Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 466 A Cooperation

"Let's say hello first, Fei." Dou, who had wrapped himself completely in a long robe, spoke in a loud, deliberate voice, seemingly oblivious to the fact that barging into someone else's core territory was tantamount to provocation. "No, I should call you Ban now, shouldn't I?"

A name is just a label; it wouldn't affect him much regardless of who he's called. He noticed the distorted face of the clown and the snake head protruding from under his robe, but he wouldn't waste his energy on a traitor.

"You were once Sasori's spy." As a spy, you became Orochimaru's subordinate, a traitor, and this guy has already infiltrated the most important stronghold. You must be eliminated!

“You are a traitor to ‘Akatsuki’.”

He leaped forward, intending to test the waters directly, but Kabuto, while retreating, cast a spell that caused several coffins to rise from the ground, blocking Tobi's path. Inside those coffins stood several human figures, all of whom were Tobi's acquaintances. The dead Sasori, Kakuzu, and Deidara stood quietly in the coffins, their bodies an unnatural bluish-gray.

Now, he had no choice but to stop.

"This is... Impure World Reincarnation..."

"This forbidden technique is only used by the Second Hokage and Lord Orochimaru, but I am the third person to use it." Kabuto's tone was full of pride, as if he were showing off. "Moreover, I have now surpassed both of them. This is just a little performance for you, to make you believe in my strength."

The number of the enemy's impure beings is unknown, and now is a crucial time for the plan to be implemented; he cannot waste his energy on unnecessary things.

What is your purpose?

"I want to join forces with you."

He widened his eyes slightly and said, "Do you know what I want to do?"

Kabuto chuckled, "It's nothing more than continuing to collect Jinchuriki. If we can't collect them all, we might start a world war to force them to appear, right?"

His idea was completely guessed. Was it really that obvious? He decided to take the gamble for the Eye of the Moon, but what was his motive?

What benefits would I get from joining forces with you?

“I can provide you with combat power,” Kabuto said, glancing at the three coffins beside him. “I have more than just these pieces.”

What kind of compensation do you need?

"Uchiha Sasuke."

This name puzzled him, because even Akatsuki's intelligence network couldn't find the missing Uchiha brothers. Like the Jinchuriki, they vanished without a trace. If anyone in the world knew Sasuke's whereabouts, it was probably only that person in Konoha, right? So why was Kabuto going to such lengths to ask him for Sasuke?

"Do you think Sasuke is in Akatsuki's hands?"

"I know he's not here, but getting him to show up would probably be just as troublesome as trying to capture a Jinchuriki." Kabuto's confident demeanor was rather irritating, but this guy had a clever mind. "Isn't this a piece of cake? You capture your Jinchuriki, I'll find my Uchiha Sasuke, it's just a win-win situation."

"What if I refuse?" He didn't actually have a reason to refuse; combat power was indeed what he desperately needed right now. But he felt that this guy was overconfident, having come all the way here; he must have some incredible trump card up his sleeve. He needed to provoke this guy to make sure nothing was overlooked.

"Spiritual Technique: Impure World Reincarnation".

As expected, Kabuto summoned another coffin, but when the lid fell to the ground, he was met with the face he least wanted to see.

"This...this is..."

Kabuto slowly walked to the coffin, still smiling. "Did you think I would come to see you unprepared?"

"That's right, you can't refuse."

No! This guy has no idea how troublesome the mess he's gotten himself into!

"You bastard, where did you get this?!"

"It took a lot of effort. Don't worry, I haven't told anyone."

After the initial shock subsided, he finally calmed down, and his thoughts became much clearer. The man's body was carefully preserved under multiple seals; obtaining him couldn't possibly have been done by Kabuto alone. It seemed that guy had been itching to get his hands on him for a while, betting on Kabuto instead. Unfortunately, this person was completely oblivious to the hidden manipulation, still gloating, just like... himself before he even saw the truth.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but laugh out loud, which indeed caused Dou's expression to change slightly.

"What's so funny?"

"Yakushi Kabuto, I never expected you to be such a talent." What does a genius need? Of course, it's the recognition and applause of others. So he said, "Fighting you now would only weaken our fighting strength, so you seized the opportunity to come here. You're a very thoughtful guy."

In other words...

“Alright, I’ll join forces with you. However… Sasuke is indeed not in Akatsuki’s hands, so capturing him can only be considered after capturing Jinchuriki.”

"He is a truly reasonable person. No wonder he is Uchiha Madara. His magnanimity is extraordinary."

"Arrogant fellow." He decided to let this man off the hook for the time being. "After confirming your combat capabilities, I will revise the battle plan. Come with me."

The negotiations were successful. Although the two had different goals, their processes overlapped to some extent, making cooperation almost inevitable.

When the coffin that truly made Tobi tremble disappeared, and the two were led to see the true foundation of "Akatsuki," Tobi finally asked his question when Kabuto was awestruck by the countless White Zetsu clones and the Gedo Mazo.

"Jinchūriki are forced to fight to protect their country. If Sasuke Uchiha learns the truth about Konoha from Itachi, he probably won't care about this war. What makes you so sure he'll show up?"

Kabuto laughed and said, "Knowing the truth doesn't mean he'll abandon Konoha, and... I have enough trump cards to make him take action."

"Not convenient to disclose?"

"Cooperation doesn't mean giving up everything, does it?"

Afei stopped asking questions, turned around and tossed the bag to Black Zetsu. Anyway, that guy must have led the people here, so why should he hide on the sidelines like an invisible man? He'd leave the hospitality to Black Zetsu.

He had to replace that eye as soon as possible to ensure he had the power to suppress the golem and his "partner." Before today, he hadn't paid any attention to Kabuto, but after today, he had to prepare for the worst. That guy had been missing from the ninja world for some time; who knew how many famous ninjas he had resurrected using the Impure World Reincarnation technique? After this battle, the way ninjas were buried might have to change...

Right, he also needs to find some time to find out the mechanism of using the Impure World Reincarnation. Of course, he can't just be led by the nose by others.

Oh, and there's the Five Kage Summit coming up... How will he arrive, and what kind of rhetoric will he use to provoke the five great nations into launching a joint attack on Akatsuki? These are all troublesome things.

And that Edo Tensei... it seems he won't have any peace on the battlefield either.