Chapter 165

"Are you all here for free meals? Have you still not found him?"

Inside the Tsuchikage's office in Iwagakure, Ōnoki fiercely hammered the table, his gaze fixated on the ninjas in front of him who dared not speak, bellowing out loud.

He was indeed very angry at the moment. His most promising disciple, Deidara, had run away, and it was truly a disgrace to him.

What made it worse was not just the fact that the kid had run away, but he had also caused a series of explosions.

Was he afraid that he wouldn't be able to continue being a ninja of the Rock? Was he afraid that he couldn't go to jail? Was he trying to anger his teacher, Ōnoki, to death?

Deidara's talent was widely acknowledged, and his determination was strong. He was also a person who would abide by the ninja code.

But adherence to the code was predicated on it not impeding his pursuit of his own art!

"What kind of art is that? Is art played out like this?"

Ōnoki did not recognize Deidara's art. What kind of art was an explosion? It was fleeting, just like a shooting star.

At least a shooting star could leave some traces and a large meteorite for study, whereas an explosion would only lead to destruction.

Towards enemies, Ōnoki would definitely praise it as a rare form of art. But for the kid to cause explosions within his own village and on his own land, was this called art?

This was damn well a terroristic act!

And this little bastard ran away at the drop of a hat, causing so much trouble in the process, which gave Ōnoki a major headache.

The troubles caused by the seven major families of the Leaf Village had already consumed much of his energy, after all, it was a successful, classic case of rebellion.

Once such a thing succeeded and had obvious reference steps and methods, it would certainly not be able to withstand the imitation and borrowing of ambitious individuals.

Ōnoki did not want to be impeached from his position as Tsuchikage, or to put it another way, none of the five major ninja villages wanted such a thing to happen to them.

Therefore, he had to appease the families in the village, while eliminating and erasing some things that were extremely unfavorable to him. He couldn't let others easily catch his weak points.

But at this moment, his most promising and favorite disciple caused such a thing, how could he not be upset?

If it had happened before, he might just have scolded Deidara a few times after capturing him and let it pass. No one would dare say anything about such a light punishment.

But now he didn't dare. Who knew how many eyes were watching him, how many people were waiting for him to make a mistake.

If possible, he wished Deidara would simply leave, but he was really unwilling and couldn't let go of Deidara.

What he could do now was to capture Deidara before he made bigger mistakes and throw him into jail to cool down.

And then he would do more work, hoping that he could be released earlier.

And in the future, he would properly educate this kid, teach him what he can do and what he cannot do.

But now the extremely awkward situation is, no one knows where Deidara had run off to.

Every time he caused some trouble, he would hide so well that no one could catch him, making Ōnoki seriously troubled.

Looking at the group of ninjas in front of him who didn't dare to utter a single word, Ōnoki sighed deeply in the end. He knew that he needed to calm down at this point.

However, just then, a member of the Anbu suddenly rushed in, catching Ōnoki's attention.

"Lord Tsuchikage, there's an urgent report." After the Anbu member entered, he directly kneeled in front of Ōnoki and said gravely, "It's about Lord Deidara."

"Speak." Ōnoki glanced at everyone present before he spoke.

"Yes, we have found traces of Lord Deidara. He was last seen on the border."

The Anbu member spoke softly. He didn't care about the other people in the office; if Ōnoki ordered him to speak, he would execute the order without hesitation.

"Borderline?" Ōnoki frowned, but he quickly understood the meaning of the Anbu member: "You mean, he's within the Land of Earth?"

"Yes, that's our defensive blind spot, and no one lives there," the Anbu member quickly answered. "Lord Deidara is very clever. It's hard for us to find him hiding there until we found some people who accidentally discovered his traces."

Hearing this, Ōnoki couldn't help but nod. Those areas were indeed desolate, and since he had been invading neighboring countries continuously, they were no longer borders in the traditional sense.

Deidara had been studying with him all along. This kid must have noticed such loopholes and hid there, and it was indeed hard to find someone in such blind spots.

But now that it's confirmed he's there, Ōnoki naturally couldn't do nothing.

Even if that blind spot was particularly large, he was the Kage of Iwagakure, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. He could use the simplest means to capture Deidara!

