The losses were truly devastating!
The base that Orochimaru had been forced to abandon and destroy wasn't merely a hideout to conceal his identity. It housed sophisticated laboratories equipped with cutting-edge research equipment and contained vast archives of experimental data accumulated over years of forbidden research.
This didn't even account for the countless shinobi and civilians who had been captured by Orochimaru and subjected to his cruel and inhumane experiments. Each lost subject represented valuable research that could never be recovered.
Relentless hunting teams pursued Orochimaru without mercy, tracking him across the elemental nations like bloodhounds following a scent trail.
If the pursuit had been limited to shinobi from a single village, Orochimaru wouldn't have been particularly concerned. He had evaded village hunters before and could do so again.
However, the current situation was far more dire. The shinobi hunting him this time had been dispatched by three major ninja villages working in coordination!
Beyond the official village forces, countless rogue shinobi had been drawn by the enormous bounty placed on his head. While most of these mercenaries were little more than cannon fodder, several possessed remarkable abilities that made them genuinely dangerous opponents.
What troubled Orochimaru most was his keen observation that various shadowy organizations hidden throughout the shinobi world had begun involving themselves in the hunt. Their agents searched for traces of his passage with methodical precision.
The Akatsuki organization stood foremost among these threats.
Orochimaru himself was technically a traitor to Akatsuki, though calling it betrayal wasn't entirely accurate. After all, he had harbored ulterior motives from the moment he first joined their ranks.
His primary objective had been to claim Tendo Pain's legendary Rinnegan for himself. However, after joining the organization, Orochimaru quickly realized that seizing those powerful eyes would prove nearly impossible given Pain's overwhelming strength.
When Uchiha Itachi later joined Akatsuki, Orochimaru's greed got the better of him. Unable to resist the temptation, he attacked the young Uchiha prodigy in an attempt to steal his Mangekyō Sharingan. The assault ended in humiliating defeat, with Itachi's genjutsu leaving Orochimaru thoroughly beaten. Following this crushing loss, he abandoned the organization entirely.
Since he had never possessed genuine loyalty to Akatsuki's cause, Orochimaru felt no shame about his departure. He considered it a practical decision rather than a dishonorable betrayal.
During the period following his defection, Orochimaru had maintained a low profile, carefully avoiding situations that might draw Akatsuki's attention and invite their retaliation.
He had felt considerable relief when intelligence reports indicated that Akatsuki had shifted their focus away from hunting him down, apparently becoming occupied with other significant plans.
Unfortunately, the current situation had changed everything. The massive combined bounty offered by the three major villages had attracted Akatsuki's interest once again, drawing them back into the hunt like sharks sensing blood in the water.
The truth was that the collective bounty from the three villages exceeded most people's wildest imagination. Even Akatsuki's compensation for completing extremely dangerous wartime missions paled in comparison to this extraordinary reward.
When combined with Orochimaru's previous betrayal of their organization, it seemed only natural that Akatsuki would target him once more. Old grudges and new financial incentives created a perfect storm of motivation.
Akatsuki's involvement had forced Orochimaru to abandon and destroy his carefully constructed base, leaving him to skulk through the wilderness like a common fugitive.
The situation would have been manageable if Akatsuki had deployed only one or two members to track him down. Even if Orochimaru couldn't defeat such opponents, he possessed sufficient skill to escape and evade capture.
The problem lay in Akatsuki's overwhelming response. Initially, only the so-called "Immortal Duo" of Kakuzu and Hidan had been assigned to track and eliminate him.
Soon afterward, Sasori and Deidara joined the pursuit, adding their unique and deadly abilities to the hunt.
Eventually, Akatsuki had deployed four complete teams to corner Orochimaru, creating an inescapable net of highly skilled killers.
This massive deployment had caused Orochimaru tremendous difficulties and forced him into increasingly desperate situations.
Among those currently tracking him, the hunters possessed both exceptional quality and overwhelming numbers. Several of his pursuers could be considered his natural enemies, wielding abilities specifically suited to counter his techniques.
If captured, death would be certain, and given the nature of his enemies, that death would likely be prolonged and excruciating.
