"Alliance?" Obito was puzzled, then asked, "What benefit would it bring me to form an alliance with you?"

Although Orosboro’s intentions were unclear, the current situation was that the Akatsuki Organization was internally empty and indeed in urgent need of manpower. However, Obito was not welcoming to spies like Dou.

"Soon you’ll be at war with the Five Great Shinobi Villages, and I can provide combat strength for you. These four are all experts, surely you won’t reject them, and... I have other chess pieces."

Orosboro’s words somewhat moved Obito, and in fact, it was true. Not to mention anything else, just these four joining the war would significantly change the dynamics of the battle.

"What reward do you want?"

"Uchiha... Sasuke."

Orosboro responded almost without thinking.

"..."

"..."

Both sides fell silent, and Su Xiao on the mountain wall stretched lazily. It was almost certain that this was a done deal, and what was about to happen would force Obito to drop the act in front of him.

"What is your purpose?"

Obito’s voice was low. Sasuke was important to him too; the opponent’s Sharingan could evolve into the Eternal Mangekyo.

"There’s nothing special about my purpose. My interest lies in the truth behind ninjutsu. Ninjas only care about whether a jutsu is powerful, but I care about its composition, principles, origins, how it operates, and why it can operate this way.

For this, I need Sasuke, that young and emotionally sensitive Uchiha clan member, the only living Uchiha."

Orosboro was clearly coveting all the secrets of the Uchiha Clan.

"I refuse!"

Obito saw through Dou’s intentions, and he sensed something off about Dou’s tone. That phrase "only living Uchiha" really bothered him.

"Refuse?"

Orosboro looked at Obito with a half-smile.

"What a... pity."

Orosboro clasped his hands together, and another coffin rose from the ground.

"I’ll give you one last chance."

Orosboro extended his tongue, licking his lips.

"Give me a chance?"

Killing intent surged in Obito’s visible eye, yet he had a vague sense of foreboding.

At that moment, the coffin that had just risen opened, standing upright on the ground, directly facing Obito.

With a thud, the coffin’s lid hit the ground, raising dust, and a corpse stood inside the coffin, eyes tightly shut.

Seeing this corpse, Obito’s pupils contracted suddenly.

"Well then, Mister ’Uchiha Madara,’ what is your answer this time?"

Orosboro smiled broadly at Obito and then looked up at Su Xiao above.

"Mister Bai Ye is not easy to get along with; you’ve probably been calling yourself Uchiha Madara to him, right?"

Sitting on the rock wall, Su Xiao witnessed the scene below. Inside that coffin stood a man with long black hair, lightly armored in red, exuding an overwhelming aura even while standing there with eyes shut. This was... Uchiha Madara himself!

Su Xiao actually knew about this scene long before, and Orosboro’s defection was also within his expectations.

"This... this is."

Obito was momentarily at a loss.

"You thought I came to see you unprepared? You’re wrong; you cannot refuse."

Orosboro’s move was indeed a masterstroke against Obito, precisely targeting Obito’s Achilles’ heel.

Now that Obito was posing as Madara, if he lost that identity, even completing his plans would prove daunting.

Not to mention, just the people within the Akatsuki Organization alone would give him headaches. If he’s not Madara, then who is he? Speak clearly, or you’ll be killed.

Don’t think this is absurd; it’s a plausible scenario.

"You bastard, where the hell did you get that?"

Obito stared at Madara’s corpse. Setting aside the threat it posed to his identity, if Dou really activated the Edo Tensei, Uchiha Madara’s combat power...

At this thought, Obito sighed inwardly.

"It’s a long story, but rest assured, I will not leak this to anyone. However, what about him? That is not someone easy to deal with."

Orosboro raised his head slightly.

"Hah, haha."

Obito suddenly laughed, and the smile on Dou’s face gradually faded.

"Dou, you don’t understand me, nor do you understand Bai Ye. I’ve collaborated with him far more than with any other member of the Akatsuki Organization. Based on his observational skills, he probably already knows I’m not Uchiha Madara."

Obito looked at Orosboro with eyes full of killing intent. Dou glanced up at Su Xiao again. Su Xiao remained seated there, his expression unchanged.

