Inside the shrine atop the mountain.
When Aoki Tsuki and Orochimaru arrived, Deva Path Pain was sitting cross -Rinnegan scanning each member who entered.
Konan stood to the side and behind Pain, like an angel guarding her god, her face indifferent, like a statue.
When his gaze fell on Aoki Tsuki, a slight fluctuation was revealed.
I could hear their voice from a great distance; they were quite loud. A ninja like that shouldn't live long.
It just keeps getting stronger and stronger; it makes no sense.
"Greetings, Chief, Konan. Greetings."
"Okay, let's find a place to sit. The new member will be here soon," Pain said with a slight nod.
Regardless of whether Aoki Tsuki is a good person or not, he is indeed capable of taking things in stride and gave the leader ample face in front of so many people.
He was very satisfied.
Unlike a certain restless venomous snake, which treated him like air, didn't even greet him, and simply found a place to close its eyes and take a nap.
call...
Aoki Tsuki found a stone stool, blew away the dust, and sat down.
"Leader, who is this new member? Why are so many of us waiting for him?"
"He's not exactly a newcomer. He's been responsible for providing intelligence on Xiao all along, and he's a very rare talent. He officially joins us today."
In Pain's eyes, only the core members were considered people of Akatsuki; those on the periphery were not.
"I see, so you've been promoted to a permanent position."
Aoki Tsuki immediately understood Pain's meaning: Zetsu was about to officially join in and monitor all of Akatsuki's actions.
This indicates that Obito has begun to fully intervene in Akatsuki's affairs.
"You could say that." Pain agreed with the reasoning given by Aoki Tsuki.
It's inexplicable that someone as obscure as Jue has been made a core member; others will have objections.
These S-rank rogue ninjas were all fiercely independent and refused to submit to each other.
"By the way, there's some information about you. The underground Exchange increased your bounty from 30 million taels to 50 million taels. They're probably from Konoha."
Be extra careful when you're out and about.
"No wonder I felt that Kakuzu- senpai's gaze was off; now I understand." Aoki Tsuki realized.
The most dangerous people in the entire Shinobi World are all gathered here, okay? He needs to be careful of these colleagues.
Kakuzu said with dissatisfaction, "Hmph, now that you've taken control of the Jashin Cult, your wealth accumulation rate should surpass mine very soon, right?"
"Sigh, I don't really have a concept of money anymore, Kakuzu- senpai. Times have changed; it's no longer the era of fighting alone."
"You're really rich! Lend me some; I need to buy a lot of materials for my puppet research, and I don't have enough on hand..."
Before Scorpion could finish his excuse, a white scroll was tossed over.
"Don't worry about lending it, just take it and use it. To be honest, I'm tired of eating seafood sashimi Tenten."
I can't refuse to eat; it would dampen the enthusiasm of my subordinates. I just want to endure a couple of days of hardship.
Rice balls, pickled vegetables, dry bread—simple and plain is the best.
His boastful act immediately drew everyone's attention to Aoki Tsuki, and no one wanted to talk to him anymore.
She was afraid he would use her as a backdrop to show off.
Especially Kisame Hoshigaki. Itachi always said he was a chatterbox, but compared to this person in front of him, he felt he was too honest.
Aoki Tsuki lived the life he had always dreamed of.
'Hmph, I hope this guy's skills are as good as his eloquence.'
Thinking of this, Kisame spoke up, " Kisame Hoshigaki, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist of the Mist, I've often heard people talking about your name while I'm on missions lately."
I am proficient in swordsmanship and Water Release, which happen to be my main areas of expertise. Would I have the honor of sparring with you?
Aoki Tsuki was taken aback for a moment, then nodded and said, "Of course, I haven't met a worthy opponent in a long time. I hope you can give me a good time."
Anyway, nobody knows how many times he's lost, so let's just brag about it first and create a psychological deterrent for the enemy.
When encountering an enemy of equal strength, he will fight if he can win, and flee if he cannot.
"What you're saying is really infuriating!" Kisame, sounding a little angry.
We're all S-rank rogue ninja, who do we look down on? Now that he has Samehada, his strength has greatly increased, and he doesn't care about anyone.
"Don't be angry. I like to speak with facts, not personal attacks. Let's find a place to try it out later."
Nobody believes you're judging the issue, not the person.
"Hehe, let's wait and see."
Kisame sneered, closed his eyes, and focused his mind on preparing for the upcoming battle.
Choosing Aoki Tsuki was something he had planned long ago. As a newcomer, it was a good opportunity to flex his muscles and gain a foothold in the organization.
Pain remained silent throughout, neither opposing nor supporting the statement.
Kisame Hoshigaki was introduced by Madara, so he is undoubtedly one of Madara's men, and the timing was perfect, right after Juzo Biwa died.
That's quite intriguing.
This is a good opportunity for Aoki Tsuki to assess Kisame's strength and gain a clear understanding of his abilities.
Konan glanced at Aoki Tsuki. Based on her understanding of him, she was pretty sure it was intentional, a way to suppress and retaliate.