Consequently, Orochimaru could do nothing but hide and run, moving constantly to avoid detection.
However, he wasn't entirely passive in his response. The group of shinobi who lay buried alive nearby served as evidence of his occasional counterattacks. When opportunities presented themselves, the snake sage struck back with lethal efficiency.
"Lord Orochimaru, our current situation is extremely precarious. We cannot remain in any single location for extended periods. We must depart from here immediately!"
Kabuto regarded Orochimaru with serious concern etched across his features.
"Merely 'not very good'? The situation is absolutely terrible!" A strange gleam flickered in Orochimaru's serpentine eyes. Despite facing such overwhelming danger, he showed no signs of genuine anxiety or panic.
"Kabuto, has Sasori attempted to contact you recently?"
Yakushi Kabuto nodded gravely. "I discovered his contact code earlier today. Sasori is demanding that I reveal specific intelligence regarding your current location and activities, Lord Orochimaru."
"Excellent! This presents us with a wonderful opportunity!"
Orochimaru extended his unnaturally long tongue, licking the corner of his mouth while a sinister smile spread across his pale features.
"Lord Orochimaru, what exactly do you intend..."
"It appears that the massive bounty has caused these fools to forget exactly why they should fear me. In that case, Kabuto, provide my information to Sasori as requested, and then..."
"Understood perfectly!"
Yakushi Kabuto's eyes widened with sudden comprehension, and in the next instant, both figures vanished from their location.
The following day, Sasori and Deidara arrived in the area as expected.
"Brother Sasori, why have we stopped here? Shouldn't we be actively searching for Orochimaru? Hmm!"
Deidara held explosive clay in his palm while scanning their surroundings with practiced alertness.
Sasori remained silent, controlling his puppet body Hiruko as he continued moving forward with mechanical precision.
Soon, the pair appeared at a traditional pavilion located on the outskirts of a small town.
Sasori moved forward deliberately, glanced around to ensure they were unobserved, then retrieved a piece of intelligence from an extremely well-concealed location.
"So that's where he's hiding!"
After thoroughly reading the information, Sasori carefully stored it away within his puppet body.
"We've located Orochimaru's trail. Let's move out!"
"Right!"
The two figures gradually disappeared into the distance, leaving no trace of their presence behind.
"Hey, did you hear the latest news?"
"What news?"
"An absolutely incredible battle erupted near the Land of Birds!"
"Seriously? Has someone finally captured Orochimaru?"
"No, that's the strange part. Neither side of the battle actually involved Orochimaru himself. The combatants were all shinobi who had been searching for him!"
"Then why did fighting break out between them?"
"Nobody knows for certain! According to rumors, both groups misidentified each other as Orochimaru's subordinates and launched attacks based on that misunderstanding!"
"You have no idea how fierce the battle became!"
"The entire sky filled with flames and explosions, completely destroying two small towns in the Land of Birds!"
"Is this information reliable?"
"Would I lie to you? Of course it's completely true."
"Reports indicate that numerous shinobi who had been searching for Orochimaru died in this battle, and many of the survivors have withdrawn from the hunt entirely!"
"Really? But the bounty is so substantial."
"The reward might be enormous, but you have to survive to collect it! Although fewer people are chasing Orochimaru now compared to before, those who remain are all incredibly powerful. How could ordinary shinobi dare to get involved!"
"That makes perfect sense!"
As time passed, the number of people actively tracking Orochimaru continued to decrease significantly.
However, those who remained in the hunt were all formidable opponents with proven track records.
In addition to the elite shinobi teams dispatched by the three major villages, every member of the Akatsuki organization had been deployed for this mission. Combined with various independent bounty hunters, Orochimaru's situation showed no signs of improvement.
Even though he had recently used Yakushi Kabuto to manipulate Sasori and Deidara into eliminating some of the shinobi tracking him, the overall pressure remained overwhelming.
The strategy provided only temporary relief without addressing the fundamental problem.
Zetsu's information-gathering capabilities proved truly unmatched in the shinobi world. When Akatsuki committed their full resources to a mission, they created genuine headaches even for someone of Orochimaru's caliber.
One after another, his carefully hidden bases were discovered and destroyed, leaving Orochimaru no time to mourn the loss of years of accumulated research and resources.
