Chapter 602: All of Creation
It was approximately...
A week ago.
In the wilderness near the Land of Sound.
The night was deep. A bright moon hung high in the sky.
Orochimaru had just finished a secret experiment and was walking alone on the path back to his main base.
Suddenly, he stopped in a clearing.
It was desolate all around, completely silent, with only his shadow on the ground keeping the man company.
Orochimaru, however, smiled coldly: "The little mouse behind me, you've been following me all this way. Are you still not planning to come out?"
There was no response.
The surroundings remained completely peaceful.
Orochimaru continued to sneer, turning around, his eyes staring coldly at the dark roots of an ancient tree not far away.
He paced slowly, walking toward that shadow.
This time, the stalker finally reacted—the shadow in the dark roots rippled for a moment. Then, the ground split open, and a pitch-black figure shook off the dirt from its body, breaking out of the earth like a sprouting plant.
Orochimaru's eyes quietly narrowed.
"It's you... Black Zetsu." He subconsciously stopped in his tracks.
In the ninja world, if there was anything else that could make this lawless man feel apprehension, aside from Haruno Sakura, the Akatsuki organization was the only remaining entity.
Therefore, facing the lunatic who dared to track him, not only did Orochimaru not get angry, but he instead cautiously braced himself.
Even with enough confidence in himself, Orochimaru had to admit that within that organization, powerhouses not inferior to him were everywhere, and there was no shortage of existences capable of crushing him... As for the leader of the organization, it was someone who made even him feel unfathomable!
Correlating with that terrifying power was the even more terrifying conspiracy they were brewing behind the scenes—this was also the reason Orochimaru had defected back then.
Do not misunderstand; Orochimaru was no benevolent idealist wanting to save the world.
He merely instinctively felt wary of that conspiracy and this organization. And so, this extremely egotistical, evil scientist did not hesitate to defect for a second time from the organization he belonged to.
Whatever the reason, Akatsuki did not hunt him down relentlessly.
So many years had passed, and Orochimaru had always cautiously kept his distance from Akatsuki, keeping his head down. A tacit understanding remained between the two parties, maintaining a state of having absolutely no contact with each other until the end of their days.
Until tonight.
"Someone from Akatsuki..." Orochimaru's expression was a sheet of indifference as he looked coldly at him, while his mind covertly sensed the chakra fluctuations in the surroundings. "What business do you have with me?"
"It's been a long time, Orochimaru." Black Zetsu split open his long mouth, looking the snake-like man up and down with a half-smile. "It seems you've been living quite well these past few years!"
Orochimaru responded with silence.
He lowered his eyelids, his eyes moving imperceptibly as he calmly surveyed the surroundings, remaining vigilant for other enemies that might appear.
Surprisingly, he did not sense any hostility.
"Don't misunderstand," noticing Orochimaru's small movements, Black Zetsu waved his hands, adopting a sincere attitude. "I am the only one who came today. Our Akatsuki has no intention of settling old scores with you... I am here to convey goodwill!"
Goodwill?
Had anyone else spoken to Orochimaru like this, the grass on their grave would already be as tall as a person by now.
However, with Black Zetsu saying this, Orochimaru was forced to deeply ponder his true intentions.
Especially since he indeed didn't sense any signs that Akatsuki had sent others to target him—they couldn't possibly be sending Black Zetsu to hunt Orochimaru down!
In a flash of thought, combined with recent intelligence, Orochimaru suddenly formed a guess in his mind.
"Goodwill?" He sneered. "Allow me to remind you, I am a traitor to the Akatsuki organization... Are you planning to let bygones be bygones?"
He widened his eyes, his amber vertical pupils staring fixedly at the pitch-black figure before him.
Being stared at by such evil and gloomy eyes would make anyone feel tremendous pressure, but Black Zetsu smiled calmly: "Of course!"
"Not only that, we sincerely invite you to rejoin our organization and become one of us!"
"As long as you agree... wealth, women, status, a safe environment, and your favorite secret ninjutsu; you will have everything you could ever want!"
Orochimaru stared at him intently.
Suddenly, he burst into maniacal laughter.
Hehehehehehe— His mouth curled to its absolute limit as he laughed loudly. "Black Zetsu, I am truly disappointed. Ten years have passed, and you are still using the same old tricks!"
