Still Going to Be Friends with Orochimaru!

In the Land of Rain, amidst the misty rain, the silhouette of a Tower appears in the hazy distance.

"So, Pakura and Bai are also dead?" Deva Path said coldly, showing no emotional fluctuation at the loss of the two.

"He should be dead. After all, no one could survive in that situation." Black Zetsu's eyes One Flash slightly as he said with absolute certainty.

He had presented the entire story to Deva Path and Konan, allowing them to witness it firsthand.

Whether Pakura and Shiro are dead or not is not important; what is important is whether Nagato believes they are dead.

An eerie silence fell over the room.

A moment later, Deva Path's eyes narrowed, snapping him out of his reverie. "Let's leave it at that for now."

Then, Deva Path changed the subject, asking, "Any news about the other Tailed Beast?"

"Besides the One-Tail, Eight-Tails, and Nine-Tails remaining in the villages of the Five Great Nations, and the Seven-Tails in Takigakure, there's still no news about the Three-Tails, Four-Tails, and Six-Tails," Black Zetsu replied after a moment's thought.

Although Black Zetsu also hoped to capture all the Tailed Beast as soon as possible, he didn't understand why Tōka wanted him to temporarily conceal the information about the Tailed Beast.

But Black Zetsu hesitated for a moment and decided to keep it a secret for now.

"The Tailed Beast of the Five Great Nations cannot be touched for now. The Seven-Tails has too much chakra and is not suitable for sealing at this time." After a pause, Deva Path continued, "Let's find the other three first."

"Understood." Black Zetsu nodded in agreement.

At this moment, Konan, who had been standing silently in the corner, slowly walked forward. Her voice was not loud and she did not try to hide it.

"Two groups have been wiped out. Should we recruit some more to replace them?"

"Do you have any good candidates in mind?" Deva Path asked coldly.

"There is one guy whose strength is decent." Konan's mind flashed through information about Rogue Ninja from the Great Nations. Akatsuki is severely short of people right now, so this is not the time to be picky.

"Is that so? Find him." Deva Path's first words were addressed to Konan, and his second words were spoken to Black Zetsu.

At a harbor East of the Land of Earth, a medium-sized ship is hired by a mysterious man in black, preparing to sail to the Land of Snow overseas.

The rollers turned, stirring up the water and producing a series of deep, heavy scooping sounds.

"On your way to the Land of Snow, Kimimaro will meet you." Tōka, shrouded in a thick robe, stood at the bow of the ship, letting the sea wind blow against his face.

The ocean is truly magical; one moment the sky is clear and blue, and the next it may be covered with dark clouds, looking like a storm is about to break.

The further the ship sailed towards the Land of Snow, the colder the climate became.

"Are Karin and Yakumo also in the Land of Snow?" Shiro, wrapped in a cotton coat, stood behind Tōka with her eyes downcast. She hadn't seen those two for several years and really missed them.

"Once you arrive in the Land of Snow, all you need to do is manage your relationship with King Kazahana Koyuki," Tōka continued. "You can allocate the rest of your time as you see fit."

"Does this mean I've left Akatsuki?" Pakura rubbed her hands together; she didn't really like cold, damp places.

"You're already dead in Akatsuki, so there's no need to worry about that." Besides, Nagato doesn't have the time to hunt down Akatsuki's defectors.

Orochimaru alone was enough to give him a headache, let alone having to chase him all the way to the Land of Snow.

Of course, this is all predicated on Nagato knowing that Pakura and Haku are not dead, and that they have hidden in the Land of Snow.

In the silence, the sea breeze howled past, whistling in my ears, like a mischievous sprite lifting a strand of white hair, which danced and swayed nimbly in the air, so lifelike.

Tōka's gaze fell on their faces. "Do you have any other questions?"

Pakura and Bai exchanged a glance and shook their heads.

From the Land of Rain to the Land of Snow, it's just a change of location. There aren't many missions within Akatsuki, so it's quite a free environment.

It's not bad to be in the Land of Snow; at least no one's watching over us.

For Pakura, the Land of Snow was nice except for being a bit cold.

For Bai, wherever Tōka is, that's where she should be, since Kimimaro, Karin, and Yakumo are all in the Land of Snow.

She'd be better off there...

The three exchanged a quick and simple conversation. Tōka released the Shadow Clone Technique, and with a bang, his figure turned into a wisp of White Smoke and vanished with the wind.

