Land of Wind
Endless wind and sand swept across the land year-round.
Resources were scarce, the soil barren.
Throughout shinobi history, wars had repeatedly broken out here—fought over territory, water, and survival itself.
Because of its proximity to the Land of Fire, whose land was fertile and rich, conflict between Sunagakure and Konoha had never truly ceased.
After the disappearance of the Third Kazekage, Rasa, who succeeded as the Fourth Kazekage, strengthened the village's defenses in order to preserve stability. It was said that he possessed the power to suppress a tailed beast.
In recent years, his reputation had been… respectable.
To reach the Land of Wind, one inevitably had to pass through the smaller nation wedged between the great powers—
The Land of Rain
Rain fell here endlessly, earning the country its name.
Very little was known about the Land of Rain in the outside world. All most people knew was that it had been consumed by civil war for years and had once served as the main battlefield of the Second Shinobi World War.
Its former ruler, Hanzō of the Salamander, had been hailed as a demigod—the very man who bestowed the title of Sannin upon Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade.
But that era was long gone.
Although the outside world remained ignorant, Namikaze Kirito knew the truth.
Leaving Konoha behind, he brought Uchiha Itachi straight into the Land of Rain. Whether their destination was Sunagakure or Orochimaru himself, Amegakure was unavoidable.
This land was now under the control of the Akatsuki.
And under absolute unification, peace had finally arrived—
a peace the civilians of the Rain had never known before.
Nagato's dream had already been realized.
Kirito watched the pedestrians beneath the steel walkways with quiet interest.
From the moment they entered Amegakure, eyes had been on them.
Observation Haki had sensed it long ago.
Fine drizzle fell endlessly from the sky.
This wasn't natural rain.
It was Pain's jutsu.
By dispersing his chakra throughout the rain itself, he had created a vast sensory net—one he could manipulate freely.
Being detected was inevitable.
Back when Uchiha Obito brought Itachi into Akatsuki, he hadn't reported it to Pain. Otherwise, Obito wouldn't have been the only one to infiltrate Konoha.
So for now, Pain was merely observing.
And with Amegakure's intelligence network, it wouldn't be strange if they already knew exactly who these two outsiders were.
"Leader," Itachi said quietly, his three-tomoe Sharingan rotating slowly. "This ninjutsu… should I dispel it?"
He had already sensed the chakra flowing through the rain.
Aside from the Byakugan, the Sharingan was no weaker in this regard.
Still, he didn't act on his own.
"No need," Kirito replied casually. "If it helps us find Orochimaru, even better."
He wasn't concerned about Akatsuki.
With himself and Itachi together, the current Akatsuki simply didn't have the power to detain them by force.
Which meant—
They wouldn't act.
Sure enough, not long after, the rain stopped.
Moments later, a man wearing a black cloak with red clouds approached.
A wide bamboo hat concealed his face, long black hair spilling down over his shoulders.
Kirito raised an eyebrow.
Talk about perfect timing.
He had just been wondering where to look for Orochimaru—
—and here he was, walking straight to them.
Soon, the three stood facing one another.
"Kirito-kun… Itachi-kun,"
Orochimaru's hoarse, serpentine voice slithered out as his long tongue flicked across his lips.
"What brings two Konoha shinobi to Amegakure?"
"Legendary Sannin Orochimaru," Kirito replied mockingly.
"So this is how far you've fallen—abandoning Konoha to lord over a small country?"
"Oh?" Orochimaru chuckled softly. "It seems you know me well. Why don't we continue this conversation somewhere more… private?"
Without waiting for an answer, Orochimaru turned and walked off.
Kirito nodded to Itachi, and the two followed.
The surrounding presences withdrew as well.
High above, on a distant tower, two figures in Akatsuki cloaks watched silently.
One had metal piercings embedded across his face, his eyes glowing with concentric purple ripples.
The Rinnegan.
Pain.
Beside him stood a masked man—
Uchiha Obito.
"Madara," Pain asked calmly, "why did you send Orochimaru?"
"The strength of those two from Konoha isn't trivial," Obito replied.
"Our organization hasn't fully taken shape yet. Drawing attention now would be troublesome."
"Orochimaru is cautious and cunning," he continued. "Letting him deal with it is the right choice."
"You've crossed paths with them?" Pain asked.
"…Yes," Obito answered vaguely.
"In any case, leave this to Orochimaru. We don't need to reveal ourselves."
With that, Obito's form blurred and vanished.
Pain stared at the empty space for a moment longer, thoughtful.
Deep within the forest, Orochimaru led Kirito and Itachi to an open clearing.
No civilians.
Perfect for conversation.
Though eyes lurked in the darkness, all three were aware of them and ignored them.
"Kirito-kun," Orochimaru said, turning slowly.
"Tell me… what is your purpose?"
Kirito smiled faintly.
"Orochimaru, I want to work with you."
"Oh?" Orochimaru's eyes gleamed.
"The son of heroes, seeking cooperation with a missing-nin from his own village?"
He licked his lips.
"I'm very interested in your research," Kirito continued. "How about joining us?"
"Hehe…" Orochimaru chuckled.
"I wouldn't mind joining you—after I study your bodies first!"
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
In mid-sentence, Orochimaru struck.
Countless snakes burst from his sleeves, instantly binding Kirito and Itachi.
"Hehehe… how careless, Kirito-kun."
At that moment...
Itachi's Sharingan spun violently.
The world turned red.
Orochimaru found himself bound to a wooden stake, unable to move.
"Orochimaru," Itachi's voice echoed coldly.
"Someone like you… could never understand the Uchiha."
"Hehehe… Itachi-kun," Orochimaru replied calmly.
"So this is the Sharingan's genjutsu? Remarkable. I can't escape at all."
Itachi stepped forward, a shuriken in hand.
"This is Tsukuyomi," he said.
"Time and space here exist only by my will."
"The leader has questions for you," Itachi continued evenly.
"So I'll use a single day… to teach you a lesson you'll never forget."
Blades pierced.
Again and again.
Like execution by a thousand cuts.
Black crows erupted, engulfing Orochimaru completely.
Outside—
Kirito and Itachi stood motionless.
Inside Tsukuyomi, twenty-four hours passed.
In reality—
only one second.
To any observer, Orochimaru simply collapsed to the ground, unaware of what had just occurred.
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