"Notify the forces in the Land of Grass, Land of Birds, Land of Bears, and Land of Ghosts to immediately return and seal all passages strictly."

Ōnoki gave the order in a deep voice.

"We must catch Deidara, we absolutely can't let this kid escape!"

.....

"Kid, do you want to blow yourself up?"

Deidara naturally heard Kisame's words, but hearing them doesn't mean he would believe them.

How could he easily believe the words of his enemy? In his view, this was nothing more than trying to save the one-eyed man with the Sharingan.

Deidara raised one hand, his chakra surging as he was about to detonate his clay bomb.

However, Itachi Uchiha, who had been watching him, still remained expressionless. Even his eyes didn't flicker. He simply stated a fact in a calm manner.

"I advise you to look at yourself first. If you really detonate it, you won't have a chance to regret it."

"You cyclops, don't think I don't know you. You're Itachi Uchiha, oh no, you've been stripped of your family surname."

Deidara looked at Itachi Uchiha disdainfully, chuckled, and said.

"You wanted to kill your whole family but ended up getting killed instead. The people you were loyal to are not good at all. Now, you're just a stray dog who has lost his family."

"It doesn't matter who I am, but if you keep moving, we might really have to collect your corpse."

Itachi Uchiha's face also started to look a bit ugly, but he still maintained his calm and spoke.

"Of course, for a man like you who speaks recklessly, there's nothing serious about dying."

"Hmm?"

Now Deidara was genuinely confused, his gaze attracted by the three tomoe in Itachi's eyes.

In an instant, as if a dream was shattered, everything returned to reality, a strong feeling of restraint came over him, and a white clay centipede appeared on his body.

"What?"

Deidara exclaimed in shock, a trace of cold sweat broke out on his body. If he had just detonated his ninjutsu, the consequences would have been unimaginable!

"So I was asking, do you want to blow yourself up?"

Kisame sighed, but there was a tone of schadenfreude in his voice.

"But this can be considered as a dedication to the art you talk about. It seems not bad for you."

"This guy really looks like he's going to die early. I think we should find his successor in advance to avoid having to make another trip after his sudden death."

Sasori also added a sentence from the side. Only Orochimaru's expression remained calm as if he didn't care at all.

Kisame and Sasori's conversation completely ignored Deidara, without any regard for his feelings.

But Deidara at this moment did not argue with the two, but instead looked gloomily at that one eye.

"Genjutsu, huh? But when exactly?"

"Of course, it was from the very beginning. The moment you saw the Sharingan, you were caught in a genjutsu."

At this moment, Orochimaru licked his lips, speaking in his raspy voice.

"The Uchiha's Sharingan is really not a joke. He only has one, but if you encounter one with both eyes, it will be even more interesting."

Golden light suddenly came from a hole in the wall, Deidara subconsciously closed his eyes, but then he looked over there.

Itachi Uchiha was in the golden light, looking at him expressionlessly.

The crimson Sharingan slowly rotated. Even with just one eye, it seemed strange and bewitching. With the light behind it, a sense of sanctity even appeared.

Deidara stared blankly at this scene, his mind blanking in that moment. The strange Sharingan was reflected in his eyes.

"So beautiful... This is simply art... This is the Sharingan..."

However, Deidara quickly gritted his teeth and lowered his head, covering his eyes with his hand.

"Damn it, I'm actually fascinated by someone else's ability. Is that art?

No, absolutely not. I will never accept this absurdity. Art is an explosion, only my work is true art!

And besides, even if it's art, it wouldn't be the art of a family-less dog. He doesn't even have a pair of complete eyes, stop joking around!"

Upon reflection, the clay centipede slumped to the ground, and Itachi had turned and walked away at this point. The three tomoe in his eyes disappeared as they spun, without saying another word.

Orochimaru watched the farce end and immediately turned and walked out, while Sasori also controlled his puppet shell to leave.

Only Kisame turned and chuckled to Deidara: "Blond brat, remember your promise, keep up."

Watching the departing backs of the three, Deidara gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. But after a slight hesitation, he still hurriedly followed.

To abide by the result of a wager, this most basic ninja principle, he still had....

