Chapter 235
Orochimaru was indeed up to something in secret. He had previously used a strange fruit ability to resurrect Madara. Of course, he kept his distance from Zixu and the others, afraid they might discover his plans and turn on him.
All Orochimaru wanted was a quiet and stable life. The endless fighting and bloodshed among ninjas disrupted his scientific research far too often. So, he came up with a plan to put an end to it—once and for all.
He'd heard rumors about Obito and the others working on something called the Moon's Eye Plan—a scheme to trap everyone in a grand illusion and force world peace. The more Orochimaru thought about it, the more promising it seemed. He was also curious if such a massive genjutsu projection through the moon was even possible.
But the people playing this game were monsters. Orochimaru knew he had to be strong enough to stand at the negotiation table—or risk being used and discarded. So, in secret, he summoned elites from the Five Great Nations under the banner of "Let the ninja world know peace again", hoping to unite them against Obito's group.
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Sasuke stood behind Orochimaru, his arms folded, his body crackling with electricity. The two had already returned to Konoha, which had clearly suffered in the chaos of war. Parts of the village were flattened—some areas scorched, others pitted by craters. It looked as if a meteorite had struck.
"So... Konoha was destroyed before you even lifted a finger. How does that make you feel?" Orochimaru asked, his voice light, almost amused. He held a demonic mask in his hand, his eyes fixated on its twisted features.
"Hmph. They brought it on themselves," Zuosuke replied coldly, turning away. Despite his detached tone, there was sadness in his eyes—but he refused to show it.
"Don't get too comfortable. With our current strength, we're barely scraping by." Orochimaru waved his hand, and a few White Zetsu clones were dragged forward. He intended to use them to boost his forces.
Far off to the side, Crocodile and Doflamingo kept their distance. Neither of them trusted Orochimaru, especially when he started performing strange summons. Hidan and Deidara, despite their arrogance, also wisely stayed back, observing from afar.
As a chill began to spread across the ruins, the four White Zetsu clones started to convulse violently. Something dark and terrifying was about to descend.