"Let's get out of here."

Tendo Pain's voice was emotionless as he assessed the battlefield and the losses they had sustained. Two of Akatsuki's core members — Hidan and Sasori of the Red Sand — were gone. But despite the sacrifice, they had acquired two tailed beasts. The price, he concluded, was acceptable.

Hidan's body had been destroyed beyond recognition. With his fragmented remains reduced to dust, Pain saw no point in recovering him. His curse technique, while odd, had limitations — mainly its range, and the dependency on a prepared ritual circle. A simple Earth Release jutsu could bury him alive, and a Water Release jutsu could wash away his circle. In the end, Hidan was disposable.

The Gedo Statue had now absorbed both the Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails, opening eight of its nine eyes. Only one remained.

"We head for Konohagakure next?" Kisame asked with a toothy grin, his Samehada resting against his shoulder.

---

Somewhere deep underground...

While the Akatsuki began the sealing ritual, Uchiha Obito met with Uchiha Sasuke in a shadowy cavern.

Sasuke, now aware of the truth behind the Uchiha Clan massacre, trembled with rage. His eyes flared red, the Mangekyō Sharingan activated in an instant.

"Unforgivable…" he growled. "Konoha must fall."

Dark chakra swirled around him, the weight of his hatred pressing down on the very air in the cavern.

Unlike the events of the original timeline, Sasuke now accepted Obito's offer without resistance. He agreed to transplant Uchiha Itachi's eyes, abandoning any delusions of mercy or reconciliation.

What changed his mind? The power of Pain.

The man had annihilated Sunagakure, one of the Five Great Nations, captured the Fifth Kazekage in plain sight, and extracted the One-Tail without resistance.

That kind of overwhelming strength made Sasuke realize — power was everything.

---

In a hidden base…

Orochimaru, sat alone, toying with the Impure World Reincarnation scroll. A twisted grin formed on his face.

"I wonder what will happen if I use this technique with life data from another world."

He activated the technique using genetic material from Uchiha Madara — though from a parallel world. The sacrifice he chose was weak by design. He didn't want Madara to return with his full power. After all, a poor-quality vessel weakened the resurrected shinobi significantly.

Moments later, Edo Tensei Madara emerged from the smoke — an aged man with long, silver-streaked hair and eyes filled with confusion.

"It worked," Orochimaru whispered, marveling at his creation. "But which version of Madara did I summon?"

He pressed his fingers together in a one-handed seal, snapping Madara fully into consciousness.

The revived Uchiha slowly opened his eyes, scanning his surroundings with wariness.

"Who are you? Where am I? Why was I brought here?"

He fired off his questions in a commanding tone, his voice firm despite his disorientation.

Orochimaru remained calm. "Enough with the trivial questions. I'll ask you this — do you know someone named Zenkichi?"

Madara's expression darkened. "Do you know who you're speaking to?"

Despite being bound by the reincarnation jutsu, Madara's pride was intact. He quickly recognized the technique — Impure World Reincarnation, the forbidden art developed by Tobirama Senju, whom he despised.

Without hesitation, Orochimaru formed another series of hand signs and used genjutsu to suppress Madara's will.

"You're too weak in your current state. Resistance is pointless," he sneered. "Now, tell me. Which world are you from?"

Trapped within the illusion, Madara divulged everything. He had never heard of Zenkichi, and explained his old plan — uniting Yin and Yang, absorbing the Ten-Tails, becoming like the Sage of Six Paths.

"So that's how you awakened the Rinnegan… by transplanting Hashirama's cells," Orochimaru mused, eyes gleaming.

He had long believed the Rinnegan was the natural evolution of the Sharingan. This revelation both fascinated and frustrated him.

"Still, your plan has more holes than a sieve," he scoffed. "You think absorbing the Ten-Tails guarantees godhood? You underestimate Obito and Nagato."

Orochimaru paused, pondering the implications. "No matter. Your dream of the Infinite Tsukuyomi bores me, but the power of the Sage… now that's worth pursuing."

He released the jutsu sealing Madara and immediately prepared a second round of resurrections.

This time, he didn't hold back.

He used multiple White Zetsu as sacrifices and summoned Senju Hashirama and others at full strength. To prevent them from breaking free, he stabbed each with specially prepared kunai designed to suppress their will — reducing them to nothing more than obedient puppets.

Though he respected their power, he feared their autonomy more.

Satisfied with their condition, Orochimaru turned his attention back to Madara.

"I won't settle for an old relic," he muttered. "Time to summon you in your prime."

Unlike his previous resurrection, this version of Madara was adjusted — rejuvenated physically, imbued with Hashirama cells, and granted the Rinnegan.

Just like Kabuto's enhanced Edo Madara in the original timeline, this Madara was a nightmare brought to life.

"I've heard Akatsuki is almost done collecting the Tailed Beasts," Orochimaru said with a wicked grin. "They've done all the hard work…"

"…and I'll be the one to reap the rewards."

---

Apologies for not uploading the chapters earlier today

I've been sick (still am, actually, lol).

That said, I'll be switching the update time back to the original schedule: 6 PM to 7 PM (WAT).