Lie Yang was not a man driven by fate.
He was a true defier of heaven who had broken free of fate's shackles.
Jiraiya emerged from his memories.
Lie Yang still sat in the mist before him, his expression unchanged.
"What are you thinking about?"
Lie Yang asked.
Jiraiya gathered his thoughts.
"Nothing."
He did not mention what the Great Toad Sage had said.
Those secrets were too weighty to reveal casually.
Besides, even now, he could not tell whether what the Great Toad Sage had seen was the future or merely a possibility extrapolated by force.
"Let's hear your intelligence first."
Jiraiya spoke.
Lie Yang nodded.
"First, Orochimaru has become a core member of the Akatsuki Organization."
Jiraiya's gaze shifted slightly.
"A core member?"
"Only those who possess the organization's exclusive ring and wear the Black-and-Red Cloud Uniform count as true members of its inner circle."
Lie Yang continued:
"Ordinary peripheral members don't qualify. Orochimaru already has a ring, and he'll be wearing that uniform too."
Jiraiya's brow furrowed deeper and deeper.
Orochimaru joining Akatsuki meant the organization had added one of the Legendary Sannin to its ranks.
More importantly, Orochimaru was not content to serve beneath anyone. He would never join Akatsuki merely to complete missions and collect payment.
"What's the second piece of intelligence?"
"Orochimaru personally invited me."
Lie Yang said.
"I've agreed to join Akatsuki."
Jiraiya's expression changed abruptly.
"Akatsuki is an organization of missing-nin!"
The moment the words left his mouth, he realized his mistake.
Lie Yang was already a missing-nin in Konoha's eyes.
Trying to dissuade a missing-nin by calling it an organization of missing-nin was hardly convincing.
Sure enough, Lie Yang looked over.
"I'm already a missing-nin in the eyes of the world."
"..."
Jiraiya opened his mouth, but ultimately offered no rebuttal.