...

"Speaking of which, entering the Land of Earth is so troublesome, and it's so dangerous. Why do you still want to go here?"

Kakuzu walked beside Kaito. Although he was not a talkative person, seeing the unusual expression of his golden master, he could only try to lighten the mood by talking.

And he was also very curious about some things. This was not because he was gossipy, but because he didn't understand why they chose such a dangerous path.

Who is Kaito? This guy is the head of the Uchiha clan and the director of the Konoha guard department.

In addition, he is one of the initiators of the impeachment of the Hokage and is one of the biggest beneficiaries after the successful impeachment.

And according to Kakuzu' understanding, Kaito is also the biggest contributor to this event. It would not be wrong to say that he is one of the real decision-makers at this time.

Jiraiya, this Hokage, is simply a puppet. This guy must have ways to bypass the Hokage to achieve his own ideas.

The intelligence of such a person could not possibly be concealed, and such a person suddenly running to the territory of other major shinobi villages, once discovered, the consequences would be unthinkable.

How did the Third Raikage die back then?

Wasn't he killed by thousands of people led by Ōnoki?

Kaito's strength, no matter how strong it is, you haven't reached the level of Uchiha Madara, right? Is it really good to take such a risk?

"Because of some troublesome things, I don't want to rush back to Konoha, do you understand?"

Kaito sighed softly, looking at the road ahead before finally speaking leisurely.

"Although I'd like to say, as long as I'm shameless I can be invincible, but I really can't do it.

What I'm talking about is not strength, but dealing with friends. Do you understand what it feels like to experience social death?"

"I don't understand, I don't have friends, so I don't have this kind of trouble."

Kakuzu shook his head. His words made Kaito lose interest in talking to him. This kind of conversation ender was truly unprecedented.

"I have no friends, so I have no such worries," only Kakuzu could probably say that.

Kaito was too lazy to discuss these issues with Kakuzu here. There was no point in further discussion. He glanced left and right, then asked curiously.

"Apart from those things, where are we going?"

"A relatively secret route. This route used to be a village and a temple, but it's been abandoned now. Moreover, the neighboring countries are all under the influence of the Land of Earth."

Kakuzu spoke at a leisurely pace, seeming confident when it came to his area of expertise.

"So there aren't many guards on this route. There's absolutely no problem with us going this way."

....

"From what I can see, the mission is complete, so we can disband now, right?"

Orochimaru looked at Deidara following them and then asked directly.

Orochimaru never had a good impression of such missions, especially those carried out with Uchiha Itachi. Now, he had no interest in Uchiha Itachi, having summoned Uchiha Madara and witnessed the power of this Shinobi World's Asura.

He had also witnessed the deterrent power demonstrated by Uchiha Kaito. He really looked down on Uchiha Itachi now.

Even if Uchiha Itachi once made him feel challenged, it wasn't Uchiha Itachi who was the real challenge, but his careful Mangekyou Sharingan.

"The power of the Uchiha, it's really something to be both envied and feared."

Orochimaru licked his lips. He just wanted to go back now and further his research. He couldn't be bothered with anything else.

It had to be said that in research, Orochimaru was worthy of the praise as a once-in-a-century genius.

He had great achievements in Konoha, and after leaving Konoha without the restrictions of being a ninja, his research became even broader, and he gained more results.

In less than ten years, he had completed many ninjutsu experiments. If there was anything he was most proud of, it would be "Impure World Reincarnation" and "Living Corpse Reincarnation."

Each one can be said to be an unprecedented breakthrough, but the two are different after all, one being his own development and the other being a transformation.

Orochimaru's most proud work was, of course, "Living Corpse Reincarnation." This jutsu, as the main direction of his ninjutsu research, successfully broke the boundary between life and death.

He considered himself to have achieved an unprecedented feat. After all, this was the real means to allow a person's soul to continuously inherit and keep reviving.

But the use of this jutsu also had very serious problems, that was, to find a suitable reincarnation body.

The reincarnation body greatly affected the strength after reincarnation, as well as the fit between the soul and the body. This might sound similar to the Impure World Reincarnation, but that's the way it is.

