The Deva Path Pain slowly retreated two steps.
Kakuzu stood with his arms crossed, unmoving. Sasori of the Red Sand took out a scroll and chuckled, "One of Konoha's Sannin, I wonder how he compares to Konoha's White Fang?"
Unfurling the scroll, Sasori of the Red Sand released the Third Kazekage puppet.
"Sunagakure's Puppet Technique. Sasori of the Red Sand, who heavily wounded Konoha's White Fang, actually turned the Third Kazekage into a puppet. What a brilliant idea!"
Orochimaru praised.
"I'm very curious about you too, you should make for excellent material."
"What a shame..."
As his words fell, Sasori of the Red Sand moved his right hand. The Third Kazekage puppet opened its mouth, releasing Iron Sand. It condensed in the air, transforming into a great number of senbon that flew towards Orochimaru with a whoosh.
Kakuzu, who hadn't moved, suddenly opened his mouth and spat. With a boom, flames roared, engulfing the dense senbon with fire.
Orochimaru's snake-like eyes shifted. He raised one hand, and the ground before him trembled as several coffins rose, blocking all the incoming senbon.
Impure World Reincarnation!
"As expected, he's mastered it!"
Kakuzu remained expressionless, but his mind raced with speculation: "Seven coffins, could it be..."
Bang bang bang...
The coffin lids fell.
"What is it?"
Sasori of the Red Sand frowned as he watched.
"It's quite obvious, they're dead people!"
Kakuzu stated.
"Heh, that's not entirely wrong."
Orochimaru chuckled lightly.
He stepped out from behind the coffins, and the people inside them also emerged one by one.
"As expected, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!"
Kakuzu coldly snorted inwardly. "Orochimaru, that guy, secretly used my results without even saying hello."
At that time, all but one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had died on the spot, and their bodies were all brought back to Konoha.
Orochimaru inserted the talismans he carried into the back of each of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist's heads. As wisps of smoke appeared, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, who had looked somewhat lifeless, suddenly became animated.
"Alright, puppet versus puppet!"
"Let the performance begin!"
Orochimaru smiled and stepped back. The next moment, Suikazan Fuguki's long hair erupted, shooting out like senbon towards Kakuzu and Sasori of the Red Sand with a whoosh.
Sasori of the Red Sand formed a shield with Iron Sand, while Kakuzu made hand seals, causing a wall to erupt from the ground before him.
But in the next moment, with a roaring sound of water, a torrent surged from both sides of the wall.
And almost simultaneously, lightning descended from the sky.
"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!"
Kakuzu used the Body Flicker Technique to evade this combined attack.
Seven versus two!
Even without their ninja swords, each of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist possessed Jonin-level strength.
Although they were now puppets of Impure World Reincarnation, they were still not to be underestimated.
"What's going on?"
Sasori of the Red Sand, who had been using the Third Kazekage puppet to deal with Suikazan Fuguki, changed his expression. Suikazan Fuguki, who had been pulverized by the puppet's countless fists, rapidly regenerated.
"Indestructible?"
Sasori of the Red Sand took out another scroll, opened it, and raised one hand. Six puppets shot out, and under his control, they began to attack indiscriminately.
Too bad.
Such an attack was almost useless against Impure World Reincarnation.
"As expected of indestructible, truly worthy of being one of the Sannin!"
Sasori of the Red Sand suddenly laughed.
Kakuzu continued to play a supporting role.
Suddenly, Jinin Hozuki, whose body was encased in water that surrounded one of Sasori's puppets, regained consciousness. "Orochimaru, one of Konoha's Sannin, actually used me as a puppet to toy with! Damn it..."
Orochimaru frowned. The next moment, with a splash, Jinin Hozuki dissolved into a puddle of water on the ground, then transformed into a mass of impure earth.
He had actually broken free from the jutsu's restraint.
"It seems I still need to refine it further..." Orochimaru thought to himself.
Then, Deva Path Pain spoke, "Kakuzu, Sasori, you two retreat!"
Kakuzu and Sasori of the Red Sand immediately withdrew together.
As the six figures charged forward, Deva Path Pain raised his hand.
The next moment, Jūzō Biwa and the other five exploded, turning into countless paper fragments.
Orochimaru's pupils contracted, and he excitedly stuck out his tongue. "Is this the power of the Rinnegan?"
It was indeed more powerful and mysterious than the Sharingan he had seen. He had no idea what the principle behind that attack was.
After the strike, Deva Path Pain didn't attack again. He said calmly, "Orochimaru, what do you say?"
