"This person is…?"
Yakushi Kabuto stared at Black Zetsu in shock.
He hadn't expected another shinobi to be present here.
And not just anyone—
A member of the Uchiha clan, judging by that exposed Sharingan.
The man stood there… yet emitted no detectable chakra presence whatsoever.
Kabuto's pupils shrank slightly.
Snakes were the most sensitive to environmental changes.
And as Orochimaru's disciple, Kabuto's sensory abilities were among his strongest traits.
Yet even he couldn't perceive this man at all.
That alone made him terrifying.
"With this lord here," Black Zetsu said casually, his body sinking into the ground,
"We'll be able to pass through Amegakure's defenses safely."
"Through Amegakure's defenses…?"
Kabuto turned his gaze back to the masked man, even more astonished.
Aside from the spiral mask and single exposed Sharingan, there was nothing remarkable—
Except that eerie absence of presence.
"Bring everything useful."
Obito's voice was low and steady, the Sharingan beneath his mask flickering ominously.
"Understood."
Kabuto had long prepared.
Experimental tools, reincarnation materials, forbidden research notes—
Everything he could carry had been sealed into scrolls.
Even so—
The pile still formed a small mound.
Obito raised an eyebrow beneath the mask.
Black Zetsu had clearly instructed Kabuto well:
Leaving meant complete defection.
Take everything.
Kabuto knew the consequences of betraying Orochimaru—and Amegakure.
So he went all in.
And clearly—
He'd taken advantage of Orochimaru's obsession with Ning Feng's body…
To steal a massive amount of reincarnation materials.
Obito was pleased.
With this—
Their gains far exceeded expectations.
These materials alone could produce an entire army of Edo Tensei.
Of course—
Kabuto didn't realize…
Ning Feng had already sensed everything.
He was simply waiting—
For a much bigger net to close.
"Is that all?" Obito asked.
Kabuto nodded, eyes fixed on him.
He wanted to see—
How exactly this man planned to escape Amegakure with all this.
"Then let's go."
Obito extended his hand.
Kabuto hesitated briefly—then placed his hand onto it.
The next moment—
Space warped violently from Obito's Sharingan.
Kabuto was instantly sucked into Kamui's dimension.
"And these…"
Obito placed his hand on the pile of scrolls.
"They really are born rebels…"
He shook his head slightly.
Black Zetsu's reach was impressive—
Even someone like Kabuto had been discovered and recruited.
Amegakure wasn't as harmonious as it appeared.
Dark ambitions still lurked beneath the surface.
"Orochimaru has uncovered quite a bit too…"
Obito glanced around the lab, noting the research成果.
"Time to revive Madara…"
Space twisted again—
And both he and the scrolls vanished.
…
"This… this is…!"
Inside Obito and Black Zetsu's hidden base—
Kabuto stared in shock at a coffin before him.
Inside lay an aged corpse—
Long hair draped over half its face.
Empty eye sockets—
Its eyes long removed.
Yet somehow—
The body was preserved perfectly.
"This is… Uchiha Madara?"
Kabuto's heart pounded.
Though aged, the aura was unmistakable.
That overwhelming presence—
Dominant. Absolute. Sovereign.
Even in death—
It was suffocating.
No one else could possess such presence.
"Prepare your materials first," Black Zetsu reminded him calmly.
"Perfect Edo Tensei before using it on Lord Madara."
He had preserved Madara's body meticulously.
In the original timeline, Kabuto obtained it through cooperation.
But now—
Kabuto was subordinate.
Everything remained under control.
Obito frowned slightly.
Originally—
Madara was meant to be revived through Rinne Rebirth using Nagato.
A true resurrection—
Flesh and blood.
Not this… undead imitation.
"Don't worry."
Kabuto adjusted his glasses.
"I'll refine the technique to its absolute peak before reviving him."
Madara—
Even among all his stolen specimens—
Was the pinnacle.
A legend of the Warring States Era.
Reviving such a being—
Would astonish even Ning Feng and Orochimaru.
Unlike Ning Feng, a rising force—
Madara and Hashirama were founders.
Gods of an era.
"Materials won't be an issue."
Obito waved his hand.
The ground split open.
"Take a look."
Kabuto crouched and peered inside.
His eyes widened.
Below—
Countless white bodies filled the underground space.
An army.
Endless.
"What… are these?"
"These are cultivated from Hashirama's cells."
Obito's voice carried a hint of pride.
"As many as you need."
"Hashirama cells… clones?"
Kabuto steadied himself.
Even Orochimaru had failed to mass-produce such bodies.
Hashirama's cells were notoriously uncontrollable—
Most subjects turned into trees.
Yet here—
Tens of thousands of humanoid hosts existed.
Perfect vessels.
Kabuto's mind raced.
He and Orochimaru had confirmed:
Hosts infused with Hashirama cells drastically improved Edo Tensei stability and strength.
Which meant—
Using these bodies…
He could summon far more powerful reincarnations.
And far more of them.
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed.
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