"Orochimaru… what do you want, coming here at this time?"
Obito lifted a hand, signaling Nagato—who was already bristling with anger—to stand down.
He stepped forward and confronted Orochimaru directly.
At that moment, Orochimaru's lips curled into that unsettling smile of his, the one that always made people's scalps tighten.
"I only want one thing," he hissed. "Uchiha Sasuke."
Uchiha Sasuke?
Obito immediately understood.
Sasuke and Itachi's fateful clash—derailed because of Shigure—had ruined Orochimaru's plans.
No wonder the man ended up like this.
"Sasuke isn't with us," Obito replied.
"But he will come seeking you," Orochimaru said with certainty.
Konan frowned. "Why would Uchiha Sasuke come looking for us?"
"Because his brother, Uchiha Itachi, once belonged to Akatsuki. He'll come here eventually."
That reasoning was difficult to argue with.
But even if Sasuke did come, what connection did that have with Orochimaru's sudden approach?
"You want to cooperate with us to capture Uchiha Sasuke?" Obito asked.
"No, no, no." Orochimaru shook his head slowly, serpentine.
"I don't want simple cooperation. I want to join the Akatsuki."
"You've been capturing Tailed Beasts one after another, and the Mizukage—Shigure—has been doing the same. I want to know the truth. What secret do the Tailed Beasts hold? Tell me… and I will join."
So that was his goal—the secret of the Tailed Beasts.
Nagato narrowed his eyes. "What secret could there be? As one of the Legendary Sannin, surely you already understand the nature of their power."
Orochimaru nodded. "Of course. I know quite well what their power is."
It was precisely because he believed he understood Tailed Beasts that he had never been interested in them.
What he sought was Bloodline Limits—above all, the Uchiha's power.
That was why he desired Uchiha Sasuke's body.
But after seeing both Akatsuki and the Hidden Mist relentlessly hunt Tailed Beasts, his curiosity had shifted.
Shigure, a prodigy whose power surpassed reason itself—if even he coveted Tailed Beasts, then they were absolutely not as simple as Orochimaru once assumed.
"If we tell you the secret of the Tailed Beasts," Obito said, "you'll rejoin Akatsuki willingly?"
"Of course. Our goals don't truly conflict. I want Uchiha Sasuke. You want the Tailed Beasts."
Obito let out a low laugh. "Once you learn the truth behind them, you may change your mind."
"Perhaps," Orochimaru admitted. "But you need not worry. With my current situation, acquiring a Tailed Beast is impossible for me."
"You all know my technique. Even if I had a Tailed Beast, it would be useless to me."
Obito paused.
Orochimaru's jutsu indeed required constant vessel-switching—meaning the host body would die, and the Tailed Beast would be released.
A dead Tailed Beast simply reincarnated somewhere unknown.
In short, Orochimaru could never keep one.
"True," Obito conceded. "Your technique makes Tailed Beasts pointless."
He turned to Nagato. "What do you think? Should we tell him?"
Nagato's gaze drifted toward the wooden coffin. His expression dimmed.
He was no longer in the mood for debating.
"Do what you want."
The reason for his distraction was clear—inside the coffin was Yahiko.
"Orochimaru," Nagato said quietly, "make him wake… and I will allow you to join."
Orochimaru chuckled. "Very well."
Kabuto stepped forward and embedded a kunai with a control talisman into the chest of the reanimated corpse.
Yahiko's eyes fluttered open.
He stared blankly for a moment.
Then his gaze fell on Nagato—and froze.
"Nagato? Did… did you die too?"
Nagato gave a faint smile. "I didn't die."
"You didn't die? But I—didn't I already die? How can I see you…"
Obito watched Yahiko and suddenly realized something.
"Orochimaru… you must have a great many corpses you can summon with Edo Tensei, don't you?"
Orochimaru's smile widened. "Naturally. I invested considerable effort into perfecting the Edo Tensei."
"Good," Obito said. "Then I'll tell you what you want to know."
He pulled Orochimaru aside.
Konan's eyes narrowed.
A cold premonition seeped into her chest.
If Obito told Orochimaru the Eye of the Moon Plan… what would Orochimaru do with that knowledge?
Minutes passed.
When Orochimaru finally finished listening, he stood frozen—shock spreading slowly across his face.
"So… that's it. The Tailed Beasts were originally fragments of the Ten-Tails."
"In other words, gather all nine Tailed Beasts, and they can return to their original form."
He turned to Obito. "But gathering them shouldn't be enough on its own, correct?"
If it were truly that simple, then Senju Hashirama—the man who once held all Tailed Beasts—would have become the first Ten-Tails Jinchūriki.
"Of course it's not enough," Obito said.
"You also need the power of the Rinnegan."
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed sharply.
The Rinnegan…
"So," Obito asked, "do you still want to join Akatsuki?"
"Of course."
Orochimaru didn't hesitate for even a heartbeat.
"In that case," Obito said with a grin, "since you're one of us now… summon every shinobi you are capable of resurrecting with Edo Tensei."
Hearing Obito's request, Orochimaru paused briefly, then nodded.
"Of course. I can do it."
"However," he added with a faint smirk, "I'll need some preparation. My current vessel can't support performing Edo Tensei on too many shinobi at once."
Obito nodded, satisfied. "As long as you can manage it."
With Edo Tensei reinforcements, the plan to recapture the Tailed Beasts could proceed far more smoothly.
In hindsight, letting Orochimaru leave Akatsuki had been a significant mistake. If they had known he would perfect Edo Tensei to this extent, they would have kept him at any cost.
"Ah… one more thing," Orochimaru said lightly. "A small warning."
At that moment, Zetsu's voice emerged from the ground without warning.
"This place isn't very safe right now."
Everyone turned toward him.
Zetsu's expression was grave as he looked at Nagato, Obito, Orochimaru, and Konan one by one.
"From the Konoha side, Uzumaki Naruto and his two companions are heading toward the Land of Rain.
The Fourth Raikage and a Kumogakure shinobi unit are about to cross the Land of Fire and enter the Land of Rain as well."
He paused before adding:
"And from the Hidden Mist Village, the Mizukage—Shigure—and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist are also moving in this direction."
The air instantly grew heavier.
Konoha.
Kumogakure.
Kirigakure.
All heading toward the Land of Rain… simultaneously.
Did they already know Akatsuki's base was here?
And if so—how?