Orochimaru Leaves

Shaking Release.

Its first display of might.

It intimidated the Six Paths of Pain, leaving them afraid to move.

Deva Path Pain slowly descended from midair as the other five figures gathered behind him.

Orochimaru's appearance plunged the battlefield into silence once more.

Sasori of the Red Sands followed closely, approaching the Six Paths of Pain. The two sides confronted each other at a distance of less than twenty meters.

"Leader, what did Orochimaru just do!?"

Sasori of the Red Sands had yet to grasp the situation and had not noticed the power of Shaking Release.

In truth, the ninjutsu used by both sides had already surpassed conventional limits.

He could not understand them at all; he only felt that Pain seemed to have fallen into a disadvantage.

Pain ignored Sasori of the Red Sands.

"You're Orochimaru!?"

A hint of surprise showed in his eyes.

Orochimaru was a woman!?

Among the Sannin, Tsunade seemed to be the only woman, yet Orochimaru's current figure and appearance made it impossible to believe he was a man!

Slender waist, ample chest, a bewitching figure.

Fair, delicate features and long flowing hair.

More feminine than a woman.

"Yes!"

"What do you want with me?"

Orochimaru asked in surprise.

The moment he first saw Pain, he was immediately drawn to those peculiar eyes.

Greed surged within him.

Those eyes must represent some special Kekkei Genkai.

His gaze could not help shifting to Uchiha Ao as he asked softly, "Ao-kun, let me test you with a question. Do you know this person's Kekkei Genkai?"

"Rinnegan."

Ao slowly uttered a single word.

It instantly froze Orochimaru in place.

"So this is the Rinnegan? The legendary power of the Six Paths, the power of the Sage recorded in the Ninjutsu Sect historical records collected by the Senju family..."

Orochimaru's pupils contracted.

At first, he had merely thought it was some unusual Kekkei Genkai. He had not expected it to be the legendary Sage's eyes.

They were far rarer than the Sharingan.

"Orochimaru, I hear you've been prying into our organization's intelligence. Today, I'll give you a choice: join us or die!"

Pain reined in his emotions and spoke in an icy tone.

Although Orochimaru had broken Chibaku Tensei with a single blow, Pain was not without confidence in this battle.

Orochimaru stared greedily at Pain's six pairs of eyes.

As long as he could seize just one pair...

The thought of possessing them flashed through his mind, and he swiftly acted on it.

His hands formed seals at rapid speed.

He launched a direct attack.

"Join you? Heh... What I want is those eyes!"

"Shaking Release: Earth-Shaking Mountains—"

By using the hand seals of Earth Flow River to perform Shaking Release, he created an entirely new form of ninjutsu.

Even Orochimaru himself felt a trace of surprise.

A terrifying shockwave surged through the ground straight toward Pain's feet.

This kind of attack, which acted directly upon the environment, was something the Hungry Ghost Path had no way to block.

With a wave of Pain's hand, everyone beside him rose into the air.

The ground collapsed.

A massive crater formed.

"Shaking Release... its attack methods are somewhat limited!"

Ao commented from the side. This was also his first time seeing Shaking Release in actual combat.

Attacks of this level were only comparable to some B-rank ninjutsu.

They even had considerable limitations.

However, just when he thought Orochimaru was merely using Shaking Release ninjutsu, a long blade suddenly appeared in Orochimaru's palm.

"Shaking Release: Void Greatsword: Sword Pressure!"

The blade thrust out in an instant.

It drove straight toward Pain.

"Shinra Tensei!"

Pain extended one hand and directly blasted the Kusanagi Sword away.

But before he could finish the technique, the Kusanagi Sword's blade suddenly released a terrifying vibration wave, tearing open a ripple of compressed air in the void.

He had actually used the Kusanagi Sword to transmit the power of Shaking Release to Pain's side.

The vibrating air directly formed a Sword Pressure of terrifying scale.

"Hah!"

Seeing this, the Asura Path sprouted numerous mechanisms from his back and unleashed multiple rockets in an instant, blocking the Sword Pressure in midair and causing a violent explosion.

"Shaking Release: Hidden Shadow Snake Burial!"

Countless long snakes surged from Orochimaru's sleeves, carrying the unique Chakra of Shaking Release as they rapidly closed in on Pain.

"Shinra Tensei!"

The same technique again.

Pain repelled all of Orochimaru's attacks.

"This guy... his ability is this troublesome? He can actually repel every attack."

Orochimaru stopped his movements and raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.

There was no point in continuing the fight.

The vessel he had only just reincarnated into had yet to fully adapt and still needed further adjustment.

His physical condition did not allow him to use Chakra for extended periods.

"Orochimaru, surrender! Neither Akatsuki nor Leader Pain are opponents a small village like yours can resist."

Seeing this, Sasori of the Red Sands immediately spoke.

After noticing the limitations of Orochimaru's Shaking Release, much of his wariness faded.

With Orochimaru's abilities, he was not much different from himself.

As long as he paid attention to the terrain and avoided engaging Orochimaru in close combat, he could greatly limit the power of Shaking Release.

"I heard your organization has many ninja with rare Kekkei Genkai, which is why I took notice of you. But I have no information on you... Who are you?"

Orochimaru nodded and did not deny it.

He had indeed ordered his subordinates to do this.

He knew it very well.

His reincarnation vessels required special Kekkei Genkai for fusion experiments, so for the past three years, he had been helping Ao collect all kinds of Kekkei Genkai from across the Ninja World to provide him with inspiration.

Upon hearing this, even Sasori of the Red Sands' stiff expression shifted slightly, and his eyes seemed ready to spew flames.

His hands rapidly formed seals, trying to save face.

"Sasori, stop!"

Pain barked an order, stopping Sasori's actions.

"Now, what is your decision? If you refuse again, then I can only destroy you along with this village."

He glanced at Orochimaru, and when his gaze swept over Ao's figure, a trace of wariness flashed through his eyes.

This Uchiha clansman would certainly become Akatsuki's greatest threat in the future.

Perhaps he could hand him over to that mysterious Masked Man to deal with.

Pain began forming a plan in his heart.

Outwardly, he watched Orochimaru without betraying any emotion, radiating immense pressure.

Orochimaru pondered for a moment before finally lowering his head. "Leader Pain, I, Orochimaru, am willing to join Akatsuki."

"But Otogakure will operate independently. They will not join you with me."

He proposed a condition.

Otogakure was a stronghold he had built with immense effort. Beyond that, several other branch bases had also been secretly established.

They could not be destroyed because of Akatsuki.

"Ao, I'll leave the village to you from here on."

After saying that, Orochimaru turned and patted Ao on the shoulder, placing the heavy burden upon him. This time, he no longer acted frivolously and became exceptionally solemn.

He felt around in his pocket and discovered that what he wanted was not there.

He gave an awkward smile, then said to Ao, "Ao, all of the village's savings are with my original body. You must manage the village well. If I can no longer remain in Akatsuki, I'll come find you."

With that, he walked toward Pain.

"Uchiha Ao, what have you decided?"

Seeing that Orochimaru knew when to yield, Pain nodded in satisfaction. His gaze then shifted back to Ao as he asked.

"I'll pass."

Ao waved his hand.

"I still need to help my teacher guard this village properly."

He refused again.

There was no benefit in joining Akatsuki.

After Orochimaru left, he would be the foremost figure in Otogakure and could conduct his own experimental research.