Deidara.
One of the new members of the Akatsuki organization.
This guy wasn't too happy before joining Akatsuki.
It was because Deidara's teacher, the Third Tsuchikage Onoki, had become senile and was always nagging him to learn Dust Release, saying that someone from the Konoha, Akihara Kagura, had mastered it after being told only once.
Akihara Kagura really brought about a deep misfortune.
From a young age, Deidara had been a model child in others' eyes, originally meant to be a praised genius, but now he could hardly raise his head from the scolding of the Third Tsuchikage Onoki.
At twelve, Deidara still had some playful spirit, wanting to fiddle with his clay art every day, which Onoki took as a lack of seriousness in learning Dust Release.
New grudges and old hatreds.
Moreover, Deidara was still a child.
Deidara felt he always lived in the shadow of Akihara Kagura.
Fortunately.
People from the Akatsuki organization came to recruit Deidara.
These kind-hearted individuals in their cloud-patterned black robes beat up Deidara, wanting to free him from the torment of learning.
The one responsible for beating Deidara, Uchiha Itachi, even took the initiative to tell Deidara that the person Deidara hated, the child Akihara Kagura, was also an enemy of the Akatsuki.
Naturally.
Deidara immediately felt a lot of goodwill towards the Akatsuki.
Now that Deidara has joined the Akatsuki, he always had his artistic freedom. What he wanted to do most now was to fight Akihara Kagura; his art has long since improved beyond comparison!
"This is not seeking death!"
Deidara, holding his clay art in hand, had a face full of pride: "With this one move, I can kill that Akihara Kagura!"
"..."
Uchiha Itachi cast a doubtful glance at Deidara.
Why did this guy, who was easily defeated by his own genjutsu, still think so highly of himself, believing he could defeat Akihara Kagura?
"Cough cough cough..."
Konan coughed softly with her fist to her mouth, interrupting Deidara's words: "Alright, there's no rush with Akihara Kagura. If you want to fight Akihara Kagura in the future, there might be plenty of opportunities. Now, we're discussing pursuing Danzo..."
"Right."
Pain quickly changed the subject.
"Let's get moving then."
Kakuzu was most concerned about this matter, saying solemnly: "Let's find Danzo quickly. His corpse is worth at least half a year of our income..."
The Land of Rice Fields.
A small diner.
Shimura Danzo still had no idea that a group of S-rank rogue ninjas from the Akatsuki organization had set their sights on him. After being consoled by Akihara Kagura, the old man was finally able to eat.
"Let's eat first."
"One should still eat."
Akihara Kagura took the initiative to order an extra bowl of rice for Shimura Danzo, persuading him: "When I was training with Teacher Jiraiya, we met an S-rank rogue ninja from the Waterfall Village, who was almost ninety years old..."
"Hurry up and eat."
Shimura Danzo couldn't help but glare at Akihara Kagura, mentioning their next destination: "After we finish eating, we'll head to the Sound Village."
The Sound Village.
A new ninja village that appeared in the Land of Rice Fields.
Orochimaru was able to establish his own Sound Village by bribing the daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields, using the village's status as cover to recruit talent extensively.
Akihara Kagura had long guessed that many would pursue Shimura Danzo in the ninja world, taking him to the Sound Village.
On one hand, to have a good talk with Orochimaru, and on the other, hoping Orochimaru could help Shimura Danzo live longer, to avoid him being killed off unexpectedly.
When Akihara Kagura and Shimura Danzo arrived at the Sound Village, a group of odd-looking kids stopped them, appearing unapproachable.
Among these kids, some had six arms, some were fat and chubby, and some even had two upper bodies. The most normal among them was a little girl with red hair.
"Where is Orochimaru!"
Shimura Danzo looked at this group of oddly shaped little guys and issued an order as if he was not a rogue ninja but still a high-ranking member of Konoha Village.
Indeed, Shimura Danzo had that privilege.
Having a combat power like Akihara Kagura by one's side allows one to speak down to anyone with authority.
Obviously.
The youngsters from the Sound Village were not respectful.
"Huh?"
A young man with six arms looked at Shimura Danzo and Akihara Kagura with a face full of scorn: "What are you, daring to disturb Lord Orochimaru?"
"Shut up! Kidomaru!"
Fortunately, a cold young man with white hair and green eyes intervened to stop their behavior and came forward to welcome Akihara Kagura and Shimura Danzo.
With the intervention of the white-haired young man, the group immediately quieted down, quickly scattered, and hid in the distance to secretly watch everything.
"Lord Orochimaru is already aware of your arrival."
This white-haired young man stood at the entrance of the Sound Village, looking somewhat pale as if he was seriously ill: "Please follow me, Lord Orochimaru is waiting for you."
Compared to the other oddly shaped youngsters, this white-haired young man looked more normal and was also more polite.
This white-haired young man's name was Kimimaro of the Kaguya clan.
Kimimaro came from the Kaguya clan, which took over the Land of Grass by annihilating many Grass ninjas who had done too much evil, only to be killed carelessly by others. Although the Kaguya clan had combat power, they had no idea how a ninja village should be developed.
Orochimaru secretly targeted the Kaguya clan.
