With the boost from over 3,500 points in strength, the Leaf Whirlwind Taijutsu had undergone a qualitative transformation and grown even more powerful than before.
"Whoosh—"
Xuan Yu's kick sent a vast wave of white air surging outward, forming a small, rapidly spinning whirlwind that swept up Orochimaru in its entirety!
Orochimaru suffered the same fate as Kakuzu before him. Caught off guard, he was swept up by the whirlwind from Xuan Yu's kick and sent flying backward.
Attacked for no apparent reason, Orochimaru was both shocked and furious. He roared, "You're asking for it!"
Before the words had left his mouth, his arm jerked sharply.
"Shadow Snake Hands!"
In an instant, a mass of dark brown venomous snakes poured from Orochimaru's wide sleeve, baring their fangs and lunging fiercely at Xuan Yu.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Xuan Yu's figure flickered across the platform three times in succession. He dodged Orochimaru's ninjutsu attack with ease and, in the blink of an eye, circled around behind him.
Once behind Orochimaru, Xuan Yu didn't take the opportunity to strike hard. Instead, he grinned cheekily and said, "Snake Bro, I was just joking. Don't get so worked up."
Orochimaru snorted, his killing intent palpable.
Xuan Yu's flurry of moves had just shown off his speed and strength, nearly knocking him flat on the spot. He even suspected that Xuan Yu might be an elite Anbu operative sent by the Leaf Village specifically to hunt him down.
At that moment, he was planning to take advantage of Xuan Yu's reckless approach. He would use the Shadow Snake Hands from his left arm to bind Xuan Yu's limbs, then spit the Kusanagi Sword from his mouth and point it at Xuan Yu's throat. Once Xuan Yu was completely subdued, they could discuss the rest.
But before Orochimaru could make a move, Deva Path Pain spoke coldly. "That's enough!"
As the words fell, Deva Path Pain's emotionless Rinnegan slowly turned toward Xuan Yu. In a low voice, he asked, "Why did you attack Orochimaru?"
Xuan Yu had shown off his speed and strength as soon as he arrived, even flaunting his Leaf Whirlwind Taijutsu. His purpose was, naturally, to show off his strength.
If he didn't demonstrate enough value, the Akatsuki Organization clearly had no reason to spend money hiring him.
Of course, Xuan Yu wasn't about to admit that his whole performance had been a show of strength.
When Deva Path Pain questioned him, he simply answered with a cheeky grin, "I thought Snake Bro seemed really friendly, so I couldn't help wanting to say hello."
Xuan Yu's eyes were full of sincerity as he said this.
The air fell silent in an instant. Deva Path Pain, Konan, and the others were all at a loss for words.
Orochimaru was so angry and speechless that he nearly spat blood.
No matter how you looked at it, Xuan Yu's excuse was a load of nonsense delivered with a perfectly straight face!
While everyone was still speechless, Xuan Yu spoke again. "Kakuzu came to find me not long ago and invited me to join the Akatsuki Organization. But I'm not like the other members. They either agree with the Akatsuki Organization's ideals or have something to gain from one another, which is why they joined."
"As for me, my situation is completely different from theirs. I have no particular need to join the Akatsuki Organization. But if the Akatsuki Organization is willing to offer me missions and pay to hire me as a ninja to work for you, I'd be more than happy to build a strong friendship with the organization and maintain a long-term partnership."
After Xuan Yu finished speaking, Deva Path Pain and Konan were once again left speechless.
Hearing the first few sentences, Konan had been puzzled.
If Xuan Yu didn't want to join the Akatsuki Organization, what had he come to the organization's base in Amegakure for?
Deva Path Pain, meanwhile, considered whether he should use Bansho Ten'in to subdue Xuan Yu first.
Fortunately, Xuan Yu soon explained the rest and made his purpose clear.
Once Deva Path Pain, Konan, and the other Akatsuki members understood what Xuan Yu meant, they were all stunned.
The Akatsuki Organization was a mercenary organization, and Xuan Yu's proposal was for it to pay him, a "mercenary," to work for the organization.
That was basically joining a mercenary organization as a mercenary...
It was an unprecedentedly bizarre request. If not for the information Kakuzu had provided earlier and Xuan Yu's impressive display of strength, Deva Path Pain might well have taught the arrogant brat a lesson on the spot.
But now, Deva Path Pain had no choice but to seriously consider Xuan Yu's proposal.
After a brief moment of thought, Deva Path Pain fixed his emotionless gaze on Xuan Yu and asked in a low voice, "Why should the Akatsuki Organization cooperate with you on your terms?"
The moment he spoke, the atmosphere across the entire rooftop grew tense.
The Akatsuki members gathered around Xuan Yu in unison, as if they would rush him and take him down the moment he gave an unsatisfactory answer.
Yet the sudden increase in pressure seemed to have no effect on Xuan Yu.
He yawned and casually raised three fingers. "First, my strength is no worse than that of the Akatsuki Organization's other members, and my background meets the requirements for joining. Working with the organization as a mercenary can give its development and plans a real boost."
Deva Path Pain frowned slightly. "Go on."
He didn't deny Xuan Yu's first point—he frowned only because Xuan Yu seemed to know far too much about the Akatsuki Organization.
A sense of unease inexplicably rose in Deva Path Pain's heart.
The brat in front of him looked at the Akatsuki Organization as if it were a glass tank, completely transparent and with no secrets at all.
But the Akatsuki Organization's secrecy had always been exceptionally tight. Getting hold of so much inside information should have come at an unimaginably high cost.
After Deva Path Pain spoke, Xuan Yu continued lazily, "Second, I'm a genius ninja. I have an incredible talent for ninjutsu and an astonishing rate of growth."
But before Xuan Yu could finish his second point, Deva Path Pain raised a hand and cut him off.
"Hold it! According to the information we have, you're nothing but an ordinary Uchiha with no talent for being a ninja. Not only is your talent abysmal, you haven't even awakened the Sharingan, the pride of the Uchiha Clan."
"The abilities you just showed were simply your own basic strength, speed, and Taijutsu."
After Deva Path Pain finished speaking, Xuan Yu immediately took offense.
He waved a hand and said to Deva Path Pain, "Brother Men, your intel is wildly off! I didn't show any talent as a ninja in the Leaf Village because I'd keenly sensed the irreconcilable conflict between its major clans and the Uchiha Clan. The entire Leaf Village is a giant powder keg, ready to explode at the slightest spark.
"To defect from the Leaf Village safely, I kept pretending to be an Uchiha civilian with no talent. Why don't you ask Kakuzi? He can tell you how gifted I am and how fast I've grown."
As soon as Xuan Yu finished speaking, Deva Path Pain and Konan exchanged a glance.
Even Konan now felt that Xuan Yu knew far too much about the Akatsuki Organization's secrets.
Xuan Yu had actually called Deva Path Pain "Brother Men," which clearly meant he might have figured out Pain's secret.
Deva Path Pain turned to Kakuzu, hoping Kakuzu could confirm Xuan Yu's claims about his ninja talent and rate of growth.
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