Kabuto Yakushi had set out the night before, heading for the Five Kage Summit venue to await his chance.
Meanwhile, in a Washitsu on Blue Moon Island, Sasuke had cleansed himself and washed away the dust of his travels. Now he awaited the approaching Seventh Battle!
The Seventh Battle would pit him against the Five Kage and Obito. The order would depend on... whether the hunt for the Eight-Tails succeeded!
The hunt for the Eight-Tails was part of a multilayered plan tied to rescuing Nagato, finding Fugaku's eyes, and other objectives. That made Suigetsu and Jugo's actions the deciding factor!
The teacup before him had long since stopped steaming.
Sasuke watched the ripples in his cup, visibly restless.
Seated respectfully across from him, Orochimaru saw what was troubling Sasuke and asked softly, "Are you worried about Suigetsu and Jugo's safety?"
Sasuke nodded and voiced his concern. "Those two are risking their lives to clear a path for me. If something really happens to them, I won't be able to live with myself. Orochimaru, let's go!"
Orochimaru thought to himself, As expected, Sasuke-kun only loses his composure when people from his past are involved.
"Sasuke-kun, stay calm," Orochimaru said. "You assessed those two yourself before choosing them as members of the Hawk Team. They aren't weak. They simply lack experience. I believe that after this, they'll become even stronger allies for you. Trust my judgment, and trust your own eye for people..."
Sasuke said nothing. He could only clench his fists... and wait for Suigetsu and Jugo to succeed and channel chakra into the Flying Thunder God Kunai!
BOOM...!!!
On the battlefield of the offshore island, as the chaos of Tailed Beast Eight Scrolls: Slash subsided, the Water Prison formed by the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave burst apart as