With just a little help, Orochimaru made the Kaguya clan his pawns. Many small ninja clans, for the sake of their family's continuation, served Orochimaru either actively or passively.
The Kaguya clan offered Kimimaro, the most talented young man of their clan, to Orochimaru, hoping Orochimaru could save his life.
Because the Kaguya clan's Shikotsumyaku kekkei genkai carried a fatal inherited disease, this illness was particularly severe in Kimimaro, and the people of the Kaguya clan could not bear to watch the young man die miserably, so they simply offered him to Orochimaru.
Compared to others in the Sound Village, Kimimaro came from a true prestigious ninja clan. Not only was his strength extraordinary, but his upbringing and manners were also very good.
Kimimaro became one of Orochimaru's favorite youngsters and learned many past stories from Orochimaru during their time together.
For instance…
Kimimaro actually knew Akihara Kagura.
Orochimaru's favorite work was named Akihara Kagura, whose strength was a thousand times greater than his own, and his cunning and wisdom far surpassed all the youngsters in the Sound Village.
"You know me."
Akihara Kagura saw through Kimimaro's thoughts at a glance.
Kimimaro did not hide his thoughts, leading the way while softly saying: "Lord Orochimaru mentioned that you are his favorite and greatest creation, having received power from him but choosing to betray him, refusing to become his vessel. Being able to become Lord Orochimaru's vessel should be a matter of pride for us..."
"You make a good point."
Akihara Kagura listened to Kimimaro's words and seriously nodded: "In a little while, I'll ask Lord Orochimaru if he is willing to reincarnate into my body..."
"..."
Kimimaro was surprised.
This guy was actually so persuadable?
Akihara Kagura spread his palms and then clenched them into a fist: "If he agrees to reincarnate into my body, I'll just crush him to death."
"..."
Kimimaro's forehead twitched.
If it weren't for Orochimaru's explicit warning not to conflict with Akihara Kagura, and his acknowledgment that he was no match for Akihara Kagura, even to the extent of being a hundred times weaker, Kimimaro would have considered fighting him.
"I see you're ill, and perhaps your mind is too."
Akihara Kagura patted Kimimaro on the shoulder: "When you're about to die, come find me. If there's still a spot available, I'll turn your corpse into a preserved puppet."
"..."
Kimimaro knew he was ill, but felt that Akihara Kagura was also not well. He no longer wanted to continue communicating with Akihara Kagura and directly led them to Orochimaru's laboratory.
Orochimaru was still busy in his laboratory.
After all, his Sound Village was a newly established ninja village, and Orochimaru was worried about potential enemies, so he spread his small white snakes around to monitor, fearing someone might come to attack.
As a result…
The Little White Snake reported the arrival of Shimura Danzo and Akihara Kagura.
If it were just Akihara Kagura, Orochimaru might have been worried that Kagura had come to cause trouble. However, bringing Shimura Danzo, an S-class rogue ninja, over probably meant they weren't here to pick a fight but to discuss something important instead.
When Akihara Kagura entered the laboratory, he felt a massive and abundant natural energy within the experiment. Suddenly, a figure, large and wild like a beast, charged at him!
Kagura kicked the figure away and, using a vine, tied it up in its place. He then saw clearly what the figure was – a monster with orange hair!
"Did Jugo go berserk again?"
Kimimaro approached the orange-haired monster with a worried expression.
What was strange was that when Kimimaro reached the monster, possibly due to him or someone drawing energy from the monster, the creature slowly calmed down, transforming into a tall young man.
"Kagura, I must thank you for stepping in."
A voice reached Akihara Kagura's ears.
Orochimaru appeared from the side of an experimental table, his face covered with black curse marks filled with natural energy, which were rapidly hiding away. Clearly, his experiment was related to natural energy.
Orochimaru, that guy...
He had definitely set his sights on the power of Sage Mode!
However, Orochimaru couldn't precisely sense natural energy and could only indirectly absorb some through people naturally attuned to it, like...
The orange-haired tall young man, Jugo, who suddenly went berserk in the laboratory!
"Kimimaro..."
Lying weakly on the ground, Jugo pulled over a white-haired young man and whispered in his ear, "Kimimaro, you should leave quickly. I can sense that guy is very dangerous, Orochimaru might not be his match, leave here quickly..."
At that moment...
Jugo could clearly feel the rich natural energy gathered around him spontaneously rushing towards Akihara Kagura's body...
"I was never a match for Kagura to begin with."
Orochimaru heard Jugo's words, didn't care about Jugo's rudeness at all, and came out with a smile, softly instructing, "Kimimaro, take Jugo down first! Lord Danzo, Kagura-kun, and I have some important matters to discuss..."
"Yes!"
Kimimaro immediately left with Jugo.
When only the three of them were left in the laboratory, Orochimaru licked his lips with his tongue, "Kagura, I've heard some news from Yakushi Kabuto, you seem not to want to become my vessel. I still want to confirm this..."
"Sorry, I really had no choice."
Akihara Kagura spread his palms and sighed deeply, "Mainly because I need to save Konoha, to save the ninja world, I can only give up merging with you..."
"..."