Obito raised a hand to signal Su Xiao, and Su Xiao nodded slightly. This time, Obito felt at ease. He had suspected long ago that Su Xiao might question his identity, just as he said; they had worked together too many times.

Arranging the fight between Sasuke and Itachi, guiding Sasuke into darkness, the Five Shadow Summit, the subsequent pursuit of shadows after the summit, dealing with Danzo’s death, attacking Shuyan Village, etc.

"There’s a weakness in Edo Tensei; if the caster is killed, the technique collapses. Although holding off Uchiha Madara, Nagato, Itachi, and others might lead to my death, you might already perish at Bai Ye’s hands before that. Don’t forget, I excel in Space Ninjutsu, and he is skilled in Sword Techniques. I can help him close in on you quickly, and by then, it will surely be you who dies."

Obito lifted his left arm, grabbing at his own mask.

Seeing this, Orosboro furrowed his brows.

"In terms of war, I have the ability to summon an Edo Tensei army."

Upon hearing Dou’s words, Obito’s hand halted in front of his mask.

"Yakushi Kabuto." Obito’s hand lowered, and he continued, "I never imagined you would grow to such an extent. Facing you now would only needlessly weaken our side’s combat power..."

Saying this, Obito paused momentarily.

"So you chose to come here now, taking advantage of the power vacuum within the Akatsuki Organization. What a prepared guy you are."

Obito changed his tone abruptly.

"So what are you saying?"

Orosboro was beginning to get puzzled about what the people inside the Akatsuki Organization really wanted.

"Alright, let’s join forces."

Obito’s attitude made a sharp 180° turn. Earlier, he wanted to kill Dou, and now he’s cooperating with him.

"But Sasuke can’t be handed over to you now; it must wait until after the war."

"Such a reasonable person."

Orosboro gladly agreed.

"As expected of Uchiha Madara, your grace is different."

If this had been said earlier, it wouldn’t have meant much, but now it carried quite a sarcastic tone.

Thus, Orosboro successfully joined the Akatsuki Organization, which indicated that the Ninja World War was about to begin, much sooner than anticipated, possibly in less than ten days.

Orosboro and Obito walked into the underground base. A bat flew towards Su Xiao, and he caught it. The alchemy array diagram flashed, and the bat was swiftly decomposed into broken materials, which soon turned into white powder, trickling down Su Xiao’s fingertips.

"Finally luring Dou to join; this must be like adding wings to a tiger for you, Obito."

According to the original storyline, it would take at least a month before Dou might look for Obito. Orosboro was brought in by Su Xiao.

As for finding Dou, that was simple. Itachi’s aftermath was handled by Su Xiao and Obito. Su Xiao knew where the body was buried and set up surveillance equipment there. That tomb robber, Dou, would come looking on his own.

Su Xiao was no longer worried about the main task. Now, even if the Five Great Shinobi Villages didn’t want war, Obito with Orosboro’s assistance would not agree and could catch the Five Great Shinobi Villages off guard.

Konan’s whereabouts had already been found, which meant finding the Rinnegan was not far off, with ample forces on their side. If Obito didn’t start a war now, he might as well find some tofu and kill himself.

Moreover, if Obito went to war with the Five Great Shinobi Villages, whether he could win didn’t really matter. All he needed was to be able to confront them head-on; the Nine-Tailed Pillar Force was the real key in the end.

With the main task resolved, Su Xiao now needed to focus on the hunting task. That outsider was extremely slippery. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Once the hunting task was completed, Su Xiao could freely operate in the Naruto World, even participate in the Ninja World War, a divine opportunity to reap benefits.

If the main task and hunting task were completed, Su Xiao could leave the Naruto World at any time as long as he wasn’t in combat.

Although participating in the Ninja World War was only something Fourth-tier Contractors were eligible for, with the fallback option of returning to Reincarnation Paradise, a ninja war was something that could be attempted.

On the battlefield, Jonin were as common as dogs, Shadow Levels were everywhere, only Super Shadows could stand out a bit, but a slip-up would result in being crushed by Six Paths level foes.

Su Xiao never considered reaching Six Paths level, but if there’s a chance to take down a Super Shadow level powerhouse, a Legendary treasure box would be within reach.