The situation had completely deviated from the plan Orochimaru-sama had laid out in advance.
For now, the only option was to find an opportunity and resurrect Orochimaru-sama first.
Kabuto pushed up his glasses, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes.
According to the original plan, the first step was to escape the gaze of the First Mizukage, Byakuren.
The most direct way to do that was to die at his hands.
Furthermore, Orochimaru-sama had surmised that the countermeasures left behind by Konoha, even if they couldn't reseal the First Mizukage, Byakuren, would still cause a great deal of trouble.
That was why Kabuto had told Konoha about Byakuren's resurrection, in order to force them to use their countermeasures.
Then, while Konoha and the First Mizukage, Byakuren, were locked in a massive battle and chaos, he would secretly take Sasuke away.
Finally, when the situation was completely secure, he would resurrect Orochimaru-sama.
This plan wasn't difficult to execute.
But what Kabuto could not believe was that not only had Hashirama Senju been resurrected, but Madara Uchiha had been as well.
Under these circumstances, Orochimaru's plan had been completely aborted.
The Uchiha brat, whom Orochimaru-sama had been so fixated on, had gone directly to Madara Uchiha.
Let alone the fact that Orochimaru-sama was already dead, even if he were alive, he wouldn't dare to cause trouble for Madara Uchiha.
Feeling the gazes of ANBU ninja hiding in the shadows watching him, a cold glint flashed deep in Kabuto's eyes.
Akatsuki Base.
In a dimly lit corridor.
Sasuke struggled to keep himself calm, but a hint of tension remained deep in his eyes.
He glanced at Tobi, who was walking ahead of him, leading the way, and fell silent for a moment before speaking in a stiff voice:
"Who are you taking me to see?"
"It's the person you're thinking of," Tobi replied, his voice flat, without even turning his head.
Sasuke's spirits lifted, and he fell silent, following behind Uchiha Tobi as they walked down the corridor.
Before long, at the end of the corridor, a faint light came into Sasuke's field of vision.
The next moment.
A terrifying, oppressive aura washed over him from ahead.
Sasuke's eyes widened as he stared at the giant figure sitting cross-legged on a rock formation that resembled a lotus pedestal.
It was a completely humanoid monster, its body the color of withered wood.
And this terrifying and oppressive aura was emanating from the giant humanoid monster.
"He's come."
An emotionless voice slowly drifted down from above the humanoid monster's head.
At the same time, a series of gazes also looked down, landing on Sasuke's body.
A sudden chill ran through Sasuke's body.
Sasuke quickly lifted his head, looking in the direction the voice had come from.
There, standing on the fingers of the giant humanoid monster, were several figures dressed in black robes with red clouds, each exuding a powerful aura.
Sasuke couldn't help but swallow, and he continued to look up.
Atop the giant humanoid monster's head, a figure was sitting there, resting their chin in one hand, quietly watching him.
Uchiha Madara!
Sasuke trembled inwardly. Even though Uchiha Madara was just sitting there casually, Sasuke felt he couldn't meet his gaze.
But the moment that thought appeared, Sasuke forcefully suppressed it, straining to keep his head up and staring fixedly at Uchiha Madara above.
"Oh, so this is Itachi's little brother. He doesn't look like much," Deidara said, taking a close look at Uchiha Sasuke and finding nothing particularly special before scoffing.
"Hehe, I wonder what it would feel like to stab a knife into this kid's body," Hidan said with a chuckle, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes.
Aside from Deidara and Hidan, who lingered their gazes on him for a while, the other Akatsuki members merely glanced at him once before looking away.
Uchiha Madara stared expressionlessly at the figure below. Sasuke stubbornly met his gaze.
He's a bit like Izuna when he was a kid.
But, only a little.
Uchiha Madara thought to himself.
A sharp aura erupted from Uchiha Madara's body, sweeping down towards them below.
Hidan and Deidara, who had been about to speak, instantly snapped their mouths shut, a bead of cold sweat appearing on their foreheads.
It wasn't just Deidara and Hidan; everyone present felt this immense pressure.
Even Kakuzu and Hidan, with their level of strength, were affected by this pressure, let alone Sasuke, the weakest among them.
Under this sharp aura, Sasuke's entire body began to tremble.
His clothes were soaked through in a short time, as if he had just been pulled from water.
But in the face of this situation, Sasuke still clenched his fists tightly, his eyes wide as he stared fixedly at Uchiha Madara above.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
In that short time, it felt as long as a century to Sasuke.
Unconsciously, Sasuke's eyes had fully entered the three-tomoe state.
At the same time, a sense of weakness began to wash over him, and his body started to waver.
Sasuke forced himself to stay alert, biting his lip. He absolutely would not allow himself to fall here.