Under such intensive and systematic searching, it was inevitable that Orochimaru would eventually be cornered by the Akatsuki organization.
Six exceptionally dangerous individuals—Sasori, Deidara, Haku, Uchiha Itachi, Hidan, and Kakuzu—surrounded Orochimaru within one of his bases and proceeded to beat him into submission.
"You people are going too far!"
Amid the smoking ruins of the destroyed base, Kakuzu expressed his displeasure with the others' participation in the battle.
"It's fortunate that snake managed to escape, otherwise if his body had been completely destroyed, how would we exchange him for the bounty?"
Uchiha Itachi sat serenely on a fallen tree branch, with the remarkably beautiful Haku standing silently beside him.
Snowflakes drifted around the battlefield, and countless ice crystals had frozen numerous of Orochimaru's summoned snakes in place.
Haku, whose abilities had grown far beyond his previous limitations, had served as the primary combatant against Orochimaru. The others had provided support and prevented escape routes.
Only Deidara, who had been deceived by Orochimaru in their previous encounter, couldn't restrain himself and had delivered several devastating attacks fueled by personal anger.
Originally, Orochimaru's body had been completely immobilized by Haku's Ice Release techniques, making escape impossible. However, Deidara's massive explosive clay dragon had created a tremendous blast that provided Orochimaru with the distraction he needed to flee.
"Hey, did anyone see exactly where Orochimaru escaped to? I'm going to kill that guy! Yeah!"
Deidara circled overhead on his clay bird, but couldn't locate any trace of their target's passage.
"Shut up! Leave Orochimaru to me!"
"Next time you dare interfere with my hunt, I'll kill you first!"
"Tsk! My art doesn't listen to other people's opinions. That explosion was absolutely beautiful. Didn't you find the artistic value in that moment? Hmm!"
"Both of you stop this pointless arguing. The leader has arrived in the Land of Birds, and we must eliminate Orochimaru during our next encounter!"
Sasori spoke in his characteristically low voice before leading the way out of the destroyed area.
Deidara had no choice but to follow his partner's lead.
The three teams separated once again to resume their systematic search for Orochimaru.
Uchiha Itachi remained silent throughout these exchanges, having made no attempt to participate in the recent battle against Orochimaru.
He already knew that his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke, had defected from Konoha to join Orochimaru's organization.
This knowledge left Uchiha Itachi deeply conflicted about whether he should actually kill Orochimaru during their encounters.
Despite the obvious dangers, training under Orochimaru provided genuine and intensive development opportunities. Sasuke's abilities would undoubtedly increase dramatically under such harsh conditions.
If Orochimaru were killed here, Uchiha Itachi wouldn't be able to find another suitable mentor for Sasuke in the foreseeable future.
Fortunately, although Orochimaru's raw combat strength wasn't overwhelming, he possessed exceptional survival instincts and escape techniques.
Uchiha Itachi calculated that if he refrained from taking direct action, Orochimaru would likely maintain a reasonable chance of survival unless he encountered Akatsuki's leader, Tendo Pain, directly.
With these thoughts weighing on his mind, Uchiha Itachi rose to his feet.
"Let's go."
Haku followed in complete silence. He had maintained this quiet demeanor ever since Zabuza Momochi's death during the mission in Konoha Village.
The pair gradually walked away from the battlefield, leaving no trace of their presence behind.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
"Lord Orochimaru!"
Orochimaru collapsed to the ground, his body covered in blood from numerous wounds. Yakushi Kabuto rushed forward immediately to help his master onto the makeshift bed.
"How are Sasuke and the others?"
"The transfer has been completed successfully. They should have reached the northern base by now!"
"Excellent... very good! Ahem..."
Orochimaru coughed violently, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth and staining his pale lips crimson.
"That encounter was genuinely life-threatening. I nearly died back there!"
"Hehehe... Fortunately, they didn't coordinate their attacks properly!"
A hideous smile appeared on Orochimaru's pale features despite his obvious pain.
"What about the task I assigned to you?"
"It has been completed as requested. The curse seal carrier is prepared and ready. As long as Lord Orochimaru is willing, the transfer can be accomplished at any time."
