"Let's have a heart-to-heart, Naruto Uzumaki."
Obito sat by the window of Naruto's cabin, his eye glowing scarlet beneath his mask.
Naruto immediately turned and climbed out of bed, watching Obito's mask warily.
"Are you... Madara?"
Obito admitted it without the slightest hesitation.
Meanwhile, the others sensed the powerful chakra that had suddenly appeared, jolted awake, and rushed to Naruto's cabin.
"The masked one? Are you Madara?"
Jiraiya immediately shielded Naruto behind him and pressed his palms together, ready to strike at any moment.
"Don't be afraid, everyone. I'm here to negotiate."
"We have nothing to discuss..."
Orochimaru emerged behind Obito like a ghost.
A black snake coiled around Obito's body, then stretched its head in front of him, staring at him with its jaws wide open.
Obito caught the glint inside the black snake's throat and gave a scornful laugh.
"A Jinchūriki squad, plus two of the Konoha Sannin... Quite the impressive lineup!"
"All to guard against you... the so-called... Madara Uchiha!"
"What a shame. I didn't come here to fight."
As he spoke, Kamui manifested in his left eye, twisting away the black snake's head along with its upper body.
Inside the Kamui Dimension, Nagato was lying in bed reading Jiraiya's novel when half a black snake suddenly dropped in.
"A snake? One of Orochimaru's tricks?"
He picked up the half-snake and examined it closely.
Sure enough, Nagato pulled a scroll out of its mouth.
When he undid the sealing, he found that it indeed contained the miniature Eight-Tails and miniature Nine-Tails.
"I've got them all..."
Nagato looked at the miniature Two-Tails lying on the bed.
"Now I just need to throw these three into the mouth of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path..."
Back in the real world.
The black snake Orochimaru had used to restrain