Two days later, at the border of the Land of Rain, in a simple little inn.
Gento sat cross-legged on the wooden floor of the room, his eyes closed and his hands forming hand seals, assuming a posture of cultivation.
His breathing was steady and long, and chakra slowly circulated within his body, as if he were truly refining the chakra inside him.
In the corner of the ceiling, a pale head silently poked out, staring intently at Gento in the room.
Gento did not open his eyes, nor did he have any unusual reaction.
He kept maintaining this state of cultivation just like this, without any suspicious movements or any contact with the outside world.
After a long while, White Zetsu's head slowly retracted back into the ceiling, disappearing without a sound.
White Zetsu returned to the masked man's side and shook his head:
"No problems were found."
The masked man was silent for a moment, then nodded:
"Understood."
...
Meanwhile, inside the inn room.
Gento opened his eyes, and a meaningful smile slowly curled at the corner of his mouth.
That feeling of "being watched" which made him feel really uneasy had vanished at last.
He knew that his "evaluation" had passed.
Half a day passed.
Gento stood up and put on that black cloak with red clouds of the Akatsuki.
"It is time to set off."
He murmured, pushing open the door of the inn, disappearing into the thin mist.
...
The stronghold gathered this time was located in a hidden valley on the border of the Land of Rain.
On both sides of the valley were steep rock walls covered in moss and vines.
Walking inside along a dried-up riverbed, at the end of the riverbed was a stone door hidden behind vines.
Gento pushed the door open and entered, behind which was a stone staircase extending downward.
At the end of the passage was a huge naturally formed cave.
The center of the cave was empty, and several rows of seats were carved into the surrounding rock walls, which were currently fully occupied by people.
Gento's gaze swept across the room; almost everyone had arrived.
He found a corner to stand, leaning against the rock wall.
The atmosphere in the cave at this moment was eerie.
Sasori sat on the leftmost stone platform, speaking expressionlessly.
"The thing I hate most is waiting."
Hidan squatted on the rock opposite, spinning that red triple-bladed scythe in his hand, muttering incessantly.
When his gaze fell upon Kakuzu, his eyes sparkled and he leaned over.
"Hey, Kakuzu, are you interested in learning about the Jashin religion?"
Kakuzu stood in the darkness, revealing only a pair of cold eyes.
Without even looking at Hidan, he said in a deep voice:
"I have no interest in your Lord Jashin."
"I am only interested in money."
"Because money is the only thing that will never betray you."
Hidan's lips curled and turned to Kisame beside him:
"Kisame, do you want to join the Jashin religion?"
Kisame grinned, revealing sharp teeth:
"It is meaningless; all of this is false."
On the other side of the cave, Deidara was pulling Zetsu along.
Making gestures with his hands, his eyes were full of fanatical passion:
"Do you know? Art is momentary beauty! It is the gorgeousness that bursts forth from sublimation!"
He pinched out a clump of white clay from the clay pouch at his waist, casually shaping it into a little bird.
The little bird fluttered its wings in his palm, then flew into mid-air.
"Katsu!"
Along with Deidara's loud shout,
the clay bird exploded instantly, shaking the cave and causing dust to continuously fall.
"Look! Art is an explosion!"
Zetsu poked half of his body out of the ground, his half-black, half-white face filled with helplessness:
"My, my... I don't really understand art."
Deidara glared at him in dissatisfaction:
"Hmph! You really don't know how to appreciate it!"
At the deepest part of the cave, Orochimaru hid himself in the shadows, revealing only a pair of golden slitted pupils.
His gaze slowly swept across everyone present.
Ultimately, his gaze landed on the newly arrived Nanashi.
Nanashi Uchiha.
The corner of Orochimaru's mouth slowly curled up, a dangerous look flashing in his eyes.
He extended his long, thin tongue, licked his lips, and murmured to himself:
"To think he could defeat geniuses like Shisui and Itachi..."
"This Uchiha body is indeed mouth-watering."
Gento took all of this in, unable to help but feel a drop of sweat on his forehead.
A puppeteer, a cultist, a bounty hunter, a shark-man, a bomb maniac, 'Uncle Snake'...
None of these people seemed normal in any way.
From now on, I will have to stay with this bunch of psychopaths.
