Tsunade had actually come looking for Orochimaru. Now that was a welcome sight.
It seemed she had already made her choice~
Otsutsuki Toneri then left the room without answering Orochimaru.
Orochimaru did not mind, either. Instead, he lowered his head slightly in thought.
"It seems Tsunade's change has a great deal to do with this Otsutsuki Toneri. But the winds on this continent are growing stronger and stronger. Heh heh..."
Orochimaru gave a sinister laugh, a chilling light of madness flickering in his two golden, slit-pupiled eyes.
Tsunade coming to him had indeed been unexpected. After all, although they had once been inseparable teammates who could rely on one another,
as the beliefs and wills of the three of them gradually diverged, their bond had indeed remained, but the paths they each walked were completely different.
Yet what Tsunade had told him had stirred his heart intensely. So, surprised as he was, he had helped her without hesitation!
Because he wanted to see what waves Tsunade's wind would stir up!
"Heh heh heh... Stirring up the wind myself is just as entertaining as waiting for it to rise. Konoha, heh heh..."
The sinister laughter slowly faded, and the building fell completely silent.
Meanwhile, Otsutsuki Toneri and his two companions had just walked out of Otogakure.
"Young master, that Orochimaru's gaze was utterly revolting. And he was thinking of some filthy things, too." Otsutsuki Quxian glanced back at Otogakure, barely concealing the disgust in her eyes.
Then she turned to Otsutsuki Toneri and spoke with a slight frown. The way Orochimaru had looked at her and Otsutsuki Toneri,
the covetousness and burning intensity hidden deep in his eyes, had truly made her skin crawl.
That gaze had not been like looking at a human at all, but at a priceless treasure.
"Orochimaru is nothing more than something wearing human skin. Don't worry about him. He can't stir up much trouble." At her words, Otsutsuki Toneri smiled faintly.
Strictly speaking, Orochimaru could no longer be considered human. His very nature had long since changed.
From the White Snake genes injected into him as a child, to his various snake ninjutsu later on, and finally the White Snake Summoning Technique and Eight Branches Technique,
all the signs showed that he had already become half snake!
But regardless, that was all Orochimaru amounted to. Though he coveted Otsutsuki Toneri's and Otsutsuki Quxian's bodies with great fervor,
what of it?
What did not belong to him would never belong to him. If Orochimaru dared act on those desires,
Otsutsuki Toneri would not mind sending him on his way. With Yin-Yang Release, he could erase his soul outright!
"Then, my lord, where are we going next?" Yugito asked curiously. At this point, she genuinely felt that following Otsutsuki Toneri had been worthwhile.
In this short time, she had encountered experiences she had never had in her previous twenty years.
Most importantly, there was respect and recognition!
Whether it was Mizukage Mei Terumi and the people of Kirigakure, or Orochimaru, whose name had once shaken the Shinobi World, they all looked at her with recognition in their eyes!
Compared with her former days in Kumogakure, she preferred her life now.
At her question, Otsutsuki Toneri looked down at the Akatsuki ring he was toying with, a faint smile curling his lips.
"Next... we're going to Amegakure!"
(Ten updates today! For all this grinding Shiguang is doing, please show your support, babies! Flowers and everything else!)
Chapter 84: Obito's Swelling Arrogance! Third Update!
Meanwhile, at the top of a towering Central Tower in Amegakure, three people were talking.
"A new member? How strong is he?" Dressed in an ornate Akatsuki cloak, the short, orange-haired Deva Path Pain looked expressionlessly at the figure a short distance before him and spoke evenly.
His voice held not the slightest fluctuation or trace of emotion, as calm and cold as a robot's.
The blue-haired Konan, also dressed in an Akatsuki cloak, stood quietly beside Pain, watching that figure.
"You needn't worry about his strength. He defeated the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails single-handedly." Seated on a table, the figure wearing a yellow spiral mask was likewise dressed in Akatsuki Clothing, speaking evenly in a low voice.
His mask covered his entire face, revealing only a scarlet right eye-a Sharingan!
Obito Uchiha, the man who had inherited everything from Madara Uchiha, including his name!
"Even if this Otsutsuki Toneri you mentioned is strong enough, what about his goals? If he doesn't share our ideals, bringing him into the Akatsuki wouldn't be appropriate." Konan gave Obito Uchiha a cold glance and spoke in an icy voice.
She disliked this man intensely, even loathed him, because she could sense the endless, abyss-like darkness in his heart!
"His goals don't matter. As long as he's strong and can be recruited, isn't that enough? We only need his power, after all." Obito Uchiha's voice remained calm and low as he spoke evenly.
"Correct. Peace requires power to obtain. As long as he is willing to join us and lend me his strength, that is enough," Pain agreed. To him, what the members of the Akatsuki actually thought was unimportant.
What he needed was their power, power at his disposal to advance toward peace!
Konan fell silent at his words. Since Pain agreed, she naturally would not object.
