A few days later, at the Akatsuki hideout!
Several camouflage phantoms stood on the stone finger in the dark cave.
Pain: "Hidan and Kakuzu are out of touch!"
Kakuzu: "Tsk tsk, wouldn't that zombie duo just be killed?"
Deidara also didn't forget to taunt.
"It would be best if they were killed. Who told them to mock my art!"
A pair of scarlet pupils were quite conspicuous in this cave; Uchiha Itachi watched silently and did not speak.
Now they realized that two Jinchūriki had already been captured: the Four Tails and the Five Tails.
One or two Three Tails hadn't been targeted yet.
However, at this moment, Hidan and Kakuzu had lost contact.
Does anyone know their latest situation?
Kisame: "Who knows about that pair of zombies?"
Deidara: "Yes, yes!"
Sasori: "..."
At this time, a voice emerged from the darkness.
In general, Akatsuki's intelligence and contacts were absolutely reliable.
As soon as he opened his mouth, he shocked everyone.
"Hidan and Kakuzu were killed."
Kisame grinned.
"Tsk tsk, I just said that casually. I didn't expect this pair of zombies to be killed!"
Deidara: "Well, don't they claim to be immortal? How could they be killed by others?"
Deidara and Kisame teased with a playful attitude, but the fact that Hidan and Kakuzu were truly killed surprised them a bit.
Pain frowned, realizing that losing two members in an instant was not a positive sign.
"Jue, do you know who killed them?"
Hidan and Kakuzu's mission was originally to gather the two-tailed chakra scattered around the world.
But it was a torment for the impetuous Hidan.
Thus, the two had not gone looking for the chakra of the Two-Tails.
"Well, what were they doing?" Pain continued.
Jue: "The last time I contacted them, they were in the Land of Fire, so their goal is naturally clear. They aimed for the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki."
Konoha?
Hearing "Konoha," Pain suddenly exuded a faint murderous intent.
It was more Nagato than Pain, as Nagato's parents had been killed by Konoha shinobi.
Upon hearing the name Konoha, Uchiha Itachi's heart also rippled.
Jue: "Hidan and Kakuzu probably encountered Konoha's ninjas and died at their hands."
They never explored along Hidan's path.
A huge ruin was found, filled with fallen rocks—traces of battles.
Jue was quite surprised by the scale and couldn't imagine who Hidan and Kakuzu had faced in such a fierce battle.
The entire dark stone room fell silent for a few seconds.
"Hehe, seniors, good evening!"
A man wearing a mask happily appeared in the stone room; it was the masked man, Obito.
Pain: "Obito, it's daytime. As Akatsuki's new member, fill the gap left by Kakuzu and Hidan. Act alone for the time being, and wait until you find a new partner."
"Okay, senior, then please give me more advice."
The meeting ended, and Deidara and Sasori began walking in the desert.
"Sasori-senpai, I really didn't expect those two zombies to be killed!"
To be honest, Deidara felt a sense of schadenfreude at the deaths of Kakuzu and Hidan.
Who made them ignore their art?
Sasori, in his puppet form, walked slowly, seemingly ignoring his partner.
"Sasori-senpai, shouldn't we go directly to Sunagakure on a clay bird?"
"That way is too conspicuous. Besides, there are connections I have in Sunagakure, so there's no need to be so high-profile."
Suddenly, a Sand Shinobi ninja half-knelt in front of Sasori.
"Sasori-sama, I've been waiting for a long time!"
A low voice emanated from the puppet.
"Yura, what's the situation in the village now?"
Yura was Sasori's undercover agent in the Sand Village.
All the ninjas at the entrance of Sunagakure had been eliminated by him.
Now, Sunagakure, with Deidara's fighting style, only the Fourth Kazekage would pose a threat.
As for other ninjas, there was nothing to fear.
"I heard that the Jinchūriki from One-Tail is a little brat?"
Deidara asked with interest.
"Yes, One-Tail Jinchūriki is Lord Gaara!"
...
At the entrance of Sunagakure, Yura, Sasori, and Deidara stood atop a ridge overlooking the village in the desert.
This massive depression was surrounded by towering walls, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.
But for Deidara, who excelled at aerial combat, this posed no problem.
Deidara had a mouth on the palm of his hand, biting into explosive clay as he spoke.
"This is Sunagakure of the Land of Wind! It's time to show off my art."
The operation to capture One-Tail begins now!
Meanwhile, in the Land of Fire, Konoha Village!
In an open meadow, Sasuke was practicing shuriken throwing.
"Master Nanaya, will Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin, come over today?"
"Well, he can help you gain power faster."
Nanaya had already informed Orochimaru of Sasuke's strong desire for revenge.
And Orochimaru also wanted to see Sasuke's potential sooner rather than later.
Today, he came to pick up Sasuke.
Shhhhh...
Suddenly, a large snake appeared in the forest, opening its gaping mouth full of mucus.
The figure of Orochimaru slowly crawled out from inside.
Sasuke frowned; how disgusting!
The snake-like eyes of the gigantic serpent regarded Uchiha Sasuke with interest as it softly said, "Sasuke-kun, it's our first meeting!"
This was the legendary Sannin, Orochimaru!
Sasuke was meeting Orochimaru for the first time.
This was the man who had killed the Third Hokage. Now, Orochimaru didn't seem to be distinctly male or female.
"You are Orochimaru? Lord Nanaya said that you could grant me power very quickly. It's not that I don't believe it, but I want to see how you will give me that power."
"Tsk tsk, it's good for young people to have a thirst for strength."
Orochimaru licked his lips, and his white neck suddenly stretched toward Sasuke.
Sasuke couldn't react to this sudden attack.
Baring his fangs, Orochimaru bit directly into Sasuke's neck.
Then, the long neck quickly returned to its original shape.
"Sasuke-kun, this is my first gift to you!"
What—
Sasuke screamed at the sudden pain in his neck, clutching the spot where Orochimaru had bitten with his right hand.
After a few breaths, Sasuke slowly regained his composure.
At the same time, he could feel the power multiplying within himself.
His heart was filled with surprise: this, this!
"This is the Curse Mark, Sasuke-kun; it has been specially prepared for you."
The power of the Curse Mark was derived from Shigego after Orochimaru's extensive research.
If Sasuke couldn't handle this power, then there would be no need for him to seek revenge.
"Sasuke-kun, follow me, and you can grow even stronger."
Sasuke smiled; even if he was facing the devil, he was not afraid at all.
"Uchiha Itachi, wait for me; the countdown to your life has begun!"
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