On the other side, Itachi slowly put down the letter in his hand and sighed with a very complicated expression.
Many days have passed since he woke up, and he has read the letter several times.
His emotions gradually shifted from anger and self-blame to calm and melancholy.
Actually, he was still conscious when he was hit and lost consciousness, but he could not use his other four limbs except for his fifth limb.
Moreover, it wasn't a one-time payment that day; it was paid several times over.
Aside from the first time being a bit fun, I have to admit that the subsequent times were quite enjoyable, otherwise it wouldn't have taken an hour and a half.
The inventory he had stored for over twenty years was all cleared out at once, and he still suffers from some back pain. I really suspect that Orochimaru's dosage was meant for elephants.
What troubled him most was that he had been intimate with Izumi, and there was a high probability that he would have his offspring; he could even be certain of that.
Don't ask why, because Orochimaru also told him that the people in this village were very xenophobic, and that Orochimaru's scientific research capabilities were recognized Ninja World. Even though she couldn't get pregnant so many times, Orochimaru still had a way to make her pregnant.
However, what comforted him somewhat was that his complicated feelings gradually calmed down after he read the letter Orochimaru left behind.
"I never imagined things would turn out like this! No wonder they did such a thing!"
Only now has he roughly figured out what Orochimaru has been doing all these years.
The letter not only explained the Akatsuki's ultimate goal—collecting the Tailed Beasts not only to unify the Ninja World, but also to revive the legendary Ten-Tails.
The mastermind behind all of this was Uchiha Madara, and as for the executor, Itachi could probably guess without him saying it.
As for why he took Sasuke as his disciple, he directly revealed Sasuke's identity as the reincarnation of Indra, explaining that his power would be needed in the future.
This explanation, while somewhat far-fetched, is still plausible.
What shocked him most was that Orochimaru had built such a large empire over the years, and he was sure Orochimaru had even bigger schemes up his sleeve.
But these things are no longer within his control. Next, he also needs to think carefully about the battle with his silly younger brother.
If the opponent's strength is significantly weaker, how much leniency should he give? Wouldn't that be too deliberate?
These thoughts flashed through his mind, and he had already rehearsed the scene of the two fighting countless times in his mind.
"Hopefully Orochimaru lives up to his reputation, otherwise Sasuke's strength..."
Thinking of this, Itachi couldn't help but sigh again. If Sasuke's strength was too exaggerated, he could only cooperate with the other's performance more.
Just as he was feeling conflicted, Sasuke also received a message from a crow at one of Orochimaru's bases.
This base was newly established by Orochimaru. It was brought here by Dosu and his group with Sasuke, their purpose being to wait for Itachi's message.
It's not surprising that Itachi was able to find this place. He cares a lot about his younger brother, Sasuke, and naturally keeps a close eye on Sasuke's movements. Itachi has even figured out many of Orochimaru's strongholds.
After reading the letter, Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly, and the next moment a flame rose from his hand, burning the letter to ashes.
Although his face remained expressionless, a strong killing intent had already surfaced within him!
The letter contained only a few words, which also indicated their destination.
"Uchiha Shrine! Hmph! You think you deserve to be buried there?!"
He snorted coldly to himself, then summoned the Snake Squad members to set off immediately.
While Sasuke was heading to the Uchiha Shrine, skilled fighters from the Northern Lands, Hidden Cloud Village, Konoha had already arrived at the outskirts of Amegakure.
In order not to alert the enemy, many of the ninjas who followed them hid on the border of the Amegakure, which was the area where the former Land of Grass and the Amegakure met.
These are all ninjas sent to provide backup in case of emergency. The ninjas sent by each village are all elite ninjas carefully selected, capable of fighting even against Akatsuki members at the same time.
"My lord, Lord Darui should be alright, right?"
A young Hidden Cloud Village asked Samui, who was leading the team, with some concern. For this operation, Kumogakure had dispatched two elite squads, which were scattered along the border of the Amegakure with ninjas from the Northern Lands and Konoha.
Upon hearing this, Samui gave the ninja a disapproving look, then muttered in a low voice:
"Don't worry! Even if the enemy is Akatsuki, Darui no less capable! Let's not say anything like that that undermines morale in the future!"
The younger brother, having been thoroughly rebuked, wisely shut up. There are quite a few people who share this concern, after all, anything can happen on the battlefield, and even death must be faced bravely.
The leader of the Konoha team is Jiraisui; his own father is dancing on the edge of a knife, how could he not come over?
There are still many familiar faces left, such as Sai, Fū Yamanaka, and Torune Aburame.
Although these people had solemn expressions, they were very disciplined and there was no whispering among themselves.
Unlike the tense atmosphere among the ninjas from the two villages, the ninjas from the Northern Lands appeared relatively relaxed.
On the one hand, they had full confidence in their principal; on the other hand, the task assigned to them by their superiors was only at the A level.
Moreover, the ninjas leading the team are Hidan and Deidara, making this mission a complete waste of their talents.
"This time, Man Yue really got to show off. If I had to do this kind of mission, I should have been the one to fly in!"
Deidara grumbled, his face showing no sign of impending doom.
He'd found the right person to Hidan to; Hidan, being a chatterbox himself, immediately chimed in.
"It's a pity it's just stealth. If it were a full-scale war, then the Lord Jashin would have a continuous stream of sacrifices..."
The two chatted idly, whispering as if they were plotting some unspeakable secret.
While they were on high alert, a Toad, a puddle of water, and a bolt of lightning had already quietly infiltrated Amegakure.
Because they had Orochimaru's information to back them up, the three did not reveal themselves immediately, but only slowly emerged after entering the building.
A giant hand immediately emerged from the mouth of a Toad, Jiraiya with red hair crawled out from it. The sense of horror was comparable to Orochimaru's Orochimaru-Style Body Replacement Technique.
At the same time, a pool of water condensed into a human figure, which was none other than Hozuki Mangetsu.
As a bolt of lightning appeared, Darui entered the building.
His method of infiltration is unique: whenever lightning strikes, he adjusts his Lightning Release Chakra to the same frequency as the electrical ions in the air.
However, there are significant limitations; it can only move a certain distance when lightning strikes.
Even Pain would at most assume it was just scattered ions in the air and wouldn't suspect any intrusion.
While others cannot do this, some of the Hidden Cloud Village, who are most skilled in Lightning Release in the Ninja World, can.
"Should we act together or separately?"
Hozuki Mangetsu shook his wet head and asked the oldest, Jiraiya, a question that Darui Jiraiya looked at.
As a senior, Jiraiya felt it was necessary to listen to the other party's thoughts.
"Split up and proceed separately. Regardless of whether you find anything, meet up in the village center in two hours!"
Upon hearing this, the other two had no objections. After all, acting together would make them too conspicuous, and they were both highly skilled ninjas who would not be easily defeated even if they encountered an enemy.
After agreeing on the details of their operation, the three of them slowly disappeared into the darkness in three different directions.