A mad, rattling laugh rolled through the vaults of the cave, bouncing off the stone and penetrating into the very heart.
—Yes... yes, that's right! — the White Snake Hermit hissed, and her voice broke into exultant laughter. "Am I not fulfilling my promise?!" Come to me… Go ahead! Let's merge together, let's become one! I will lead you into the greatest future!
Its mouth opened in a ruthless snarl and closed, swallowing Ichikishimahime in one fell swoop.
At the same moment, the Ryuchi cave turned into a living hell. Intelligent snakes raced in panic, trying to escape, or in desperation rushed at their ancestress. No one wanted to be absorbed, to become a part of this ancient madness.
No one could have foreseen this. The thought that the White Snake Hermit, the most powerful being in Ryuchi, would betray and devour them was unthinkable. It was as if the great ancestor, the founder of the clan, who had promised eternal life to his descendants, suddenly turned against them to devour their souls and ascend alone.
Who could have imagined that a grandparent would raise his hand against his own children? Faith turned to dust, and trust turned to bitter poison.
But the White Snake Hermit didn't care at all about the thoughts of these nobodies. The moment she felt the icy breath of death and realized that only Uchiha Yue's eyes would grant her the path to divinity, she decided everything for herself.
And now the hour has come. She was carrying out her long-held plan: to combine all the power of the Ryuchi cave, to put everything she had on the line. And all this is for the sake of defeating Uchiha Yue. For the sake of absorbing it.
What would happen to Ryuchi after her death didn't matter. But if she survives, if she gains the power of Yue and becomes a goddess, she will be able to create countless such caves.
H-s-s-s-s…
"Uchiha Yue! I, the White Snake Hermit, will devour you completely!"
These pathetic creatures from Ryuchi should be honored to become part of her power, a stepping stone on the path to greatness. If it weren't for the difference in the properties of senjutsu, if it weren't for the risk of premature death, she would have already absorbed the power of all three Great Lands to fight Uchiha Yue in her perfect form.
However, that was enough for now. It had been a little over two weeks—her enemy had not yet reached the peak of his power, while she herself was at the peak of her being at that moment. If she missed this chance, her vitality would run out and her body would turn to dust.
She really put everything on the line. But so what? Only by absorbing Uchiha Yue will she gain a future.
After swallowing all the snakes, the White Hermit Snake swelled to an incredible size, resembling the legendary hammer snake Nozuchi. The monstrous senjutsu chakra surged around her, swirling into a gigantic vortex of natural energy that violently poured into her body.
Muffled screams could be heard from her swollen womb — the devoured snakes were still alive, struggling desperately inside.
— Become my power! — she roared and, slowly writhing, began to weave into a huge white cocoon, enveloped in streams of pure energy.
— Madara, Orochimaru resurrected Senju Tobirama. Would you like to take a look? Nagato's calm voice rang out next to Uchiha Obito.
"Nagato, are you kidding me?"
Obito frowned. Orochimaru's arbitrariness infuriated him. He wasn't the real Madara, and a single glance from Tobirama would be enough to reveal the deception.
Then everyone will understand that he is an impostor. Nagato's fragile trust, built with so much effort, will crumble to dust. If Uchiha Madara is a lie, then wasn't everything else a lie?
"Damn Orochimaru! Obito thought angrily, determined to stay as far away from the Second Hokage as possible.
—Nagato, Orochimaru has summoned this master of techniques,— Black Zetsu intervened. "What if they can actually create a way to counter Uchiha Yue?" Won't this ruin our plan?
He was also worried about this situation, but for a different reason. Exposing Obito was only part of the problem. If Senju Tobirama fails, nothing terrible will happen. But if he succeeds... if they find a way to defeat Yue, then there will be no need for Madara. Their fragile alliance with Nagato would crumble.
"We need to figure out how to convince him... otherwise we'll have to eliminate Nagato ahead of time," Zetsu thought coolly.
"Isn't that what we agreed on?" Nagato replied calmly, looking at them. — If we can deal with Uchiha Yue, everything will go according to plan. That's the good news.
He didn't tell them the main thing. If he manages to kill Yue and take his eyes, then neither Madara nor Zetsu will be needed anymore. With his indestructible strength and dojutsu capable of absorbing any energy, he will single-handedly capture all the tailed beasts and become the sole ruler of the new world.
He…