Mastermind of the Akatsuki

Byakuya had definitely been hiding part of his strength, this was Madara Uchiha's most direct impression.

In their earlier battle, although both of them had used Susanoo and the Wood Dragon Technique, altering the terrain with brute force, such feats were just the basics for those standing at the summit of the ninja world.

Actual battles between the strongest weren't decided in just half an hour. His fight with Hashirama at the Valley of the End had lasted for three days and nights.

Still, no matter how much strength Byakuya was hiding, he definitely couldn't break through the defense of the fourth form of Susanoo.

That was truly power on par with a Tailed Beast, not inferior even to the full Nine-Tails. If Byakuya really had the ability to defeat the Nine-Tails, there would've been no reason for him to stay hidden in the small Amegakure.

Together with Nagato, who had transplanted the Rinnegan, they could have easily flattened the entire shinobi world.

Retracting his wandering thoughts, Madara Uchiha took the initiative to chat with Byakuya for a while, and they revised the current Eye of the Moon Plan.

Madara's way of addressing Byakuya also shifted, from "you little brat" to "you punk."

After fully exchanging their views, Byakuya left the uninhabited zone. After the talk with Madara, he still had many matters he had to urgently take care of.

As he watched Byakuya's figure disappear into the horizon, Obito and Black Zetsu arrived at Madara's side.

Obito expressed dissatisfaction: "Madara-sama, why did you let Byakuya go? He's an unstable factor in our plan. If we take him down now, we can avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble in the future."

Madara glanced at the insubordinate Obito and said with a blank expression, "His strength meets our requirements. The Eye of the Moon Plan needs someone like him to act as an infiltrator within the five great shinobi villages. Besides, during the time I was dormant, he's accomplished far more than you have."

These words struck a nerve. Obito's face immediately darkened.

He had used Edo Tensei to revive Madara in order to teach Byakuya a lesson. But after Madara met Byakuya, the one who ended up getting reprimanded was him. That planted a seed of resentment in Obito's heart toward Madara.

Perhaps sensing Obito's thoughts, Madara said impatiently, "Obito, do you think I didn't want to put Byakuya in his place? He's hiding a portion of his power. If he becomes our enemy now, it will cause serious disruption to our plans to collect the Tailed Beasts."

Obito's pupils trembled slightly as he found it hard to accept Madara's assessment of Byakuya.

In his eyes, Byakuya was stronger than him, but not by much. And now Madara was telling him that the Byakuya, who toyed with him regularly, had never even used his full strength.

But if even Byakuya couldn't be taken down, could it be that Madara's strength wasn't as overwhelming as he thought?

Staring at Obito, Madara continued, "This is also related to your incompetence over the years. If you had used the Rinne Rebirth to revive me, I wouldn't have needed to cooperate with Byakuya at all."

Obito rubbed his aching head.

It wasn't that he didn't want to use the Rinne Rebirth. He didn't have the ability to do so. Not to mention evading Byakuya and launching a surprise attack on Nagato, Nagato alone had already demonstrated overwhelming power.

To prevent internal conflict, the peacemaker Black Zetsu took the initiative to speak. "Madara-sama, Obito-sama, let's focus on the next phase of our plan…"

Madara nodded slowly and said, "I just had a conversation with Byakuya. Our next move is simple, we will launch attacks targeting the Five-Tails and the Eight-Tails, forcing the five great shinobi villages to convene a Five Kage Summit. When they gather in one place, we'll capture them all in one swoop.

---

Several hours later, Byakuya returned to the Akatsuki base.

Even after sitting in the office for a while, his mind was still replaying his battle with Madara.

Madara was mighty, and his combat experience was vast, truly deserving of the title Shinobi Shura, who once terrified the entire world.

From their earlier exchange, Byakuya had more or less gauged his strength.

In terms of raw combat ability, he was already on par with Edo Madara. While Edo Madara could recklessly create Wood Clones that used Susanoo and even activate the fourth stage of Susanoo thanks to nearly infinite chakra, the Edo Tensei state weakened his overall potential and introduced several weaknesses his living body didn't have, such as susceptibility to sealing techniques.

