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Kagaya was racing toward Kabuto's location. Although he had unleashed his full speed and was charging toward Kabuto's position at a velocity beyond ordinary imagination, Kagaya had only just set out. No matter how fast he was, he couldn't arrive instantly. And he had no Flying Thunder God mark on Kabuto. So it would still take some time before Kagaya reached Kabuto's location.
But before Kagaya arrived, someone reached Kabuto's location ahead of him.
Uchiha Itachi.
Clatter!
Amidst the sound of stone walls crumbling and falling to the ground, Itachi—bearing the arm of a red Susanoo—successfully located Kabuto.
Kabuto, crouched on the ground and wholly focused on his chessboard, heard the sound and lifted his head slightly, speaking with surprise.
"I'm impressed you managed to get through my barrier and find this place."
Itachi didn't attack immediately. Instead, he dispelled the Susanoo and explained flatly.
"While I was being controlled by you, I could clearly sense where your chakra was coming from. That is also a risk of the technique. But you no longer need to remember that."
That statement was actually a lie. Itachi couldn't reverse-sense Kabuto's location. The one who could reverse-sense Kabuto's location was Nagato, who had once operated alongside Itachi. Because he possessed the Rinnegan, Nagato could reverse-sense Kabuto's location. Kagaya was the same.
However, even Kagaya didn't know this. Kagaya had assumed every Impure World Reincarnation subject could reverse-sense Kabuto's location.
Kabuto kept his head lowered and spoke.
"You've taught me a lesson. Because no shinobi can escape this technique, I never worried about that. But—"
Toward the end, Kabuto's tone suddenly changed drastically.
This is bad!
Kabuto had genuinely never been aware of this risk of the Impure World Reincarnation. That was why he had allowed Itachi to find his hideout.
As Kabuto had said, because no shinobi could escape the Impure World Reincarnation, he had never worried about it.
But the problem was—although no one could escape it, there were people who couldn't be controlled!
And Kabuto was holding that person's Rinnegan!
Damn it! That guy... he isn't on his way here right now, is he?!
Kabuto's eyes flew wide open. If Itachi hadn't come, Kabuto wouldn't have realized this. But Itachi's arrival instantly made Kabuto aware of something extremely terrifying—death was approaching!
If it were only Itachi, Kabuto wouldn't be worried. His current strength wasn't weak. Against a single Itachi, he was confident he could win.
In fact, if Itachi hadn't pulled out some Izanami that no one had ever seen before in the original story, then Itachi and Sasuke might genuinely not have been able to defeat Kabuto.
So, regarding Itachi finding his hideout, Kabuto was completely calm, not panicked in the slightest.
But! That person was different! That person was an enemy on a completely different level!
Kabuto had witnessed Madara's strength. Comparing through Madara's strength, if that man named Uchiha Kagaya came for him, Kabuto's own chances of victory were very small!
Even close to zero—
No, perhaps there's still a sliver of a chance.
Kabuto consoled himself inwardly.
But even if there was a chance, he absolutely did not want to face Kagaya. The risk was too great, and the gains didn't justify the cost!
If there's truly no other way in the end, I still have the option of releasing the Impure World Reincarnation as a fallback. But that's the last resort. The war is raging fiercely right now. If I release the Impure World Reincarnation, our side will completely collapse. Unless it's absolutely the end, I must not do that.
Kabuto's mind raced, searching for ways to deal with Kagaya. Indeed, in Kabuto's view, he wasn't worried that Kagaya could kill him. Because he could release the Impure World Reincarnation. Even if he couldn't win in the end, he could release it and make Kagaya disappear.
What Kabuto feared was being severely injured or mutually destroyed in a fight with Kagaya.
That was the worst-case scenario! If he were severely injured and that fake Madara (Obito) found out—
The fake Madara would certainly not mind coming over to take control of an injured Kabuto.
And once taken over, Kabuto would go from "partner" to "puppet."
And that was still the good scenario. On the Allied Shinobi Forces' side, if they knew what Kabuto had done, there were no shortage of people who wanted to kill him. If he were severely injured and happened to run into someone from the Allied Shinobi Forces—
Taking it a step further, even if none of the above happened, what would Kabuto gain from being severely injured? Nothing at all!
He would only get beaten up by Kagaya for nothing.
So, the option of fighting Kagaya was, for Kabuto, the absolute worst choice! There was nothing worse.
Damn it. It seems I have no choice but to abandon this trump card.
The only option now was to let Kabuto be alone, give him some time, and slowly release Kagaya's Impure World Reincarnation.
However, Kabuto had resurrected so many people through the Impure World Reincarnation. Releasing just one person's Impure World Reincarnation was delicate work. It had to be done slowly.
If he wanted to release everyone's Impure World Reincarnation at once, then no special operation was needed—just a few simple hand seals.
