Land of Rain, a thousand miles away from Tsuruga Port.
Menma's figure materialized in a secret basement of an abandoned town.
The room was empty, save for a specially crafted Flying Thunder God kunai hanging in the center, emitting a faint Chakra Fluctuation.
The air in the Land of Rain, perpetually shrouded in overcast skies and continuous drizzle, was filled with dampness and the smell of dust.
'After my last encounter with Pain, the Akatsuki lay low for a while... I wonder which 'talents' Nagato has recruited since then.' Menma pondered privately.
With Kisame and Kakuzu, two original members, poached by him in advance, the Akatsuki's development trajectory was bound to deviate.
This piqued his curiosity. Since he was already out, he might as well take a look at Amegakure.
However, he didn't barge directly into the village.
Nagato's [Rain Tiger at Will Technique] likely covered the entire village. Any abnormal Chakra Fluctuations could alert them.
So, he decided on a more stealthy approach.
Leaving the basement, Menma blended into the rain. After a few flickers, he arrived at a main trade route leading to Amegakure nearby.
He silently infiltrated a merchant caravan struggling through the rain, hiding deep within the cargo pile of a wagon loaded with cloth, suppressing all his Chakra Fluctuations, like an inanimate object.
Meanwhile, in a dense forest on the border of the Land of Rain.
Raindrops pattered on leaves, creating a rustling sound.
The Deva Path, Konan, and Ameyuri stood in a triangular formation, blocking the path of a figure ahead.
That person had pale skin, golden serpentine eyes, and exuded a cold, dangerous aura.
It was Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru, your subordinates have been quite active in the Land of Rain lately," Konan spoke first, her cold eyes filled with vigilance. "Gathering intelligence on the Akatsuki... what is your intention?"
Orochimaru's serpentine eyes examined the Deva Path with interest, especially those Rinnegan with their concentric circles.
The corner of his mouth curled into a greedy, eerie smile. "Kukuku... What, are you here to silence me today?"
Though he smiled, his body was slightly tensed, ready to act at any moment.
'The legendary Rinnegan... truly a fascinating treasure...' Despite Shura's repeated warnings about the Rinnegan's dangerous depths, seeing these coveted eyes with his own made Orochimaru's desire almost uncontrollable.
"You could interpret it that way," The Deva Path's voice was devoid of emotion, like a cold machine.
"How direct," Orochimaru licked his lips. "However, I am very interested in your Akatsuki. Perhaps... we could communicate in a different way?"
Before his words faded, a powerful Chakra erupted around him… cold, viscous, carrying the fishy smell of snakes, breaking the stalemate first!
"You're dead!" Ameyuri shouted sharply, she had been impatient for a while.
Her figure shot out like lightning. The seemingly ordinary sword in her hand instantly became wrapped in dazzling lightning!
A sharp lightning slash shot straight towards Orochimaru's face!
Orochimaru seemed unhurried. His body twisted at an angle that defied human anatomy, narrowly avoiding the sword.
His hands quickly formed hand seals:
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Several ferocious venomous snakes shot out from his sleeves, hissing as they bit towards Ameyuri.
Ameyuri reacted extremely quickly. Her sword swung, lightning flashing, severing and electrocuting all the incoming snakes!
She didn't stop, closing in on Orochimaru. Her swordplay was swift and savage, lightning accompanying the blade, forming a deadly attack net!
Orochimaru's Taijutsu was equally elusive and unpredictable. His body was as flexible as if boneless, always managing to evade vital points in unbelievable ways.
He occasionally used some Earth or Wind Release Ninjutsu for interference, but seemed not to be using his full strength, more like he was probing.
The two moved and clashed at high speed in the rain, blade lights, snake shadows, and lightning intertwining… the scene was intense.
During a seemingly dangerous exchange, Orochimaru deliberately showed a flaw, his movements slowing half a beat.
A glint flashed in Ameyuri's eyes. Seizing the opportunity, her sword thrust forward sharply, piercing through Orochimaru's shoulder blade!
'Got him!' Ameyuri thought with joy, following the momentum kicking Orochimaru away. He crashed into a small tree, breaking it.
Orochimaru lay on the ground motionless, as if lifeless.
Ameyuri sheathed her sword, a trace of disdain on her face. "Hmph, one of the legendary Sannin, and this is all you're capable of? Truly disappointing."
However, the moment she let her guard down, a sudden change occurred!
The 'corpse' of Orochimaru on the ground suddenly opened its mouth in an extremely horrifying manner, stretching to the limit. Another, completely unharmed Orochimaru emerged wetly from inside as if shedding skin!
Even more astonishingly, the newly appeared Orochimaru's body stretched and elongated like rubber. His neck instantly extended several meters, his right hand shooting straight towards the Deva Path, who had been standing still observing the fight, with lightning speed!
His target was unmistakably clear.
