Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

He even took his anger out on Uchiha Sogen. What was Uchiha Sogen good for? Was he just going to watch his prey be stolen by Orochimaru, that venomous snake?

Thinking of this, a deep sense of confusion arose in Obito Uchiha's heart.

honestly,

Uchiha Sogen,

What is this guy doing?

It was one thing to let Nagato and Orochimaru fight each other, but now Nagato has suffered a crushing defeat and even had his Rinnegan stolen... It can be said that Orochimaru has seized the biggest victory, but Uchiha Sogen is like a fool, not moving at all. His deep crimson Susanoo just stands there like a gatekeeper, not moving an inch.

[395. Update tomorrow morning]

as the title

"Saving the Uchiha Starts with Becoming the Clan Chief" will be updated tomorrow morning.

[Chapter 396. Orochimaru's Defeat]

Orochimaru!

Obito Uchiha stood atop the Gedo Mazo, looking up at Orochimaru inside the white snake's mouth, his single crimson eye brimming with boundless killing intent.

"What is it, Obito-kun?!"

It was as if they hadn't seen Obito Uchiha's obvious killing intent.

Orochimaru, in a good mood, wore a malicious smile. His teasing remarks were deliberately designed to provoke Obito Uchiha's nerves, which were on the verge of going berserk. In particular, the last "Obito-kun" was emphasized.

Beneath the orange-red swirling mask

Obito Uchiha's expression was so twisted that he looked like a demon or rakshasa crawling out of hell.

It took a tremendous amount of effort.

He managed to suppress the urge to fight Orochimaru.

Fighting Orochimaru right now is not a good thing; it will only make Uchiha Sogen, who knows what he's up to, laugh his head off. The most important thing right now is to retrieve the Rinnegan. As for Orochimaru's life or death... it doesn't matter, even though he really, really wants to kill this disgusting viper.

"Hand over the Rinnegan, and everything you've done will be forgiven."

"Ha ha!!"

Orochimaru laughed out loud.

"Don't be so naive, Obito-kun. What do you think I joined Akatsuki for?" He looked at Uchiha Obito, his smile full of sarcasm.

"If we fight, it will only benefit Uchiha Munegen. You should understand that, right?"

Obito Uchiha pressed on in a deep voice.

"I was originally a rogue ninja of Konoha."

Orochimaru said nonchalantly.

He was determined to get the Rinnegan; no one could stop him from taking it away.

"That's it!"

"It was coming... and it's already here!"

Orochimaru blinked.

Then he saw Obito Uchiha appear in front of him, wielding that wooden spike and charging towards him. He opened his mouth and spat out the Kusanagi Sword: Ruyi Blade, which extended rapidly once again, directly... piercing through Obito Uchiha's body.

but,

No blood,

To be precise, it didn't pierce anything; it just pierced a cloud of empty air.

Obito Uchiha, however, slid unimpeded into the snake's mouth, his wooden spikes piercing Orochimaru's abdomen. In an instant, sharp wooden spikes sprouted and grew horizontally inside Orochimaru's abdomen, some even piercing through his skin and protruding outwards.

In the blink of an eye,

Orochimaru then transformed into a blood-red hedgehog.

[Wood Release: Insertion Technique]

Among the many Wood Release techniques, this is also an extremely lethal move. Among a hundred people who are hit by it, not even one might survive. But unfortunately, the use of the word "not even one" implies uncertainty, which means that there are still people who can avoid this incredibly powerful move.

exactly,

Orochimaru is an exception among exceptions.

"Wood Release? I would have been very interested in that before... but now nothing can compare to the Rinnegan." Another unharmed Orochimaru emerged from the flesh of the snake's upper jaw, maintaining his inverted hook-like posture, and looked at Obito Uchiha, saying:

"Next time! If there's a chance, I'll study you properly next time, Obito-kun. Now, let's part ways here!"

There was no reason left for Haku to stay and get entangled with Obito Uchiha. His previous sarcasm and mockery of Obito Uchiha was just to buy Haku more time to run away. Judging by the time, Haku should have left Amegakure by now.

Then,

I should leave too!

