The first issue facing the Akatsuki was the sudden resurrection of the Fourth Hokage couple.
If not for their resurrection, Konoha's main fighting force would never have escaped Planetary Devastation, triggering the chain of events that followed. Now, the Akatsuki also had to remain constantly wary of surprise attacks from the Fourth Hokage.
Having abandoned its stronghold in Amegakure, the Akatsuki had now also lost its advantage of being able to attack shinobi villages at any time.
"Could Orochimaru have resurrected the Fourth Hokage couple?" Juzo Biwa asked. Orochimaru's ability to reincarnate dead powerful shinobi was already an open secret within the Akatsuki.
Once Juzo Biwa spoke, the other Akatsuki members began discussing Orochimaru.
Orochimaru was the sort of ninja who always managed to spring surprises. Whether defecting from the organization or reincarnating dead ninja, his actions could only be called audacious.
Everyone knew the consequences of betraying the organization, yet Orochimaru had gone through with it without hesitation.
Looking at this group of unruly missing-nin, Nagato inexplicably felt that discussing this matter with them had been a mistake. If they had possessed any political sense beyond fighting, they would never have been forced to become missing-nin.
After fighting them at close range, he was certain that the Fourth Hokage couple had not been brought back through Impure World Reincarnation. Instead, they existed in another state between life and death. If he had to draw a comparison, they were somewhat similar to Sasori, who had been missing for a long time.
Other than Orochimaru, he could think of no one who possessed such a technique.
Orochimaru had both the motive and the strength to stop the Akatsuki from collecting tailed beasts. After all, Nagato had recently destroyed Otogakure, where Orochimaru had taken refuge.
At that thought, Nagato felt both furious