As for the real Impure World Reincarnation, Orochimaru had made some breakthroughs, and these breakthroughs made him very satisfied.

Unapologetically, if he were to perform the Impure World Reincarnation now, he could definitely make the reincarnated person perform better.

But this breakthrough was far from enough, and he was still continually researching and breaking through.

After summoning Uchiha Madara, he acutely discovered the various problems of Edo Tensei, and solving these problems required him to put in serious effort.

Take the requirements for bodies and the demands for control, for instance; these were things he needed to think about seriously.

"And I have more than one project at hand. I also need to work on the development of the curse seal."

Orochimaru licked his lips, silently contemplating.

The projects in his hand were not just the two previously mentioned; he had an even more interesting project at hand, which was the development of the curse seal.

This was a power extracted from a subordinate named Jūgo, and then researched into sealing.

This could break the conventional ninja wisdom of slowly cultivating chakra, allowing a ninja to possess powerful combat capabilities in a short time.

Though not completely successful at present, like the sealings, many things need to be improved.

He left one on his student, Kabuto, many years ago, but it was clearly not ideal.

Moreover, Orochimaru was very sharp; he found this power so close to nature, which made him wonder if this was the so-called Sage Mode power.

Unfortunately, he had no answers, and he had no interest in asking Jiraiya for them. However, he believed he could slowly research and obtain what he wanted.

"It would be nice if there weren't so many annoying tasks."

Orochimaru glanced back at the people behind him and couldn't help shaking his head silently, but he knew there was nothing to say about these things.

He was now contemplating whether he should go back and tell the guy with the Rinnegan that he would act alone in the future?

After all, their organization usually operated in pairs, and now it was clear that an extra person had come out, so Orochimaru had to seize this opportunity.

Even if it was temporary, because no one knew if someone would be recruited next time.

But Orochimaru could temporarily get rid of these guys, avoiding some headaches.

"Normally we could disband now, but naturally, someone has to take this guy back. Who do you think should do it?"

Sasori looked around, then directly asked, however, this task suddenly made everyone silent.

Obviously, no one wanted to take this task, even Kisame at this moment was exceptionally silent.

In such a weird silence, Orochimaru was the first to walk towards the Land of Rice Fields without looking back.

He had prepared his laboratory in the Land of Rice Fields, and the Land of Rice Fields was close to the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain, he could get there at the earliest.

Uchiha Itachi looked at Orochimaru and then walked in the opposite direction. No one knew where he was going, but it was clear he didn't want to deal with this task.

As for Kisame, he shrugged indifferently and followed Itachi.

He looked down on Uchiha Itachi, but as a ninja, his professionalism was high. If this guy was his teammate, then he would follow him even if he looked down on him.

Of course, you shouldn't count on him to save anyone in a critical moment.

After all, as a member of the Hidden Mist Village, the concept and option of saving people is not in his life dictionary.

At most, he would do his best to kill this guy to prevent their secrets from being exposed.

"It seems you're not very popular, short-lived brat." Sasori was also indifferent when he saw this, turning his head to speak directly to Deidara, who was also silent.

"Tch, who knows what's up with your organization." Sasori replied indifferently, then looked at Scorpion and said, "So, I'm with you?"

"I'll take you, I don't have anything else to do anyway." Sasori nodded indifferently, after all, he was somewhat pleased to meet someone who also pursued art.

Even if this guy's pursuit of art is completely different from his own, his obsessive character makes Sasori somewhat fond of him.

However, just as they were about to leave, Sasori suddenly frowned and turned to look in the distance.

At the same time, Orochimaru, Uchiha Itachi, and Kisame also did the same, because they could clearly feel someone approaching.

But they were also curious about who would choose this place, after all, according to the routes and clues provided by Konoha, this place was basically uninhabited.

Deidara ran here obviously for this reason, and now someone was coming. Could it be that they were unlucky enough to run into a patrol team?

Everyone stood quietly, each with their own pride, so none of them planned to retreat.

However, when two figures entered their line of sight, all their faces changed slightly...

...

"How can this place be so desolate, does the Land of Earth even have such a place?"

Walking through a barren valley, Kaito looked around and asked curiously.

