Starting from the roots of Konoha, they were the masterminds behind the scenes.

Chapter 251 Edo Tensei Madara, Capturing the Tailed Beasts, Begins!

In the Land of Fields, in the Hidden Sound Village, at the experimental base.

Orochimaru carefully cultivated Madara Uchiha's cells, and then took out a portion to transplant into a White Zetsu experimental subject.

Having partnered with Black Zetsu, he now has no shortage of White Zetsu test subjects and is quite wealthy.

After a day of observation, the Uchiha Madara cells and White Zetsu fused perfectly, showing no signs of being assimilated or devoured by the Hashirama cells.

Although Orochimaru did not observe any signs of the two forces interacting, he was not in a hurry.

The information obtained from both Hoshino Shu and Black Zetsu is highly credible.

"That guy might not be lying, but at this level, the possibility of him awakening the Rinnegan is very low, and it's not just a matter of time."

"The reincarnation of Indra and Ashura, hehe, if I could get Madara Uchiha's eyes."

Orochimaru thought of Nagato's Rinnegan.

Unfortunately, he is not confident in obtaining the Rinnegan right now.

Moreover, even if he beats Nagato, he has no confidence against Uesugi Shiraishi.

Orochimaru could sense that Nagato's Rinnegan was also a pawn of Hoshino Shu.

"Xiujun, what exactly is your purpose?"

"What I'm seeing now is probably only a small part of your plan, isn't it?"

Orochimaru became increasingly interested.

Next, Orochimaru spent a month cultivating enough Madara Uchiha cells, which he then transplanted into his own body.

And Jue, as if he had timed it perfectly, came knocking on his door again.

"How's it going? Feeling pretty good, huh?"

Black Zetsu chuckled, "If you had Sharingan, the sensation would be even more pronounced."

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow slightly: "Oh? Is that so?"

The White Zetsu tempted, "The two most talented people in the Uchiha clan right now are Shisui of the Body Flicker Technique and Itachi Uchiha. Both of them have the potential to awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan!"

Orochimaru chuckled and said, "I don't want to be hunted down by Hideki."

Whirlpool White Zetsu shrugged: "Then there's nothing we can do. Madara-sama had quite a few Sharingan in stock back then, but unfortunately they were all taken by Hoshino Shuu."

Orochimaru remained unmoved: "Let's get back to the point. Did you bring the sacrifice?"

Hei Jue said, "Of course."

"However, it still needs further modifications from you."

Orochimaru understood: "Transplant more Hashirama cells?"

"No problem. There are still quite a few of Madara Uchiha's cells left, let's transplant some of them as well."

With that, Orochimaru headed toward another laboratory.

The surgery was completed an hour later.

Orochimaru headed out of the experimental base, and Zetsu, along with the White Zetsu who was to be sacrificed, immediately followed.

In a valley behind the Hidden Sound Village, the four Sound Ninja stood in four directions, ready for battle.

The White Zetsu, the offering, arrived in front of Orochimaru.

Orochimaru raised his hand and pressed it to the ground: Impure World Reincarnation Technique!

The next moment, accompanied by White Zetsu's scream, the Impure World Soil covered White Zetsu's body, and as the body twisted, White Zetsu's appearance changed to that of Uchiha Madara.

Dirty soil spots, come on!

The moment he completed the ninjutsu, Orochimaru retreated without hesitation.

Immediately afterwards, the Sound Four also completed their barrier.

Four Purple Flame Formations!

Black Zetsu and White Zetsu ignored Orochimaru's actions and kept their eyes fixed on Edo Madara.

His eyes opened, and his pupils moved slightly: "Impure World...reincarnation?"

Outside the Four Purple Flames Formation, Orochimaru raised one hand, cold sweat rolling down his forehead: "As expected... this guy can't control himself."

At that moment, Edo Tensei Madara suddenly formed hand seals, and his body instantly radiated light.

At this moment, Orochimaru completely lost control of Madara Uchiha. He quickly formed hand seals, and two coffins rose from the ground, with the words "First Hokage" and "Second Hokage" written on the coffin lids.

At this moment, Orochimaru was prepared to summon Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju, just in case.

Inside the barrier, the light faded, and Edo Tensei Madara stretched his body before turning to Zetsu: "Black Zetsu, White Zetsu, what's going on?"

After he finished speaking, he glanced outside again, his gaze lingering on the two coffins for a moment.

Whirlpool White Zetsu said, "I am very sorry to revive you in this way, but there is no other way. We have no control over Nagato."

"And that guy, Hoshino Hide, only you can stand up to him."

"Moreover, it must be said that this state seems to be more suitable for the current situation."

Madara Uchiha's eyes twitched, switching from the Mangekyou Sharingan to the Rinnegan.

Orochimaru, watching this scene from outside, sensed something was wrong: "Shu-kun, if you can't suppress this guy, the ninja world is in trouble."

Although he had a bad feeling, deep down Orochimaru was also very excited and looking forward to it.

