Land of Water
On an island perpetually shrouded in ice and snow, two figures slowly walked toward the island's small town.
"Sir, what are we doing here?"
Guren, wrapped in the coat she had bought before, shrank back and trembled as she walked behind Orochimaru.
Who would have thought that while the weather outside the island is sunny and pleasant, the island itself is a world of ice and snow, a complete contrast between two worlds of fire and ice.
Go find your junior sister!
"Junior sister?"
Guren looked at Orochimaru with a bewildered expression. She had a junior sister, wasn't she her second disciple?
However, she quickly figured it out: it was probably a promising student Orochimaru had taken a liking to and had come to take him on as a disciple!
Things were indeed as she had imagined, but also somewhat different.
The purpose of this trip was naturally to Zabuza. He had long been eyeing Haku, and not only Haku, but also Kimimaro also in the Land of Water.
However, these two are probably not even born yet, but Orochimaru must gather information first, otherwise he'll be completely in the dark and Zabuza them away, and then what's the point of playing?
Orochimaru must prepare himself and also begin building his own intelligence network.
The Loyalty Mark has no limit on the number of uses. It might be difficult to deal with powerful ninjas, but it's easy to deal with some Genin or ordinary people.
We will gather some of our own intelligence personnel in the Five Great Nations, and if there is an opportunity, we will train them and provide them with some cultivation resources.
I won't be caught off guard by anything that happens in other countries. Plus, I'm familiar with the timelines, so as long as it's not a major emergency, I should be able to stand on my own two feet!
Orochimaru originally wanted to brand Hozuki Mangetsu, but since this kind of ninja with some strength was unwilling, it would probably take some time and there was no guarantee of success.
Faced with people who have already grown up, Orochimaru can only try to win them over with virtue; as for these little ones, he has to train them himself.
"This awful weather is really unpredictable. It requires constant energy consumption to maintain body temperature. Fortunately, the consumption isn't too high, otherwise I wouldn't have the energy to fight."
He muttered to himself for a while, then looked at Guren, who was shivering a little, her little face already red from the cold.
"Are you hungry? Let's find a place to eat something."
As soon as Orochimaru spoke, Guren nodded vigorously, clearly indicating that she was indeed hungry, otherwise she wouldn't have felt so cold.
Upon entering the town, Orochimaru quickly found an inn, and as soon as the food was served, Guren couldn't wait to start eating.
Orochimaru decided to stay there for the rest of the time, intending to wait until the storm subsided before going out to gather information.
However, during his stay at the inn, he also gleaned some information from the guests who came to dine.
During this time of war, the Kirigakure is under very strict control, making it almost impossible to enter the village openly. Even in this small town under the jurisdiction of the Kirigakure, ninjas often appear.
The frequent checks on outsiders in town reminded Orochimaru of his past life when he was walking down the street and the police checked his ID.
I also learned some information from the shopkeeper: the only places in the Land of Land of Water that are covered in snow all year round are this small town and a few surrounding villages.
Orochimaru chose to travel by Orochimaru because the boatman could guide him; otherwise, he would have flown here long ago.
Now that Orochimaru has received confirmation, he breathes a sigh of relief, saving him the trouble of running around.
With this target area in mind, the search becomes much easier, since the area is only so big.
In the following period, Orochimaru created ten Energy Clones, which could be maintained for a long time as long as there was sufficient energy.
Send out your clones to gather information, and at the same time, find a few people to brand with Loyalty Mark. In a place like an inn, where all sorts of people mingle, it's essential for the innkeeper to recruit them as his own.
He discovered that branding civilians was much easier than branding ninjas; even if they were unwilling, they could be forcibly branded.
"Establishing a base here is not bad. It can just serve as an intelligence transit point. There's no need for fighting unless necessary, and we don't have to worry about our clones dissipating."
Orochimaru also took the most important point into consideration: building an intelligence network requires a huge amount of funding.
Restaurants, inns, and eateries are places that make money, much like brothels in ancient times, and they can easily become sources of information for some people.
Not only the villages surrounding Kirigakure, but also those within Kirigakure, which is the most important objective.
His plan is to surround the cities from the countryside. In that case, the Land of Water can not only provide him with funds, but also monitor the every move of Kirigakure.
Just as Orochimaru was building his intelligence network, another organization in the Amegakure was rising to prominence.
The Akatsuki, composed of Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, began to emerge in the Amegakure.
The organization members wore black trench coats embroidered with red clouds and straw hats with wind chimes attached.
She wears a ring with her own code on the corresponding finger, her nails are painted with nail polish, and there is a scratch on her Forehead Protector.
The organization was founded with the initial goal of quelling the rebellion in the Amegakure, helping civilians who lost their homes and loved ones in the war, and maintaining the stability and peace of the country. It can be said to be a public welfare organization.
Yahiko formed this organization hoping to change the country and build a bridge of hope to world peace through communication between people.
They did a really good job, and many people received help with the organization's assistance.
Akatsuki's prestige in the Amegakure soared, and even Hanzō of the Salamander, the leader of the Amegakure, heard of it.
At this time, at the Akatsuki's headquarters.
"You two will temporarily team up and head to the Land of Wind!"
A blue-haired woman gave instructions to the two people in front of her. Although her voice was somewhat childish, it already carried the authority of someone in a superior position.
As one of the three founders of the Akatsuki, Konan's status within the organization is self-evident; she usually has the final say.
A man wearing Kirigakure Forehead Protector, with short black hair, no eyebrows, sharp teeth, and a large cross-shaped scar on his right cheek.
The ninja, with bandages wrapped around his ears and neck and red stripes painted on the lower half of his face, looked at his new teammate with an air of arrogance.
Perhaps his gaze displeased the ninja, who, disregarding Konan's presence, couldn't help but angrily shout at the scarred man:
"You're pretty cocky, kid. What kind of look is that? Aren't you afraid I'll beat you to death?"
His tone was full of provocation, and coupled with his burly figure, he was tall and imposing, completely disregarding the scarred ninja carrying the large sword.
"This mission is to invite new members to join the organization, Gin. I hope the two of you will cooperate well!"
As Konan spoke, she stared sternly at Gin, clearly trying to make this simple-minded, physically strong ninja behave himself.
The ninja carrying the large sword is none other than Kirigakure rogue ninja Jūzō Biwa.
The Akatsuki does not oppose the joining of Rogue Ninja from various countries. As long as they obey the arrangements and share the same ideals, they can become members of the organization.
"Hey... Is it illegal to pull someone? Which law says people can't pull someone? Do you have a law like that?"
Kakuzu the inexplicably confident Jūzō Biwa, that big oaf. How could someone who dared to use his Kubikiribōchō to block Tailed Beast Bomb not be arrogant!
"Alright! I don't care if you threaten or bribe me, just bring back the target."
Seeing that the two were at odds, Konan's tone became firmer.
He then handed them a portrait. The two opened the scroll, and a boy with red hair, who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old, came into view— Sasori of the Red Sands!