"Cough!"
Orochimaru was about to respond when he spat out another mouthful of blood. His severely wounded body continued staining the bed sheets bright red.
"Ahem, ahem... it's not time yet. I must appear to die in front of those people before they will truly believe it!"
"And this must happen before Shihouin Naraku arrives, or our deception will be discovered!"
Orochimaru had grown weary of this situation where he seemed to be at war with the entire shinobi world simultaneously.
During this entire period, everything he had done was designed to create a convincing death scene in front of Akatsuki members, ensuring they would genuinely believe he had perished.
Yakushi Kabuto hesitated before speaking. "If Akatsuki learns the secrets of the Living Corpse Reincarnation technique, Lord Orochimaru's sacrifice will be meaningless."
"Haha, they don't know anything about it!"
"Currently, no one doubts Naraku's strength, but they assume I didn't actually die at Naraku's hands during our previous encounter!"
"The information asymmetry works in our favor!"
Yakushi Kabuto continued working without pause, treating Orochimaru's body that seemed on the verge of complete collapse. He had to maintain this body's vitality for just a little longer.
At minimum, this physical form couldn't fall apart before their plan reached completion!
"It's not certain that Lord Naraku will appear," Yakushi Kabuto observed while putting away bandages that smelled strongly of medicinal herbs. "Konoha has already dispatched a shinobi team, so it's unlikely that Lord Naraku will take direct action."
"No, Naraku will definitely come!"
Orochimaru felt noticeably better after the medical treatment. "Kabuto, your medical ninjutsu continues to improve."
"Ahem... you're overlooking one crucial detail. The shinobi sent by Konoha are all exceptional in perception abilities. They're actively searching for me!"
"As soon as they determine my location, the people in Konoha will immediately relay that information back to the village. When that happens..."
"Shihouin Naraku will arrive with overwhelming force!"
"I have no desire to face that particular student again, so everything must be completed before Naraku's arrival!"
As he spoke, Orochimaru clenched his fist with determination.
"I must express my gratitude to my student, Kabuto. You know, even though Naraku killed me once before, I harbor no hatred toward him whatsoever."
"After all, I've gained tremendous knowledge during this entire period!"
"Especially after visiting the Hidden Cloud Village and witnessing Naraku's battle against Killer Bee, I was pleasantly surprised. Without that rare opportunity to study such material, I wouldn't have accumulated so much understanding about the nature of souls so quickly."
"Unfortunately, Naraku's attack was somewhat too powerful during that encounter, which directly resulted in the Eight-Tails' death."
Although he claimed this was unfortunate, Orochimaru's face displayed an excited smile that contradicted his words.
Indeed, the Eight-Tails of the Hidden Cloud Village had died!
While Orochimaru had genuinely been killed by Naraku and subsequently returned to life, he had also gained valuable insights into the nature of souls through that experience.
However, the Hidden Cloud Village had made a critical error when they asked Orochimaru to revive Killer Bee, whose soul had been severely damaged. They had approached the wrong person for such a delicate task.
From the very beginning, Orochimaru had been conducting experiments on Killer Bee's unconscious form. Through these studies, he had accidentally discovered several important secrets.
As for awakening Killer Bee, that had been a complete accident rather than any planned outcome.
At that time, Orochimaru had been attempting to locate the Eight-Tails sealed within Killer Bee when something unexpected occurred. Although Killer Bee's dormant soul was awakened under the intense stimulation, it also entered a critical, dying state.
At that crucial moment, the Eight-Tails went berserk. Through their telepathic connection, the tailed beast transferred its own life force and chakra to Killer Bee before accepting death.
This was the true story behind the Eight-Tails rampage incident that had devastated parts of the Hidden Cloud Village!
Throughout this process, Orochimaru had gained profound understanding of life, tailed beasts, jinchuriki, and souls, accumulating a wealth of invaluable experience.
This knowledge was also the source of his confidence in deceiving the Akatsuki organization during their current encounters!
Of course, if Naraku were present during any of these deceptions, Orochimaru doubted he could successfully hide the truth from his former student. Therefore, he had to implement his plan quickly before that possibility arose.
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