"Zetsu has already contacted him. He should be coming to Amegakure soon. I'll leave it to you, Pain." Obito Uchiha nodded. Then a Space-Time Vortex slowly swallowed him, and he vanished from the table.
"Pain, this man is becoming more and more unsettling!" Konan turned toward Pain with a frown, speaking with some concern.
"It doesn't matter. Before a god, he is merely a clown." Pain answered evenly and looked out the window, his expression calm, leaving others unable to guess what he was thinking.
Meanwhile, Otsutsuki Toneri and his companions were slowly making their way toward Amegakure, but there was now another figure in their group.
Dressed in an Akatsuki cloak, with pitcher plant leaves surrounding his head, it was Black and White Zetsu.
"Is that so? It seems Obito wasn't suspicious? Have things going smoothly these past few years really made him lose himself?" Listening to Black Zetsu, Otsutsuki Toneri could not help chuckling, his tone somewhere between mockery and disdain.
Black Zetsu had already told Obito Uchiha about him and suggested that Obito bring Otsutsuki Toneri into the Akatsuki.
Obito Uchiha had merely asked a few basic questions about Otsutsuki Toneri before readily agreeing, without questioning anything else.
But under these circumstances, Obito should have carefully investigated Otsutsuki Toneri's background and intelligence first.
Because Otsutsuki Toneri's surname was Otsutsuki!
Others might not know what the surname Otsutsuki meant, but Obito could not possibly have been unaware.
The stone tablet in the Uchiha Clan shrine held information Black Zetsu had altered, and it mentioned the Sage of Six Paths' true name!
Having inherited everything from Madara Uchiha, Obito should naturally have understood the significance of the surname Otsutsuki!
Yet he had not come in person to meet someone who bore that surname?
"Obito has begun to grow arrogant. He's immersed himself too deeply in his role and really thinks he's Madara Uchiha, doesn't he?" Black Zetsu likewise offered a mocking remark, disdain flashing in his golden eyes.
Obito Uchiha was merely a pitiful man, completely dancing in the palm of Madara Uchiha's hand.
Perhaps the smooth sailing of recent years had made him grow conceited and arrogant.
After all, he had controlled Yagura outright and brought Kirigakure, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, to ruin.
"Never mind. So everything with the Akatsuki has already been arranged?" Otsutsuki smiled and dropped the subject of Obito Uchiha.
Obito could indeed be considered an outstanding man. Though he could not compare to an unrivaled powerhouse like Madara Uchiha, his caliber could certainly be called excellent.
It was just somewhat regrettable that his life had already been decided from the moment Madara Uchiha set his sights on him.
"Yes, all that's left is for you to visit Amegakure, Toneri. But Nagato has become rather extreme, and he's excessively confident in his own power. You'll need to be a little tolerant when the time comes."
Black Zetsu answered, then hesitated slightly and chose his words before giving Otsutsuki Toneri that reminder.
According to their plan, they still needed Nagato to open the chapter of chaos later on.
But because of his intense hatred, Nagato's personality had now gone completely to extremes, and the power of the Rinnegan had made him exceedingly self-centered and arrogant.
Black Zetsu feared that Nagato's arrogant, grandiose remarks might anger Otsutsuki Toneri, and Toneri might be unable to resist killing him...
If that happened, Black Zetsu would have a headache. After all, a pawn and lackey who followed the script as perfectly as Nagato was not easy to find.
"Rest assured, great-uncle. I do have that much tolerance." Otsutsuki Toneri smiled. His composure and magnanimity were not things ordinary people could compare with.
A mere Nagato with a terminal case of delusions of grandeur could not affect him.
Besides, this fellow was nothing more than a pawn whose fate had long since been arranged!
(Please support me with everything you've got! Kisses~)
Chapter 85: Toneri Is Our New Member! Fourth Chapter!
Amegakure was a village shrouded in persistent drizzle all year round. Because of its unique geographical location,
Amegakure had been an innocent victim during the past Shinobi World Wars.
Amegakure lay at the junction of three great nations: the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Wind. Its position was far too awkward.
When titans clashed, ordinary people suffered. Such was Amegakure's lot.
Thus, Amegakure had once truly been shrouded in suffering and sorrow, while the great nations waged endless wars for their own interests.
Yet how innocent were those caught in the flames of war?
They lost family and friends, their once-happy homes shattered in an instant, and the skies over Amegakure had never been clear again.
And so the Akatsuki had come into being!
"Follow me, Toneri. They should be waiting for you." Black Zetsu spoke to Otsutsuki Toneri, then turned and walked into the curtain of rain.
The unceasing drizzle that fell on Amegakure year-round was actually Deva Path Pain's Rain Tiger at Will Technique!
These raindrops contained Pain's chakra, so he could sense anyone who entered Amegakure.
Otsutsuki Toneri glanced at Amegakure's tallest building, the Central Tower. A smile curled his lips as he walked into Amegakure.
Before you continue