At the same time, in the Land of Rice Fields.
Anko's scouting squad, after confirming that both Madara and Obito were not present, immediately began their reconnaissance operation.
Relying on her familiarity with Orochimaru, Anko once again successfully located Kabuto's hideout.
The last time she had asked to join the surprise attack unit and been rejected, she had been extremely displeased, but she hadn't dared to act on her own. She could only bottle up all that frustration in her heart.
What she wanted this time was a chance to fight Kabuto head-on.
After all, there was no need for Orochimaru's so-called successor to exist at all.
At this moment, Anko was lying low in a patch of shrubs, observing a concealed cave entrance in the distance. Suddenly, the cursed seal on her shoulder throbbed with pain, letting her know that Kabuto was nearby.
The next second, she darted aside at high speed and thrust out her hand, unleashing Sen'ei Jashu (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands).
Her snakes tangled immediately with the snakes from Kabuto's own Sen'ei Jashu (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands).
But she did not forget for even a moment the duty of a captain. She shouted, "Move! Get out of here and take the intel back!"
"Captain Anko!"
Her squad members were worried sick, but none of them dared to stay. They could only retreat at the same time, fleeing to the rear.
However, Guren, Gengetsu and Jugo had already given chase.
Kabuto chuckled. "Anko, don't think that just because you received Orochimaru-sama's Ten no Juin (Cursed Seal of Heaven), that makes you his successor. I, Kabuto, am the true successor. I inherited everything from Orochimaru-sama, and I have even surpassed him!"
Anko sneered. "So what? Who would even want to be that snake's disciple?"
"Heh heh, you obviously care a great deal, yet you pretend you don't. Human nature really is hard to grasp." Kabuto shook his head with a smile, glaring at Anko's duplicity.
In truth, Anko had become Orochimaru's disciple from a young age. She had always held only respect and trust toward him. But after Orochimaru defected and she chose not to follow, some of her memories were cut off. She believed that Orochimaru had abandoned her and had brooded over that ever since.
But none of that mattered to Kabuto. His objective had nothing to do with such things.
He smiled as he looked Anko over, his gaze finally settling on her shoulder. "The Ten no Juin (Cursed Seal of Heaven)… maybe Orochimaru-sama really is still alive. Since we're currently at a disadvantage, why don't we revive Orochimaru-sama? Once he joins the war leading a few Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation) Kage into battle, I wonder how spectacular that will be."
Thinking this, his smile grew even wider.
Anko's arrival was simply perfect.
On another front, the Fourth Division led by Maki had encountered the enemy.
And that enemy was only a single person: the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.
Even though it was just one man, the psychological pressure Rasa exerted on Maki was far greater than that of tens of thousands of White Zetsu. Maki knew very well that Rasa was strong, well beyond what he could handle.
"That bastard Kabuto! He even turned my father into this…"
Temari's face was filled with fury and disgust. This feeling of having to fight one's own family made her sick to her stomach, and right now, she wanted nothing more than to tear Kabuto apart with her bare hands.
But aside from fighting, there was no other choice.
Rasa had also spotted the two of them and spoke in a helpless tone, "Temari, Maki, fall back. I don't want to fight you, much less hurt you. But I can't control myself."
Maki answered seriously, "Fourth Kazekage-sama, I'm sorry, but I cannot retreat. This is my duty as a division commander!"
Temari added, "Dad, I'm not backing down. I'm going to defeat you!"
Rasa was left with no choice. He raised his hand and began manipulating his gold dust.
"Jiton: Sakin (Magnet Style: Gold Dust)!"
In an instant, a massive surge of gold dust surged forward like crashing waves.
The allied shinobi were so terrified that they immediately turned and ran. A battle at this level was something they simply could not participate in.
Temari quickly flipped open her three-star fan and swung it furiously.
"Futon: Dai Kamaitachi no Jutsu (Wind Style: Great Sickle Weasel Technique)!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The violent wind did blow away plenty of gold dust, but gold dust was not mere sand. Its weight was tremendous, something that a mere Wind Style could not easily disperse.
In short order, the Fourth Division was mired in dire straits.
Somewhere else, on the First Division's coastal defense line.
Darui was yawning in boredom. According to the latest statistics, the Allied Forces had already wiped out no fewer than ninety thousand White Zetsu. By now, the enemy had probably run out of their White Zetsu army.
Even so, just to be safe, they still had to maintain vigilance.
At that moment, the observer suddenly reported, "Captain Darui, something's coming in from the sea!"
Darui instantly snapped to attention, took the binoculars, and looked out. He could only see a few tiny black dots, but he could confirm that they were humanoid: five figures sprinting across the sea.
"It's Obito and four Edo Tensei Jinchuriki! Hurry! Notify HQ immediately, Obito is here!"
Darui did not dare relax for an instant. He immediately began issuing orders.
He absolutely did not underestimate Obito. They had to have Neji, with his Tenseigan (Reincarnation Eye), come over in order to properly engage Obito. Anyone else who went up against him had no chance of victory.
Until then, their First Division's mission was simple: stall him.
Shikamaru clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Tch, such a drag. Why does this Obito guy have to come through our sector?"
Asuma lit a cigarette. "Don't complain, Shikamaru. Use that brain of yours and think of a way. How do we pin him down long enough for reinforcements to arrive?"
Shikamaru pulled a face, but his mind was already racing.
However, the next second, the four Edo Tensei Jinchuriki suddenly transformed into their tailed-beast forms and opened their jaws, beginning to condense four Bijudama (Tailed Beast Bombs).
Shikamaru's expression changed drastically. "This isn't something you can beat just by thinking! Find cover, now! Otherwise a lot of people are going to die!"
Panic spread through the troops. Some ran as far as they could, some used Earth Style to dig themselves into the ground, and some simply dove into the sea. But none of them could feel at ease.
They were not Neji. They could not bat away Bijudama (Tailed Beast Bombs).
All they could do was pray that wherever they hid, they wouldn't be unlucky enough to be blown to bits.
The next instant, four Bijudama (Tailed Beast Bombs) roared in and slammed into the First Division's positions, triggering massive explosions. There was no need to count casualties; everyone knew the losses would be devastating.
"Hmph! And you think the likes of you can stop me?"
Obito, finally having regained his confidence, strode forward with the four uncontrollable Edo Jinchuriki in tow.
Originally, he had considered replenishing the ranks of the Paths of Pain with new bodies, but after thinking it over, he had given up on the idea. Even if he did add new members, their strength would still be inferior to Yagura and Yakura. There was no point.
Things were fine the way they were now. With four Jinchuriki blasting a path open with Bijudama (Tailed Beast Bombs), who could possibly stand in their way?
Yet just as he was about to cross over the devastated defensive line, his body suddenly came to a halt. It wasn't that he wanted to stop; he simply couldn't move.
"Kage Mane no Jutsu (Shadow Imitation Technique)! Got you."
Shikamaru crawled out from behind a pile of rocks, looking completely bedraggled. He clearly hadn't found a good place to hide.
But he was smart. After shoring up his own defenses and avoiding the very center of the explosions, he had managed to keep himself alive. Now, he had even succeeded in ambushing Obito.
(End of Chapter)
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