Obito raised his hand and wiped his face haphazardly with his sleeve.
"Let's go."
He turned around.
Xuandou said nothing more, and the two left together.
Next, under Obito's guidance, they came to stand before a barren mountain.
"This place is called the Mountain Graveyard."
"The White Zetsu I've created over the years using extracted tailed beast chakra and Hashirama cells are down below."
The two passed through a concealed entrance and descended a steep flight of stone steps.
The farther down they went, the damper the air grew and the lower the temperature fell.
At last, the space before them opened up.
It was an enormous underground cavern, so vast that its edges lay beyond sight.
Countless stalactites hung from the cavern ceiling, droplets slipping from their tips with clear, crisp sounds.
On the ground, White Zetsu stood packed together in rows.
There were thousands upon thousands, stretching beyond sight.
Xuandou's pupils contracted slightly. He leaped down, landing in the center of the cavern.
He looked around. The White Zetsu stood in orderly rows, extending to the limits of his vision.
Each White Zetsu had its eyes tightly closed, quietly waiting to be awakened.
"These White Zetsu were originally intended for the Eye of the Moon Plan..."
"Now, they're yours."
A few days later, Itachi returned to Hidden Xuan Village.
This time, Orochimaru and his subordinates returned with him.
Inside the study of the Imperial Palace.
Xuandou looked at the group before him.
Orochimaru stood at the front, dressed in a grayish-brown kimono, his long black hair falling over his shoulders and a faint smile on his pale face.
Behind him, Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his glasses, their lenses reflecting a cold gleam.
Farther back stood Kimimaro, expressionless, his hair white as snow.
Jūgo was powerfully built and a