Byakuya was confident that, with advanced sealing techniques, he could restrict Madara's movements and perhaps even seal him entirely within a special container. But if he faced Madara in his fully revived state, the outcome would be difficult to predict.

In the original timeline, Madara was revived with Rinne Rebirth, regained his Rinnegan, and by himself defeated all nine Tailed Beasts, sealing them into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

That Madara, just like himself now, had reached a level just shy of the Sage of Six Paths.

He only needed the power of the Ten-Tails to step into the realm of the Sage, reaching the level of the Ōtsutsuki.

But obtaining the Ten-Tails' power came at a cost.

Obito was nearly swallowed by the Ten-Tails' will and reduced to a special type of White Zetsu. Black Zetsu had backstabbed Madara, his will overridden, and his body was taken over by Kaguya.

To avoid those risks, Byakuya could only rely on the power of his system.

That was why he had collaborated with Madara, pushing the five great shinobi villages toward a Five Kage Summit by targeting the Jinchūriki. As long as the Akatsuki seized control of the summit, his strength would soar once more. Only then could he surpass the level of Kage and step into the realm of the Sage, finally taking control of his own destiny.

Pulling himself out of his wandering thoughts, Byakuya began to plan the layout for the Five Kage Summit, to balance both sides' strength, control the five great shinobi villages, and seize dominance over the Moon's Eye team.

After thinking for a while, a name suddenly came to his mind, and a smile curled on his lips.

There weren't many shinobi who could change the course of the future in the ninja world. Orochimaru and his modified Edo Tensei were among them.

He had taken in Orochimaru for so long. So, it was time for him to play his part. With that thought, Byakuya sent a short command to Orochimaru through the Akatsuki ring.

---

In the training grounds of Otogakure.

Orochimaru was training Sasuke Uchiha. He was delighted with Sasuke, not only because of Sasuke's excellent physique, ideal for becoming his next vessel, but more importantly, because he sensed a kindred spirit in him.

This brat Sasuke acted indifferent toward the village and his comrades, but the moment anything related to Konohagakure came up, he'd always inch closer, trying to hear more.

Of course, the bigger reason was that he'd heard Shisui had become the new head of Konoha's Root Division.

He wanted to use his mentorship of Sasuke to get closer to Shisui. After all, he still occasionally visited Konohagakure every now and then.

Maintaining good relations with this group of temperamental Uchiha was always a wise choice.

After training ended, Sasuke was gasping for breath as he looked at Orochimaru, inwardly reaffirming that his decision to leave Konohagakure and become Orochimaru's disciple had definitely been the right one.

Although Orochimaru's training was extremely strenuous and his temperament was not the best, his teaching ability differed greatly from Kakashi's. Sasuke was able to learn many forbidden techniques that he could never have come across otherwise. Therefore, despite knowing that Orochimaru considered him a potential vessel, Sasuke didn't mind.

As long as his strength improved quickly enough, Orochimaru couldn't take over his body. Besides, Shisui wasn't someone to be trifled with, and he would never allow Sasuke's body to be taken. At worst, Shisui and Orochimaru would reach some agreement, and Sasuke would be sent back.

Sasuke was accustomed to the concept of the strong being revered in Otogakure, but he knew this was merely a training camp. Sooner or later, he would return to Konoha, his true home.

At that moment, Orochimaru suddenly changed his expression. After glancing at the ring on his hand, he received an order from Byakuya. The contents of the order were simple, but it left Orochimaru feeling somewhat frustrated and unsettled.

Sasuke noticed Orochimaru's change in demeanor and curiously asked, "Orochimaru-sama, what happened? Is it something from Konoha? Did Jiraiya lead the team personally?"

Orochimaru shook his head and said, "If it were just Jiraiya, it wouldn't be a big deal. The situation is much more serious than I anticipated."

This was Orochimaru's true feeling. While Jiraiya was strong, their interactions had always been brief. In a direct confrontation, their strengths were nearly equal. Even with Jiraiya using Sage Mode, Orochimaru still had the forbidden jutsu, Edo Tensei. If Jiraiya insisted on a fight, Orochimaru could summon the First and Second Hokage to give Jiraiya a lesson.

