Orochimaru's Proposal

"Katsuki -kun, Kiyomi is here too!"

"Lord Hokage"

Hiruzen's eldest son hurriedly replied.

Katsuki closed the door behind her, nodded casually to Orochimaru, and looked at Yahiko and Konan sitting on the sofa.

He looked at the two of them with surprise, not just glancing at them, but giving them a very serious look.

Yahiko looked much better, with a solemn and dignified expression. Both he and Konan were dressed in black, without any other colors, and one glance was enough to feel the faint atmosphere of sadness between them.

With a sigh, Katsuki nodded to the two of them, then looked at Orochimaru.

"Lord Hokage, wasn't today about Root?"

"Not really." Orochimaru shook his head with a smile. "Minato- kun came by earlier and then left. He seemed to be in a hurry, so I don't know what he was busy with. However, he did leave behind a report, which I read. It's quite good. Katsuki- kun, are you planning to read it yourself or have Kiyoka do it for you?"

With a hint of a smile in his golden vertical pupils, he knew the moment he saw Hiruzen's eldest son Katsuki planning to relinquish his responsibilities again.

Hiruzen's eldest son blinked speechlessly, then took his leave, clutching a report that was about seven or eight pages thick.

He was responsible for most of the affairs of the Anbu, and his abilities were outstanding. He also had excellent eyesight, so he could tell that the two people sitting on the sofa were not simple. The Lord Hokage must have something to say to Chief Katsuki, and he would not stay here to get in the way.

"Please speak freely, Lord Hokage." Katsuki walked to the window, peeked at the bustling street scene, and then sat down on the windowsill.

"Yahiko, what are your plans next? Hanzō is dead, Amegakure is in chaos... What do you plan to do upon returning to the Land of Rain Yahiko? To be precise... could you tell me the future goals of the Akatsuki Organization?"

Orochimaru ignored Katsuki and instead looked at Yahiko.

Upon hearing Orochimaru's words, Yahiko lowered his head and pondered for a moment before speaking, "I'm not entirely sure about the specifics, but overthrowing Amegakure is inevitable. As for what to do next, I need to go back and discuss it with my comrades. Akatsuki Organization is not my personal property."

He spoke frankly and openly.

Before meeting Orochimaru, he had made ample mental preparations to deal with all kinds of difficult questions and accusations.

As the founder of Akatsuki Organization, he was well aware of how Akatsuki's actions were intolerable to the Five Great Nations. After all, overthrowing a ninja village and destroying the system of one village per nation was tantamount to undermining the lifeblood of the Five Great Nations!

Previously, Hanzō relentlessly suppressed them, so no one cared about them. But with Hanzō's death, it's estimated that before long, the attacks from the Five Great Nations will come like a storm, like thunder and lightning.

He didn't want to see that scene. He had worked so hard to overthrow Hanzō's cold-blooded rule, not to lead the Land of Rain down the road to destruction, but to find a bridge to peace. So, he endured the grief of Nagato's death and came to Konoha to seek a way out.

Nagato's passing was not only a devastating emotional blow to him and Konan, but it also deprived the Akatsuki Organization of its strongest fighting force.

With the remaining manpower, it would be extremely difficult to overthrow Amegakure, let alone fight against the Five Great Nations.

"Akatsuki Organization, Akatsuki Organization, the dawn of a new day? The name has a very nice meaning!"

Orochimaru tapped his fingers lightly on the smooth table, a mysterious smile on his face.

"Yahiko, I have an idea. I wonder if you would be willing to listen to it?"

"Please speak, Lord Hokage. I am all ears." Yahiko's heart stirred, knowing that the main event was about to begin. He immediately focused his attention and pricked up his ears to wait carefully.

Orochimaru's smile deepened upon seeing this. He coughed lightly and said, " With Hanzō dead, Amegakure no longer has anyone capable of leading the village. If nothing unexpected happens, it will likely fall to the same state as Grass Ninja and Waterfall Ninja in three or four years. However... your forces still exist in the Land of Rain. Therefore, I have an idea in mind. Yahiko, what do you think about Akatsuki Organization annexing Amegakure?"

"To annex Amegakure?" Yahiko narrowed his eyes, pondering intently for only three or four seconds before asking, "What kind of annexation method does the Lord Hokage intend to use?"

He didn't have much time to think, but thanks to his innate keen intuition and years of experience, he still managed to grasp the key.

The key lies in how to annex Amegakure. To put it bluntly, Amegakure is now like a piece of prime pork belly on a chopping board, completely at the mercy of others. The crucial point is how to do it.

Orochimaru smiled. What a clever kid. Jiraiya was not Jiraiya his disciples were all incredibly smart. Perhaps he could also take on one or two disciples. The thought flashed through his mind, but he continued to focus on the matter at hand.

"I won't beat around the bush with you. What I mean is that Konoha will lend a hand to your Akatsuki Organization and help you defeat Amegakure," Orochimaru said solemnly. Yahiko pursed his lips and remained silent. There's no such thing as a free lunch, Jiraiya selfless people like Jiraiya are extremely rare.

As expected, Orochimaru paused for a moment, then uttered the word "but".

"However, your organization wants to remove your name and establish a new ninja village, a new Amegakure. Of course, this is just a change of name without any real change; it's still your original team. What do you think of my idea?"

Yahiko remained silent for a long time, and Orochimaru did not urge him, waiting patiently.

As for Katsuki and Konan, Orochimaru and Yahiko seemed to have completely forgotten about their existence.

Katsuki sat on the windowsill, idly watching the bustling streets in front of the Hokage Building. Konan sat next to Yahiko, her hands folding various paper cranes in her sleeves.

"A new Amegakure ... but that requires the approval of the Amegakure Daimyo to be feasible, otherwise it's just a fake that collapses at the slightest touch," Yahiko questioned.

"It's alright, I'll communicate with the Fire Lord. He'll naturally speak to the Rain Lord about this. I'm sure the Rain Lord won't have any objections," Orochimaru replied flawlessly.

He plugged every possible flaw that could be pointed out, making it no exaggeration to say that his work was flawless.

There was absolutely no room for Yahiko to refuse.

Either agree, or... perish together with Amegakure!

Yahiko noticed this too, and a bittersweet smile mixed with relief appeared on his face.

"One country, one village, one country, one village, Lord Hokage, you've really gone to great lengths!" Yahiko's eyes were complicated. In order to ensure that the one country, one village system would not be overthrown from the bottom up, he had gone through so many roundabout ways.