People in Demon Slayer: The Journey That Began with Demon Slayer

"Summoning Technique! Demonic Statue of the Heretic!"

The enormous shell of the Ten-Tails appeared before Madara Uchiha.

Under Madara Uchiha's manipulation, one White Zetsu after another was created.

Several days later, a massive army of White Zetsu was created.

Madara Uchiha created a wood clone and led a group of White Zetsu soldiers to Sunagakure in the Land of Wind.

The remaining White Zetsu army split into four groups and headed towards Iwagakure, Konoha, and Kirigakure.

Madara Uchiha and Black Zetsu hid among the remaining White Zetsu army and headed towards Kumogakure.

The news of the White Zetsu army's advance on the five great ninja villages quickly reached the ears of the five Kage in Yangyan Village.

"Damn it! Madara Uchiha's goal was clearly to win, so why did he still attack the ninja village?!" Raikage A angrily rebuked.

Onoki frowned and said, "Given the current situation, we must return to defend immediately!"

Itachi sensed something was wrong and asked the scout ninja, "Have you spotted Madara Uchiha among the five waves of White Zetsu?"

The scout ninja replied, "We've found Madara Uchiha among the White Zetsu army heading to the Land of Wind."

"What?!" Maki stood up in shock.

"Our Sand Village's One-Tailed Beast has already been taken by Madara Uchiha, so why did Madara Uchiha attack our Sand Village first?!"

Mei Terumi speculated, "Could it be that Madara Uchiha is planning to put aside the plan to capture the tailed beasts and instead wipe out the villages one by one?"

"No, I have to go back to Sunagakure immediately." Maki was eager to return to Sunagakure.

"Wait, everyone calm down, something doesn't feel right." Itachi stopped Maki. "Think about it, if Madara Uchiha intended to wipe out villages one by one, why did he split his forces into five groups instead of concentrating his forces and attacking together? And why did he choose Sunagakure instead of Kumogakure, which has a tailed beast?"

Tsunade guessed, "Perhaps they are worried that our Allied Shinobi Forces will come to the rescue of Sunagakure. Now, we are forced to return to defend our own village."

Raikage A chimed in, "Madara Uchiha chose Sunagakure simply because he thought it was the weakest and easiest to destroy."

Maki roared angrily, "You bastards!"

Onoki tried to smooth things over, saying, "Everyone, let's calm down first. This approach is completely out of character for Madara Uchiha. We should discuss this carefully so we don't fall into Madara's trap."

"So it's not because your village was attacked by Madara Uchiha that you're not in a hurry? No, I have to get back to Sunagakure immediately! Sunagakure ninjas, come with me right now!"

Ignoring everything else, Maki led the village ninjas away.

Itachi was extremely troubled. It was obvious that Madara Uchiha's purpose was not pure, but it seemed that everyone had to split up and go back to defend their own villages.

Now that only four villages remain, Ai suggested, "Since Madara Uchiha is among the White Zetsu army in Sunagakure, let's send our strongest member, Yosuke, to stop Madara. Once we've dealt with the invading White Zetsu army, we can immediately provide support to Sunagakure, how about that?"

Itachi frowned and asked, "What about Killer Bee?"

Ai said, "Madara Uchiha isn't in the White Zetsu army that attacked Kumogakure. We'll deal with those scum quickly; they're better taken care of than I am."

Everyone looked at Yosuke, who had remained silent.

Yosuke sighed. With just a few minor issues, the seemingly solid Allied Shinobi Forces had fallen apart.

However, Yosuke still agreed.

After all, defeating Uchiha Madara is equivalent to solving a major problem.

Chapter 367 Undercurrents

The White Zetsu army launched a five-pronged attack on the five major ninja villages.

This major move quickly reached Nagato's ears.

Nagato and Obito gathered in one room.

Nagato said to Obito, "A big commotion has occurred in the ninja world. Madara Uchiha's White Zetsu army has already moved out. However, I didn't expect him to go to the Land of Wind. I really can't understand what the Land of Wind could possibly have that could attract Madara Uchiha."

Obito suddenly said, "No, Madara Uchiha did not go to the Land of Wind."

"Hmm?" Nagato looked at Obito with a puzzled expression.

