Two Rotten Fish Baskets

Just as Kimimaro's defenses were being shattered by Kitagawa Gen, Jiraiya and Orochimaru's battle was also raging at full tilt.

It was just that these two knew each other far too well. There was no need for much probing between them; the moment they started, they went straight for the throat!

"Ninja Art: Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Facing Jiraiya's relentless assault, Orochimaru stretched out his hand without the slightest hesitation. In an instant, countless densely packed venomous snakes lunged at Jiraiya, tearing and biting.

"Why are you still spending every day researching disgusting stuff like this?"

Jiraiya's scalp prickled at the sight of those venomous snakes, but even as he cursed, his hands did not stop moving.

"Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!"

His head of white hair began to lengthen under the effect of Chakra, while also becoming incomparably sharp.

The venomous snakes had only just closed in when they were directly pierced through by his hair, sharp as steel needles.

At the same time, he flung out several Kunai, and as the Kunai flew toward Orochimaru, he completed another set of hand seals.

"Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone!"

"Tch."

Looking at the densely packed Kunai, Orochimaru gave a light snort. He leaped up directly, avoiding the Kunai, but Jiraiya seized the opportunity.

"Ninja Art: Lion's Mane Wild Hair Technique!"

His hair abruptly stretched out, winding straight toward Orochimaru's feet. At the sight, Orochimaru could not help but let out a cold laugh.

"Aren't you the same, using these disgusting things all day long?"

As he spoke, he raised one hand, and a surge of sharp Chakra swirled around him.

"Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!"

Wind blades danced wildly, instantly shredding the hair Jiraiya had stretched out.

In this situation, even Jiraiya could only helplessly stop the Lion's Mane Wild Hair Technique.

"Your methods still haven't changed much after all these years."

Although Orochimaru was extremely irritated that Jiraiya spent every day interfering with him, facing this guy, he still could not help making a few mocking comments.

"Still so easy to predict. Have you really not improved at all?"

"Hmph, at least I wouldn't go and join some evil organization!"

Hearing Orochimaru's words, Jiraiya seized the opening and shot back.

"Come back with me, Orochimaru. Don't keep going down the wrong path!"

"Organization?"

Only Orochimaru did not reply immediately. Instead, he looked at Jiraiya with a strange expression.

He was genuinely somewhat surprised. Jiraiya had actually investigated to this extent.

The Akatsuki's movements were extremely low-profile and secretive, and the missions they carried out were all Black Market and war missions, rarely leaving any traces.

Especially since they had always advocated leaving no survivors.

This guy went back to Konoha before because he found out about this organization?

Orochimaru raised a brow, but very quickly, he rejected that thought.

He understood Jiraiya's personality far too well. This guy could not possibly go back over something like this, unless...

He really found out something, something that made him understand that relying on his own strength would probably make it hard to dig any deeper, so he went back to Konoha?

Although he still felt something was off, based on his understanding of Jiraiya, he believed the direction should not be wrong.

After all, there was also an Itachi Uchiha within the Akatsuki, even if he felt that this Uchiha was somewhat strange.

And Jiraiya's information is also somewhat out of date. He has no idea I've already left the Akatsuki. In that case...

Orochimaru made up his mind.

In order to prevent Jiraiya from coming to cause trouble for him again later, he decided to let the Akatsuki suffer a little.

"Oh, you actually know about that?"

Licking his lips, Orochimaru took the initiative to start baiting the hook.

"It seems your investigation went quite deep. I just wonder how much you found out."

"I know many of the people in that organization are guys like you."

Seeing Orochimaru bring it up of his own accord, Jiraiya's eyes immediately lit up, but his face still wore an expression of incomparable grief as he began baiting the hook.

"You are all rogue ninja, and there is even scum like Itachi Uchiha, who killed his entire clan!

I also know you may be serving Kirigakure right now, but have you forgotten just how much pain that village brought Konoha?

Stop making the same mistake again and again, Orochimaru. Come back to Konoha with me!"

Kirigakure?

Orochimaru felt baffled. How had this matter gotten dragged over to Kirigakure again?

What were those people from the Akatsuki doing in Kirigakure?

However, he had indeed gone to Kirigakure before, and had even witnessed the Kaguya Clan's uprising, and how they were ultimately wiped out by Kirigakure.

It was also that time that he had encountered Kimimaro, and witnessed Kimimaro's talent and loneliness. Only then had he brought Kimimaro back.

Since that was the case...

Orochimaru tilted his head. Although he did not know what those people from the Akatsuki were doing, he knew that the situation in Kirigakure did not seem very good.

That Fourth Mizukage had provoked public anger, and Kirigakure's civil war was on the verge of erupting.

This seemed to also give him an opportunity, one that would let him keep baiting the nest and casting the hook!

"You really aren't afraid of death, investigating so deeply."

Orochimaru gave a cold laugh and said mockingly,

"In that organization, there are quite a few people who even I would find difficult to deal with."

"So what? Can you really face an entire ninja village?"

As Jiraiya collected and digested the information, he also spoke with incomparable seriousness.

"Enough is enough, Orochimaru."

"A ninja village?"

Orochimaru shook his head and spoke calmly.

"Don't apply your own values to this world. It is far too ignorant and naive. Many villages do not hate us. They even need us. Do you truly not know that, or are you playing dumb?"

Jiraiya said nothing. Of course he knew the significance of those ninja organizations' existence in the ninja world.

After all, many things required them to be completed. For example, he had heard that Iwagakure especially liked hiring certain ninja organizations to do things.

"So it is the same for you in Kirigakure?"

After a moment of silence, Jiraiya cautiously asked the question he cared about most.

"That's right."

Orochimaru nodded. He had said so much precisely to divert Jiraiya's attention, and what he had been waiting for was for Jiraiya to ask this!

"Kirigakure is far from peaceful. The less peaceful it is, the more suitable it is for us. Besides, the Mizukage pays quite well."

With those words, Orochimaru felt comfortable.

Even if he had not said it too absolutely, this kind of ambiguity was the best!

Jiraiya was also delighted. He had finally obtained relatively clear information.

The Akatsuki was indeed in Kirigakure, and there was a high chance they had been hired by the Mizukage.

The fishing had succeeded!

This thought almost simultaneously emerged in the hearts of the two rotten fish baskets.

"All right, that's about enough talking."

However, at this moment, Orochimaru spoke again. He decided to add more fuel to the fire.

He quietly completed his hand seals and pressed one hand to the ground. Black curse markings immediately appeared on the earth.

Along with a burst of smoke, Manda's enormous figure appeared instantly!

He leaped up onto Manda's head and once again looked down at Jiraiya from above.

"Jiraiya, you shouldn't have investigated so deeply. So there's no helping it. To prevent you from continuing to cause me trouble, and at the same time to prevent you from dying at someone else's hands..."

"I'll reluctantly send you on your way myself. And that brat you brought with you too. Only after everything is over can I go to Kirigakure and meet up with them!"

As he spoke, under Orochimaru's control, Manda swept madly toward Jiraiya.

Jiraiya immediately formed hand seals, preparing to summon Gamabunta, but right then, both of them suddenly froze.

In the next instant, countless white bone spikes burst violently from the ground beneath their feet.