Orochimaru Was Extremely Excited

Shen Mo watched the group dressed in Black Cloud with Red as they ran through the night, and he could not help but feel a faint sense of anticipation.

To be fair, every member of the Akatsuki Organization possessed extraordinary talent.

Together, in the original plot, they absolutely counted as a top-tier group in the ninja world, with their combined strength even rivaling Konoha’s.

However—

"The situation is different now." Shen Mo muttered to himself, a hint of amusement on his face. "Orochimaru’s current strength probably qualifies as the strongest openly known in this world."

A Lich’s Immortal Body, five hundred Level 3 Chests from the Lich series.

Even figures like Uchiha Madara would find the current Orochimaru exceptionally troublesome to deal with.

Any single member of the Akatsuki Organization would certainly be ruthlessly crushed if they faced him alone. Even as a group, it would depend on how well they coordinated.

"Meow, meow."

Two soft meows came from beside his hand.

At some point, Hikari had jumped onto the table. She rubbed her little head against the back of his hand, her big eyes half-closed as she wore an adorably innocent expression.

"If you’re sleepy, go to bed first." Shen Mo scratched beneath her chin. "This is the exciting part."

"Meow?" Hikari seemed not to understand.

Shen Mo simply raised his hand, and the image that only he had been able to see appeared above the table as a projection.

Ikaros shifted her gaze over as well.

Hikari opened her eyes wide, as if she were no longer sleepy at all. She rolled into Shen Mo’s arms, found a comfortable position, and stared at the projection before her.

"Meow, meow."

Those two meows meant she wanted dried fish.

"Fine."

Shen Mo let her have her way. Then he turned and simply called Ikaros over as well, having her sit beside him.

With snacks bought and ready—

It felt like a family of three staying up late to watch a movie.

Naturally, Nagato had no idea that people were watching his entire journey.

Carried by four Pains, he walked in the very center of the group.

"Konan, Orochimaru has already returned to Otogakure, correct?" Nagato asked.

"That is correct." Konan replied, "Our spies in Otogakure saw Orochimaru return to the village. The Land of Sound, from its military to its economy, is now completely under Orochimaru’s control."

The Land of Sound was a small country bordering the Land of Fire.

After Orochimaru defected from Konoha, he bribed the Daimyo of the Land of Sound and established Otogakure there.

Over time, the entire Land of Sound had come under Orochimaru’s control.

"I’ve heard about it." Kakuzu interjected at this point. "After the Land of Sound established Otogakure, it also formed trade caravans, reformed its economy, and sold many high-quality goods to various countries. Its treasury has become abundant."

Although Kakuzu was obsessed with money, his ways of making it were actually quite limited.

He simply accepted commissions.

He had no talent for creating value or establishing a Merchant Guild.

Thus, when faced with Orochimaru’s ability to make money, he could not help feeling somewhat envious.

Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki exchanged a glance. Both could see the caution in each other’s eyes.

They finally understood why Orochimaru could be so powerful.

The financial resources under his control far exceeded theirs.

"The main purpose of this trip is still negotiation." Nagato thought for a moment before saying, "We will stop outside Otogakure. Then my Heavenly Path Pain will enter alone. If negotiations succeed, we will head straight to Konoha. If they fail—"

Nagato paused.

He had not yet decided what to do if the negotiations failed.

After all, mobilizing everyone had only been a sudden decision.

"If negotiations fail, then we should deal with Orochimaru first." Sasori’s voice came from nearby. "If that guy refuses to help, he might even become an obstacle. Besides, if we cannot even defeat Orochimaru, there is no point thinking about attacking Konoha."

Sasori still vividly remembered Orochimaru using Impure World Reincarnation on the Third Kazekage.

He felt that man was far too dangerous.

Of course, what he said was also true.

"Even if we do not eliminate him, our strength can still serve as a bargaining chip in the negotiations." Kakuzu agreed as well. He mainly wanted to take advantage of the chaos to rob the place.

Nagato did not speak.

In his view, fighting Orochimaru would cause unnecessary losses. However, Sasori was right. Nagato also wanted to test Orochimaru’s strength and use it to estimate Konoha’s current power.

Every member of the group possessed exceptional strength and moved extremely quickly.

They traveled from Amegakure, crossed the Land of Fire, and reached the vicinity of Otogakure in less than two hours.

Under the moonlight, more than ten people dressed in red clouds on black stood among the trees, staring at the "village" ahead.

It was different from other Ninja Villages.

Otogakure had been built within a valley.

Under the moonlight, they could clearly see countless caves carved into both sides of the valley. People occasionally entered and left them, and there was no way of knowing how many people were inside the mountains or what conditions lay within.

"I’ll go in. You wait here for now." The one who spoke was Heavenly Path Pain.

He shot directly toward the village alone.

As he drew closer, he could see that in the center of the valley beneath the moonlight stood a pitch-black tower with an eerie appearance.

Shen Mo, who was watching, could not help smiling.

Orochimaru had indeed used that Blue Rare treasure—the Mage Tower.

He simply had not expected Orochimaru to use the treasure in Otogakure rather than elsewhere.

It seemed that Orochimaru now valued this Ninja Village, which he had once established on a whim, far more than before.

Shen Mo added another viewpoint.

Orochimaru, who was sitting cross-legged at the very top of the Mage Tower, slowly opened his eyes. A black gleam surfaced from the depths of his pupils.

At this moment, his magic power had completely merged with the entire Mage Tower.

It had also formed a spiderweb-like Magic Power Network that radiated in all directions and covered the entire village. From every person to insects and small animals, no living activity could escape his perception.

Naturally—

He discovered Heavenly Path Pain infiltrating the village at the very first moment.

"The leader of the Akatsuki Organization." Orochimaru’s hoarse voice sounded out, and a hint of excitement showed in his snake-like eyes. "The Rinnegan."

The reason he had joined the Akatsuki Organization in the first place was because he had heard that its leader possessed the legendary Rinnegan, stirring his desire to seize it.

Yet before he could make a move, he had been directly defeated by Itachi Uchiha’s Mangekyō Sharingan.

That had then sparked his interest in the Sharingan.

And now—

He wanted both the Rinnegan and the Sharingan!

Shen Mo looked at the excited Orochimaru with a trace of helplessness on his face. He had known this would be the outcome.

Orochimaru’s hatred for Konoha now did not compare at all to his desire to pursue the truth.

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