Orochimaru had spent so long pretending to be a brute that he relished the chance to relax. He chuckled. "What are you afraid of? Even if Manda digests you, I'll be in there with you!"
Seeing Orochimaru smile put Deidara somewhat at ease. He had expected life in the Akatsuki to be an uphill battle, but being able to talk and laugh like this felt good.
"We should hurry. It'll be hard to explain if we take too long to come out!" Deidara wanted this easy moment to last, but he was more worried about messing things up on his first day. He couldn't help urging Orochimaru on.
"You're in quite a hurry." Despite his words, Orochimaru appreciated Deidara's caution. Here, caution mattered more than anything. Without it, a person could easily end up dead.
"Since you insist, I'll get straight to it. This place is just as dangerous as you think. We do whatever Pain tells us to do. No matter what mission he assigns, we accept it and carry it out."
Orochimaru's expression was grave. Deidara's face shifted several times before he asked, "What if we're ordered to slaughter innocent people?"
Orochimaru hadn't expected Deidara to get straight to the heart of the matter. He smiled approvingly. "Then it's up to you to improvise. Saving the innocent without getting caught is our secret mission."
Deidara's mouth nearly twitched. That sounded far harder than anything else. "Isn't there another way?"
Orochimaru smiled and shook his head. Then his expression turned cold. "You could kill them instead."
Deidara froze. "I understand. I'll figure something out myself!" Orochimaru gave him an approving look.
Orochimaru went on to tell Deidara everything he knew, down to the smallest detail, including the current Akatsuki members and their personalities.
Their conversation lasted a full twenty