Before attacking Konoha, Orochimaru, having regained a body, returned to one of his Underground Palaces. He leaned back comfortably and sighed, only to find that he could not lean against his usual comfortable recliner.
"Still not used to this body?" Orochimaru rubbed his head. He had just smacked it against the stone chair behind him and was feeling a little dazed.
Orochimaru still looked like Sasuke at the moment, but his overall form had largely returned to his previous appearance. The familiar purple eyeshadow appeared beneath his eyes. Perhaps because he had not tended to himself in a long time, his long hair covered most of his face, making him look somewhat like a woman.
"The air is damp. The environment around Amegakure really is..."
Before he could finish, another deep voice interrupted him.
"Orochimaru..."
A male figure dressed in an Akatsuki Organization uniform abruptly appeared behind Orochimaru. His voice was low and magnetic, yet devoid of any emotion, as cold as a corpse.
"Hiss... Pain? What is it..." Orochimaru drew in his neck and rose from the stone chair.
The man behind him was completely hidden in the shadows. In the darkness, the only thing visible was the pair of eyes emitting a faint glow.
Mysterious purple ripple-like patterns encircled his pupils layer by layer. These purple, onion-like eyes radiated an utterly terrifying pressure. Even meeting their gaze was extremely difficult.
"You chose to leave the organization back then. We can let that pass. Now, show me your value." Pain did not move at all and merely stared fixedly at Orochimaru. But Orochimaru knew that if his next answer failed to satisfy Pain, he would likely be hunted by both the Land of Whirlpools and the Akatsuki Organization.
"Mm, let me think. The Akatsuki Organization wants to capture Tailed