That was why, in the original story, when Itachi came to fight Kabuto, Kabuto didn't release Itachi's Impure World Reincarnation. Releasing a single person's Impure World Reincarnation wasn't simple. If done recklessly, there was a high chance all the Impure World Reincarnation subjects would be released along with it.
But then another problem arose—Itachi was right beside Kabuto now. How could he possibly give Kabuto time to slowly release Kagaya's Impure World Reincarnation?
Kabuto suppressed his emotional fluctuations and spoke calmly.
"You've come to stop the Impure World Reincarnation technique, haven't you? It should be that. But let me tell you something—even if you kill me, you can't stop the Impure World Reincarnation. The method to stop this technique... does not exist!"
In truth, Kabuto himself could stop the Impure World Reincarnation. Saying there was no method was purely to dissuade Itachi, to make Itachi give up on his own, thereby freeing up time for Kabuto to slowly release Kagaya's Impure World Reincarnation.
However, Itachi's grasp of the human heart was very strong. He noticed it in an instant.
"You're lying? Your tone is lying. Besides, I don't believe there's no way to stop the Impure World Reincarnation."
Not long ago, Kabuto had shown a trace of panic. Although he had hidden it well, Itachi had still noticed. Itachi guessed that his words might have reminded Kabuto of something troublesome. But what exactly, he couldn't know.
Kabuto fell silent. In the original story, at this moment, Kabuto should have been calmer, more composed. But the thought of Kagaya continuously approaching made it impossible for Kabuto to be composed.
Itachi wasn't the problem. But Kagaya was a problem—and a very big one.
I don't have time.
Kabuto extended his hand and put away the chessboard on the ground. He had to change locations and focus on releasing Kagaya's Impure World Reincarnation.
"Uchiha Itachi, I'll say this only once—get out of my way!"
Just then, Sasuke arrived.
Sasuke had chased after Itachi the entire way. Although Itachi had tried to stop Sasuke at the end, judging from the result of Sasuke arriving here, Itachi's attempt had clearly failed.
"I caught up to you! What are you doing in a place like this—"
Sasuke was speaking to Itachi when he suddenly spotted Kabuto. Because Kabuto had already stood up and was facing Itachi directly, Sasuke recognized him at a glance.
"Kabuto?!"
Kabuto lowered his head slightly, preventing Sasuke and Itachi from seeing his eyes.
"Sasuke, is it? To think the reward for assisting the war would come knocking on my door personally. It seems not everything is bad. Perfect. Let me take you with me. Oh, and Sasuke—I remember you wanted to kill Itachi, right? Look, Itachi has already been resurrected through the Impure World Reincarnation. How about joining forces with me and killing him again?"
Sasuke stared at Kabuto and spoke.
"No. Compared to that, what I want to ask right now is—why are you two here?"
Sasuke still didn't know the Fourth Great Ninja War had begun. He had been adapting to the Eternal Mangekyo all this time.
Kabuto extended his hand and pulled his hood down further, completely shrouding his face in darkness.
"You don't know the situation? To put it simply—I, along with Tobi, have gone to war with the Five Great Shinobi Villages. We created one hundred thousand White Zetsu, as well as a large number of Impure World Reincarnation subjects—like Itachi beside you. That's roughly the situation. Actually, I could tell you in more detail, but I'm in a hurry right now. Could you hurry up and answer my question? How about joining forces with me to kill Itachi? After we kill Itachi, I'll tell you the details."
Itachi analyzed calmly.
"In a hurry? It seems something in our conversation just now reminded you of something unpleasant? Or perhaps you received some bad news from the front lines?"
Kabuto ignored Itachi and quietly waited for Sasuke's answer.
Sasuke spoke.
"You seem to have misunderstood. I chased you here to ask Itachi some things."
Kabuto furrowed his brow.
"So, which side are you on?"
Without hesitation, Sasuke drew a kunai and threw it at Kabuto, declaring his stance.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
Like the end of the world, a figure radiating terrifying chakra, carrying an unparalleled storm, swept through the air.
If not for the immense chakra he emitted, his speed was so great that no one could even sense him.
Too fast!
The one stirring up the storm was, naturally, Kagaya.
His speed was incredible. He should reach Kabuto's location very soon. But thanks to his Impure World Reincarnation body, otherwise—if Kagaya had been alive—he wouldn't have dared to do this.
"Hey... don't you dare run. I'm coming to take back what's mine."
Over on Kabuto's side, the battle had already begun.
Itachi spoke to Sasuke.
"Sasuke, don't kill him! We still don't know how to undo the Impure World Reincarnation. I need to get the method out of him. I'm planning to use Tsukuyomi to control him, then ask him how to release the Impure World Reincarnation."
That statement was half true, half false. The true part was telling Sasuke not to kill Kabuto. The false part was using Tsukuyomi to control Kabuto.
