Orochimaru's Speculation

The moment Uchiha Itachi appeared, Obito did not hesitate for a second, instantly phasing into the Kamui dimension.

Seizing this opportunity, Orochimaru watched with cold eyes, quickly committing the key details of Obito's space-time ability to memory before his body quietly melted into a pool of sludge, slowly seeping into the ground.

A short while later, in a secluded forest outside the Land of Fields...

Orochimaru's figure rose slowly from a mud pit.

Looking at Uchiha Itachi, who stood at the entrance at some unknown time, he wore a mocking smile.

"Itachi, is there a reason you've come all this way to find me?"

Orochimaru's tone carried a hint of provocation.

Uchiha Itachi stared at Orochimaru expressionlessly, his voice calm and cold.

"The leader sent me to ask when you will return to Amegakure."

"Heh... I still have some data to collect regarding that falling planet."

Orochimaru deliberately replied in a nonchalant tone.

Uchiha Itachi clearly did not trust Orochimaru, but he had no intention of exposing the lie at this moment.

With a cold and calm expression, he continued in that same near-emotionless voice...

"The leader's intent is clear: you must return to Amegakure within three days, as the Akatsuki intends to reveal its true strength during the Five Kage Summit."

"The Five Kage Summit?"

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow slightly.

It was obvious...

Nagato believed that only by displaying the power of the Akatsuki at the Five Kage Summit could he truly unify the forces of the Shinobi World to face the impending world-ending crisis.

By then, faced with the threat of annihilation, the Five Great Shinobi Villages would have no choice but to submit.

Having realized the Akatsuki leader's plan... Orochimaru chuckled...

What a pity, this leader of the Akatsuki was still far too naive...

Never mind the Five Great Shinobi Villages; even Konoha alone would never cooperate so easily.

"Heh, I see... I understand."

"I understand. I will return on time within three days."

Nagato's childish line of thinking made Orochimaru determined to break away from the Akatsuki...

Having received a definitive answer, Uchiha Itachi said nothing more and prepared to turn and leave.

The moment he turned his back, a venomous snake shot out from Orochimaru's sleeve with lightning speed, its sharp fangs aimed at the back of Uchiha Itachi's neck.

Just as the snake was about to strike...

Uchiha Itachi, as if he had anticipated it, whipped his head around, his crimson Sharingan instantly locking gazes with Orochimaru's eyes.

Orochimaru's body felt as if it had been frozen, unable to move a single inch.

Staring into the deep, indifferent Sharingan before him, an uncontrollable sense of dread surged in his heart.

"Orochimaru..."

Itachi's voice was as cold as ice, yet carried an irresistible pressure...

"Before these eyes, you remain as vulnerable as ever."

"That phrase again..."

A surge of irritation and humiliation welled up inside Orochimaru.

Last time it was Danzo, and this time it was Uchiha Itachi...

A few seconds later, Itachi slowly withdrew his ocular suppression, turned coldly, and began to walk out the door.

Orochimaru stood where he was, his eyes complex and sinister.

He did not strike again, merely staring daggers at Uchiha Itachi's retreating back, his palms slightly slick with cold sweat.

Only after Itachi had completely vanished from his field of vision did Orochimaru regain his freedom.

His body trembled slightly, not out of fear...

But because that long-absent, intense stimulation was constantly fueling his inner ambition and desire.

Obito's figure emerged slowly from the darkness, his tone laced with reproach: "Orochimaru, you shouldn't be provoking Uchiha Itachi right now."

"Heh... I was merely testing the terror of the Mangekyo."

Orochimaru let out a soft laugh.

"Indeed, the Sharingan is truly terrifying..."

Obito saw through Orochimaru's state and did not press the issue further.

"How are things coming along with your Impure World Reincarnation project?"

"Rest assured, the specific arrangements for the Impure World Reincarnation are essentially finalized."

"But before that, I still require your assistance, Lord Madara."

Obito heard this and asked, "Do you need a sufficient number of corpses of those powerful shinobi?"

"I'm afraid I can only trouble you to handle this matter."

It had to be said, this Masked Man who claimed to be Uchiha Madara... was truly useful...

He handled the sacrifices, and even the corpses of these resurrected shinobi could be left to him.

This Masked Man was truly easy to deal with.

After hearing this, Obito nodded slightly, his tone filled with confidence.

"Such a task is simple for me. Infiltrating the major hidden villages to locate and acquire those corpses and samples will be no problem at all."

He was already planning to steal the White Zetsu anyway, so what were a few mere corpses in comparison?

The work of digging up corpses was something he was quite professional at, especially with the aid of his Sharingan.

Especially now that the situation in the Shinobi World was chaotic, and the defensive forces of the major villages were mostly focused on dealing with the Akatsuki and the impending world-ending crisis, this made his actions even easier.

This Masked Man seemed to take their cooperation very seriously; he could be called a perfect partner.

Orochimaru suppressed the intense craving for the Sharingan in his heart, his tone becoming uncharacteristically gentle: "Then I will trouble you, Lord Madara."

"It is no trouble; this is part of our cooperation, after all."

After a moment of contemplation, Orochimaru suddenly seemed to recall something: "Right, there is one more thing."

Obito raised an eyebrow slightly, asking with interest: "What other requirements do you have?"

Looking at the perfect executive partner before him, Orochimaru thought of another interesting matter.

"Regarding Uchiha Itachi's younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke..."

There was a hint of cunning and anticipation in Orochimaru's tone...

"Lord Madara, could you bring him here as well?"

Obito's eyes lit up at the request: "Leave it to me."

In fact, ever since he had completely broken ties with the Akatsuki, he no longer needed to abide by certain agreements regarding Uchiha Itachi.

For Obito, bringing Sasuke to Orochimaru not only met Orochimaru's needs but was also more favorable for his own future arrangements.

At the very least, it added another piece to keep Uchiha Itachi in check.

As for whether Sasuke lived or died, Obito did not care in the slightest.

Even if he had great growth potential, at this current stage, he would not be able to grow up.

Watching Obito's current appearance of near-blind trust in him, Orochimaru quietly confirmed one thing...

Uchiha Yuan's mysterious Mangekyo Sharingan did not seem to be able to completely control the Masked Man before him.

Judging from the behavioral logic Obito displayed, that ocular technique should be more akin to a form of subconscious guidance rather than absolute, total mental control.

Especially the fact that Obito was willing to take Uchiha Sasuke away without hesitation, which clearly contradicted the behavior of Danzo, who had also been influenced by Uchiha Yuan.

This indicated that Uchiha Yuan's ocular technique possessed some kind of flaw or loophole in its rules...

It could not completely erase the target's original consciousness, but could only perform latent ideological guidance.

Since they conflicted with each other, it meant that Uchiha Yuan's Mangekyo Sharingan still had loopholes in its rules.

However, although his own target was Sasuke...

There was also the risk of being corrupted...

Especially with the Masked Man and Sasuke being together...

But...

It seemed quite interesting...

Because up until now, Obito and Danzo had been acting independently...

It was impossible to discern Uchiha Yuan's true intentions...

Therefore, out of curiosity, Orochimaru was even willing to take the initiative to make contact with Uchiha Yuan...

As a scientist, he wanted to know what the truth was.