A month later.
After a prolonged joint search by the five major ninja villages—Konoha, Kumo, Kiri, Suna, and Ame—Orochimaru's whereabouts were finally revealed to Shishou.
Holding the intel in his hand, Shishou narrowed his eyes.
"Orochimaru, you didn't kill Jiraiya, did you...?"
The information in Shishou's hand not only recorded Orochimaru's past movements but also Jiraiya's. At one point, their paths crossed, and both went missing soon after. It was only recently that Yakumo and her team tracked down Orochimaru's location.
Given Orochimaru's interest in Tsunade's Sage Mode after her successful training, it was plausible that he now had his sights set on Jiraiya for the same reason.
Burning the intel, Shishou muttered, "What is Orochimaru planning in the Land of Bears?"
A few days later, at dawn.
Shishou arrived in the Land of Bears, preparing to search for Orochimaru's exact location.
Dropping a few White Zetsu into the ground, Shishou began controlling them to burrow and scout.
After several hours of searching, Shishou finally located Orochimaru's hidden base in a secluded valley.
After consuming the White Zetsu he had used, Shishou burrowed underground using the Mayfly Technique, heading towards Orochimaru's base.
Upon reaching the outer perimeter of Orochimaru's base, Shishou sensed the presence of a barrier.
It took him only a few seconds to dismantle the barrier seal left by Orochimaru, allowing Shishou to infiltrate a laboratory within the base effortlessly.
While Orochimaru's sealing techniques were decent, they were no match for Shishou's current abilities.
"Tsk, just how many cloning experiments has Orochimaru conducted...?"
Seeing the neatly arranged human cultivation pods resembling canned goods, Shishou raised an eyebrow.
A casual glance at the figures inside the cultivation pods made Shishou pause in shock.
Each figure inside the pods had the appearance of Uchiha Madara!
Inspecting a few more containers, Shishou found that every single one held a clone of Uchiha Madara.
What the hell, Uchiha Obito, that traitor, must have betrayed even Madara by giving his cells to Orochimaru.
Although Shishou had devoured Madara's remains long ago, it was clear that Obito had kept backup samples of Madara's cells for a long time and had now handed them over to Orochimaru.
"Tsk tsk, Madara truly is pitiful. Neither of his chosen successors had any intention of reviving him."
"But now, I benefit from this."
Shishou grinned, releasing a swarm of phosphorescent insects to start consuming the clones of Uchiha Madara.
While he wasn't sure how Orochimaru managed to produce so many Madara clones, these clones were now his.
He had been worrying about finding enough energy to help Tsunade and the others awaken the Uchiha bloodline and further enhance their strength. These Madara clones came at the perfect time.
If he could infuse Tsunade with Madara's bloodline power, it wouldn't be long before he had another pseudo-Six Paths level ally by his side.
At that point, even if Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki and others arrived early, he would not fear them.
"Who's there?"
Several of Orochimaru's subordinates rushed into the laboratory, shouting angrily when they saw Shishou.
Shishou raised his hand and grabbed them, draining their chakra and killing them instantly.
Seeing that he was discovered, Shishou quickly stopped using his phosphorescent insects and started storing the containers with Madara clones in his storage scroll.
To prevent any mishaps, he decided to take all of these clones before anything else.
Just as he finished, Orochimaru and Raiko burst into the room.
Seeing the missing containers and the figure standing before them, Orochimaru's face turned pale.
Those Madara clones were the result of his years of painstaking effort.
To cultivate these clones, he had exhausted all his resources.
He had used up all the Hashirama, Kimimaro, and Uchiha clones he had grown over the past decade to provide energy for these Madara clones.
In other words, the clones Shishou had taken represented Orochimaru's entire decade of hard work and were his crucial backup vessels for reincarnation.
Raiko's face was no better. Those clones were a product of her and Orochimaru's shared efforts, crucial for her revenge against the Flying Thunder God user.
Glaring at Shishou's back, Orochimaru demanded, "Return what you took!"
"Are you talking to me, Orochimaru?"
Shishou turned around, his expression mocking.
"The Flying Thunder God user..."
Seeing Shishou's face, both Orochimaru and Raiko shivered in terror.
They never expected the Flying Thunder God user to find them so quietly.
Moreover, what shocked Raiko was that although the man looked like an ordinary person, an overwhelming fear gripped her heart.
Without a second thought, Raiko clapped her hands together, attacking instantly.
Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation – Adamantine Sealing Prison!
With Raiko's hand seals, six black walls covered in sealing scripts rose around Shishou, forming a black box to trap him inside.
"Let's go."
Without hesitation, Raiko grabbed Orochimaru and fled underground.
Even with Orochimaru's help, Raiko had no courage to face the Flying Thunder God user.
Besides, she could sense that the user had grown even more powerful than a few years ago, instilling an immense fear in her.
This meant the gap between them had become insurmountable.
Two seconds later, Shishou broke free from the sealing prison.
Activating his Tenseigan, he instantly located the fleeing Raiko and Orochimaru underground.
"You cannot escape."
More interested in learning about the woman by Orochimaru's side than in Orochimaru himself, Shishou dove underground, following them.
As soon as he vanished, space rippled in the laboratory, and Uchiha Obito emerged from the Kamui dimension.
Glancing in the direction where Shishou and Orochimaru had gone, Obito narrowed his eyes.
With the Flying Thunder God user pursuing Orochimaru, now might be the perfect time to take back the Rinnegan from Konan.
With that thought, Obito reentered the Kamui dimension, heading for Amegakure.
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POWER STONE!!!!
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This fanfiction is complete on my P@treon. If you want to read it, you can find it at p@treon.com/Betek.
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