"No," Pain replied.
He really hadn't told anyone, except Konan...
Obito nodded. "Then I'm relieved..."
It would be strange if I didn't reassure him. After suffering such a huge loss this time, how can I remain in charge if I don't get my revenge?
This isn't over yet.
While outwardly remaining calm, Obito had already decided to teach Pain a lesson.
"Well... that's enough for now, I'm leaving."
After Obito left, Konan said, "Why would Madara pay attention to 'Moon'? They shouldn't have any connection."
She couldn't believe that the other person had traveled all the way from the Land of Water to Amegakure just to remind Aoki Tsuki to keep a low profile.
Ban wasn't that kind.
It's possible that Aoki Tsuki's actions outside have harmed Madara's interests.
"That kind of thing is irrelevant."
Pain completely disregarded Madara's warning and wouldn't actually remind Aoki Tsuki to be careful.
If it's a personal grudge, resolve it privately.
What bothered him most was that Madara had suddenly become interested in Akatsuki's affairs; this wasn't good news, as Madara might be trying to seize control of the narrative.
The most urgent task is to meet with Orochimaru and see what his sincerity is.
On this day, Pain, accompanied by Sasori, met Orochimaru in a dense forest.
To join Akatsuki, one naturally needs to demonstrate sufficient strength, which is the same in any organization.
"You stinking snake, die!"
Sasori manipulated Hiruko to unleash Senbon Rain arrows, firing wildly at Orochimaru.
For some reason, he disliked Orochimaru from the first moment he saw him; it might be due to the natural food chain relationship—a venomous snake eats a scorpion.
It just doesn't suit my taste.
"Ahhhhh..."
Orochimaru's body was pierced by countless iron spikes, and he screamed in agony.
"Stop pretending, I know you're not dead." Sasori was furious at Orochimaru's nonchalant attitude.
Orochimaru's body turned into a pile of mud, while his true form slowly emerged from the ground beside him.
"Hehe... Sasori of the Red Sands, as expected, everyone in Akatsuki is quite powerful. It seems I'll have to show you my true strength as well," Orochimaru said with a smile.
Scorpion retorted without any politeness, "You'd better not disappoint me!"
" The Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes "
Orochimaru lay sprawled on the ground, a venomous snake crawling out of his mouth. It then rapidly multiplied, expanding exponentially under the influence of Chakra.
In the blink of an eye, a Overturning Mountains and Seas wave of venomous snakes surged forth.
"Hmph, a mere trick."
Scorpion took out a scroll with his right hand and instantly released hundreds of Human Puppet, Eight Gates a variety of weapons including broadswords, spears, serrated blades, machetes, and chains.
These were his handpicked elite troops, with formidable combat capabilities, a numbers-on-numbers battle.
Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets, Kill!
Puff puff puff...
The puppets, from the sky to the ground, formed a human wall, effectively blocking the surging tide of snakes.
The so-called snake venom is completely ineffective against them, who are puppets.
In an instant, blood and flesh flew everywhere, and the two sides clashed fiercely thousands of times, comparable to a medium-sized battle.
After fighting for about ten minutes, both sides were starting to tire.
Clang!!
A beam of white light silently pierced through the battlefield and suddenly appeared in front of Hiruko.
clang...
The scorpion's tail shot out instantly, ensnaring the incoming weapon in the blink of an eye. Only then did it become clear that it was a sword, very, very long.
It extended all the way into Orochimaru's mouth.
"I knew you'd pull a sneak attack."
"Heh..." Orochimaru chuckled coldly and retracted the Kusanagi Sword.
Ninjas are all about cunning; there's nothing to be ashamed of.
" Summoning Technique "
Thud...
A gigantic python appeared on the battlefield, its tail sweeping across and destroying more than a dozen Scorpion Human Puppet —a complete and utter display of power.
Upon seeing this, Scorpion immediately lost his Hiruko, and fought in his true form.
He also took out the Third Kazekage, and fine Iron Sand filings condensed in the air to form a large iron cone, which he smashed towards the giant snake's head.
boom...
The giant snake quickly dodged, avoiding the terrifying impact.
Scorpion continued to manipulate the iron spikes to attack, but the giant snake was quite clever and always managed to dodge. Finally, he condensed the Iron Sand into the shape of an iron hand and grabbed the snake by its vital spot.
" Iron Sand - Traitorous Slave"
puff..!!
Blood rained down from the sky.
"Hehehe... This is timeless art. If you beg for mercy now, I might just take pity on you," Scorpion chuckled.
Despite saying that, Iron Hand transformed into a cube once more and plummeted downwards.
boom...
"Huh? He dodged it."
The giant cube slid and pushed across the ground.
Thud...
Countless trees around the area were broken, and in a short time, a clearing the size of a football field was created in the forest.
Orochimaru was also a stubborn person; he only focused on dodging and refused to utter a sound.
Before long, Sasori got tired of playing, Orochimaru's lower body would transform into snake limbs, moving incredibly fast across the ground.
Slippery.
"Hmph, I'm fed up too. Let's stop here, Iron Sand World Method."
The Iron Sand rose rapidly into the air, spreading downwards like tree roots, blocking all escape routes.
Puff puff puff...
The hole was driven into the ground about a meter deep, leaving nowhere to hide.
Moreover, these Iron Sand are poisoned; if they even graz the skin, it's fatal.
At this moment, Orochimaru was sprawled on his back, pinned firmly to the ground by several iron spikes, unable to move.
"It's over!"
Seeing this, Sasori retrieved the Iron Sand and resealed the Third Kazekage Human Puppet.
Deva Path Pain to the side, accurately detected through his Rinnegan that Orochimaru's Chakra was still active, indicating that the other party was not dead at all.
