Second Transaction

Aoba had nothing but admiration for a ninja like Orochimaru, who had taken playing with snakes to the extreme.

The white snake on the ground was obviously Orochimaru's signature. He waved Yumi over and had her take Karin inside, while he brought the white snake to another room.

Once the white snake saw that no one was around, it opened its mouth and spat out a scroll. Aoba opened it, and after a puff of white smoke, Orochimaru appeared before him.

No, it could not have been the real Orochimaru. No matter how bold he was, he would not dare stroll in here so openly.

This was probably some special Clone Technique. Using the white snake and a Reverse Summoning Technique prepared in advance, it had appeared before Aoba.

This method was remarkably ingenious and convenient, but it was not without a counter. Once Konoha noticed it, the Barrier Team could seal off this kind of reverse summoning.

"Lord Orochimaru, it has been a long time."

"Heh heh, Aoba-kun. I have missed you terribly. I can hardly wait to conduct our next transaction."

So eager. Aoba had expected Orochimaru to contact him eventually, but he had thought it would take at least half a year.

Yet Orochimaru had contacted him again after only around three months, and through such a dangerous method.

That could only mean one thing: Orochimaru had probably taken the information Aoba gave him and tested it personally.

Although Itachi Uchiha almost completely countered Orochimaru, intelligence was actually crucial in clashes between ninja.

With Orochimaru's methods, if he had prepared in advance, Itachi Uchiha might not have been able to gain the upper hand.

Of course, neither side must have fought to the bitter end. Otherwise, if Itachi Uchiha brought out his Gundam and used the Totsuka Blade, Orochimaru would have been finished on the spot.

However, Itachi Uchiha probably would not fight Orochimaru to the death in order to save his eyes for Sasuke.

Still, this should have confirmed the accuracy of Aoba's intelligence for Orochimaru. That was why he was so impatient to continue their trade.

Aoba considered it for a moment before speaking.

"Fine. What information does Lord Orochimaru want?"

"The Rinnegan. I want information about the Rinnegan."

"Forgive my bluntness, but this may be the most valuable intelligence in the entire Shinobi World right now. I only know part of it, but its value remains immeasurable."

"Tsk tsk, Aoba-kun. I am becoming more and more curious about you. Even I have no leads whatsoever on such secret intelligence, yet you actually know it.

"Rest assured, I know your terms: an equal exchange. I came prepared as well."

"Very well. Let us begin. First, the Rinnegan possesses many abilities, but I only know those displayed by Akatsuki's leader so far.

"There is also something I must make clear in advance. Lord Orochimaru, although I have never joined Akatsuki, as far as I know, the Akatsuki leader you have seen is probably not the true leader."

"What do you mean?"

"This is one of the Rinnegan's abilities. What you saw was likely a special puppet created with the Rinnegan, a puppet far more advanced than ordinary Puppet Technique.

"Akatsuki's leader can sense everything the puppet sees and hears, as if he were personally present. At the same time, the puppet can use abilities unique to the Rinnegan. There are six such puppets in total."

That final sentence caused Orochimaru's expression to shift slightly. Though he had never fought the leader, he knew how powerful Akatsuki's members were.

As far as he knew, the leader had always been the one they saw. No one else had ever appeared. That meant a single puppet had subdued those powerful rogue ninja—and there were six such puppets.

"The puppet you saw is called the Deva Path. It can use two Rinnegan abilities: Shinra Tensei and Banshō Ten'in.

"Shinra Tensei is a repulsive force capable of pushing away all objects, ninjutsu, and even energy. Once unleashed, it is a perfect ninjutsu that combines offense and defense.

"Banshō Ten'in is the exact opposite. It can draw people, objects, or ninjutsu toward the user. It is a ninjutsu of absolute control."

Aoba stopped there. Though he knew the abilities of the other five paths perfectly well, saying too much at once would be rather absurd.

More importantly, if he revealed everything, Orochimaru would not be able to offer anything of equal value. After all, Jiraiya would one day pay for this intelligence with his life. Its value was self-evident.

"That is everything I know about the Rinnegan's abilities. I can be certain that the Rinnegan has more abilities that have never been displayed. Mainly because there may currently be no one in the entire Shinobi World qualified to make them reveal themselves in full."

"Tsk tsk, I see. I accept this intelligence. Aoba-kun, state your request. What do you want?"

"Sealing Jutsu. I need materials on Sealing Jutsu, everything from the basics to the advanced levels. Lord Orochimaru's attainments in Sealing Jutsu are exceptionally high. I trust that will not be a problem?"

"Sealing Jutsu?"

It had to be said that Aoba's requests always exceeded Orochimaru's expectations. Aside from the first trade, when he had asked for a Kusanagi Sword, the second transaction had left Orochimaru utterly baffled when Aoba requested Danzo's blood sample.

This time, he had assumed Aoba would ask for some forbidden jutsu in his possession, or perhaps another Kusanagi Sword. After all, swordsmen had almost no resistance to such things.

Yet Aoba had chosen materials on Sealing Jutsu.

"No problem. I will compile a set of Sealing Jutsu materials for you afterward. Now, let us continue."

Clearly, that earlier bit of intelligence was far from enough to satisfy Orochimaru's appetite. He wanted more.

Aoba thought it over and felt that the previous information on the Rinnegan had indeed been somewhat dry. Mainly because Orochimaru probably had no way to verify it as he had with Itachi.

To put it bluntly, if Orochimaru dared to seek trouble with Nagato at this point, he would probably go straight into Cursed Seal reincarnation.

"Fine." Aoba agreed to continue the transaction.

"Excellent. What I wish to know next is this: where did the Rinnegan come from?"

Orochimaru's question was somewhat vague, but Aoba understood what he meant. He simply had not expected Orochimaru to think of that.

"That is also something I am pursuing. I can only tell you the part I know."

"Fine. I trust that Aoba-kun will not disappoint me."

Aoba still chose to reveal things selectively. He needed Orochimaru to feel that he had gained something substantial, while ensuring that he did not develop greedy intentions toward him. Therefore, he had to weigh his response carefully.

"My current conclusion regarding this question is that the Rinnegan likely evolved from the Sharingan."

Orochimaru himself was obsessed with the Sharingan anyway, so Aoba might as well let him keep fixating on it.