Two days later, a figure dressed in blue and wearing Hokage hat quietly left Konoha!
Accompanying them were a man, a woman, and a pig. The man was Nara Shikaku, and this quick-witted little brother should come in handy.
After all, it's a discussion about how to deal with the Akatsuki. Bringing along some smart people can also help with the planning. Plus, there are two brains from the Northern Lands and the Hidden Cloud Village. Three heads are better than one!
The only one left was Shizune, who was holding the pig. She had accompanied Tsunade on her travels all over the years, and this trip was no exception.
Not far ahead of them, a group of ninjas had already gone to clear the way.
This trio was none other than Kakashi, Might Guy, and Inoichi Yamanaka!
Although the lineup is simple, it includes Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, sensory perception, a strategist, absolute combat power, and Medical Ninja, thus gathering all the most necessary conditions.
Putting aside everything else, even if only Might Guy Deva Path Pain the Might Guy came, they would be torn apart.
If it weren't for concerns about making too much of a commotion, they probably would have sent even more people, but Tsunade ultimately refused.
Just kidding. For so many years, she and Shizune have been traveling all over the country. Even though she's now Hokage, she's not that pretentious.
As for Konoha, there's no need to worry. With Jiraiya in charge, there's nothing to worry about.
While the group was rushing to the Capital City of the Land of Gold, the Kumogakure was also heading towards the same destination.
Their lineup was equally simple, and they didn't intend to make a big fuss or create a scene of a large army pressing in.
The Fourth Raikage was also an arrogant person. Want to ambush him? I wouldn't dare say he'd send 10,000 ninjas like his father, but sending 8,000 wouldn't be unreasonable, would it?
Moreover, his speed is among the best in the Ninja World. He is confident that no one can stop him if he wants to leave. Too many people would only get in his way.
Therefore, he only brought Dodai and Darui, and of course, the Anbu Ninja were also indispensable in clearing the way.
Meanwhile, as the two shadows set off, the group from the Northern Lands, who had the advantage of proximity, had already arrived in the Capital City.
When it comes to streamlined travel, Orochimaru is the best example. Not only is he within his own territory, he doesn't need protection, but he also brings people over simply to broaden their horizons.
Therefore, Orochimaru only brought two people with him: Haku Kimimaro.
He didn't plan on holding any grand welcoming ceremony. As the saying goes, it's easier to do things in secret than in the open! It would be best if no one noticed the meeting.
So when he arrived in the Capital City, he only asked a Daimyo to arrange a meeting room for him, and he didn't need them to worry about anything else. He could just go about his business.
Just one day later, Tsunade and A arrived in the Capital City almost simultaneously.
After observing that nothing was amiss, the group was led to the conference room by the white-clad leader.
Upon seeing that face he had met once before, Raikage couldn't help but let out a cold snort.
The last battle at Beidai Bridge left him with a bitter taste, and he's still holding a grudge! It's anyone's guess when he'll get his revenge.
When Tsunade saw Orochimaru's Byakugan, she couldn't help but frown.
She didn't recall any members of the Hyuga Clan being missing, nor had she heard them mention losing any Byakugan!
She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she vaguely sensed a familiar and intimate aura about Orochimaru, much like one of her old friends, yet somehow different.
Orochimaru, of course, wouldn't tell her that he was actually her nemesis, Orochimaru. The reason they only seemed somewhat familiar was because he was wearing Human Skin Mask and his body had evolved into that of Ōtsutsuki!
This feeling of not recognizing someone upon meeting her left her somewhat puzzled. She just felt that the person in front of her was strange, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why.
However, now was not the time to ask these questions, so she could only suppress her doubts and politely nod to Orochimaru.
"Lord Hokage! It's a pleasure to meet you!"
Orochimaru extended his hand to Tsunade, who graciously shook it back. The familiar touch and warmth brought him immense joy!
"Oh? I wouldn't presume to offer guidance; I feel like I'm reminiscing about Lord Gold Kage somewhere!"
During their conversation, the three of them took their seats, each with a relative standing behind them.
Orochimaru's back is Haku, A's back is Dodai, and Tsunade is Shikaku.
The others who had been brought along stood outside the door or kept watch around the room.
"You two are truly honored to have graced us with your presence! Without further ado, let me first express my sincerity in order to ensure the success of this meeting!"
As he spoke, Orochimaru raised his hand, and Haku behind him handed two documents to A and Tsunade respectively.
The contents of the first page immediately made them sit up straight.
Orochimaru's voice also rang out in the conference room at just the right moment.
"This is the information I've gathered about Akatsuki members. It's not comprehensive yet, but it gives you a glimpse of the whole picture!"
This information naturally consists of intelligence on Akatsuki members, including both the dead and the living.
All of these were carefully selected by Orochimaru; information on Pain, the Masked Man, and Zetsu was clearly visible.
"This must be the person who attacked Kirigakure not long ago, right?"
Upon seeing a portrait without a face, Tsunade slowly spoke, and at the same time, A turned to that page. The previous pages were all of deceased Akatsuki members, and from this page onwards, only the living ones were included.
"That's right, this is also the current leader of the Akatsuki, named Deva Path Pain! His specific ability is to control repulsive and gravitational forces..."
Orochimaru introduced Pain to the two, explaining that in addition to the Deva Path Pain, there were also the Asura Path, Animal Path, Naraka Path, and so on— the Six Paths of Pain.
These are all people who came out of Kirigakure before. Although their specific abilities have not been fully revealed, they are already astonishing enough.
The two were surprised that Orochimaru was able to gather such information from Kirigakure. If it were them, they would not have shared such information so easily.
"The next Masked Man and the pitcher plant man used to travel to the Northern Lands by themselves!"
After the two finished reading Pain's information, they turned to the page about Obito and Zetsu.
The information above is limited, only indicating that the individual may possess Space-Time Ninjutsu and levitation abilities, which alone is enough to warrant serious attention.
Next up is information about Itachi, which is familiar to the others, since the Uchiha Clan is renowned and their information is already on the desks of the major ninja villages.
Finally, there are the characters like Tenkūjo and the others; that's the end.
"Three years ago, our village was also attacked by members of the Akatsuki. It was during that time that Yugito, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, was in trouble! That guy claimed to be Orochimaru!"
Seeing Orochimaru's sincerity, A also revealed the information he had gathered. When the name was mentioned, Orochimaru clearly saw Tsunade's brows furrow.
However, before he could ask a question, Orochimaru had already raised his own.
"As far as I know, Orochimaru left the Akatsuki a long time ago, and if the Akatsuki had already captured the Two-Tails- Two-Tails, how could it have been resurrected recently?"
This question doesn't make logical sense. Apart from Orochimaru, no one present would know the specifics, and they were even more confused after hearing his analysis.
How could they have imagined that the person who did this was sitting right in front of them, right now trying to clear their name?
"Perhaps it was another member of Akatsuki impersonating Orochimaru who did it, after all, they are capable of anything."
At this point, Orochimaru picked up his water glass, took a slow sip, and then continued:
"We still haven't gathered enough intelligence, and it's not impossible that some members haven't shown up. That's the main reason I called you here for this discussion!"
Orochimaru's statement is true; characters like Konan and Nagato did not appear, and their information remains unknown.
Just then, Tsunade, who rarely spoke, also shared her information:
"Not long ago, we learned some information about the Akatsuki from Hiruko!"