Although he had anticipated that the Land of Earth would be barren, the desolation of this place was quite shocking to Kaito.

The Land of Earth is rich, this is indisputable, given the abundance of mineral resources there.

But the Land of Earth also has its own problems, namely that their climate environment is somewhat poor, leading to subpar farming conditions.

The old man Onoki was so active in the second and third wars because he wanted to give the Land of Earth a chance to become self-sufficient.

Unfortunately, the Land of Earth didn't gain much from these two wars, but at the same time, it didn't lose much either.

Especially in the Third Ninja World War, they surrendered proactively yet didn't have to pay any compensation, which didn't harm his reputation at all.

He really had to thank Hiruzen Sarutobi for this. It was such a good opportunity, and he let it slip through his fingers. Kaito didn't know what he was thinking.

Without significant economic losses, Onoki wouldn't ignore the border, right?

Even if the country on the other side was within his control, was it right to do so?

"I have no idea. The Hidden Rock Village's penetration into these small countries is much better than what you guys in Leaf Village do," Kakuzu explained while walking, glad to have diverted Kaito's attention. He couldn't stand the latter's previous attitude.

"Leaf Village only establishes bases to show its sphere of influence. But Hidden Rock Village directly sends in migrants to fully occupy the area. However, Onoki's actions are quite covert, and with the Daimyo's help, ordinary people don't know about this.

Coincidentally, I spent some time in the Land of Earth and undertook many missions from Hidden Rock Village after joining Akatsuki. So, I know more and have more information. Of course, if you want more detailed intelligence...

You'll have to pay more!"

"...."

Kaito massaged his temples, feeling that Kakuzu was simply too adorable, although his fists were becoming tighter involuntarily. However, interacting with Kakuzu was similar to dealing with Shisui - no need to constantly wonder if he's hiding any information.

Moreover, what's more intriguing about Kakuzu than Shisui was that he was smart and, due to his age, had a lot of experience. Therefore, Kaito could communicate freely with him - there weren't many in Leaf Village who could do the same.

Nara Shikaku was one, but there was still somewhat of a generation gap between him and Kaito. Yaneko definitely could, but some topics weren't suitable for discussion with her. At least, some light-hearted topics for men, Kaito wouldn't dare joke about with Yaneko.

Given her name, Kaito worried if one day she might leave the Land of Fire while clutching his head. Thinking of this, Kaito shivered a bit, feeling lucky that his name wasn't Uchiha Makoto. Otherwise, who knows what kind of forced distortions of the world will might appear.

"Moreover, no one is named 'Mundo' right now. There's no Uchiha or Hyuga I know or am familiar with, so I guess I won't have any issue with the Hyuga."

Shaking his head, Kaito didn't feel like engaging with Kakuzu. He understood Kakuzu's point.

Simply put, Onoki's methods were quite ruthless, and his long-term goal was to fully control the territories he had occupied, transitioning from puppet control to actual legal control.

Using the gaming terminology from Kaito's past life experience playing Hearts of Iron, it's as if Onoki wanted to turn these places into his core territories, protected by the law.

Even if it can't be done, all the people in the area are his own. Then, with a call to join the Land of Earth, this obviously isn't impossible either.

"Or set up a cooperative ninja village, wouldn't that solve the problem?"

Kaito mused silently. However, as they walked, his pace slowed down, and Kakuzu also frowned, looking ahead.

Both of them noticed some traces at the same time. What was different was that Kakuzu discovered fresh signs of movement ahead.

While Kaito directly felt several strong chakra presences ahead. And none of these chakras were weak, which made Kaito frown.

"Didn't you say that under normal circumstances, nobody would come here?" Kaito asked, turning his head towards Kakuzu. However, he did not stop.

"Normally, yes, but there are always exceptions, aren't there?" Kakuzu also did not stop, walking and explaining side by side with Kaito.

Meeting people here wasn't a big deal. After all, no plan is ever 100% perfect, and encountering unforeseen situations during normal operations is commonplace.

Though encountering people in the Land of Earth was indeed troublesome, if Kaito wasn't concerned, why should he be? This place was so remote that if their financier was recognized, they could simply eliminate the threat.

