In Otogakure, Deidara had returned once more.
Of course, this time he came alone. Kurotsuchi had been sent back to Amegakure by one of his Clay Clones.
"Orochimaru, what's the rush?" Deidara asked curiously.
"I need you to pay for the summoning of Minato Namikaze," Orochimaru replied, arms crossed. For once, he wasn't conducting an experiment but stood calmly outside Otogakure.
"No problem. What's the target? Konoha?"
"Indeed." Orochimaru nodded. "I call it the Second Konoha Destruction Plan."
Again? Did you even ask Konoha how they felt about this? Wasn't one destruction enough? Now there's going to be a second?
"What did Danzo do to provoke you this time? Is it about the Joint Chūnin Exams?" Deidara asked, finding the situation increasingly strange.
Orochimaru didn't answer directly. Instead, he glanced to the side, where a figure emerged from a small house.
Deidara recognized her—it was Shizune. She was visibly injured, and considering that she was a medical ninja herself yet still in such a state, it was clear her wounds were severe, otherwise she would've healed herself long ago.
"Tsunade's in trouble?" Deidara asked, looking at Shizune.
Shizune also recognized Deidara—it was that man who had taken advantage of Lady Tsunade that day.
No, now was not the time to dwell on such thoughts.
In any case, judging from his performance that day, this man was incredibly strong. With his involvement, the plan to rescue Lady Tsunade would be much more secure.
Shizune hurriedly recounted the events of that day. Upon hearing her explanation, Deidara's expression turned into one of understanding. As expected, Danzo had used Kotoamatsukami on Tsunade. This explained half of the mysteries surrounding her.
"I plan to use this opportunity during the Chūnin Exams to break the genjutsu on Tsunade and kill Danzo!" Orochimaru's voice carried a chilling murderous intent, clearly indicating that Danzo's actions had crossed a line he could not tolerate.
"No problem," Deidara agreed without hesitation. Now that Konoha and Danzo were becoming less useful to Akatsuki, it was time to swallow them whole.
However, this matter needed to be handled carefully. They couldn't afford to underestimate their opponent as they had with Minato Namikaze last time.
After all, Konoha was the focal point of the "Naruto" world's destiny. Who knew if some unforeseen event might occur?
Not to mention that the current Jiraiya, Tsunade, and the mysterious Wood Release user were incredibly strong. And if Naruto and Sasuke were involved, extra caution was necessary. The Sage of Six Paths wouldn't let his descendants suffer easily.
Of course, there was also the hidden threat of Guy. If forced to open the Eighth Gate, Deidara wouldn't stand a chance against one of his kicks.
Thus, the strategy from before must continue: external pressure combined with internal collapse. Fortunately, during this period, they had received a significant amount of defection intelligence through Yūgao Rin. They could replicate the tactics used in Kirigakure.
"I'll head back to the organization to gather reinforcements, but their payment will go on your tab," Deidara said to Orochimaru.
Since the Joint Chūnin Exams were a month away, there was plenty of time. This was also to accommodate the smaller ninja villages, giving them enough time to prepare.
"No problem," Orochimaru agreed with a nod.
After Deidara left, Orochimaru turned back toward his underground base, ready to resume his experiments.
Suddenly, a figure began to materialize out of thin air.
She appeared to be a gentle older sister, with long green hair tied up and a golden crown on her head. If not for her sharp teeth and long tongue, she would've been the picture of a stunning beauty.
"Tianxin Divine Princess? You actually left Ryūchi Cave to come here?" Orochimaru asked in surprise.
Tianxin Divine Princess looked at Orochimaru without offering an explanation. Instead, she issued a high-handed command: "Orochimaru, you're planning to go to Konoha, aren't you?"
"Perfect. There's a brat named Sasuke Uchiha there. Bring him back here and take him as your disciple."
"Heh." Orochimaru let out a cryptic laugh. "I'm not interested in taking him as a disciple, but I am quite interested in his body."
Tianxin Divine Princess shrugged. "That doesn't matter. Even if you want to take over his body, you'll need to train him first, won't you?"
"As long as you can make that brat stronger, you can do whatever you like."
Unlike Mount Myōboku's hands-on kindness, the White Snake Sage didn't want to get too entangled with each generation's "child of destiny." While Mount Myōboku's approach often yielded greater benefits, it also led to backlash at critical moments, making it difficult to extricate oneself.
Thus, in the original story, while Ryūchi Cave's influence was present at Sasuke's key crossroads, its presence was minimal.
For example, Orochimaru, who accelerated Sasuke's growth; Kabuto, who revived him; and Manda, who shielded him from fatal damage—all played pivotal roles in Sasuke's life.
Without them, Sasuke wouldn't have reached such heights, just as Naruto wouldn't have without Jiraiya.
After Tianxin Divine Princess left, Orochimaru chuckled cryptically once more.
"Sasuke Uchiha, it seems there's something extraordinary hidden within you!"
...
Amegakure's Underground Base
A long-overdue Akatsuki Meeting was convened once again.
Each member stood on their respective fingers of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Aside from Kakashi, who was attending for the first time and looked somewhat amazed, the others showed no particular reaction.
"What's going on? Why was this meeting suddenly called?" Hidan asked curiously.
"Idiot, didn't the leader explain during the notification? It's to discuss the Joint Chūnin Exams," Kakuzu replied.
"Hey, Kakuzu!"
"Don't talk to your teammate in such a nasty tone!"
"I was just praying to Jashin at the time, so I didn't pay attention!" Hidan retorted, starting one of his usual arguments with Kakuzu.
Nagato glanced at them and, as always, chose to ignore their bickering. Instead, he turned to the others and asked, "What are your thoughts on this matter?"
The group first directed their attention to Deidara, as Orochimaru clearly had something planned. After meeting with him, Deidara should have new intelligence.
"Tsunade, one of the Sannin, has been placed under Danzo's genjutsu. Orochimaru wants to hire us to attack Konoha."
"The plan is to rescue Tsunade and, if possible, eliminate Danzo, Konoha's current Hokage," Deidara explained.
"Genjutsu again?"
"Is it the same mysterious genjutsu as last time?" someone asked, recalling the incident with Yagura Karatachi, where Tobi had used genjutsu to control the Fourth Mizukage.
"I'm not sure," Deidara lied, shaking his head. The details of Kotoamatsukami were highly classified, especially in front of Itachi. Revealing them would undoubtedly arouse his suspicion.
Ao of Kirigakure only knew about it because he had fought Shisui Uchiha and happened to possess the Byakugan.
But such highly sensitive information couldn't be casually disclosed.
"Itachi-san, does your Uchiha clan have such powerful genjutsu? Even you can't achieve something like this, right?" Kisame asked curiously.
Indeed, in terms of genjutsu mastery, Itachi was considered the strongest in the ninja world. Shisui's Kotoamatsukami didn't count, as it was an awakened ability tied to his Mangekyō Sharingan, not a product of personal skill.
Yet even Itachi couldn't perform such feats, while someone else had done so multiple times. This was truly shocking.
Itachi glanced around at everyone, his expression finally showing a hint of emotion. He let out a rare sigh.
"It's likely Shisui's Kotoamatsukami."
"Kotoamatsukami?"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The story isn't over...
🤔 Want to know what happens next to the characters?
🤫 Eager to explore the untold secrets of this world?
✍️ Ready to read more of my wildest stories?
✨patreon.com/GoldenLong