Deep within the cold, damp, and enormous cave, a large snake covered in Purple Stripes writhed uneasily, not understanding why this was happening.

But one thing is clear: this is the body's warning of danger.

"Orochimaru, where's my Sacrifice?" Manda roared furiously, suppressing the strange feeling in his heart, trying to quell the unease in his heart with anger.

"Wait a minute, Manda." Orochimaru's attention wasn't on Manda at all; he was waiting for someone, waiting for that person to cash in on their bargaining chips.

Manda seemed to have seen through Orochimaru's intentions. In the past, it would have certainly added more conditions, but today it was unusually quiet.

In the dark cave where light could hardly penetrate, a man and a snake stood silently in place, like statues.

The predator lurking in the darkness needs patience most of all, to calmly and quietly watch its unsuspecting prey approach danger step by step.

Unfortunately, it remains to be seen who the real prey will be this time.

Tick-tock!

Tick-tock...

On the sharp stone wall, water droplets condensed and dripped down.

A dark figure stepped across the uneven Rock, splashing water that barely reached the soles of their shoes, the crisp sound echoing through the cave.

"Tōka, you're late." Orochimaru was a punctual person, and naturally he didn't like waiting for others.

However, this time he was surprisingly not angry. He simply stated a fact in a calm tone: Tōka was late.

Tōka glanced at Manda, whose enormous body was coiled up to the side, wondering why Orochimaru still wanted to bring this guy along when he saw him.

He said half-jokingly, "Orochimaru, are you treating me to snake soup? But I doubt I can finish this snake by myself."

Manda is an unruly Summoning Beast that ignores even its master Orochimaru's summons, so it can't stand Tōka's teasing.

Moreover, Tōka's words were not entirely false. If Orochimaru nodded, Orochimaru was 100% certain that the other party would turn him into snake soup!

Instantly, the Manda were enraged, their scarlet eyes glaring at Tōka, and their enormous half-bodies rose up and smashed through the stone wall above them.

Rocks flew everywhere; Rock the size of wooden basins rained down like a storm of stones.

Crackling sounds...

His Ice Blue pupils flickered slightly, and Tōka's body seemed to be surrounded by an invisible Repulsion Field, preventing flying stones and dust from getting close.

His indifferent gaze fell upon Manda, as if he were looking at an ant.

"How is this possible!" This feeling...

Manda was greatly alarmed. Even though the insect before it was the smallest of all beings, why did it feel palpitations and fear?

Those eyes, with their Ice Blue flame-like patterns...

Manda vaguely remembered that its ancestor had mentioned Dojutsu, but unfortunately it was too playful at the time and didn't listen carefully at all.

"Manda, step back." Orochimaru rarely spoke to Manda in such a commanding tone.

Normally, Manda would have jumped up and cursed, but at this moment it felt a heavenly sound enter its ears.

"Orochimaru, do you want to die?" Manda cursed, stubbornly clinging to his pride, but obediently shrank back into his body.

Orochimaru glanced at Manda, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

Animals have an extremely keen sense of danger, far exceeding that of humans by tens or even hundreds of times.

Orochimaru hadn't anticipated that the Manda feared Tōka.

"Tōka, I've taken care of your matter." Orochimaru crossed his arms and asked meaningfully, "Where is what I asked for?"

Tōka tossed out a Scroll as black as ink.

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, One Flash of excitement crossing his face. He spotted the trajectory of the flying Scroll and quickly reached out to catch it.

"Ten pairs of Sharingan with single Tomoe, we're even now." Looking at Orochimaru's eyes, which were filled with greed, Tōka couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing.

The Dojutsu of these One-Tomoe Sharingan was too weak; he hadn't even bothered to absorb them initially. The only reason he kept them was because he thought they might be useful in the future.

Unexpectedly, Orochimaru cherished the eyeballs that he considered worthless, as if they were precious treasures.

"Tōka is indeed a man of his word. We're even now." Orochimaru smiled and put the Scroll into his pocket.

The Sharingan, the Sharingan I've always dreamed of.

Back then, Danzo, that old bastard, didn't hesitate to use a scheme to wipe out the Uchiha Clan for these eyeballs, even though they were just Sharingan with single Tomoe and very weak Dojutsu.

However, Orochimaru didn't care about these things. As long as he had enough Sharingan, he could research the secrets hidden in those scarlet eyes.

Immersed in joy, Orochimaru just wanted to get rid of Tōka as soon as possible; he couldn't wait to return to the Laboratory.