While space-time techniques would be troublesome if it were just playing around with Obito Uchiha, they weren't that scary for him. However, if it were to fight a monster like Sogen Uchiha... Orochimaru thought that there was no need to take such a risk for the time being. It wouldn't be too late to compare his Rinnegan with Sogen Uchiha's Rinnegan after he had made some progress in his research.

What he lacks most right now is time.

But the most important thing is time.

Having achieved immortality, he has a long time to explore the mysteries of ninjutsu, but now he lacks the time to study the Rinnegan in peace.

"Don't even think about it..."

Obito Uchiha stopped speaking as soon as he started.

because--

Inside the snake's mouth, a third party arrived.

A large hole appeared in the lower jaw of the snake, and Zongxian rode a large, jet-black bird through the hole, arriving inside the very spacious snake's mouth.

"Uchiha Sogen... a clone? Or his true form?"

Obito Uchiha frowned.

From the snake's mouth, one could also see the motionless, deep crimson Susanoo in the distance, and Uchiha Sogen, who was on the forehead of Susanoo. However, having been deceived before, he had no way of knowing whether the Uchiha Sogen in front of him was real or a clone.

Speaking of,

What on earth was that guy up to just now?

They're only making their appearance now.

A deep unease permeated his heart.

"Zongxian-kun, it's been a long time."

Orochimaru greeted him with a smile.

"Long time no see, and you steal my spoils... Orochimaru, I can't accept this surprise!"

"Really? That's a real shame! I thought this gift was exactly what you expected!"

"I expected you to come up with some strange and unusual tricks, but to be honest, I really didn't expect such a large-scale operation."

It was like meeting an old friend after a long separation.

Orochimaru and Sogen started chatting as if no one else was around.

only--

Even as an observer, Obito Uchiha could clearly sense the tension in their words.

"Alright, stop beating around the bush and give me a straight answer! Orochimaru, have you made up your mind to be my enemy?" Zongxian was annoyed by the roundabout nonsense. He stood on the back of the dark bird, his light purple eyes fixed on Orochimaru, giving Orochimaru one last chance.

Orochimaru, still in his upside-down hook position, chuckled twice.

"I was originally a rogue ninja of Konoha."

—This sentence

This demonstrates Orochimaru's attitude.

He had no intention or desire to return to Konoha and rejected the offer extended by Sogen.

Obito Uchiha, who had been patiently eavesdropping nearby, instantly tensed up. The great battle... was about to begin again.

"very good."

Zongxian nodded.

Immediately,

The previously dormant Outer Path Demon Statue became active again, and dazzling lightning once more shot out from the ten pillar-like objects behind it, creating large holes in the eight-headed, eight-tailed white snake. The three snake heads that had not bitten the Outer Path Demon Statue's body also shook violently.

Even though he was inside the snake's mouth but had no real contact with the white snake, Sogen didn't move. Orochimaru, however, moved closer to Sogen because of the snake's head shaking.

"Got you."

Zongxian extended his right hand with lightning speed.

It gripped Orochimaru's head tightly, like an iron hoop.

"Zongxian-kun, you... you've controlled this monster?" Orochimaru, whose head was being grabbed, remained completely calm. His [Eight-Headed Serpent Technique] gave him the confidence to protect himself. This body was merely a creation made from the flesh and blood of the White Serpent, just like the one that was killed by Obito Uchiha before. If it broke, they would just create another one.

To kill him completely,

Unless he kills the eight-headed, eight-tailed white snake completely, leaving not a trace of flesh or blood, and even if he reaches that point... he still has other ways to return.

Compared to such a trivial matter,

He was now more curious about how Uchiha Munen managed to control the Gedo Mazo, a monster summoned by Nagato. Logically, it should have died with Nagato... wait, as expected of a member of the Uzumaki clan, it was still clinging to life.

But anyway,

The Gedo Mazo is Nagato's summoned creature.

But the way he acted just now... it looked like he was being manipulated by Uchiha Mugen to launch the attack.

Obito Uchiha, who was watching from the sidelines, was also in a state of shock. He knew that after Nagato lost his Rinnegan, he could no longer control the Gedo Mazo in battle. In theory, even if the Gedo Mazo did not disappear, it should have lost its ability to move.