Lord Madara, Would You Like to Catch Up with Your Old Friends?

Meanwhile.

Deep within the dark, damp underground cavern, the air suddenly twisted without warning.

A pitch-black spatial vortex materialized out of thin air.

Obito Uchiha, clad in a black cloak patterned with red clouds and wearing an orange spiral mask, slowly stepped out of the vortex.

His scarlet Sharingan swept coldly across the surroundings through the eyehole of his mask.

The enormous Demonic Statue of the Outer Path still crouched against the rock wall like a lifeless sculpture.

Beside the sealing platform at the statue's feet, a young girl covered in specially made chains remained locked up in deep unconsciousness.

She was the Seven-Tails' jinchūriki they had gone to great lengths to capture.

Half a year had passed, yet this "sacrifice" had been left here, completely untouched.

Obito's gaze turned utterly cold.

He turned toward the pale figure beside him, who was fiddling with test tubes and petri dishes.

"Orochimaru."

Obito's voice carried undisguised suppression and irritation.

"You swore to me back then that you would only need two months."

"It's been a full half year now!"

Obito took a threatening step forward, his scarlet eye locking onto Orochimaru's back.

"Why hasn't Nagato finished absorbing the White Zetsu cells?"

"How much longer will those Rinnegan take before they can get to work?"

"Hehehe..."

Orochimaru stopped what he was doing and slowly turned around.

Purple chakra light cast upon his deathly pale face, making him look especially sinister.

He extended his abnormally long tongue and licked his cracked lips with lingering relish.

"Experiments always come with surprises and accidents."

A feverish gleam flickered in Orochimaru's reptilian slit pupils.

"The mass-produced White Zetsu you provided were indeed quite useful, but he had already absorbed Hashirama Cells beforehand."

"The two powers caused an extremely intense rejection and restructuring within his body."

Orochimaru spread