The Gedo Statue sent Orochimaru and Manda flying from underground to the surface with a single punch.
Madara's base was also completely exposed, with an army of thousands of White Zetsu guarding the Gedo Statue like soldiers around a general.
Manda finally managed to stop, cursing Orochimaru vehemently: "Orochimaru, you rotten snake, didn't you say we were dealing with an old man? Is this an old man? This is Uchiha Madara!"
"Orochimaru, I'm not staying with you anymore, I'm going back to Ryūchi Cave!"
"Hmph, you think you can leave after coming here?"
Orochimaru immediately took out a control tag and placed it on Manda. He had originally prepared this for Hiruko, but since Hiruko was driven by his hatred for Ryou and no longer needed it, he used it on Manda instead.
In the past, he had to play nice with Manda, but in this situation, Orochimaru had to keep him even if it meant a complete falling out.
Once Manda was under control, Orochimaru felt relieved and looked toward the Gedo Statue in the distance.
Having left the underground base, Orochimaru could finally see the monster's hideous appearance clearly.
It was a giant humanoid figure with a body like withered wood and ten wood-like protrusions on its back, giving off a sense of ancient desolation.
It had nine closed eyes on its head, looking extremely eerie and mysterious.
"What... exactly is this monster?"
Land of Rain, Akatsuki Organization base.
Nagato was watching Yahiko give a speech to the newly joined Ninjas, generally about uniting to change the Land of Rain, a country that was constantly weeping.
Suddenly, his Rinnegan stirred uncontrollably, as if a power in the north was calling to him.
Nagato covered his aching eyes.
Seeing this, Konan couldn't help but ask with concern, "What's wrong? Nagato!"
Nagato shook his head, not wanting to worry Konan. "It's nothing!"
Konan walked over and massaged Nagato's eyes, smiling. "Maybe the pressure has been too much lately. We're about to cooperate with Hanzou; I wonder if he'll accept our Akatsuki?"
Nagato blushed slightly at Konan's scent. "He probably will! After all, we've done so much for the Land of Rain."
"Yes, the Ninja World War is almost coming to an end, and peace is coming. The Land of Rain will get better and better."
"I hope so!"
...Madara stood on the shoulder of the Gedo Statue, feeling the vitality in his body. White Zetsu had merged into his frame, preventing him from being so weak.
But it was a far cry from his peak; he longed to feel the hot blood flowing through his body again.
And—
Madara touched his single eye. To him, a three tomoe Sharingan was practically trash, completely unworthy of being in his eye socket.
Orochimaru controlled Manda to sweep away the White Zetsu grunts near the Gedo Statue.
Neither the Sannin nor their Summoned Beasts were something the White Zetsu clones could handle. Madara issued an order for all White Zetsu to retreat into the ground.
Riding Manda, Orochimaru approached Madara, greeting him politely: "Senior Madara, it seems we were all wrong. You were the true victor of the battle at the Valley of the End."
"No one expected you to hide so deeply, without a single word leaking out for all these years."
Madara looked at Orochimaru with disdain. "How can a snake from a shallow pond fathom the vastness within my soul?"
Orochimaru flared up in anger: "I've treated you with courtesy multiple times, yet I didn't expect Uchiha Madara to be so arrogant. No wonder you became a stray dog back then!"
"What did you say?!"
Madara's presence became singular, with no aura leaking out, yet Orochimaru felt as though he were being stared down by an ancient demon.
The most shameful thing in Madara's life was leaving Konoha like a stray dog, with no one following him.
Orochimaru twitched his ears, hearing the sound of the wind, and his confidence immediately surged.
"Madara, I admit you are a legend of the Sengoku era, but times have changed. I wonder if the current Sannin can ask for a lesson or two from Lord Madara?"
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Jiraiya and Tsunade's voices rang out simultaneously beside Orochimaru.
Then, a blue and white slug as large as a mountain appeared as the smoke cleared, with Tsunade standing on Katsuyu's head.
"Looking up at the heavens with light at my back, the gallant Jiraiya has arrived!"
At the same time, Jiraiya arrived with a group of toads from Mount Myōboku.
Gamabunta of the Three Toad Brothers lay in the center, a pipe in his mouth and a cleaver in hand, exuding a strong gangster vibe.
Gamahiro was on the left with twin swords on his back. Gamaken was on the right, holding a sasumata and a shield.