At this moment, surprised expressions began to appear in the gazes of the Akatsuki members as they looked at Sasuke.
For a mere genin to endure the pressure of a powerhouse like Uchiha Madara for so long was already something to be proud of.
Sasuke's performance at this moment had also exceeded Uchiha Madara's expectations.
Uchiha Madara did not cultivate the weak, not even his own clansmen.
And in Uchiha Madara's eyes, Sasuke's current performance was already worthy of being cultivated.
Uchiha Madara's gaze flicked towards Uchiha Tobi, who was standing in a corner below.
He had found someone who could replace you.
It was only a matter of time before Tobi suspected him of what happened to Rin.
However, Uchiha Madara didn't much care if Tobi would resist him, because the outcome had long been decided.
By now, Sasuke's body was swaying unsteadily, clearly at his limit.
Uchiha Madara's expression remained calm as he prepared to retract his aura.
But, the next moment!
Uchiha Madara's eyes narrowed, a look of interest flashing as he looked at Sasuke.
He saw that a cold, sinister aura suddenly erupted from Sasuke, whose own energy had been waning.
Sasuke raised his hands and clutched his throat, letting out a pained cry.
One by one, mysterious black lines spread out from his neck, towards the rest of his body.
In the blink of an eye, these lines had already spread across half of Sasuke's body.
Cursed Seal Level 1!
Under the pressure exerted by Uchiha Madara, the power of the Cursed Seal had been directly unleashed.
"Interesting."
Uchiha Madara, who had been silent until now, suddenly showed a look of keen interest on his face.
Uchiha Madara's black pupils flickered, evolving into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, but then, it immediately transformed into the Rinnegan.
Uchiha Madara raised his hand and aimed it at Sasuke, pulling slightly.
A powerful attraction erupted from his palm.
Before Sasuke could even react, he was drawn towards Uchiha Madara by this force.
Sasuke tried to struggle, but he could not resist this power at all.
In the blink of an eye, Sasuke appeared before Uchiha Madara.
Under Uchiha Madara's cold Rinnegan, the violent emotions that had been stirred by the Cursed Seal's power seemed to vanish.
Sasuke stood obediently in place, not daring to move an inch.
"This power is a bit like that Senju guy's Sage Mode. Interesting."
"Who gave you this power?"
Uchiha Madara looked closely at the direction of the Cursed Seal on Sasuke's neck, his face showing a look of interest.
"Orochimaru," Sasuke couldn't help but shudder as he spoke.
"Orochimaru? Now, he's an interesting fellow."
"White Zetsu, find this Orochimaru. I want to have a word with him."
Uchiha Madara's lips curled slightly as he spoke flatly.
As Uchiha Madara's voice fell, a white figure suddenly appeared behind him.
"Lord Uchiha Madara, that Orochimaru guy is already dead."
"And he was killed by the First Mizukage, Byakuren."
White Zetsu said cautiously, a strange expression on his face.
"Dead? I doubt it!"
Uchiha Madara's expression didn't change. He raised his hand and pressed down on the direction of the Cursed Seal on Sasuke's neck.
At the same time, the Rinnegan in Uchiha Madara's eye sockets began to glow with an eerie light.
A phantom figure emitting a strange aura, that of the King of Hell, appeared behind Uchiha Madara.
Uchiha Madara's hand, aimed at the Cursed Seal on Sasuke's neck, pulled with a slight force.
A very faint phantom figure was slowly pulled out from the Cursed Seal by Uchiha Madara.
Sasuke's eyes widened as he watched the phantom being slowly pulled from his body.
Even though this phantom was extremely vague, Sasuke recognized it at a glance.
Orochimaru!
"Oh? So this is Orochimaru. What an interesting ninjutsu," Uchiha Madara said, looking at Sasuke with a strange glint in his eye.
However, the moment Orochimaru's soul was completely pulled out of Sasuke's body by Uchiha Madara.
Orochimaru's phantom wavered.
The next moment, Orochimaru's soul turned into countless tiny specks of light and completely vanished.
"Just a soul fragment. Too weak. It seems it couldn't withstand the power of the King of Hell," Uchiha Madara raised an eyebrow, musing to himself.
The moment Orochimaru's soul was completely extracted, Sasuke also collapsed to the ground.
Uchiha Madara glanced at Sasuke, then raised his hand again and forcefully wiped it across the direction of the Cursed Seal.
A sharp pain shot through Sasuke's body. His eyes widened, and he immediately passed out.
(End of Chapter)
If you're enjoying this story, consider supporting on Patreon. You'll get 30 advance chapters immediately, plus monthly updates and bonus content. Every subscription keeps the chapters coming.
Patreon: patreon.com/anish_44
Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/anish_44