After leaving the Underground Palace, Moriyue was in fairly good spirits. The state he had displayed earlier had mostly been meant to deceive Sasuke.
For a young man like Sasuke, consumed by revenge, showing even a little weakness would make him think he had everything under control, unaware that the true killing intent had long been lurking in the shadows.
Orochimaru had been devoured by Sasuke, just as before, though this time there might be some differences from the original story. In fact, Moriyue had come specifically to ensure that Sasuke could devour Orochimaru smoothly.
"Next, Sasuke should rest for a while. I wonder if he'll run into that guy Deidara."
Moriyue weighed the Kusanagi Sword he had swiped from Sasuke in his hand. Free loot really was satisfying. At least now, he could finally get some proper rest.
Though he wanted to help Akimoto Osamu and the others take down Pain in one go, unfortunately, the time was not right. He could only let the seeds of discontent take root in Amegakure and quietly wait for the day they erupted.
Now that his business was done, he could also report back on the task the Raikage had assigned him. There was no need for Moriyue to stay in this gloomy forest any longer.
"Let's head back to the village and take a look. I need to arm myself properly. The people under me are still far too weak..."
After the battle in Amegakure, Moriyue had discovered many shortcomings in both himself and Ajisai's group. His own issue remained the same as ever: his burst power was formidable, but he lacked a stable means of recovery. Still, that could be solved by finding the Horse Talisman.
Kazeki's weakness was also obvious. She lacked sufficiently powerful offensive techniques. That was not