"Is Konoha not the one causing trouble? Then what is it?" Sasuke asked, puzzled by Orochimaru's expression. He couldn't understand why the legendary Sannin would react this way.

Orochimaru spoke in a calm tone, "This matter won't concern you for now. I need to assassinate a mighty ninja. You'll know who later. Listen to Kabuto's orders if I don't return within a month."

Sasuke nodded slightly, his curiosity about Orochimaru's mission growing. As for obeying Kabuto during Orochimaru's absence, Sasuke had no objections. He had met Kabuto during the Chūnin Exams, and at the time, he found him to be quite mysterious, not an ordinary ninja.

However, during the second round of the exams, Kabuto withdrew and never reappeared in Konoha. It wasn't until Sasuke joined Otogakure that he discovered Kabuto was one of Orochimaru's subordinates. Kabuto was an elite jōnin, second only to Orochimaru in rank within Otogakure.

After leaving the training ground, Orochimaru found Kabuto and entrusted him with managing Otogakure in his absence. Kabuto, surprised by the responsibility, immediately said to Orochimaru, "I will manage Otogakure well while you're away, Orochimaru-sama, but what happened? Why are you entrusting me with such an important task all of a sudden?"

Orochimaru didn't tell Kabuto the whole story and instead gave a vague excuse. Kabuto was strong but not completely loyal. Orochimaru had never fully trusted any of his subordinates since he could only trust himself.

After briefing Kabuto, Orochimaru left Otogakure and looked in the direction of Amegakure. His expression shifted between dark and light. Byakuya's mission was simple: to assassinate Nagato.

If he could kill Nagato, he could even borrow the Rinnegan for a period of time for his research. Orochimaru had long been fascinated by the Rinnegan, the legendary eye technique once owned by the Sage of the Six Paths. It would be a massive breakthrough in his experiments to uncover the secrets of the Six Paths. Orochimaru even wondered if the Sage of Six Paths really existed or if it was merely a title given to certain powerful ninjas of specific eras.

After all, the legend of the Sage of the Six Paths was too exaggerated. Orochimaru didn't believe there was a ninja who could create worlds; perhaps they could only alter landscapes, and through continuous exaggeration, this turned into the ability to create worlds. The First Hokage was the best example of this.

In the legend, the First Hokage was invincible in the ninja world, unmatched by any other ninja. Yet, the First Hokage, as summoned by Orochimaru through Edo Tensei, wasn't as strong as the legend claimed, and he was even weaker than Byakuya.

That aside, Orochimaru had thought about attacking Nagato to take the Rinnegan before. However, Nagato was mighty and had been in the heart of Amegakure for a long time, surrounded by a group of high-ranking ninjas. Assassinating him would be very difficult.

Therefore, Orochimaru's first thought when receiving Byakuya's order was: "You want me to go after Nagato? Are you out of your mind?" He even suspected that Byakuya wanted to use him to take down Nagato first, then use the excuse to eliminate him entirely. Given Byakuya's methods, this wasn't an impossible idea.

But if Byakuya truly wanted to kill him, he wouldn't need to use such a method. He could easily come to Otogakure and kill him directly, as Orochimaru knew he was no match for Byakuya.

What bothered Orochimaru most was why Byakuya would give such an order. Nagato, like Byakuya, was one of the core members of the Akatsuki. He had always treated Byakuya with respect, and there was no conflict of interest between them.

After thinking for a while, Orochimaru suddenly realized something and sighed lightly. "Could this be Byakuya's way of forcing me to leave the Akatsuki? After all, whether I refuse the mission or go after Nagato, I'll definitely be forced to leave. Could this be the beginning of a series of tasks?"

Orochimaru touched the ring on his hand, and after some thought, he finally made a decision. Since he was bound to leave the Akatsuki, he might as well try to make a move on Nagato before he left. If he failed, he could escape. If he succeeded, he might even get his hands on the Rinnegan.