The Jashin Cult launched a surprise attack on Kirigakure, and shortly afterward, Juzo Biwa died. Madara then arranged for Kisame to join Akatsuki.
It's likely that both sides have caused each other a lot of trouble behind the scenes.
At that moment, an aloe vera-shaped head appeared in the open space in front of Pain. Black and White Zetsu appeared, and its strange appearance immediately attracted the attention of many people.
"Hello everyone, I'm 'Jue', please take care of me from now on."
The one speaking was White Zetsu, while Black Zetsu acted as if he didn't exist.
Orochimaru smiled wickedly when he saw Zetsu's appearance. He had guessed that Zetsu was also in Akatsuki when he saw Tobi.
It's not surprising at all that the latter officially joined.
However, the other half of the Black Zetsu, the missing half of Zetsu's head, slightly piqued his interest.
Pain, who had originally intended to make an introduction, immediately stopped upon hearing this and handed the ring representing 'Black Tortoise' to Black and White Zetsu. Konan, as usual, handed over the long robe.
"Zetsu, from now on you are a full member of Akatsuki. Akatsuki's ultimate goal requires your strength."
"Clear."
Jue turned to the others and said, "If any of you need to gather intelligence, you can contact me privately for a discounted price."
Nobody paid him any attention.
These rogue ninjas were all extremely cautious; they would never dare to use other people's intelligence in private.
Even Pain doesn't dare to use Zetsu's information lightly now.
"Alright, that concludes this gathering. Now, we need to speed things up and extend Akatsuki's reach to every corner of the Shinobi World."
Seeing that Akatsuki had grown into a behemoth, even the Five Great Nations dared not underestimate it.
Once that red line is crossed, the Five Great Nations will certainly not sit idly by; they will unite to suppress it, or even use force to eliminate it.
"Then I'll be going now, everyone."
With a final shout, it sank into the ground and disappeared.
Aoki Tsuki stood up and said to Kisame, "Let's go, let's find a place to have a proper match."
Kisame nodded, then silently followed, carrying Samehada on his back.
Everyone else also dispersed, pretending to leave.
Orochimaru glanced at Uchiha Itachi, then left the shrine, seemingly heading down the mountain, but actually wandering around on the mountain.
Not long after, we saw Itachi walking down the mountain path.
"Heh..., so you've finally arrived?"
Orochimaru stuck out his tongue and licked it. This was the opportunity he had been waiting for. He couldn't fight against the Rinnegan, so he had no choice but to settle for second best.
By taking over Itachi's body, he could gain access to the Uchiha's most powerful abilities.
On the mountain path, Itachi went downhill and Orochimaru went uphill. As they passed each other, Orochimaru suddenly turned around and launched a sneak attack.
" Hidden Shadow Snake Hands "
Hiss... hiss...
A python darted out from Orochimaru's sleeve and coiled around the Uchiha's body.
Orochimaru, thinking he had succeeded, said smugly, "Do you know what eternal life is, Itachi?"
The snake contracted and tightened its coils, lifting the weasel up.
"I don't know either, so I need a new body, the perfect vessel for me to achieve eternity."
Itachi replied calmly, "In the end, it's nothing more than your own desires."
Thump thump... thump thump...
Orochimaru's heart skipped a beat as he realized he was under Genjutsu. At that moment, one of his feet was stepping onto the stairs leading up to the top.
What he just witnessed was merely his imagination; Itachi had used Genjutsu to ambush him before he could make a move.
"I can't believe I've been Body Immobilization Technique?!"
Orochimaru was extremely shocked. Inside the Genjutsu space, he had been impaled by several huge iron nails and was unable to move.
With his immense strength, he was actually hit by such a basic Ninjutsu.
"What powerful eye energy! It's wonderful."
However, with his strong willpower, he slowly raised his hands, attempting to Hand Seals to dispel the Genjutsu.
Pfft...
Itachi acted decisively once again, severing Orochimaru's left arm with Kunai. Blood spurted out, and the pain instantly brought Orochimaru back to reality.
"Ah..." Orochimaru wailed, clutching his severed arm.
Itachi, holding Kunai and said, " Orochimaru, all your actions are meaningless before these eyes."
"You've got quite the nerve!" Orochimaru roared, feeling humiliated by being easily defeated by a Orochimaru.
"I don't know what to do with you—kill you immediately, or use you for other purposes."
Itachi pressed the tip of Kunai against Orochimaru's head, thoroughly humiliating him.
"Itachi!..."
"You have too many desires, recklessly trampling on life."
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
Several Shuriken suddenly shot from the side, forcing Itachi back. Kabuto appeared in a flash; the basic principle was that the two of them should deal with the Uchiha.
Orochimaru couldn't possibly have been unprepared for a countermeasure against Itachi, who had slaughtered the Uchiha Clan.
I'll remember this debt; I'll definitely pay you back someday!
Orochimaru uttered a harsh threat, Kabuto threw out a smoke bomb, and the two took the opportunity to flee in a sorry state.
Itachi continued down the mountain as if nothing had happened, which, to some extent, forced Orochimaru to leave Akatsuki, fulfilling his underlying needs.
He would then report this matter to Pain and have Orochimaru hunted down.