Jiraiya stood on Gamabunta's head, red Sage markings on his face, with Sage Fukusaku and Sage Shima standing on his left and right shoulders respectively.
This formation had appeared once in the original work, when Naruto arrived with reinforcements from Mount Myōboku after Pain destroyed Konoha.
With only Gamakichi missing, Jiraiya's toad army was complete.
As soon as Jiraiya appeared, everyone stared at him.
Even Madara looked a bit solemn: "A Sage aura just like Hashirama's. Young man, you are worthy of being my opponent."
Orochimaru and Tsunade both looked at Jiraiya.
There was deep envy and jealousy in Orochimaru's eyes. Why didn't he have the talent for Senjutsu?
Tsunade felt somewhat emotional; the former dead last had now surpassed everyone else.
Now was not the time to be emotional about Jiraiya's Sage Mode.
Tsunade looked at the old man opposite them, her eyes unable to hide her shock.
Madara, a legendary figure like him, was actually still alive?
Truly, to live to a great age without dying is to be a thief!
"Summoning Jutsu!"
There's another expert!!
Everyone looked together at the sudden cloud of summoning smoke.
Summoned Beasts from the three great holy lands—Ryūchi Cave, Shikkotsu Forest, and Mount Myōboku—were all present. What kind of sacred being dared to enter the fray?
"How could I miss this class reunion? Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru!"
As soon as that familiar voice rang out...
Tsunade's pupils shrank, and Jiraiya showed an expression of disbelief.
Orochimaru licked his lips and smiled wickedly: "Ryou, you showed up after all."
Black Zetsu's shadow returned to Madara and said, "Lord Madara, Ryou is back!"
Ryou shouted his filial piety to Madara: "Ancestor, please step back. Let your grandson handle the Sannin!"
A cold smile appeared at the corner of Madara's mouth. Ryou had made his choice after all.
He could only side with him.
As the smoke cleared, Ryou appeared with the Gunbai and the Kama on his back. On his shoulders, a Summoned Beast stood on all fours.
It was the famous Haji Sage of the Ninja World.
Never mind, it was just an orange cat wearing a Ninja uniform, clutching small dried fish in its claws and nibbling on them with gusto.
Suddenly appearing in a strange place, the orange cat stopped eating and stared blankly at the four mountain-like monsters in front of it.
"(°ー°〃)."
Ryou crossed his arms and directed: "Fish Ball, I'll take care of the Sannin. You go take out their Summoned Beasts."
Fish Ball, true to his name, was an orange cat that loved eating small dried fish.
When Ryou used to raise stray cats, he bred a group of Ninja Cats, which he later sent to Cat Granny's Abandoned District to be raised.
"Meow—"
Fish Ball grabbed Ryou's hair and spoke in human tongue: "Idiot Ryou, do you think I'm the Two-Tails Matatabi? I can't even beat Big Yellow at the village entrance, and you want me to deal with such terrifying giants?"
"If you want to inherit my dried fish, just say so!"
Ryou signaled Fish Ball to lower his voice: "Fish Ball, keep it down. With so many experts watching, you're making me lose face."
"I don't care! And who told you to defect? The Uchiha Clan has removed your name, and Cat Granny has cut our rations in half."
Fish Ball grumbled.
Ryou was furious: "That old hag! How dare she treat my Ninja Cats like that? I'll definitely sell her to the red-light district to serve customers later!"
The Sannin: "(;—_—)."
"Ahem..."
Madara coughed twice, somewhat annoyed: "Who told him to come up? Get him down, get him down."
Sage Fukusaku was somewhat speechless: "Little Jiraiya, is this your classmate, that Uchiha who developed the immortality forbidden jutsu?"
"Well..."
Jiraiya also felt a bit embarrassed; Ryou was clearly forcing his way into their league.
But then Jiraiya looked at Ryou with a serious expression: "Ryou, you're truly something, deceiving us all."
"However, I have to say sorry this time. Let me, as his teacher, make up for Minato's mistake!"
Jiraiya and the others should be glad that Madara hadn't been restored to his youth by Ryou yet; otherwise, they wouldn't stand a chance.
No matter what the hidden circumstances behind Ryou's actions were, they had to stop him from getting close to Madara.
Jiraiya intended to sever all feelings for Ryou in his heart and kill him once and for all.