"I once said that Madara Uchiha has a minor ninjutsu that I set up inside his body, and Madara Uchiha is currently moving towards the Land of Lightning."

Nagato's expression instantly turned extremely serious: "A feint? Then Madara Uchiha's target must be the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki."

Obito nodded and said, "That's right. Madara Uchiha must want to lure someone to the Land of Wind, and that person, needless to say, is Yosuke Ubuyashiki, who, like Madara Uchiha, has reached the Six Paths level."

Nagato tapped his index finger rhythmically on the table: "Now the five great ninja villages are fighting their own battles. If Ubuyashiki Yosuke is lured away, then the power of Kumogakure alone will not be enough to stop Uchiha Madara. The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki is also in imminent danger. However, with the current strength of our Akatsuki organization, it is still a bit too much for us to compete with Uchiha Madara for the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki."

"Actually, there's another way," Obito said after a moment of contemplation.

"any solution?"

Obito said, word by word, "Orochimaru!"

"Orochimaru, that guy?" Nagato's words were full of disdain for Orochimaru.

Obito said seriously, "I'm not joking. It's true that even if we combine our strength, we haven't reached the Six Paths level. We wouldn't be a match for Madara Uchiha."

However, it was clear in this battle that Madara Uchiha needed to temporarily avoid Yosuke Ubuyashiki's sharp edge, which is why he used this feint.

If we want to stop Madara Uchiha, and even seize the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, we need to drag Yosuke Ubuyashiki, the only one capable of dealing with Madara, into the fray and muddy the waters.”

Nagato guessed Obito's meaning: "You mean, have Orochimaru's demon army and the Edo Tensei army stop Uchiha Madara, and then have Ubuyashiki Yosuke rush back to the Land of Lightning to fight Uchiha Madara?"

Obito nodded and said, "That's right. As long as Yosuke Ubuyashiki and Madara Uchiha are fighting head-on, they won't be able to take care of us. We can take advantage of the chaos to steal the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki."

Nagato frowned and said, "But Orochimaru isn't stupid. Why would he so obediently follow our orders to stop Uchiha Madara?"

"Leave this to me. I have a way to get Orochimaru to agree." Obito accepted the task of conning Orochimaru.

Obito went to Orochimaru's residence.

"A rare guest indeed. What brings you to my place today?" Orochimaru's voice echoed from the shadows.

Obito didn't mince words with Orochimaru and went straight to the point: "Orochimaru, you should know that Madara Uchiha's White Zetsu army is attacking the five great ninja villages, and you also know that Madara Uchiha personally went to the battlefield in the Land of Wind, right?"

"Of course I know this, since everyone in the ninja world knows it now."

"This is Madara Uchiha using a feint; his true body is heading to the Land of Lightning."

The cunning Orochimaru instantly guessed Madara Uchiha's intentions: "The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki... Since you've come to me personally, Obito, does Nagato have some kind of plan?"

“It’s not that Nagato has any plans, but rather that you and I should have plans,” Obito said ambiguously.

Orochimaru's interest was piqued: "Oh? Our plan?"

"Now Madara Uchiha is only one Tailed Beast away from completing the capture process and becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki. At that time, no one in the entire ninja world will be able to stop Madara Uchiha. You will not be able to get close to Madara Uchiha. Even if Madara Uchiha is in a weakened state during the process of becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, you will not be able to obtain Madara Uchiha's Rinnegan."

Nagato's Rinnegan is sealed, so you can't obtain it. Therefore, if Madara Uchiha succeeds, your coveted Rinnegan will be a complete waste.

Orochimaru remained remarkably calm: "Just tell me what you want me to do."

“We must stop Uchiha Madara, but our fighting strength alone is not enough. Therefore, we must bring in the high-level fighting forces of the Allied Shinobi Forces, such as Ubuyashiki Yosuke. When the situation becomes chaotic, we can take the opportunity to seize the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. We might even be able to use Uchiha Madara’s power to kill Ubuyashiki Yosuke, whom you have always regarded as a thorn in your side.”

After a moment of silence, Orochimaru suddenly burst into laughter and clapped his hands incessantly: "Obito Uchiha, your scheming is truly profound. You want my Demon Army and the Edo Tensei army to restrain Madara Uchiha, so you can reap the benefits? You really have a good plan."