I look forward to the battle between Madara Uchiha, who possesses the Rinnegan, and Hideaki Hoshino, and I also hope to see the true power of the Rinnegan.

Nagato was already very powerful, so how powerful would he be as the owner of the Rinnegan?

……

Inside the barrier, Susanoo rose up, reached out and grabbed, tearing the Four Purple Flame Array apart to the astonishment of the four.

Orochimaru's forehead was sweating as he raised his hand to summon the First and Second Hokage using Edo Tensei, but Madara Uchiha's voice came through: "Orochimaru, is it? Don't worry, I won't kill you."

"After all, you're my partner now."

Orochimaru slowly lowered his hand and smiled, "It seems you're satisfied with this body."

After dispelling Susanoo, Madara Uchiha stepped in front of Orochimaru and said, "So-so."

The latter, Zetsu, followed closely behind. The swirling white Zetsu said, "Lord Madara, I do not recommend that you confront Hoshino Shu head-on now."

"The best plan is to wait until he successfully collects the tailed beasts, and then join forces with the four great ninja villages to encircle and annihilate Konoha."

"That way, we can save a lot of effort."

Madara Uchiha scoffed, "You're just afraid I'm no match for Xingxia Xiu, aren't you?"

Whirlwind White Zetsu said helplessly, "Although it may be somewhat offensive, the Flying Thunder God Technique is indeed very troublesome in the hands of a strongman like Hoshino Hide. If we make a move now, we are not confident of victory."

"I see."

Madara Uchiha suppressed his urge to attack: "In that case, let's proceed according to plan!"

……

In the study of Konoha, Hoshino Shigehisa smiled as he looked at the scene presented by the crystal ball.

Madara Uchiha has been resurrected!

Yes, what was displayed inside the crystal ball was the scene of Orochimaru resurrecting Madara Uchiha.

The ninjutsu, of course, is the telescope technique developed by the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

However, Hoshino Shu used Electromagnetic Release, and with the Flying Thunder God Technique seal left on Orochimaru, he could see even further.

"Edo Tensei Madara, still a bit short."

Hoshino Shu had no interest in fighting Edo Tensei Madara.

Although Edo Madara can use the Rinnegan's abilities, they are limited to basic ones.

The fact that Madara Uchiha's most powerful eye technique, Limbo, cannot be used means that Madara Uchiha can only be easily defeated by him.

"Hmm, the reanimated Madara can be left to Nagato, Itachi, and Shisui to serve as a whetstone."

"And then there's Mianma and the others, but I don't know if we'll have enough time."

Hoshino Shuu withdrew his ninjutsu.

Currently, Menma and Sasuke's growth is already quite rapid.

However, the latter hadn't even awakened his Sharingan yet, making him far inferior to Itachi Uchiha in this respect.

Of course, the timing of eye opening does not necessarily indicate qualification.

The Uchiha clan is different from ordinary ninjas.

As things stand, at the same age, Uchiha Sasuke is much stronger than Uchiha Obito was in the past.

Even excluding Obito Uchiha's unexpected attributes.

Although environmental factors also play a role, in all aspects, I think Uchiha Sasuke's qualities are still quite good.

All I can say is that it's alright if you don't compare it to perverts.

After putting away the crystal ball, Xingxia Xiu disappeared from the study.

Amegakure Village.

Suddenly, Hoshino appeared in the leader's office.

Yahiko, who was engrossed in working on documents behind his desk, looked up and immediately smiled when he saw Hoshita Hideaki: "Hideaki-sensei!"

Yes, Yahiko has now become the new leader of Amegakure.

Blackwater, on the other hand, has retired.

There's no way around it; the pressure in this position is just too great.

Blackwater felt that if he didn't step down, he would lose decades of his life.

Of course, even after retiring, he remained a member of the Akatsuki organization.

The Hidden Rain Village is now completely under the control of Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.

"Where are Nagato and Konan?"

Xingxia Xiu asked casually.

Yahiko said, "Jiraiya-senpai has arrived and is sparring with Konan and Nagato."

Hoshino smiled and ignored it. After chatting with Yahiko for a few more minutes, he got down to business: "Zetsu has resurrected Uchiha Madara through Orochimaru."

Yahiko was startled: "Orochimaru...didn't he say he wanted the Rinne Rebirth Technique?"

The latest novel is first published here!

Hoshino Hide laughed and said, "No, it's the Impure World Reincarnation technique developed by the Second Hokage. It can only be considered a living dead."

"That's why Madara Uchiha can use a portion of the Rinnegan's abilities."

Yahiko asked solemnly, "Teacher Hideaki, should we speed things up?"

Hoshino Hide shook his head: "No need, Madara Uchiha won't make a move for the time being."

"Only after we collect all the tailed beasts can he get the four great ninja villages to stand with him."

"Heh, we'll become the big villains then."

Yahiko asked, "Teacher Hideaki, can't we try to recruit the Four Great Ninja Villages?"

