Heart Pounding!

Half an hour earlier.

Kabuto, clad in a black robe with his hood concealing his face, walked across a field of ruins.

This was Kannabi Bridge. No... perhaps it would be more accurate to call it the ruins of Kannabi Bridge.

During the Third Shinobi World War, Minato's team had ultimately destroyed this place in order to cut off Hidden Stone's supply route.

As he walked, Kabuto slowly unfolded a map. The red circle marked the cave where Obito had been attacked all those years ago.

The triangular area near the cave was where Uchiha Madara had once lain dormant—now Obito's main base!

Tap!

Kabuto stopped, pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and slowly raised his gaze toward the massive stone ruins piled high with countless shattered rocks before him.

This had once been a cave. During the later stages of the Kannabi Bridge Battle, Obito and Kakashi had charged inside together during the mission to rescue Rin. They had succeeded in saving her, only to fall directly into the trap of Hidden Stone jonin Kakko.

The enemy had used Earth Release: Rock Shelter Collapse, causing the cave to cave in. To save Kakashi, Obito had shoved him out with all his strength, while half his own body had been crushed beneath a massive boulder, nearly killing him.

After that, even more falling rocks had buried that boulder, along with Obito, beneath even deeper layers of earth.

Kabuto's mission this time was to find the boulder that had pinned Obito beneath all this rubble and extract whatever blood might still remain on it.

Yes... whatever blood might possibly remain!

And approaching Obito's base, the disturbance from breaking through the earth would surely attract White Zetsu's attention!

What awaited Kabuto was a fatal trap with no chance of survival!

Perhaps... he had already entered White Zetsu's surveillance!

He had to be fast! From this moment on, every second counted!

After crouching down, Yakushi Kabuto formed hand seals and slammed his palms onto the ground!

After volunteering for this mission, he had spent seven days and seven nights preparing.

He had learned Earth Release ninjutsu, something he had never been skilled at before!

—Earth Release: Crumbling Rock Stripping!

This Earth Release technique could rapidly strip away shattered rocks from the surface layer of the ground, making it suitable for excavation work in special terrain!

With this technique, he could quickly locate the large rocks buried beneath this impossible-to-search stone ruin!

Rumble...!

Amid the roaring, countless fragments of rock shifted in every direction. The ground sank as though a giant wave were washing away sand, turning the stone ruins into a deep, sunken pit!

Time was short. Kabuto did not even dare shift his eyes to see whether the disturbance had already drawn a watcher.

He jumped down into the bottom of the pit.

Before him lay more than a dozen massive boulders of similar size. In his haste, he had no way to determine which one was the boulder that had pinned Obito down!

Fortunately, before setting out, Nagato and Orochimaru had hypothesized and rehearsed every possible situation Kabuto might encounter on this mission!

The situation before him was still within their expectations!

Hiss, hiss, hiss! Dozens of small white snakes dropped from beneath Kabuto's sleeves, weaving among the boulders with their tongues flicking as they began searching for traces of blood!

What Kabuto feared most was that none of these rocks contained Obito's blood!

Fortunately, he had not failed in a place like this...

The little snakes stopped beside one of the boulders!

"Is it that one?!"

Kabuto rushed to the boulder, pulled a scroll from his robes, spread it open, bit his finger, and began drawing the formula onto the scroll!

"It was also thanks to Lord Orochimaru's years of studying forbidden techniques that he had even learned such an obscure sealing technique!"

Once the formula was complete, he formed a hand seal!

—Blood-Sealing Seal!

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...!

The patterns of the formula spread from the scroll and seeped into the cracks in the stone...

As they flowed back... the blood at the bottom of the boulder was extracted and sealed away!

Above his head, the White Zetsu who had been alerted were already watching his actions!

"Hey, isn't that guy one of Danzo's spies? I heard Orochimaru later took him in!"

"What is he doing? Isn't that where Obito was buried back then?!"

"This is bad! Hurry and tell Obito about this!!!"

Sizzle...!

The patterns of the formula fully flowed back into the scroll.

Kabuto held the scroll as he pushed up his glasses, the corners of his mouth lifting in a relieved smile. "Things went much more smoothly than I expected. This way...

"I can go back and report to Orochimaru, right?"

A cold voice rang out alongside the explosion of a sinister vortex!!

A murderous white hand reached for Kabuto!!!

Kabuto reacted swiftly. While protecting the scroll, he formed a Chakra Scalpel in his other hand and slashed at the attacker!!

Whoosh!!

But his attack passed right through the figure before him...!!!

"What!?" Kabuto was horrified.

Crack!!

The next moment... the arm protecting the scroll was ruthlessly torn off by the enemy's brute force!!!

"Ugh, aaaahhh...!!!" Overwhelmed by searing pain, he clutched his bleeding stump and staggered backward!!

Obito took the scroll from the severed hand, then tossed Kabuto's arm away like garbage!

"Ah...!!" Drenched in sweat, Kabuto's Chakra Scalpel's azure glow shifted into the green light of Medical Ninjutsu: Hemostasis Technique. He urgently treated his severed arm to stop the bleeding, while warily staring at the intruder and asking in shock, "Y-you, who are you!?"

"Trash like you has no right to question me."

Obito coldly raised the Blood-Sealing Scroll in his hand. "Yakushi Kabuto, answer me. Why did Orochimaru send you here?"

Kabuto was even more shocked. "You... you actually know I serve Lord Orochimaru!!!"

"Answer me!!"

"Never!!"

Boom!!!

Obito's figure swept toward him like a storm!!!

"Then I'll use the Sharingan's genjutsu to make you tell me the truth!!"

I have to make it in time... Kabuto raised his remaining hand and began forming seals!

Crack!! Obito coldly lifted him into the air with one hand. From the hole in his mask, that Sharingan met Kabuto's eyes with an invasive gaze!!

—Genjutsu: Sharingan!

"Urgh..."

Kabuto's hand signs fell limply, and his eyes lost focus...

Obito coldly demanded, "Where is Orochimaru right now?"

"The Land of Rice... base."

"This is bad! This isn't what we rehearsed...!"

At the Land of Rice base, Orochimaru shot to his feet as he watched the scene in the crystal ball.

"Kabuto has fallen under genjutsu... Nagato, immediately use the Animal Path's summoning technique to call him back!"

Cold sweat ran down Nagato's face. His heart had risen into his throat!

Orochimaru urged, "Nagato!!!"

Nagato clenched his fists tightly and said in a low voice, "No, wait a little longer...!"

Obito's demand rang out again. "Why haven't the White Zetsu I sent to monitor that place reported any information about him being at the Land of Rice base?"

Yakushi Kabuto opened his mouth woodenly. "Because the White Zetsu monitoring that place have already been... by Orochimaru..."