At this thought—
even Uchiha Obito felt a deep sense of frustration and helplessness.
He had originally believed that everything would unfold according to his plan.
That everything would remain under his control.
But then—
the Fifth Hokage of Konoha, Uchiha Ren, had appeared out of nowhere.
Not only had he disrupted everything—
he had completely crushed the Akatsuki.
Even Uchiha Madara couldn't help but feel suffocated by the situation.
Fortunately—
the Edo Tensei had nearly been fully optimized.
Their plan could now proceed in a different way.
This time—
they would remain silent until the moment came to strike.
And when they did—
they would crush Konoha.
Crush the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Ren.
And revive the legendary Ten-Tails.
"Madara-sama, this is the optimized version of the Edo Tensei."
At that moment, Orochimaru hesitated briefly before opening his mouth and producing a scroll, which he spoke of with a sinister smile.
"With this, we can also revive the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju… the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju… the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi… and even the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze."
"Hashirama, huh?"
Hearing that, Madara let out a disdainful chuckle.
"Yes, I lost to him back then."
"But time has proven… I'm the one who ultimately came out on top."
"How interesting…"
The masked Uchiha Obito's lips curved slightly.
"It's time to ignite the Fourth Great Ninja War."
"Defeat Uchiha Ren… and revive the Ten-Tails."
"Exactly…"
A trace of amusement flickered through Orochimaru's snake-like eyes.
To him, this was the perfect opportunity.
While Madara was using him—
he was also using Madara.
More importantly, he was extremely interested in the so-called Eye of the Moon Plan… and the Ten-Tails itself.
"Haa…"
Meanwhile, Kabuto, who had remained silent the entire time, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and exhaled carefully.
At last—
the terms of cooperation had been finalized.
Over these past days, he and Orochimaru had worked day and night on their research, finally achieving tangible results.
Now—
everything depended on how Madara would act.
As for himself—
he would simply remain in the shadows and watch the storm unfold.
As for Black Zetsu—
after scanning the expressions of everyone present, a trace of smug satisfaction spread through his heart.
Pleasant.
After all—
being able to manipulate Uchiha Madara like a puppet in his palm brought him a deep sense of achievement.
Just like the way he had once played Indra and Asura against each other.
Now—
all that remained was to execute the plan, defeat Konoha, revive the Ten-Tails—
and bring his mother, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, back to life.
"Uchiha Ren… just you wait."
A few seconds later, Black Zetsu's gaze turned cold as he made a silent vow.
Once his mother was revived—
he would make Ren understand exactly what true despair looked like.
If not for Ren's sudden rise—
his plan would have already succeeded.
Now, he had been forced to take a more dangerous path.
"Good."
Looking at the scroll—still damp with Orochimaru's saliva—Madara's expression darkened slightly in disgust.
He didn't even bother opening it.
Instead, he activated his Rinnegan, releasing a chilling surge of ocular power that enveloped the scroll.
"As expected of the Edo Tensei…"
After a while, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
He waved his hand decisively.
"Begin the plan."
"Once the Kage-level shinobi are revived…"
"That will be the moment we strike."
"Yes, Madara-sama!"
The moment his words fell—
Obito, Orochimaru, Kabuto, Black Zetsu, and White Zetsu all lowered their heads in unison.
They all knew—
the real battle was about to begin.
At the same time—
Deep within the deserts of the Land of Wind—
Roaring winds tore through the air.
A massive sandstorm surged across the desert with apocalyptic force, sweeping in all directions.
"Not good…!"
"A sandstorm again?!"
"Quick—get inside! This one's even stronger than before!"
In a large desert city—
the soldiers stationed atop the walls panicked as they watched the storm approach.
One of them even had clear fear in his eyes.
This was fear of nature itself.
Fear of the sandstorm.
Wooo—!!
Seconds later—
a loud warning siren echoed throughout the entire city.
In an instant, countless civilians rushed back into their homes, shutting doors and windows tightly, trembling as they waited.
Meanwhile—
inside a grand palace at the center of the city—
"Your Majesty…"
Hearing the alarm, one of the ministers spoke with lingering fear.
"The sandstorm has come again. We should take shelter."
Another minister sighed heavily.
"These sandstorms are becoming more frequent…"
"I don't know how much longer Ancient Loran can endure…"
"If only the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, hadn't sealed the Dragon Vein back then…"
"Yes…"
"What are we supposed to do now?"
"With the Dragon Vein sealed, Ancient Loran's environment is deteriorating more and more."
"The sandstorms grow stronger each time…"
"And our freshwater resources are nearly exhausted!"
As those two ministers spoke—
it was as if a fuse had been lit.
The entire hall erupted into anxious voices.
Some of the ministers had already begun to show signs of despair.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/StrawHatStudios