Xingxia Xiu shook her head: "That's difficult."

"Words are no proof."

"Moreover, our interests are different."

"Yahiko, don't overthink it. Compared to the Otsutsuki, the Four Great Ninja Villages are nothing."

"Without dealing with the Otsutsuki, nothing else matters."

Yahiko nodded: "Yes."

"You're busy, I'm leaving."

With a wave of his hand, Xingxia Xiu left gracefully.

……

Time flies, and three years have passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, the core members of the Akatsuki organization gathered together.

Nagato announced directly: "The Tailed Beast Capture Project has officially begun."

"Sasori, Juzo, Deidara, Kisame, you're in charge of the One-Tail."

Since Deidara was recruited into the Akatsuki organization, he has been paired with Kisame. After all, Yahiko is now the leader of Amegakure, and it is no longer possible for them to team up for missions frequently.

"No problem."

Pipa Juzo said casually.

Deidara looked at Sasori: "Satoshi-senpai, would you mind if we blew up Sunagakure?"

Sasori of the Red Sand said calmly, "Do as you please, if you can manage it."

Nagato continued, "Orochimaru, Hidan, you two are in charge of the Five-Tails."

"Madara, Tobi, you two are in charge of the Eight-Tails."

"After we take down the One-Tailed Beast, Deidara and Kisame, you two will take care of the Two-Tailed Beast."

"Kurosui, Konan, you two are in charge of the Three-Tails."

Madara was actually Obito Uchiha in disguise.

As for Tobi, he is the identity of Edo Tensei Madara.

A fake Uchiha Madara and a real Uchiha Madara have now formed a duo.

"What about the Nine-Tails?"

The question of absolute truth.

Nagato said, "We're not confident about Kurama yet, but we have backup plans, so there's no need to worry."

Jue laughed and said, "Then there's no problem."

Nagato said, "Absolutely, provide adequate intelligence support."

……

The Akatsuki members began to split up and travel to various countries.

The Land of Wind, Sunagakure Village.

Although Sasori had defected, he had spies in Sunagakure, so it was easy for him to infiltrate the village.

After entering Sunagakure, White Zetsu appeared and met with the two teams: "The location of the One-Tailed Jinchuriki has been confirmed."

Sasori said, "Juzo and I will be responsible for restraining the Kazekage."

Deidara laughed, "We'll take care of that last one!"

So the two teams divided the work again.

Sasori and Juzo Biwa headed straight for the Kazekage Building, while Deidara and Kisame followed White Zetsu to find the One-Tailed Jinchuriki.

After a while.

After transforming, White Zetsu pointed to Gaara in a restaurant where strangers were not allowed and said, "That's the One-Tailed Jinchuriki. Good luck to you."

After saying that, White Zetsu turned and left.

Deidara and Kisame didn't act immediately; instead, they swaggered into the restaurant for lunch.

After they finished eating, the two of them followed Gaara.

A remote place.

Gaara stopped and turned to look at Deidara and Kisame, who were wearing straw hats: "Is my target?"

"Who sent you?"

"Him?"

"No, you don't look like people from the village."

Taking off his straw hat, Deidara smiled gently: "Quite perceptive!"

"We do come from outside, and our purpose is for what's inside you."

"So you'd better teach me properly, or I'll let you experience my art of explosion."

Gaara's eyes flickered upon hearing this, his expression instantly turning icy cold, radiating murderous intent: "For what's inside me, heh..."

"In that case... then you should all witness his prowess!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two streams of sand rushed towards Deidara and Kisame.

Deidara dodged, while Kisame drew his greatsword Samehada and cleaved the sand with a deafening roar.

Just then, a dark figure pounced from the side. Kisame immediately dodged, only to find it was a puppet controlled by Kankuro.

Temari also appeared at the same time, waving her fan and creating a gust of wind that swept towards Deidara.

Deidara had already created a clay bird, which immediately took off and avoided the attack.

Standing on the flying bird, Deidara created a small tracking and exploding flying bird, which headed straight for Temari and her two siblings.

Rumble!

Explosions continued, and billowing smoke filled the air.

When the smoke cleared, Gaara was unharmed, but Temari and Kankuro were in a terrible state.

The latter, in particular, saw the puppets blown to pieces.

At this moment, Kisame plunged his greatsword Samehada into the ground, his hands rapidly forming hand seals, then his cheeks bulged out, and a torrent of water gushed out of his mouth.

Water Release: Exploding Water Wave!

The water surged and swept towards the three Temari siblings.

Temari restored her fan, creating a gust of wind that whipped up a stream of water, but it was swept away by the surging water behind her.

"hateful……"

Temari leaped back, shouting, "Gaara, retreat!"

Gaara did not retreat; he built a wall of sand.

Upon seeing this, Kisame grabbed his greatsword Samehada and rode the waves.

In the air, the exploding clay birds swooped down.

(End of this chapter)