konoha safely!" Kabuto sticks out his long tongue, pushes up his slipping glasses, and proposes with a sincere face.
But his appearance, no matter how you look at it, screams villain more than villain.
It's hard to trust him easily.
"Kabuto, are you really willing to help the village?" Naruto's hatred for Kabuto isn't deep. Though Kabuto followed Orochimaru in evil deeds, he hasn't caused many deaths in Konoha.
Even today, most Konoha ninja only fainted from Kabuto's shockwave, not a massacre…
Naruto feels, deep down, Kabuto still has some attachment to Konoha, perhaps nostalgia for the warmth of Konoha's orphanage days…
Maybe even Kabuto himself hasn't faced this honestly?
"No! Naruto, don't trust enemies so easily."
"He's just deceiving you! If we loosen his seals and bindings, he'll bite you first!" Kakashi, experienced, isn't fooled by Kabuto's sweet words.
A wild wolf that's bitten him before, no matter how tame it seems under threat, won't change its bloodthirsty nature!
To Kakashi, Kabuto's the same.
Talk of cooperation is just a ploy for freedom.
"But, Kakashi-sensei, if we don't trust Kabuto, can we really withstand the Juubi' attack?"
"Hahaha! Naruto, you're smarter than I thought! No wonder you're my favorite junior…" Kabuto laughs brightly, liking Naruto more.
"And Kakashi, does Konoha have a choice right now? The question isn't whether to cooperate with me—it's whether Konoha can withstand the Juubi' power."
"You… have a way to counter the Juubi?"
"Of course, I alone aren't enough, but I hold a power capable of shaking the Juubi!"
"What?"
"Have you forgotten the Edo target your eye technique just swallowed?"
"Wait… you mean Uchiha Madara?!?" Kakashi's suddenly shocked, his heart torn between absurdity and reality.
Letting Uchiha Madara protect Konoha?
What kind of century-defining joke is this?
Yet, with the immense power of one of the Warring States' two heroes, there might actually be a slim chance of success?