Land of Birds.
In a secluded valley, Uchiha Shin sat cross-legged with his eyes closed.
Zetsu stood nearby. At his feet was the enormous Yin-Style Three-Tails, Isobu. At the moment, however, the Three-Tails was tightly bound by thick, grotesque tree roots and unable to move.
Only after a long while did Uchiha Shin slowly open his eyes. His right eye was a Mangekyou, while his left was a Rinnegan!
"You should have gotten the hang of it by now," Zetsu's voice slowly drifted over.
"There shouldn't be a problem."
Uchiha Shin rose from the ground, bit his finger, and began forming Hand Seals. "Summoning Jutsu!"
He slammed a palm onto the ground. A vast amount of summoning formulae instantly spread across the earth in every direction, only to vanish in the next moment.
"Failed again." Zetsu's gaze drifted slightly.
"Damn it!!"
Uchiha Shin was somewhat irritated.
What he was attempting to summon was the Ten-Tails' shell, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Yet after several days, he had not succeeded even once!
"Do I need both Rinnegan to summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path?" Uchiha Shin glared at Zetsu.
Zetsu shook his head. "No, one Rinnegan is enough to summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Shin, you still need more practice."
Uchiha Shin's patience was clearly wearing thin. Rather than sitting here endlessly forming Hand Seals, he would rather go look for the other Rinnegan!
"Have you found the whereabouts of the other Rinnegan?"
"For now, it seems it was taken by Orochimaru," Zetsu said.
Before the battle at the Rōran Ruins had erupted, Zetsu had seen Orochimaru secretly release several little white snakes. He had not paid them much attention then, but thinking back on it now, those little white snakes had most likely