"No, it's not over yet..."
Sure enough, the corpse's mouth was suddenly forced open by two hands, and a new Orochimaru swam out, covered in slime.
'Have you used your own body as a substitute?'
Deva Path Pain, standing to the side, witnessed everything and gained a new understanding of Orochimaru's abilities.
Taking advantage of Sasori's Deva Path Pain lapse in concentration, Orochimaru swiftly bypassed him and charged straight at Pain, who was not far behind him, a triumphant smile on his face.
Clearly, he had already recognized that the other person's eyes were the legendary Rinnegan.
"I'll take these eyes!"
Just as his fingers were about to touch his eyes, a powerful repulsive force suddenly emanated from Deva Path Pain's body.
A typhoon exceeding level 10 was triggered on the spot.
Rumble...
Orochimaru was like a small boat in a raging sea, drifting with the current, and was thrown away by the shockwave.
"Ah... what kind of power is this?"
After so many years, he once again felt his own insignificance, and that feeling of powerlessness swept through every cell of his body.
He was immediately replaced by excitement and couldn't help but stick out his tongue and lick his lips.
"What beautiful eyes, what powerful strength! This is so interesting, I must get it."
This unknown held an immense attraction for him, continuously providing direction for his research and demonstrating that there was still a path to be taken.
" Orochimaru, there's a limit to jokes," Deva Path Pain warned.
That was banditry; they actually tried to steal the Rinnegan.
"Hehe... I was just curious."
Orochimaru wasn't embarrassed at all. Since he had failed, he could only patiently wait for another opportunity to seize the opportunity and stabilize the situation first.
He explained, "I held back in the fight just now, and regarding that... 'Scorpion'... you should have sensed that too."
So you're saying you're going along with me?
Scorpion rolled his eyes; he had been so focused on having fun that he hadn't thought about anything else.
"I didn't say that. If you insist on thinking that way, then there's nothing I can do..."
Orochimaru was quite helpless, as Sasori's prejudice against snakes was separated by a species.
In the eyes of a petty person, there are no gentlemen!
"How about it? My skills should meet your recruitment requirements, and the intelligence and technology I possess will be a great help to your organization."
This interview should have gotten full marks, but that last impression reduced my score to zero.
If the organization weren't short-staffed, I really wouldn't have wanted to give them this offer.
Deva Path Pain closed his eyes and considered for a moment before reluctantly saying, "Alright, I'll let you join."
"Hey, are you really letting him join? This guy clearly has ulterior motives; he'll definitely be a problem later," Scorpion warned.
Now, Sasori has developed a sense of belonging to Akatsuki and is very dedicated to what he does.
The thought of becoming Orochimaru's colleague made him feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Instead of letting him spies around and cause us trouble, it's better to let him in. I'll keep an eye on him myself."
Deva Path Pain warned Orochimaru, "If you dare to play any tricks, I guarantee you'll die a horrible death."
"Please believe me, I also have professional ethics, okay?!" Orochimaru assured him confidently.
"That would be best, Scorpion. Take him to the assembly."
Deva Path Pain turned and left.
"Knew."
Although Scorpion was dissatisfied, he could only obey his leader's orders. "Follow me, you stinking snake."
Orochimaru watched Deva Path Pain's departing figure and thought to himself, "I feel like I've seen that face somewhere before."
Suddenly, he remembered that the other person was wearing the Forehead Protector of Amegakure, and a scene from many years ago came to mind.
'Heh, isn't fate quite interesting? Jiraiya. '
The Land of Rivers, on the side of a canyon through which a river flows, is where Akatsuki's secret base is located.
The entrance is a red torii gate, which is actually a sealing barrier. Ninjas who are unaware of the seal style will suffer a backlash if they rashly touch it.
The sealing boulder had been raised, and Orochimaru followed Sasori inside.
At this moment, there were five people standing inside: Deva Path Pain, Konan, Aoki Tsuki, Kakuzu, and Jūzō.
"A new member has arrived! Orochimaru, Sannin Orochimaru, welcome to Akatsuki!"
Deva Path Pain placed the ring marked 'empty' into Orochimaru's hand and explained its functions.
Konan handed over a long robe with a black background and red clouds.
Orochimaru didn't say a word, obediently completing the procedures without rushing to inquire about Akatsuki's plans. He had plenty of time and patience.
"So, you mean as long as you complete the fixed tasks each year, you can use the rest of your time as you please?"
"Yes, we don't impose any restrictions on our members; they can just do what they like."
"That sounds really good..."
Orochimaru was very satisfied. This was equivalent to being nominally affiliated with Akatsuki, while also receiving protection and being able to gather more information through the Akatsuki platform.
Just do what you normally do.
This is practically a paradise for rogue ninja; no wonder Akatsuki rose to prominence so quickly and gained such popularity among them.
However, Deva Path Pain next made Orochimaru somewhat unhappy.
" Orochimaru, you'll team up with Sasori for the mission for now."
"What? You want me to partner with this stinky snake! Can't you find someone else?" Scorpion complained, clearly dissatisfied.
Orochimaru chimed in, "I also agree to change partners; Light is perfect."
" Lord Orochimaru, you're joking! How could I possibly team up with you with my meager strength? You and Sasori, working together, must have so much to talk about, haha..."
Aoki Tsuki was so frightened that he quickly shook his head. Teaming up with Orochimaru meant he wouldn't be able to sleep.
"The moon has a separate mission to perform; let's leave it at that for now and adjust it later depending on the situation."
Deva Path Pain directly rejected Orochimaru's request. Sasori was there to keep Orochimaru in check, and he would also be watching from the shadows.
Afterwards, the simple gathering came to an end, and everyone went their separate ways.