He sighed in his heart.
Suddenly, the cave fell silent.
Everyone stopped talking in unison, turning their gazes toward the entrance of the passage.
Pain walked in.
He wore the black cloak with red clouds, his orange-red hair looking exceptionally striking in the dim light.
Several black chakra receiver rods were pierced into his face, and metal rings hung from his ears.
The most eye-catching thing was his eyes.
The Rinnegan.
Konan followed behind him, her expression cold and her gaze calm.
Pain walked to the center of the cave and stopped.
His gaze slowly swept across everyone present, and then he spoke:
"The Akatsuki has fully gathered."
"Konan, Kisame, Sasori, Deidara, Kakuzu, Hidan, Orochimaru, Zetsu, and Nanashi."
"Each harboring our own thoughts and possessing ambitions, we have gathered here today at last."
Pain's voice was neither fast nor slow.
"Next, we will launch our official operations."
"The targets are the Tailed Beasts from the One-Tail to the Nine-Tails."
"Although they are extremely formidable opponents, it should not be that difficult for the powerful among you."
"All Tailed Beasts must be captured."
"To complete the grand cause of the Akatsuki."
"For this, ten people need to work together in concert."
"The first stage of our mission objective is to collect intelligence on the nine Tailed Beasts first. The ten of us will be split into two-man squads to complete this mission separately."
"I will be paired with Konan, Kakuzu with Hidan, Deidara with Sasori, and Zetsu with Kisame."
His gaze fell upon Orochimaru and Gento:
"Orochimaru will be paired with Nanashi."
Pain took out another eight scrolls from his chest pocket.
He threw the scrolls to everyone and explained:
"This is the Astral Projection Jutsu."
"As long as you channel chakra into the rings on your hands, I can remotely sense everyone's chakra and project their consciousness into phantoms, achieving the purpose of long-distance communication."
"This is the organization's internal method of communication. Everyone, keep it in mind."
"Only success is permitted; failure is not an option."
"Set off, go gather intelligence on the Tailed Beasts, and do not alert the enemy."
As soon as those words fell, everyone rose one after another.
In pairs of two, they walked out of the cave.
Orochimaru also walked out from the shadows, stepping toward Gento.
He extended his tongue and licked his lips, his voice hoarse:
"Nanashi, let us set off as well."
"Our assigned direction is the Leaf; that is quite an interesting place."
Gento nodded, following behind expressionlessly.
One in front and one behind, they walked along the mountain path in the direction of the Land of Fire.
The border of the Land of Rain was mountainous, the roads rugged, surrounded by dense forests and permeating mist.
Orochimaru walked in front, his pace neither hurried nor slow.
Gento followed behind him, keeping a distance of several steps.
Having walked for most of the day, the sky gradually darkened.
Unconsciously, Orochimaru's position fell behind.
His steps became somewhat sluggish, and his breathing grew a bit heavy, as if his physical strength was failing him.
Gento walked in front with his back turned to him, seemingly entirely unaware.
The distance between the two grew closer and closer.
A cold light flashed in Orochimaru's eyes.
Whoosh!
A snake shot out from Orochimaru's sleeve!
Instantly wrapping itself tightly around the Nanashi in front of him.
Seeing that his method had succeeded, Orochimaru immediately revealed a look of ecstasy.
"I didn't expect to actually be paired with you, I am truly so lucky!"
"An Uchiha clansman who could repel the combined force of Shisui and Itachi... What a perfect vessel!"
He walked step-by-step toward the snake-bound Nanashi, reaching out his hand:
"Well then... I shall take your body!"
Just as his fingers were about to touch Nanashi's cheek-
Nanashi turned his head.
The Mangekyo Sharingan was staring directly at him.
Staring at these familiar Mangekyo patterns, Orochimaru's body suddenly stiffened.
His fingers stopped in mid-air, his pupils contracting sharply, the excited expression on his face freezing into horror.
To make matters worse, he discovered that his body could not move at all!
"Damn it! Genjutsu? Just when did it happen?!"
Nanashi's lips slowly curled upward.
His tone carried a hint of teasing.
"Long time no see, Orochimaru."
---
If you want to support, please consider Patreon and read advanced chapters! Your support keeps this series going! [Patreon.com/RedZTL]