"It's truly magnificent."
Two hundred kilometers away from Konoha, Orochimaru, dressed in a black windbreaker with red cloud pattern, stood at the edge of a massive crater. His golden vertical pupils showing keen interest as he observed his surroundings.
Taki was actively searching nearby, and in no time, he found a half-burnt piece of paper at the edge of a cracked underground crevice.
"Look at what this is." Taki exclaimed with excitement.
Orochimaru came over to take a look, and his pupils couldn't help but contract.
"It seems you and I are thinking the same thing." Taki grinned.
"Just ask and you'll know."
Orochimaru's voice was low and husky, carrying a sinister undertone, "Zetsu, come out."
"You guys are really troublesome."
White Zetsu's clone got his head emerged from the ground nearby and said, "What's up?"
"Has Konan acted lately?" Orochimaru asked with a gloomy tone.
White Zetsu's clone shook his head: "Haven't heard anything. What's the matter?"
"You can first search the nearby crevices and see if there's anything unusual." Orochimaru said mysteriously.
"Alright, alright…"
White Zetsu's clone burrowed into the ground, exploring various cracks in the vicinity. Soon, his face turned paler and paler.
He found many burnt and charred white papers!
'If there were just one or two, it might be a coincidence, but with so many…'
'Did Konan have been here?'
White Zetsu's clone quickly contacted the clone in Amegakure. Unfortunately, there was no response. Helpless, he could contact his main body.
At this moment, Zetsu's main body was trying to confirm the identity of Nibi's Jinchuriki in the Land of Lightning's Kumogakure. As for Hachibi's Jinchuriki, it has been exposed in the Third Shinobi World War. He's none other than the brother of Yondaime Raikage, Killer B.
After thorough investigation, Zetsu successfully identified the identity of Nibi's Jinchuriki: a young woman named Nii Yugito, who, despite her young age, trained diligently.
From her usual self-talk, it can be seen that she has been able to communicate with Nibi sealed inside her body.
Then, Zetsu received the information from White Zetsu's clone, and instantly realized that something was amiss.
"Something happened to Amegakure."
In the past, no matter whether it was Nagato or Konan, they would not hide anything from him, or rather, their actions were closely tied to Zetsu's intelligence, but now, Konan is suspected of having engaged in a major battle with others outside of Konoha?
Black Zetsu said solemnly, "Return to Amegakure immediately!"
"Aren't we supposed to continue monitoring Nii Yugito?" White Zetsu asked.
"We already confirm her identity. That's enough." Black Zetsu said impatiently.
"Alright." White Zetsu didn't dare to refute, and quickly dove into the ground.
"Wait!" Halfway through, Black Zetsu suddenly stopped him.
"What's the matter?" White Zetsu asked in confusion.
"Get Orochimaru and Hyuga Taki to go back to Amegakure too!" Black Zetsu said thoughtfully.
"Weren't we instructed not to return to the headquarters?" White Zetsu asked strangely.
"Shut up, idiot! Just do it!" Black Zetsu said angrily.
"Alright, alright, no need to get angry." White Zetsu grumbled and continued underground to send the information.
...
Beside the large crater.
After White Zetsu's clone from his main body information, he went out of the ground, and said with a laugh: "Orochimaru, Taki, I just received the order. You two must return to Amegakure immediately."
"Now?"
Taki's expression turned weird, "Wasn't our mission to hunt Terumi Mei? Why are we going back to Amegakure?"
'And Nagato and Konan just got all the information about Obito from the main body. At this time, they should be conspiring somewhere private on how to kill Obito. Why would they give such a strange order through White Zetsu's clone?'
'Or could it be that White Zetsu's clone is falsely spreading the order?'
Orochimaru also became suspicious and asked: "Did Konan really come here?"
"You'll know when you return to Amegakure." White Zetsu's clone doesn't know how to lie, so he can only say evasively.
"Are you hiding something?" Orochimaru slowly approached the White Zetsu's clone.
White Zetsu's clone was a little afraid of Orochimaru, so he hurriedly got into the ground and ran far away. Then, his head emerged 100 meters away, and he said: "Quickly return to Amegakure, this is an order!"
Orochimaru was about to say something more, when suddenly, there was a sound of footsteps in the distant jungle, and the direction of the footsteps came from Konoha.
"It's Konoha's Shinobi."
Taki shrugged and said, "Let's just go back to Amegakure."
At this point, Taki was really curious about what White Zetsu's clone was up to. As for the danger?
He is a shadow clone, so there's no such thing as danger in his dictionary.
Orochimaru squinted his eyes and it is unknown what he was thinking, but in the end, he nodded and agreed to go back to Amegakure with Taki.
Not long after the two left, a group of Konoha's Shinobi arrived near the huge crater. They were sent by Minato to clean up traces and also repair the ground cracks and burnt marks to prevent ordinary people from accidentally falling in.
As for the large crater, it would turn into a lake after a few days of rain, so there was no need to fix it.
...
After five days of travel, Orochimaru and Taki finally returned to Amegakure.
"The rain has stopped…" Orochimaru looked up at the dark clouds above Amegakure, and silently calculated it.
'Today is not Sunday. Why does Pain stop the rain?'
Taki also found it strange, so he stomped his foot and saying: "White Zetsu, come out right now. What the hell is going on?"
White Zetsu's clone has already known from his main body that may have unexpected changes in Amegakure, so how can he dare to come out at this time?
He decisively lay low in the ground, pretending to be dead.
"Let's go in and take a look. "Orochimaru sneered and stepped into Amegakure on his own.
The two of them, one in front and one behind, took a winding path and arrived at the central steel tower.
Orochimaru looked up at the tall tower, clasped his hands together, and used Sensor Ninjutsu.
Soon, a familiar Chakra was printed in his mind.
'Is it Pain…'
'No, this Chakra is…'
"Orochimaru!!"
Just at that moment, a voice filled with various strange emotions such as excitement, frustration, sadness, and reunion sounded from the sky.
Orochimaru, upon hearing this voice, gradually lost his smiling expression "Why are you here, Jiraiya…"
"Jiraiya?"
Taki also recognized this voice, but pretended to be oblivious. Looking up with a surprised expression, he saw a tall white-haired figure running down the edge of the tower at high speed.
"Why is he here?"
Taki pretended to be surprised, "Could it be that he also betrayed Konoha and joined Akatsuki like you? Or did he drive away Pain and Konan, taking over Amegakure?"
Orochimaru coldly snorted: "Just ask him yourself!"
…
Land of Rice Fields.
Orochimaru's main body was currently meeting with the Daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields in the capital. The discussion is about establishing a Shinobi Village in the Land of Rice Fields.
Although the northern base outside the coastal line of the Land of Rice Fields was destroyed by Abyss, and the secret base within the Land of Rice Fields was destroyed by Orochimaru himself, as the saying goes, the darkest place is under the candlelight. The most dangerous place is the safest place. And so, after careful consideration, Orochimaru still planned to establish his own Shinobi Village in the Land of Rice Fields, just like according to his original plan!
Outside the Daimyo's mansion, a young man in tattered clothes was excitedly pacing back and forth.