In fact, from beginning to end, Itachi had never considered using Tsukuyomi. Itachi was planning to use Izanagi from the very start!
The reason he mentioned Tsukuyomi was purely as a verbal trap for Kabuto.
The battle continued, but Kabuto grew more and more anxious. He couldn't drag this out too long!
"Troublesome pest, get out of my way! I need to leave this place!"
Kabuto seized Sasuke's Kusanagi sword and thrust it at Itachi.
Itachi twisted his body, preparing to dodge.
But at that very moment—
BOOM!!!
A tremendous crash. A massive hole was blasted open in the cavern from above.
The force was so great that the entire cavern shook.
"Wh-what's going on?!"
The sudden tremor sent Sasuke sprawling to the ground.
Itachi leaned against a pillar in the cavern, barely steadying himself.
"Who is it?"
Smoke from the massive destruction filled the cavern. But the smoke quickly dispersed.
A body was revealed. Its form was battered and incomplete. Its upper body had almost entirely vanished. Many paper-like fragments converged onto that body, gradually piecing together a human shape.
Kagaya stepped on Kabuto's Kusanagi sword. With only half a head remaining, he looked at Kabuto.
"This... is the first time I've met you since my resurrection. Isn't that right, caster?"
Uchiha Kagaya had arrived.
Kabuto's eyes flew wide open. He couldn't stop himself from shouting.
"Impossible! How could you have gotten here so fast?! Are you kidding?! You were just on the battlefield! This place isn't close to the battlefield at all! Is this a genjutsu? If it's a genjutsu, it's far too low-level! This is absolutely impossible!"
Kagaya's body was still slowly recovering. He smiled.
"Did I scare you? Actually, this speed scared me too. When I was alive, I wouldn't dare use speed like this. You see, by the time I got here, only my legs were still more or less intact. Everything above my legs had essentially vanished. And on the way here, I suffered injuries of this magnitude hundreds of times. If not for the Impure World Reincarnation body's infinite recovery, I couldn't have reached you this quickly. Heh. For that... should I thank you?"
Actually, his legs shouldn't have remained intact either. But Kagaya had focused on using chakra to protect his legs, even deploying the Susanoo's highest defense, going all out and narrowing the defensive range to protect only his legs.
That way, Kagaya's legs were very difficult to shatter. Even if his upper body shattered, he could continue traveling with his legs, without stopping to slowly recover.
So, along the way, if anyone had been able to observe Kagaya, they would have seen a pair of legs running on their own. It was quite terrifying.
It was only under this extreme speed that Kagaya could reach Kabuto so quickly.
Kabuto looked at the still-recovering Kagaya and decided to waste no more words. He attacked directly.
"Sage Art: White Rage Technique."
"You really should thank me! Although you arrived here at a speed beyond my imagination—even impossible—did you overlook something? You're currently in the middle of recovering! You're weaker than usual! As your summoner, I'll send you back to the Pure Land right now!"
Purple eyeshadow appeared on Kagaya's face. He smiled faintly.
"Send me back? That's cold of you! Since you went to the trouble of summoning me, you should treat me properly. For example... returning the eyes you stole to their rightful owner."
Intense light and vibration radiated outward. Itachi and Sasuke both shut their eyes, unable to move.
The White Rage Technique's ability was to emit extremely intense light and sound. The sound could even cause the air itself to vibrate, making the target feel as if all the bones in their body were grinding against each other, to the point of losing all bodily sensation and going completely numb. It could also damage the target's vision and hearing.
Kabuto himself possessed the corneas of a snake's eyes, which could block intense light. He also had a liquefied body, making him immune to the vibrations.
Itachi and Sasuke had no good counter for this technique. They could only endure it head-on.
But Kagaya was different. In terms of eyes, purple eyes surfaced within Kagaya's gaze. The Rinnegan feared no intense light. If mere intense light could blind the Rinnegan, then there'd be no need to fear Kaguya—just have Kabuto cast the White Rage Technique and be done with it.
At the same time, Kagaya also possessed Senjutsu. Although he didn't have a body close to a snake's like Kabuto, he could still use Senjutsu to activate his body, thereby gaining significant immunity to the vibrations.
Squinting, a golden Susanoo appeared around Kagaya, grabbing the charging Kabuto in one motion!
"White Rage Technique? Did you think I'd be immobilized inside this technique? Trying to ambush me with it? Far too early!"
Kabuto sensed a familiar feeling and shouted in disbelief.
"You possess the Senjutsu of Ryuchi Cave?! Impossible!!"
Kabuto's more powerful abilities were all cast through Senjutsu. And those techniques, against Ryuchi Cave's Senjutsu, would naturally have their effects greatly diminished.
The intense light gradually faded. Kagaya's body, within the Susanoo, had completely finished recovering.
"Recovery complete, huh? Heh. Caster... regarding that 'weakened period' you mentioned, it seems you didn't seize the opportunity."