"Can you join Akatsuki now?"
Orochimaru raised one hand, dispelled the summoning, and chuckled, "Of course, there's no problem."
High in the sky, among the clouds.
Nagato and Konan stood side by side.
"Nagato, I suspect Orochimaru is after the Rinnegan," Konan reminded him with a hint of worry. "Moreover, he's one of the Sannin. He might become a channel for Konoha to obtain information about us."
"I know, but don't worry," Nagato said expressionlessly but with great confidence.
He was well aware of the fervent gaze in Orochimaru's eyes, but he didn't care. He was a god! Would a god care about a mere little snake? Orochimaru was just a pawn he intended to use. As for information, Orochimaru couldn't obtain any crucial intelligence from him. And whatever he did get would be information he could discard at any time.
...
Konohagakure.
Sarutobi Asuma, who had been training in the training room, opened his eyes. "Impure World Reincarnation... Orochimaru has officially joined the Akatsuki Organization..."
"This means the Akatsuki Organization now has three S-rank rogue ninjas, meaning powerhouses at the Kage level."
The Akatsuki Organization had been quite active in recent years, not only recruiting talent but also accepting missions. For instance, last year they even established contact with Sunagakure and took on missions from them, participating in political assassinations. Sunagakure, in turn, used this method to influence smaller nations, expand its influence, and secure a market for mercenary missions. Therefore, despite the original text portraying Onoki, that old fox, as so passionate and inspiring during the Fourth Great Ninja War, he had committed his fair share of dark deeds. But as the saying goes, who is truly good? For the Kage of each village, benefits and drawbacks are what need to be considered, not good or bad! Look at the Fourth Raikage, for example. That guy even personally went out to steal and seize secret techniques from others for research. Of course, the great Sarutobi Asuma is definitely a good person!
"Should I guide Nagato?"
"Or leave him be?"
"Or, what kind of guidance would be effective? After all, he might not believe me."
"Even if he confirms that his Rinnegan isn't his own, but Madara Uchiha's, will he turn to me?"
"Or will he continue to pursue Yahiko's dream?"
Sarutobi Asuma was uncertain. However, after some thought, he decided to guide Nagato. If it didn't work, he would just beat him up! Beat him awake thoroughly! As for now, he would let the Akatsuki Organization grow stronger, capture the Tailed Beasts, advance the overall situation, and trigger the Fourth Great Ninja War. With that thought, Sarutobi Asuma lowered his gaze and continued his training.
Kekkei Mōra, it's close…
Winter turned to spring.
Another message came from the Kakuzu clone.
They were going to make a move on Kirigakure.
It was clear this was Uchiha Obito's intention.
And Uchiha Obito hadn't sent this intelligence to Konoha.
"It seems like he's venting his hatred," Sarutobi Asuma thought. He had his Shadow Clone deliver the news to Namikaze Minato.
He supported Uchiha Obito's actions.
As for Namikaze Minato, he probably wouldn't object either.
In the Hokage's office.
Namikaze Minato frowned. "Control the Fourth Mizukage, weaken Kirigakure, and use Kirigakure as a secret base for the Akatsuki Organization…"
After a moment's thought, he looked up at Sarutobi Asuma's Shadow Clone and said, "Asuma, I don't object to this."
"Weakening Kirigakure is a good thing for Konoha right now, but if this matter is exposed in the future, it might become an obstacle to your unification of the Ninja World."
"We could have unified the Ninja World peacefully, but perhaps because of this one stain, your name will be overshadowed by schemes, and your prestige weakened."
"Therefore, the fact that you planted other spies in the Akatsuki Organization must absolutely not be known by anyone else, including Obito."
"And you have no knowledge of Obito controlling the Fourth Mizukage."
"If it's exposed in the future, I will be the only one in Konoha who knows!"
Sarutobi Asuma was stunned. He suddenly gained a deeper understanding of the dynamic between his father and Danzō.
He also suddenly understood.
Uchiha Obito likely had the same thoughts as Namikaze Minato when he didn't transmit all the intelligence.
However, Namikaze Minato, as the Fourth Hokage, clearly possessed higher political acumen.
Of course, there was also a gap in intelligence.
Uchiha Obito didn't know that Kakuzu was a fake, nor that Sarutobi Asuma harbored greater ambitions and even had the support of Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage.
"Thank you, Brother Minato!" Sarutobi Asuma said gratefully.
Namikaze Minato chuckled. "If you want to thank me, how about helping me train the Anbu?"
"Huh?" Sarutobi Asuma was dumbfounded.
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