The air after the rain was bitterly cold. Beneath a cliff on the border of the Land of Rivers, Madara Uchiha had barely appeared when his surging chakra blasted the surrounding rock walls apart. The shock wave rolling off him drove Kabuto Yakushi, who had been waiting there, back several steps.
"You had better give me a good explanation."
Madara folded his arms, his Impure World Reincarnation eyes brimming with suffocating bloodlust. "At this distance, I could twist your head off in a second, caster or not."
For a battle maniac, the frustration of having a fight interrupted was worse than death.
Kabuto pushed up his round glasses, their glare hiding the mockery in his snake-like eyes. He brushed the dust from his clothes. His mutated purple hand trembled faintly, as though soothing some restless power.
"Lord Madara, you're our trump card. If we show our entire hand at once, ordinary people will stop fearing us." Kabuto grinned, baring stark white teeth. "Besides, you smelled it on Naruto Uzumaki too, didn't you? The stench of the Death God. In that imperfect body of yours, victory isn't guaranteed."
"Are you lecturing me?" Madara narrowed his eyes. The ribs of a Susanoo flickered into view beside him.
"I wouldn't dare." Kabuto spread his hands. "I'm only reminding you that our goal is the Eye of the Moon, not proving who's stronger."
Just as the tension reached its breaking point, space twisted into a vortex again, and Obito stepped out of the void wearing his spiral mask. He glanced at the murderous Madara, then at Kabuto's sly grin. His voice was low and raspy.
"Madara, Kabuto is right."
Obito stepped between them, his tone cold. "Sasuke is nearby. He has the Eternal Mangekyo now, and he's wearing that strange armor. If you and