Orochimaru's Deal with Pain

Orochimaru's words fell.

In an instant,

the atmosphere at the scene dropped to freezing point.

"Orochimaru, do you know what you're saying?"

The Deva Path was the first to lash out. A powerful repulsive force suddenly erupted from his body, centered on him and spreading outward around Pain.

At once,

Boom!

The earth shook violently in that instant, and web-like cracks spread across the ground.

It was practically a scene of natural disaster.

And this was only because Nagato had deliberately restrained the power to avoid accidentally harming Konan and Sasori.

"Why should I believe the words of a traitor?"

The Rinnegan in the Deva Path's eyes stared fixedly at Orochimaru, clearly carrying the intent to attack.

However, despite his overwhelming presence, the Deva Path did not truly intend to strike at Orochimaru.

Orochimaru remained utterly still. In the past, he might have shown some reaction when facing Pain's powerful repulsive-force fluctuations.

But during the Konoha Crush Plan, after witnessing Tobirama Senju's full-power chakra eruption with his own eyes, this little display from Pain truly left him feeling nothing.

Besides, he was no longer the same as before. Having fused with Guren's body and mastered the Crystal Release bloodline limit, he had become even more unrestrained.

"Of course I know what I'm saying."

Orochimaru flicked out his tongue and tossed out a scroll. After Pain caught it, he watched quietly.

Pain only gave the scroll a brief look. His expression remained as calm as ever, but Nagato, the one controlling him, wore a grave expression.

Pain's silence meant that he believed the contents recorded in the scroll—that Itachi Uchiha had been passing Akatsuki intelligence to Konoha—were true.

This made Orochimaru let out a sinister laugh. Although he had long defected from Konoha, defecting did not mean he had no contingencies left there.

Itachi Uchiha had traded the extermination of the Uchiha clan for Konoha's protection of his younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha. He himself had infiltrated Akatsuki to gather intelligence on this mercenary organization made entirely of S-Rank rogue ninja.

Itachi Uchiha had passed that intelligence to Konoha's former Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Shimura Danzō, who had been the Hokage's adviser at the time, naturally had the authority to inquire into it.

As it happened, Shimura Danzō's right arm had been transplanted with Orochimaru's help. The two still had a cooperative relationship, so Orochimaru had naturally uncovered this secret as well.

Seeing that Pain said nothing, Orochimaru licked his lips, his voice becoming even more heated.

"Well? Do you believe Itachi Uchiha is an informant now? Since you already know, why don't we discuss cooperation?"

"If your plan is to succeed, you must get past Tobirama Senju. After all, the One-Tail and the Nine-Tails are both in Konoha now. Who knows whether this Hokage has designs on the other Tailed Beasts as well?"

"And I have a way to restrain Tobirama Senju. All I want is Itachi Uchiha."

After saying that, Orochimaru fell silent and waited for Pain's response.

"Pain?" Konan quietly stepped forward to ask. After the two communicated in words no one else could hear, Pain spoke.

"Why should I believe you can restrain Tobirama Senju?"

Pain questioned him.

Having prepared everything long ago, Orochimaru smiled. "That's simple." He formed hand seals with both hands.

Tiger—Snake—Dog—Dragon

Then he brought his hands together and barked, "Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu!"

At once,

a series of rumbling booms rose from the ground beneath his feet.

A coffin rapidly rose amid an eerie black glow.

With a flick of Orochimaru's hand, the coffin immediately opened on its own. As dust scattered and the lid crashed onto the ground, a figure was revealed within.

The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.

"This is my method."

Orochimaru looked at Pain and said, "As long as you can find the remains of powerful figures from the past ninja world, even if it is only a single hair, I can revive and control them through Impure World Reincarnation. And I have not yet fully perfected this technique."

"Once it is perfected, I can control dozens of Kage Level experts at once, and their strength can likely reach eighty or ninety percent of what they possessed in life!"

"Well? This power is enough to threaten Akatsuki, isn't it? Even if Tobirama Senju is powerful, as long as there are enough Kage Level experts, they can hold him back even if they cannot kill him."

"If you can find the corpse of Madara Uchiha, the legendary Asura of the Ninja World, then killing Tobirama Senju would not be difficult..."

As for why Madara Uchiha rather than Hashirama Senju, it was because during the Konoha Crush, the incomplete Impure World Reincarnation had summoned Hashirama Senju, only for him to be sealed by Tobirama Senju. Orochimaru could no longer summon the God of Shinobi.

Madara Uchiha?!

Upon hearing the name Orochimaru had spoken, Pain and Konan could not help but freeze.

A figure wearing a spiral mask appeared in Nagato's mind.

However, Nagato already had an answer in his heart as to whether that person was truly Madara Uchiha.

Seeing Orochimaru reveal his method, even Nagato felt a trace of wariness, and he immediately sank into deep thought.

Not long after,

Pain raised his head and nodded at Orochimaru. "I can agree to your terms, but when we move against Konoha, I will have the final say over the use of Impure World Reincarnation."

"As for Itachi Uchiha, I can give him to you. But it will take a few days before I can act on your behalf."

"Agreed!"

Orochimaru hesitated slightly before nodding in agreement.

He had spent who knew how many years, before and after, trying to obtain Itachi Uchiha's body. He did not mind waiting a little longer.

It was then that Sasori of the Red Sands interrupted.

"After Itachi Uchiha dies, I want his corpse."

At those words, Orochimaru, Pain, Konan, and Kabuto all looked over.

Then Orochimaru agreed with a sinister smile. "Of course. I'm no longer interested in his body."

In the past, Orochimaru would never have let a perfect vessel like Itachi Uchiha go. But now, he had fused with Guren's Crystal Release body, and from their previous time working together in Akatsuki, he had seen that Itachi Uchiha's body was already terminally ill.

What he wanted now was merely Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan.

After all, who would want the body of a sickly invalid when they could have a healthy body?

As for Sasori using Itachi's corpse to make a Human Puppet, that was none of his concern.

Pain and Orochimaru's deal, along with the plan to hunt Itachi Uchiha, had quietly been set in motion. No sixth person in the entire ninja world knew of it.

At this moment, Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki were carrying out a mercenary mission commissioned by a small ninja village in a minor nation.

As for the battle, Kisame Hoshigaki was carrying out a one-sided slaughter.

Itachi followed at his side, finishing off the ninja who had not yet died. Sasuke Uchiha's face filled his mind.

He had to find a way to return to Konoha. After all, his agreement with the village's higher-ups had only been with the former Konoha leadership. Now, those people had either been arrested or killed. Even Hiruzen Sarutobi had been confined by the Hokage.

He wanted to meet Tobirama Senju. Itachi did not know what this former Hokage was like, but Shimura Danzō, Tobirama's disciple, had always believed the Uchiha clan should be completely exterminated. Itachi feared that Sasuke might be in danger if he remained in the village.