Half an hour earlier.
Kabuto, cloaked in black with his hood concealing his face, walked across a field of ruins.
This was Kannabi Bridge. No... perhaps it was more fitting to call it the ruins of Kannabi Bridge.
During the Third Shinobi World War, Minato's squad had ultimately destroyed this place in order to sever 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 lurked in hiding. It was also Obito's current stronghold!
"Tap!"
Kabuto stopped. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and slowly raised his gaze toward the massive stone ruin piled high with countless broken rocks.
This had once been a cave. During the latter stages of the Kannabi Bridge Battle, Obito and Kakashi had infiltrated it together during the mission to rescue Rin. They succeeded in the rescue, only to walk straight into the trap set by Hidden Stone Jonin Kakko.
The enemy used Earth Release: Rock Shelter Collapse, causing the cave walls to cave in. To save Kakashi, Obito had shoved him out with all his strength, while half his own body was crushed beneath a massive boulder, leaving him on the verge of death.
After that, even more rocks had rained down, burying that boulder—and Obito—beneath an even deeper layer of earth.
Kabuto's mission this time was to locate the boulder that had pinned Obito beneath these scattered rocks and extract any blood that might still remain on it.
Yes... only blood that might remain!
And disturbing the ground so close to Obito's stronghold would certainly draw White Zetsu's attention!
What awaited Kabuto was a certain death trap!
Perhaps... he had already entered White Zetsu's surveillance range!
He had to be fast! From this moment on, every second counted!
After crouching down, Yakushi Kabuto formed hand seals and slammed his palms against the ground!
After volunteering to undertake this mission, he had spent seven days and seven nights preparing.
He had learned Earth Release ninjutsu, something he had never excelled at in the past!
—Earth Release: Crumbling Rock Stripping!
This Earth Release technique could rapidly strip away broken rocks from the surface layer of the ground, making it suitable for excavation in specialized terrain!
With this technique, he could quickly find the large rocks buried beneath this impossible-to-search stone ruin!
"Rumble...!"
Amid the thunderous roar, countless fragments of rock shifted in every direction. The terrain sank as though great waves were sifting sand, turning the stone ruin into a deep, sunken pit!
Time was short. Kabuto did not even dare shift his eyes to check whether the disturbance had already drawn observers!
He jumped down to the bottom of the pit.
Before him lay more than a dozen massive rocks of similar size. In such haste, he had no way of determining which one was the boulder that had pinned Obito!
Fortunately, before setting out, Nagato and Orochimaru had already 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 between the rocks 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 stumbled at a place like this...
The little snakes stopped beside one of the rocks!
"Is it that one?!"
Kabuto rushed to the boulder, pulled a scroll from his robes, and spread it open. Biting his finger, he drew blood and began inscribing the technique formula across the scroll!
"It was also thanks to Lord Orochimaru's constant study of forbidden techniques that he had even mastered such an obscure sealing technique!"
Once the formula was complete, he formed a hand seal!
—Blood-Sealing Seal!
"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...!"
The lines of the formula spread from the scroll and seeped into the cracks of the stone...
As they flowed back, the blood on the underside of the boulder was extracted and sealed!
Above his head, the disturbed White Zetsus had already gathered to watch his actions!
"Hey, isn't that guy one of Danzo's spies? I heard Orochimaru later recruited him!"
"What is he doing? Isn't that where Obito was buried back then?!"
"This is bad! Hurry and tell Obito about it!!!"
"Sizzle...!"
The markings of the formula fully receded into the scroll.
Kabuto pushed up his glasses while holding the scroll, a relieved smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "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 explosive sound of a sinister vortex!!
A murderous white hand reached toward Kabuto!!!
Kabuto reacted swiftly. Shielding the scroll, he formed a Chakra Scalpel in his other hand and slashed at the approaching figure!!
Whoosh!!
But his attack passed straight through the figure before him...!!!
"What?!" Kabuto's face went pale with shock.
"Crack!!"
The next instant... the hand protecting the scroll was ruthlessly torn off by brute force!!!
"Arghhhhh...!!!" Wracked by agonizing pain, he clutched his bleeding stump and stumbled backward in utter misery!!
Obito took the scroll from the severed hand, then tossed Kabuto's hand aside as though it were garbage!
"Ah...!!" Drenched in sweat, Kabuto's blue Chakra Scalpel turned into the green glow of Medical Ninjutsu: Hemostasis Technique. He hastily began treating the wound and stopping the bleeding while staring warily at the newcomer. "Y-you... who exactly 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 order you to come here?"
Kabuto was even more horrified. "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 one hand and began forming seals!
"Crack!!" Obito coldly lifted him into the air with one hand. Within the hole in his mask, the Sharingan met Kabuto's eyes with an invasive stare!!
—Genjutsu: Sharingan!
"Urgh..."
Kabuto's hand seals fell limply, and his eyes lost focus...
Obito demanded coldly, "Where is Orochimaru now?"
"The Land of Rice... headquarters."
"This is bad! This is different from the rehearsal...!"
At the Land of Rice headquarters, Orochimaru abruptly rose to his feet as he watched the scene in the crystal ball.
"Kabuto has already fallen under genjutsu... Nagato, immediately use the Animal Path's Summoning Technique to summon him back!"
Cold sweat streamed down Nagato's face. His heart had risen to his throat!
Orochimaru urged, "Nagato!!!"
Nagato clenched his fists tightly and said in a deep voice, "No, wait a little longer...!"
Obito's demand exploded once more. "Why haven't the White Zetsus I sent to monitor that place reported any intelligence about him being at the Land of Rice headquarters?"
Yakushi Kabuto spoke dully. "Because the White Zetsus monitoring that place have already been... dealt with by Orochimaru..."
Before you continue