How Kurama Leads Naruto Astray

"What a mess…" In the dark underground room, Orochimaru looked at the white chess piece in front of him, resting his chin on one hand, with a cold smile on his face.

Zetsu stood behind Orochimaru. For once, Black Zetsu looked anxious. "If you don't try to save Obito now, your research will fail too."

"Hmph\~" Orochimaru gave a cold laugh and turned to look at Black Zetsu. "It's because Obito is too weak."

Black Zetsu clenched his fists. If the plan fails now, then mother…

White Zetsu wore his usual dumb smile. "Obito might be weak, but aren't you his ally? If you don't act now, the Rinnegan will be taken by the enemy. If that happens, getting it back will mean fighting both Sasuke and Naruto at the same time."

Orochimaru stuck out his tongue. As much as he didn't want to admit it, that idiot was right.

Right now, the Rinnegan was still with Obito. It was about to be taken, but if he stepped in now, he'd only have to face Sasuke. If Sasuke managed to take the Rinnegan back to Konoha, then Orochimaru would have to deal with both of them.

Naruto and Sasuke — both were serious threats at this point.

"Tch. If that's the case, I'll have to waste a few pieces." Orochimaru's face darkened. He set down the chess piece in his hand and formed hand seals. "Well, at least I don't have to go looking for sacrifices. It's fine to just use them up."

"Edo Tensei: Modified!"

...

"So, what else have you got left?"

Sasuke smirked as he looked at Obito in front of him, his sword just inches away from cutting off Obito's head.

At that moment, a strange chakra rose from the ground. Sasuke's face changed slightly, and the sword was suddenly deflected.

Obito seized the chance and quickly jumped back without any hesitation. Sasuke stared at the coffin rising from the ground, not paying attention to the familiar chakra coming from inside. His eyes gave off a faint glow, and in the next second, he appeared right in front of Obito, slashing down with his sword.

Blood sprayed everywhere.

The blade cut through Obito's shoulder, leaving a deep gash that ran all the way to his waist. If Sasuke had used just a bit more force, Obito would've been cut in half.

The next moment, four golden chains shot out from behind Sasuke, filled with powerful sealing energy, and wrapped around him completely.

Inside the seal.

"There was another one hiding..." Sasuke flipped out of the chains' path and looked at the badly wounded Obito. His face grew darker without him even realizing it.

Sasuke's pupils shrank, and he instinctively froze on the spot, shouting in shock, "Aunt Kushina!"

That's right—the last person who appeared was Kushina.

She stepped out of the coffin and stood in front of Sasuke, her face filled with a deep, indescribable anger. "Sasuke! Go all out right now! My chakra isn't being held back! If I fully unleash my sealing jutsu, Orochimaru will win!"

Out of everyone, she was the only one whose chakra wasn't restricted, and she was Orochimaru's final backup plan.

Sasuke snapped back to his senses. He understood what was going on. He had been briefly stunned by Kushina's sudden appearance, but now was no time to give Obito a chance!

Without a second of hesitation, his Sharingan and Rinnegan lit up at the same time. Chakra surged out as his giant Susano'o took shape instantly. The complete Susano'o, towering over a hundred meters tall, stood firm as a massive red blade was drawn and slashed down in one swing.

The whole move took less than a second—it happened almost the moment Kushina finished her sentence. And Obito, already badly injured by Sasuke's earlier attack, wasn't in any shape to run or even dodge.

"Even Aunt Kushina can't stop this kind of power!" Sasuke roared as he slashed down. The pressure from the blade alone was enough to tear the ground apart.

"That's it!" Kushina's eyes lit up. She quickly formed hand seals, and black sealing marks spread out. But this hastily cast sealing jutsu couldn't possibly stop a full-powered Susano'o attack.

Obito gritted his teeth, his Sharingan spinning wildly. He tried to squeeze out the strength to use Kamui, but in his current state, it was impossible.

"It's over!"

The massive red blade came crashing down. In a blink, it collided with the black sealing marks.

But the rushed sealing technique didn't last even a second—it shattered almost instantly, and the blade was already above Obito's head.

It looked like it was the end...

Suddenly, four powerful chakra signatures burst out all at once, as if perfectly coordinated.

"Wood Style: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees!"

The ground shook. With Hashirama's calm voice echoing around, the earth split apart, and eight massive wooden arms rose up. Six reached for Susano'o, while the other two went for the giant blade to try and stop it.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and instinctively countered, "Blaze Style: Kagutsuchi!"

The red blade was covered in black flames. The moment the two wooden arms touched the blade, they were burned instantly. The blade's raw power, combined with the inextinguishable Amaterasu flames, sliced through the arms in the blink of an eye and continued toward Obito without losing momentum.

"Wood Style: Ranking Pillars!"

Just as the blade was about to hit, the ground beneath Obito shook again. Amid the crumbling earth, a huge wooden demon face rose from both sides like a shield, completely covering Obito below.

A second later, the blade struck the wooden demon face. Amid the howling wind and trembling ground, cracks spread across the surface—it looked like it might break at any moment. But somehow, it managed to hold back the full-powered strike from Susano'o.

At the same time, the remaining six wooden arms wrapped around Susano'o. The massive hands and arms bound the towering Susano'o in place, locking it down completely.

Sasuke's face darkened, almost slapping himself in frustration. "That's what I get for talking too much! That's what I get for showing off!"

What do you call this? Villains talk too much and end up getting killed!

Though technically... Obito's the villain here, right?

Doesn't matter. Sasuke knew that this assassination attempt had most likely failed. If he hadn't opened his mouth and just gone all out right away, Obito might be dead by now. But no—he had to throw in one cool line.

The real issue, though, was Kushina suddenly showing up. That split-second surprise made Sasuke pause—barely even a second, but at this level, that's all it takes.

And those four bursts of chakra just now? All of them were insanely strong. It was clear things were about to get very messy.

Sasuke took a deep breath and turned to look behind him.

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