However, Tōka had no intention of leaving whatsoever.

"There's something else, I wonder if Orochimaru would be interested."

"Is there anything else?" Orochimaru's eyes darkened, a hint of displeasure flashing in his vertical golden pupils. He wasn't some kind of thug...

In less than a second, the displeasure in Orochimaru's eyes vanished, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

He asked, "Does Tōka want to make another deal?"

"A deal? You could say that." Tōka glanced at Manda, as if the matter was important and he didn't want Manda present.

Orochimaru hesitated for a moment. Manda was getting very impatient after waiting for so long.

Let's dispel the Summoning Technique first, and at most, give Manda another hundred Living Sacrifice.

Bang!

Manda's figure disappeared into the cave, and a huge cloud of white mist exploded, causing Tōka's robes to flutter wildly.

His body remained Budong, standing rooted to the spot. "The Konoha of the Land of Fire, I wonder if Orochimaru would be interested?"

The six short words exploded in his ears like a thunderclap, making Orochimaru's eyelids twitch.

Konoha will always be a thorn in Orochimaru's side. He may seem like a carefree person, but he actually has a strange affection for the place where he grew up.

Forced to flee Konoha, Orochimaru will never forget one thing—he will go back, he will definitely go back!

If you can't have it, destroy it!

"What do you mean?" Orochimaru's aura gradually turned cold, shrouded in a faint killing intent.

"The literal meaning, are you interested?" Tōka didn't care about the fierce glint in Orochimaru's eyes and repeated it calmly.

Orochimaru didn't understand what Tōka meant, but he knew that it was absolutely impossible for a strong person like Tōka to be willing to hide in Konoha as a lowly Chunin without a special purpose!

However, even after knowing each other for more than ten years, Orochimaru still couldn't understand what Tōka really wanted.

Fame and fortune? Tōka doesn't seem to care about these things. Back in the Third Shinobi World War between Konoha Sunagakure, during the Battle of Kikyo Mountain, Tōka's name as a master of Bone Release resounded throughout the Ninja World.

Money? I've never seen Tōka short of money... Tōka doesn't gamble, and he only cares about cleanliness in his clothing, food, and shelter, not luxury or expensive things.

Even the most ordinary cloth clothes on Tōka could not conceal the calm and noble temperament that emanated from his very bones.

Women? Orochimaru didn't understand that kind of thing, but it was absolutely impossible!

"What do you want to do?" Orochimaru asked in a deep voice, his tone trembling slightly, filled with a mix of excitement and hesitation.

He was nervous and curious, yet also worried.

"The tree has aged Third Hokage, its Konoha are decaying, it's time to prune this ailing Big Tree, cutting off those withered branches and rotten stems."

Tōka's words were clear, yet not entirely clear.

"Your target is Teacher Sarutobi?" Orochimaru's pupils contracted slightly; he understood the unspoken meaning in Tōka's words.

However, Orochimaru didn't understand why Tōka wanted to deal with Teacher Sarutobi.

"Well, if I had to give a reason..." Tōka pinched his chin, frowning as if he were searching for a reason in distress.

"He's lived too long; he should go down and reunite with the previous Hokage!"

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru, who had been craning his neck to listen to what was to come, stiffened and almost burst out cursing in anger.

If you don't want to talk about it, fine. What do you mean by "he's lived too long"?

"You don't think I'm an idiot, do you?!" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes dangerously, a chilling glint emanating from them without any attempt to conceal it.

If Tōka's abilities weren't so dangerous, potentially fatal, he would definitely have taught this disrespectful elder a lesson!

"Don't be angry, Orochimaru, just take it as a joke!" After saying that, Tōka smiled slightly, turned around and pretended to leave.

Orochimaru's face darkened. He wanted to call out to Tōka, but he was furious that Tōka had completely taken the initiative.

However, Orochimaru is Orochimaru after all.

"Hehe... Tōka's joke is quite good." A low, hoarse laugh rang out, instantly dispelling the murderous intent that permeated the cave.

Then, Orochimaru's turbulent emotions returned to a mirror-like calm, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"If Tōka is willing, we can find a place to have a proper talk."

"Is that so..." Tōka turned around slowly, looked into Orochimaru's eyes, and sighed inwardly, "No wonder he survived to the end."

That kind of mentality alone is unmatched...

"Alright." Tōka nodded slightly, indicating that Orochimaru should lead the way to the "place" Orochimaru had mentioned so they could have a proper talk.