The Rinnegan!
This change was too sudden, and even Konan couldn't react in time!
Orochimaru's scheme was ruthless and precise. The previous fight was entirely setting the stage for this final surprise attack!
Just as his hand was about to touch the Deva Path's eye socket, the Rinnegan remained as calm as still water and the Deva Path merely raised his hand slightly.
"Shinra Tensei."
An irresistible, massive repulsive force erupted from the Deva Path as the center!
Hum-!
The air groaned under the strain!
Orochimaru's elongated head and body, as if hitting an invisible, indestructible wall, were sent flying back with even greater force than they came!
He crashed through over a dozen large trees before landing heavily on the muddy ground, splashing large amounts of water.
"Pfft!" Orochimaru spat out a mouthful of blood, his face filled with shock and disbelief.
'Seal-less... and such a powerful Ninjutsu?! Is this... the power of the Rinnegan?!' He had felt as if he were opposing the entire world just now!
Ameyuri finally reacted, both shocked and furious, raising her sword to point at Orochimaru. "You cunning bastard!"
Orochimaru struggled to get up. Though injured, the excitement in his golden serpentine eyes intensified.
He wiped the blood from his mouth and laughed, "Kukukuku... As expected of the Rinnegan. I'm growing more and more interested in the Akatsuki. So, Pain, how about considering letting me join? My knowledge and research capabilities should be quite useful to you."
Konan immediately flew to the Deva Path's side, whispering, "Pain, Orochimaru is too dangerous. He clearly intended to steal your eyes just now!"
The Deva Path remained silent for a moment, his Rinnegan fixed on Orochimaru as if weighing the pros and cons.
Finally, he spoke indifferently, "Granted."
The Deva Path said to Konan, "Rather than letting him lurk and spy outside, it's better to keep him under our watchful eye."
Then he looked at Orochimaru. "Welcome to the Akatsuki, Orochimaru."
A triumphant smile appeared on Orochimaru's face. "A wise choice."
Ameyuri made a dissatisfied 'Tch' sound but knew it was the leader's decision.
Orochimaru followed the Deva Path, Konan, and Ameyuri towards the direction of Amegakure.
As he looked at the backs of the Deva Path and Konan, especially the orange hair and the familiar aura, he felt he had seen them somewhere before, but couldn't recall immediately.
After entering the iconic underground base of Amegakure, shrouded by countless pipes and towers, Orochimaru looked around with interest. "Tsk tsk, to think you're hiding right under that old fool Hanzo's nose, no wonder he found no clues after all these years of searching."
At that moment, Zetsu's half-black, half-white figure emerged from the ground. "Leader, the mission report from Zabuza and Itachi is in. The situation has some discrepancies. The target, Kakuzu... is suspected to possess an immortal body ability. They failed to secure him."
"Immortal body?" Orochimaru's serpentine eyes immediately lit up, filled with a researcher's curiosity.
On the other side, Menma, hiding in the merchant caravan wagon, was resting with his eyes closed, waiting to enter Amegakure.
Suddenly, commotion and cries came from outside the caravan.
Menma quietly activated his Mind's Eye of Kagura, his powerful perception spreading out like ripples.
He 'saw' a group of ragged refugees swarming onto the road, surrounding the caravan begging.
However, mixed among these pale, thin refugees were several sturdy, fierce-looking men with faint Chakra fluctuations within them.
'Just as I thought...' Menma understood, 'Such tragedies were happening everywhere in the Ninja World.'
When the Amegakure's Ninja Team hired by the caravan stepped forward to disperse these 'refugees', a sudden change occurred!
Those sturdy men abruptly drew weapons from under their tattered clothes, roaring as they charged at the Amegakure's Ninjas!
The genuine refugees scattered in fear, and the scene instantly descended into chaos.
The bandits disguised as refugees clashed fiercely with the Amegakure's Ninjas. The sounds of metal clashing, Ninjutsu explosions, and screams filled the air.
Amidst this chaos, Menma's perception locked onto a special figure.
It was a girl who looked only eleven or twelve years old, with rare purple short hair, her face smudged with mud, but her large eyes exceptionally bright.
She wore an Amegakure's forehead protector and was hiding behind the wreckage of an overturned wagon, nervously supporting her comrades outside with kunai and shuriken.
'Konan's future subordinate, the one who became the Animal Path?' Menma recalled this character from the original work. She seemed to be a peripheral member of the Akatsuki later, after they killed Hanzo and took control of Amegakure, and was turned into the Animal Path after her death.
He hadn't expected her to become a Ninja at such a young age.
For Ninja from small villages outside the Five Great Nations, there was no tradition like 'Genin not allowed to take B-Rank missions'.
For Genin from small villages, any mission was acceptable as long as they could survive.
The chaos of the Land of Rain gave rise to many such seedlings.
He observed quietly, not planning to intervene immediately.