Orochimaru's eyes twitched. It was one thing for this damn kid to be unwilling, but why bring up so much unnecessary talk at this time?
"However..."
Kagura took the initiative to speak again, "I will provide you with a body you like, like Uchiha Itachi you mentioned before. Although his strength is not as great as mine, he is much stronger than others."
"Oh?"
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly, remembering being stabbed by Uchiha Itachi in the Tsukuyomi for three days and nights, he snorted coldly.
"Uchiha Itachi... his body can be used to pass the time."
Compared to Akihara Kagura...
Uchiha Itachi's strength wasn't as overwhelming, but it still made Orochimaru somewhat envious!
"Alright, let's get down to business then!"
Akihara Kagura raised his hand towards Shimura Danzo, whispering, "If you are paying attention to the ninja world, you would know Lord Danzo has become an S-class rogue ninja from Konoha..."
"We've discussed, and Lord Danzo doesn't want to go to another great ninja village. He plans to stay here for a while and then look for an opportunity to return to Konoha, to overthrow the reign of the Third Hokage and help me become the Hokage..."
"Our alliance still stands, right?"
Shimura Danzo coldly stared at Orochimaru.
"Of course."
Orochimaru nodded with a smile and agreed, actively welcoming, "This is an honor for me and the Sound Village. In the future, we can return to our homeland together."
Orochimaru did not disdain Shimura Danzo for being an S-rank rogue ninja.
The Sound Village was a fledgling ninja village, and having someone like Shimura Danzo, who had served as an advisor to the Hokage in Konoha, join and help was indeed a great fortune.
At the very least...
Shimura Danzo's strength was not considered low.
Moreover, Shimura Danzo also brought with him two capable ninjas, Yamanaka Fu and Aburame Torune.
Of course.
This was under the assumption that Orochimaru was not aware that the Akatsuki members had already mobilized collectively, even organizing a team-building event to pursue Shimura Danzo.
Akihara Kagura also knew some news.
"I'll go back to Konoha first to avoid anyone looking for me in the Root..."
Akihara Kagura nodded and took the initiative to remind Orochimaru and Shimura Danzo, "By the way, I've heard some news that the Akatsuki might come after you, both of you be careful."
"Don't worry."
Orochimaru grinned, thinking Akihara Kagura was being overly anxious, "I've talked with the Akatsuki, as long as I don't leak their information, they won't bother me."
"Oh."
Akihara Kagura seemed somewhat relieved, waving his hand, "Then I'll be off first. If you two survive, you can send someone to meet me at the Root."
"Hehehe..."
Orochimaru watched Akihara Kagura leave with a smile.
After Akihara Kagura left, Orochimaru's gaze narrowed slightly; he was still somewhat reluctant to give up on Akihara Kagura's body.
However...
Orochimaru soon lost the mood to think so much about it.
A small white snake from the outskirts of the Sound Village quickly came to report to Orochimaru about a major event. A group of people wearing black robes with red clouds was rushing towards the Sound Village, and the Akatsuki had chosen it as the location for their first team-building event.
Pain and Konan personally led the team.
Sasori, Deidara, Kakuzu, Uchiha Itachi , and Kisame Hoshigaki followed closely behind.
This group of Akatsuki members together was even enough to launch an attack on a major ninja village. Now coming to the Sound Village collectively, perhaps they wanted to use this small village for practice?
"Jūgo, take everyone and leave first."
Orochimaru deeply felt the hardships of starting a business.
This time, his newly established Sound Village might face a devastating blow.
At the border of the Land of Rice Fields.
Akihara Kagura had not actually left yet.
In fact, Akihara Kagura was still having lunch in a small town on the border of the Land of Rice Fields.
Yakushi Kabuto, who had been brought from Konoha by Akihara Kagura, was right by his side, and White Zetzu, who had returned from the Akatsuki, stayed by Akihara Kagura's side without bringing back any mission.
"First, watch Orochimaru and Danzo escape from the Akatsuki's pursuit."
As Akihara Kagura spoke, he casually took a pear juice from Yakushi Kabuto's hand and drank it all in one go, looking very busy, "As for Kabuto, go see Lord Orochimaru and tell him that you originally wanted to report to him about the Akatsuki attacking the Sound Village. It was I who deliberately imprisoned you and concealed the news of the Akatsuki's attack on the Sound Village, wanting to give Lord Orochimaru a lesson to be more obedient in the alliance..."
"White Zetzu, go ask Nagato if he needs our help to eliminate Lord Danzo. Make sure to clarify this important mission..."
"Now, as a high-ranking official of Konoha, I can let Lord Danzo experience the cruelty of society. At this point, if the Akatsuki kills Danzo, it's just to vent their anger, a mere formality. Letting Danzo and Orochimaru live in constant fear is enough..."
"I've gradually moved away from the stage of liking killing. Such methods are ultimately too inferior, unable to let Lord Danzo feel the pain from the world..."
"Kagura's methods have finally become gentler."
Yakushi Kabuto handed Akihara Kagura a napkin, smiling and praising him.
"Ah?"
White Zetzu tilted his head.
Was Yakushi Kabuto being sarcastic?