By the time the Hidden Rock Village reacts, they might have already returned to the Land of Fire.

"It seems we have to make our financier pay more. After all, we've designed such a covert route for him, he doesn't have to worry about running into trouble."

Kakuzu thought to himself, walking along until his bean-like eyes suddenly narrowed. Similarly, Kaito gradually stopped his pace.

Ahead of them were five people, one of whom wore a black cloak with red clouds. The four of them were staring at Kaito and Kakuzu with a strange, unexplainable gaze.

Clearly, they hadn't expected to run into Kaito and Kakuzu!

The only one who wasn't wearing the cloak, a blond youngster, also showed a thoughtful expression upon seeing Kaito.

Meanwhile, Kaito's mouth twitched a bit, utterly baffled at running into a large group from Akatsuki. However, upon seeing the blond ponytail, he immediately understood what was happening.

Only Kakuzu looked somewhat confused. Although his expression remained calm, Kaito seemed to sense his embarrassment.

For a moment, the air seemed to freeze. The two groups just stood quietly, staring at each other as if they had lost their ability to think about what to do next.

"I think you can understand my feelings now," Kaito sighed after a while, speaking to Kakuzu.

"It's like doing something good, but then getting found out by someone. Of course, the person who found out is your closest and best friend. You can try to empathize."

"It's hard to empathize, but if I were to magnify the feeling you described tenfold, I think I could understand," Kakuzu finally replied after a moment of silence.

It seemed that he truly understood the feelings Kaito was expressing...

...

As Kaito and Kakuzu were exchanging witticisms, each member of the Akatsuki was on high alert, even Deidara's expression was somewhat grave.

Clearly, Deidara recognized who Kaito was, having been a disciple of Oonoki, he was privy to a fair amount of information.

The one-eyed man who had just taught him a lesson with the Sharingan – even though the guy had two eyes, Deidara was still accustomed to calling him 'the one-eyed man'.

Although he seemed very formidable, the reason he became 'one-eyed' was all thanks to the man standing before him.

According to the intel, this man had casually gouged out one of his eyes, forcing him to flee.

Now, Deidara was somewhat taking pleasure in others' misfortune. He had been a bit annoyed after being scolded for his genjutsu earlier. Seeing a more formidable person appear naturally brought him joy.

Kisame, who also recognized Kaito's identity, shared Deidara's schadenfreude. Although the sight of Kaito made him extremely vigilant, he was also wondering how Kaito had ended up in this place.

But considering the enmity between his teammate and Kaito, combined with his personal dislike of the same teammate, Kisame's reaction was expected.

After all, their beliefs were different. Kisame firmly opposed the idea of the Kage ruling the villages arbitrarily, turning them into pawns. On the other hand, Itachi believed the village should be led by the Kage and even attacked his own clan for this reason.

With such a stark difference in belief, not stabbing each other in the back was already a sign of high-level shinobi discipline. Could he really be expected not to take pleasure in this situation?

Though Kakuzu never said anything, he never hid his 'I wish you were dead' attitude either.

Orochimaru, on the other hand, seemed somewhat distracted. He already had the idea of retreating because he hadn't brought Uchiha Madara's cells with him this time.

Orochimaru was an extremely pragmatic person. If he couldn't win, he wouldn't stay, and he despised pointless actions. Spending time on meaningless matters was, in essence, wasting time and delaying his research.

Nevertheless, he cast a playful glance towards Uchiha Itachi, curious about Itachi's current state.

Unfortunately, while Uchiha Itachi's eyebrows were furrowed, his expression remained calm, making Orochimaru feel a bit bored.

After cautiously glancing at Kaito, Sasori soon turned his gaze towards Kakuzu, and finally spoke after a while.

"Kakuzu, I didn't expect to see you here, it's a bit of a surprise."

"Indeed, it's surprising. I didn't expect to run into you all here either."

Kakuzu shook his head, his emotions having mostly returned to normal. As long as he didn't feel awkward, then there would be no problem.

Sasori stared at Kakuzu, finally asking coldly, "So, can you explain your current situation, and where is Hidan?"

"Can't you tell what my current situation is?"

Kakuzu shook his head, his voice cold and calm.