"How can you say it's reaping the benefits without lifting a finger? It should be called a win-win situation."

Orochimaru's smile vanished: "Then why did you hide from me the information that Ubuyashiki Yosuke had obtained the Tenseigan and reached the Six Paths level? If I had gone to stop Uchiha Madara, and Ubuyashiki Yosuke and the others had arrived, I wouldn't have been able to escape either. Do you really want to kick me out of the game?"

Obito's eye twitched. He hadn't expected Orochimaru to already know about this. He had originally intended to keep it from Orochimaru and have him become someone else's suicide bomb.

Obito said, "We just found out about this too, that's why I was just about to tell you."

"You all know what I'm thinking. Although I want to get the Rinnegan, my life is more important than that."

Seeing that Orochimaru already knew everything, Obito no longer concealed anything: "Since you already know, I'll tell you the truth. Ubuyashiki Yosuke is now stronger than Uchiha Madara. As long as we can hold out until Ubuyashiki Yosuke goes to support the Land of Lightning and fights Uchiha Madara, then we can seize the opportunity to make our move."

"If Madara Uchiha is suppressed, the two of us can join forces and secretly steal his Rinnegan. If Yosuke Ubuyashiki is suppressed, we can also join forces to kill him. No matter the outcome, won't we be the ones who benefit?"

Orochimaru sneered, "Don't try to make empty promises to me. This is just in an ideal situation. I can summon the army of demons and the army of reanimated demons to stop Uchiha Madara, but in return, you have to show me your sincerity."

What do you want me to do?

Orochimaru took out a small snake: "This is a snake made of cursed seals. I need you to put this snake on Konan's body."

Obito's breath hitched: "Do you intend to use Konan to threaten Nagato?!"

Orochimaru said with a sinister smile, "I have to find a way out for myself, right? I don't want to give up after all this effort. I can't get close to Nagato, and Konan is very wary of me, so I can only rely on you."

Chapter 368 The Siege of Sunagakure

Looking at the small snake in Orochimaru's hand, Obito's understanding of Orochimaru's insidious and despicable nature was further refreshed.

However, Obito has no right to condemn Orochimaru. In terms of treachery and despicableness, Obito's actions have always been similar to Orochimaru's.

"As long as you put this little snake on Konan, then we'll have an unbreakable partnership. Obito, you tried to release the Nine-Tails to kill Kushina and Minato Namikaze when Kushina was giving birth. If you could do that to your teacher, this should be a piece of cake for you, right?"

Orochimaru's words were full of mockery and sarcasm towards Obito.

Obito was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, "Of course, anyone can die as long as the goal can be achieved."

Obito took the snake from Orochimaru's hand.

"Orochimaru, now that we are in a cooperative relationship, the task of stopping Uchiha Madara is entrusted to you."

Orochimaru watched Obito leave using Kamui, then crossed his fingers and sneered, "Don't worry, we're 'inseparable' comrades now."

Obito found Nagato again and reported that Orochimaru had agreed to send the Demon Army and the Edo Tensei army to stop Madara Uchiha.

"Given Orochimaru's temperament, you must have offered him something in return to get him to agree, right? Can you tell me what you promised him?"

"How could that be? We're all in the same boat now. I just told Orochimaru about the pros and cons, and he agreed."

"Is that so..." Nagato saw that Obito didn't want to talk about it, so he didn't ask any more questions.

Obito secretly released Orochimaru's small snake, which successfully approached Konan, transformed into a cursed seal, and lurked inside Konan's body.

Nagato announced, "In that case, let's all get ready. This opportunity might be our only chance, so we must seize it!"

...

Meanwhile, the ninjas from the five great ninja villages had all returned to defend their respective villages.

Meanwhile, Maki, who had left earlier, was leading the Sunagakure ninjas to confront Madara Uchiha and the White Zetsu army head-on.

Maki glared angrily at Madara Uchiha, who was leading the group: "Madara Uchiha! You killed the Fourth Kazekage and stole the One-Tailed Shukaku. This debt needs to be settled!"

Madara Uchiha scoffed, "A bunch of ants. To be honest, I can barely stand Rasa, but you... are utterly pathetic."