Chihane understood this, and naturally, so did Orochimaru. That was precisely why Orochimaru was troubled. He had asked Chihane this question because he was already considering whether to wipe out the Akatsuki ahead of schedule.
When Chihane failed to answer for a long time, Orochimaru noticed his grave expression and tightly furrowed brows, and felt a little surprised. Whenever he had asked questions like this before, Chihane had never hesitated, always confidently declaring that there was no problem. Yet today, he looked like this. Could those Sage Eyes really be putting so much pressure on him?
Unable to help himself, he asked again, "Chihane, are even you unsure? Are those Sage Eyes really that powerful?"
Orochimaru's words interrupted Chihane's thoughts. Chihane looked up, saw the worry on Orochimaru's face, and realized that his prolonged silence had caused a misunderstanding. He smiled and said, "Teacher Orochimaru, a mere Nagato isn't worth my concern. I'm only worried that the Akatsuki will interfere with our plans."
Seeing that Chihane's answer was as blunt as ever, Orochimaru finally breathed a sigh of relief. He knew Chihane's strength well. If even Chihane wasn't confident he could deal with Nagato, sending more people would only mean throwing away more lives.
After pondering briefly, Orochimaru seemed to make a decision and proposed directly, "Chihane, the Akatsuki's existence has too great an impact on the village's development. What do you say we eliminate them outright?"
Chihane wasn't surprised in the slightest by Orochimaru's words. His teacher had never been a softhearted man, so this decision was hardly unexpected. More importantly, Chihane was thinking the same thing himself.
"Agreed!"
Despite Kumogakure's efforts to suppress the news that the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Blue B, had died and the Nine-Tails had been taken, too many people had witnessed the battle. Inevitably,