"As for Hidan, that poor boy has both bad luck and a bit of a pity. He's still alive but his condition is probably not going to be good.

For specifics, you should ask the person next to me, he is my current employer, and Hidan is in his hands."

Employer? Hidan is in his hands?

Sasori's gaze was locked on Kaito, his eyes flickered a bit, and his mind was considering what to do next.

After contemplating for a while, Sasori let out a light hum, "Alright, I can pretend I didn't see this. However, you should know our organization can't tolerate traitors."

"Perhaps, but who knows," said Kakuzu nonchalantly, "When Pain invited me, he told me he could help me make money. Now that I've found a better opportunity, am I not allowed to choose?"

"The Leaf Village indeed has more money than the Akatsuki, but I'm curious about how much they can give you," Orochimaru licked his lips and asked, "Or rather, how much can you, Director Kaito, give him?"

"That depends on his worth," Kaito looked at Orochimaru with a smile, "Lord Orochimaru, I didn't expect to meet you here. You left Konoha so quickly, I didn't have a chance to look for you."

Kaito's words immediately attracted the attention of the Akatsuki members to Orochimaru. They were unaware that Orochimaru had returned to the Leaf Village.

But Orochimaru remained calm, licking his lips, "If I didn't leave, wouldn't I have been thrown into jail by Director Kaito? Just because you refrained from acting on the Fifth Hokage's behalf and let me escort that old man, it doesn't mean you wouldn't act once I was done."

"Very smart, you're much smarter than some people."

Kaito smiled and nodded, then his face darkened a bit as he turned his gaze to the silent Itachi.

"Will you speak? This time that masked man isn't here. How do you plan to die?"

"Are you too confident, thinking you can lay hands on our people?"

Sasori was too lazy to bother with Uchiha Itachi, but it's one thing to kill him privately, and another to say this in front of everyone.

However, Sasori didn't seem to want to start a fight with Kaito. He tried to mediate in an unusual manner, but his eyes involuntarily looked into Kaito's eyes.

"You two can settle your grudges privately, as long as we don't see it. But by doing this, you're challenging all of us."

"Where should I find this rat next time he hides?" Kaito raised an eyebrow, and it seemed he wasn't willing to let this matter go.

"You could ask him if he wants to stay alone."

Sasori glanced at the silent Itachi and found that the man had no intention of expressing an opinion. He shook his head disdainfully and said directly.

"Alright, it seems he's not willing. It's a very helpless choice.

However, if you start a fight, are you sure you can defeat all five of us? Plus, don't forget that we're in the Land of Earth, and it would be interesting if you're exposed."

"Let it be, this is Iwagakure's territory, there's no need for us to fight to death here."

Kaito seemed to be persuaded by this statement. He pondered for a moment before nodding.

"And dealing with you five, I don't seem to have much confidence either."

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru couldn't help but lick his lips, while Kisame nodded and chuckled.

"That's a wise choice. If we clash here, no one would gain any advantage. In the end, it might benefit the people of Iwagakure."

Kakuzu observed this scene thoughtfully, then nodded in agreement.

Kaito let out a slight sigh, "Alright, let's give this rat a break. Shall we each go our separate ways?"

Sasori nodded, "Fine, each go our separate ways."

With that, Kaito and Kakuzu moved to the left, while all the Akatsuki members gravitated to the right, with only Deidara jumping aside to continue watching the commotion.

Kaito and Kakuzu headed towards the Land of Bears, while the four Akatsuki members synced their steps and headed towards the Land of Rain. Both groups slowed their pace and brushed past each other.

The moment their backs were to each other after passing by, Kaito immediately turned around and formed hand seals.

"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"

Kakuzu, worthy of being an old fox who could keep up with Kaito's thoughts, also took decisive action at this moment.

"Fire Release: Head Incineration!"

The four Akatsuki members also struck in an instant, quickly using their most familiar and effective ninjutsu.

The six people from both sides seemed to be telepathically linked, all launching their attacks at the most suitable moment, with the result being all their attacks colliding with each other.

Boom, boom, boom!

A violent roar rang out in an instant, and this desolate land began to shake as if in an earthquake...

//

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