"Ten years ago, when Akatsuki recruited me, you said the exact same thing. I agreed, but later I left you. Ten years later, you are still using the same things to invite me?"
"Where is your sincerity? Are you toying with me!"
The wind suddenly grew stronger.
The full moon cast its cold white light on the ground, illuminating Orochimaru's crazed and sinister smile.
Black Zetsu remained hidden in the gloom of the tree shade, motionless, still wearing a smile full of falsehood, quietly listening to Orochimaru's words.
Orochimaru laughed maniacally for a while, and then the laughter abruptly ceased. He glared gloomily at Black Zetsu, his gaze as cold and vicious as a poisonous snake that had discovered its prey.
"I know why you sought me out." After a long moment, he suddenly said.
The man's voice suddenly shifted from manic to soft and feminine, slippery and ice-cold, like a scaly animal sliding across one's palm.
"Because of Haruno Sakura, right?" he said slowly. "Don't think that just because I've been hiding underground, I know nothing..."
"Kakuzu, Hidan, Sasori, Deidara, as well as Kisame, Itachi, Konan... and of course, the mysterious leader Pain. Nearly half of you have fought her, and then... your esteemed organization suffered heavy casualties."
"Am I wrong?"
Orochimaru chuckled darkly.
Hehehehe. "The grand Akatsuki organization, filled to the brim with talent, beaten to a pulp by a little girl. Even when the leader personally made a move, he couldn't do anything to her. It truly is..."
He paused.
"A. Total. Humiliation."
Black Zetsu still maintained an indifferent appearance, as if the organization being judged had nothing to do with him.
As an old schemer who had lived in the shadows for thousands of years, he certainly possessed this level of thick skin.
However, as the mastermind pulling all the strings from behind the scenes, to have the organization he secretly controlled judged like this by a junior still caused him endless internal irritation.
Orochimaru continued speaking.
"It isn't hard to imagine to what extent your combat power is lacking, for you to swallow your pride and turn around to show goodwill to a traitor like me!"
At this point, Black Zetsu finally responded: "I really can't hide anything from you, Orochimaru... Indeed, the organization is very interested in you and your Edo Tensei. This jutsu can greatly alleviate our current shortage in combat power! Akatsuki needs you!"
"Name your price, Orochimaru. What do you need?"
"Believe me, what we can offer will absolutely exceed your imagination; it will absolutely satisfy your conditions!"
Orochimaru shook his head.
"No, you are wrong. I am not interested in secretive organizations. We are not on the same path! Furthermore, what could satisfy me ten years ago might not even catch my eye now!"
Black Zetsu chuckled lightly: "Don't be so quick to refuse, Orochimaru! At this point, we are not afraid to tell you some of the truth. Frankly speaking, Akatsuki's plan is very simple. Our true goal is to collect the nine great Tailed Beasts, assemble top-tier combat power, defeat the Five Great Ninja Villages, and thereby establish a new order! I can guarantee that in the fruits of our victory, there will absolutely be a share for you, Orochimaru. You can obtain extremely high status and power, and you can openly conduct any human experiments you desire!"
Orochimaru practically scoffed at this.
"Save this so-called truth of yours to trick children!" He waved his hand impatiently. "I know your plan is absolutely not that simple, but I simply have no interest in it!"
"Say something useful, or get lost."
"And just a friendly reminder, you can no longer threaten me!"
Hehe! "You're speaking much more forcefully now, Orochimaru." Black Zetsu shook his head dismissively. "Do you think that relying on those two new trump cards of yours, you can contend with a battered Akatsuki?"
Before Orochimaru could turn hostile, he continued on his own: "Indeed, I have to admit we underestimated you... To think that an ordinary person like you could also grasp true power! No wonder you are so confident! It seems that losing to Itachi Uchiha actually spurred your progress!"
"The you of today has likely far surpassed the you from when you first defected, and you stand above many of the ordinary members of the organization. It truly is astonishing..."
"However, as I said, I came with sincerity. We can offer something that will absolutely satisfy you!"
"Let me guess... Recently, you must have hit a bottleneck, right? Let me give you a free hint. Listen closely, I will only say it once!"
"When two opposing bloodlines interact..."
"One can attain..."
"All. Of. Creation!"