Naruto: Starting with Snatching the Mangekyō Sharingan

"Hikaru, Orochimaru is one of our comrades. You've gone too far!" Nagato's eyes narrowed as an overwhelming surge of chakra erupted from his body, combining with the formidable power of his Rinnegan. The pressure surged forward like a breaking dam, crashing toward Uchiha Hikaru.

"Hmph!" Hikaru's lips curved into a smirk as she unleashed her own immense chakra and ocular power, meeting Nagato's assault head-on without backing down.

Crack…

In an instant, their clashing forces split the ground apart, creating deep fissures. Pebbles lifted into the air, trembling under the intensity of their power.

Nearby, Konan, Kakuzu, and Sasori watched in astonishment.

Nagato's strength was well-known to them, but the fact that Uchiha Hikaru could stand toe-to-toe with him was utterly unexpected.

"Hikaru, you're not my match just yet," Nagato declared, his chakra flaring visibly as he unleashed even greater power, swiftly suppressing Hikaru's aura.

Hikaru's expression paled slightly. She snorted, withdrew her chakra, and leaned silently against a nearby rock wall, arms crossed.

Nagato turned toward Orochimaru, his tone stern. "Orochimaru, I advise you not to harbor malice toward your comrades in the organization."

Orochimaru's face twisted into a bitter smile. Losing to Hikaru this time felt even more crushing than his earlier defeat to Akira. To be overpowered so effortlessly by a girl who seemed no older than fourteen was a severe blow to his pride.

"Sannin? Genius? Compared to this girl, what am I worth…?" Orochimaru's heart sank.

"Orochimaru!" Nagato's sharp voice broke Orochimaru's daze.

He took a deep breath, regaining his composure, and addressed Hikaru with a solemn expression.

"Hikaru, I apologize. I was in the wrong earlier."

Hikaru shrugged nonchalantly. "No matter. I've already vented my anger."

Her dismissive attitude stoked a flicker of fury within Orochimaru, but he suppressed it, knowing he had no choice.

The rest of the Akatsuki's brief meeting went smoothly, with Nagato's demonstration of strength effectively quelling the rebellious tendencies of the members.

As the gathering concluded and the others dispersed, Nagato's voice halted Orochimaru as he was about to leave.

"Orochimaru, stay for a moment. I need your assistance with something."

"Oh? What might that be, Leader?" Orochimaru asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Do you possess mastery over the Edo Tensei technique?" Nagato inquired.

Orochimaru's eyes widened in surprise. Few in the shinobi world knew about this forbidden technique.

"I've mastered it to some extent, but it's far from perfect. The Second Hokage only developed it to a rudimentary stage. The reanimated individuals can't fully utilize their abilities from when they were alive," Orochimaru explained.

"That will suffice." Nagato nodded and handed Orochimaru a small vial containing blood. "Orochimaru, please use Edo Tensei to summon the owner of this blood back to the world of the living."

The blood had been provided by Black Zetsu. According to him, it belonged to Uchiha Madara.

As Nagato spoke, a White Zetsu emerged from the ground nearby.

Orochimaru, grasping the situation, smirked. "This will be simple enough."

"Edo Tensei!"

Orochimaru formed the seals, and the ground began to stir. Grayish dust surged forth, engulfing the White Zetsu. The dust twisted and morphed, attempting to shape itself into a human form.

Suddenly, Orochimaru frowned and shook his head. "It failed…"

As his words fell, the dust dissipated, leaving only the lifeless body of the White Zetsu.

"What happened?" Nagato demanded.

"Edo Tensei is a technique that summons the souls of the dead into the living world. There are only two possibilities for failure: either the target isn't dead, or they've already been reanimated by someone else," Orochimaru explained.

Nagato's expression darkened. "Are you certain the owner of that blood is deceased?"

"I'm certain," Nagato replied firmly. "Most likely, they died at the hands of Konoha, probably due to the Spirit Transformation Technique."

"The Spirit Transformation Technique…" Orochimaru mused, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "If that's the case, the person you're trying to summon has likely already been reanimated by someone else."

"Do you have any leads?" Nagato asked sharply.

"I recall that during the Fourth Hokage's tenure, Uchiha Akira was permitted to select two techniques from the Scroll of Seals. One of them was the Spirit Transformation Technique," Orochimaru revealed.

"Uchiha Akira?!" Nagato's eyes narrowed, and a chilling killing intent emanated from him, suffocating even Orochimaru.

"Yes, Uchiha Akira," Orochimaru confirmed. "It's very likely he used Edo Tensei to summon the person you're after. Given his skills, mastering Edo Tensei wouldn't have been difficult."

"It seems he's the culprit," Nagato muttered. He turned back to Orochimaru. "Is there no way to undo this? If someone has already been summoned with Edo Tensei, is there truly nothing we can do?"

Orochimaru shook his head. "Unless he willingly releases the summoning, there's nothing we can do—not even killing him would help."

Unbeknownst to Nagato, Black Zetsu had intentionally tampered with the blood to ensure the ritual would fail. He had no intention of revealing the true identity of Uchiha Madara.

At that moment, another White Zetsu emerged from the ground, pale and trembling.

"Leader! Urgent news! Kumogakure plans to ally with Iwagakure to launch a decisive attack on Konohagakure. They aim to crush Konoha in a single battle!"

"Raikage dares to be so bold?" Even Nagato was taken aback by the gravity of the situation.

Orochimaru's gaze sharpened. The implications of this revelation were immense, far beyond what ordinary intelligence networks could uncover.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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