Konoha had received intelligence on the Akatsuki before, but back then it had been no different from the countless other organizations in the Shinobi World. It had drawn little attention.
Now the Akatsuki was expanding rapidly in the Land of Rain, and it had worked with Hanzō several times.
Konoha naturally needed to investigate it thoroughly. After all, the Land of Rain bordered the Land of Fire.
Fugaku put the scroll away. It would probably take the team at least a week to complete its mission and return.
He did not intend to make a move this time. He would wait until each of them was alone.
In a Secret Laboratory in the Land of Fire, Orochimaru had grown almost feverish. Days of uninterrupted research had only made him more curious about the Black Substance's origins.
Danzo had said he obtained it from a living being. Orochimaru was curious about that being, too.
Over the past few days, he had discovered that the lump of Black Substance contained a fusion of all Seven Chakra Types.
That was the result of Orochimaru's preliminary research. Its more complex structure would require further study.
Ninja whose bodies contained all Seven Chakra Types did exist in the Shinobi World, but not one had fused them all.
Fusing two types produced a Kekkei Genkai. Fusing three produced a Kekkei Tōta, which, among living Ninja, only Ōnoki possessed.
Orochimaru could scarcely imagine fusing all seven.
He had once heard Fugaku speak of a path to fusing the seven Chakra types. According to Fugaku, anyone who accomplished it would become an all-powerful god.
At the time, Orochimaru had thought it absurd. Now he saw a glimmer of hope.
Fugaku had proposed two paths to immortality. Through his research into Impure World Reincarnation, Orochimaru had already made headway