"Who are you?"
The woman standing in front of him (actually Orochimaru) possessed a kind of bewitching, soul-stealing beauty in Kazahana Dotō's eyes.
But this was definitely not the time to be staring at pretty faces.
Dotō's strength was honestly nothing to sneeze at—at least on par with a standard jōnin. Add in the custom-built chakra armor he'd designed for himself, and his combat power was enough to rival Kakashi's.
Even after his trip to Konoha, after seeing a monster like Uchiha Yorin, he'd still been confident. He figured that someone on Yorin's level, in all the world, couldn't be more than a handful.
He knew he couldn't match Yorin yet, but as long as he worked hard and took a different path (i.e., continued pushing his chakra armor research), then one day his power would catch up.
Even if it didn't, once he became Daimyo of the Land of Snow he'd quickly build Snow up to Great Nation level. After that, he'd launch wars, seize land and resources, steal secret arts, recruit talent—sooner or later, he'd surpass the Uchiha.
But now, this peerless beauty had appeared out of nowhere. She hadn't threatened him, hadn't moved a muscle, hadn't said much at all. Yet just the sheer weight of her chakra—and her existence—shattered Dotō's worldview.
Were there really this many monsters in the world?
Turned out the number of top-tier powerhouses wasn't "rare legends"… it was more like "sold by the crate"—as countless as grains of sand in the Ganges. Even a random woman popping up on the roadside had power like this. If that was the case, wasn't his grand hegemony dream just a mirage, something he'd never realistically reach?
Luckily, what she said next made Dotō relax a little.
"Kazahana Dotō-san, I'm here on behalf of Akatsuki. We earnestly hope you'll join us."
Akatsuki…
Of course he'd heard of them—a bizarre cult led by some lunatic who wanted to exterminate all nobles and daimyo and build a world with nothing but mobs.
Dotō naturally sneered at that kind of ideal.
"I'm one of the nobles you're trying to wipe out," he said to Orochimaru. "And you want to invite me to join? Has that leader of yours—what's his name, Rinyo—finally fried his brain?"
He talked big even as he plotted escape routes in his head.
Going toe-to-toe with a Kage-level opponent was way out of his league right now… no, honestly, even in most imagined futures it would still be way out of his league.
At times like this, Dotō thought, the only "correct" move was to say the fiercest words and then do the gutless thing—run. As long as he stayed alive and useful, he could always stage a comeback.
And when that day came, he'd make this beauty kneel and ravage her until she was completely broken, barely able to stand—!
…
If Yorin could've heard what was going through Dotō's head right now, he'd probably have stood up, saluted and said: "Kazahana-bro, you're a real man."
At the very least, Orochimaru was delighted.
Noticing Dotō was about to bolt, Orochimaru's lips curled in an amused smile as he said:
"Not at all. Our leader has just… made a small adjustment to the strategy."
He spoke calmly: "After Akatsuki cleanses the world, after we wipe out all the bloated, incompetent parasites gorging themselves on power, the world will still need to be governed. Ruled. Don't you think so?
"So then, who should rule the world we create?
"Obviously, the talented. The capable. The strong.
"That is what we mean by promoting talent. That is what we call selection by ability. That is the 'fairness' Akatsuki speaks of.
"So, Kazahana Dotō-san… do you think you are one of those talented and powerful people?"
Hearing that, Dotō's wariness dropped sharply.
When he really thought about it, everything he'd heard about Akatsuki was just rumors, second-hand gossip from nobles.
And if those bloated aristocrats had distorted Akatsuki's doctrine, that wouldn't be surprising at all.
Once it had passed through Orochimaru's mouth, Akatsuki's ideology sounded much more pleasing to Dotō.
Of course, of course—this is all about becoming the ones on top. What, did anyone really think Akatsuki were idiots, that after conquering the world they'd actually share it equally with the rabble?
Obviously impossible.
Looked at that way, maybe cooperation between him and Akatsuki wasn't impossible. They could each get what they wanted.
With that thought, Dotō couldn't help the pleased smile tugging at his mouth.
The truth was, up until now, what he'd wanted was just the Land of Snow.
But after hearing Uchiha Yorin's speeches, his ambition had exploded.
A single Snow Country wasn't nearly enough to carry his desires.
But aside from Snow, where else could he get more land and wealth?
He hated to admit it, but even he had to concede that with just his own strength, going it alone would be awfully difficult.
In that case, wouldn't borrowing Akatsuki's power be the smart move?
"I am talented and strong," Dotō answered Orochimaru at last.
"Exactly. That's why our leader sought you out," Orochimaru replied. "To be blunt—after his fight with Uchiha Yorin, he realized he needed a new base. Somewhere far from the Five Great Nations, somewhere no one would notice.
"The Land of Snow is the perfect choice for our organization.
"Sure, we could seize the country by force alone. But that would make too much noise, draw Konoha's attention—and that would be… troublesome.
"You wouldn't want your country dragged into a war between Akatsuki and Konoha and turned into a smoking crater, would you?"
"…Is that a threat?" Dotō's eyes flashed angrily.
"Heh heh heh, not at all. I'm simply stating facts," Orochimaru said lightly. "So. What's your decision?
"Will you help us overthrow Snow's current regime and build Akatsuki's secret base there?"
"And what do I get out of it? If I want to launch a coup and topple my brother, I can do that any time. Someone that weak and useless is no match for me."
"True. But you aren't satisfied with just being the little lord of some poor, frozen backwater, are you?
"For the great nations, 'Land of Snow' is nothing more than a tiny frontier town perched on a chunk of ice.
"Would ruling only that really satisfy you?
"Or do you honestly believe that with your own strength alone, you can expand your borders and forge an empire?"
"Hmph. Easy for you to say."
Dotō's face turned dark. "You lot at Akatsuki talk a big game, but aren't you being chased all over the map by Uchiha Yorin?"
"Heh heh. Uchiha Yorin is formidable," Orochimaru didn't deny it; he smiled, eyes gleaming. "There's no shame in having lost to him, Dotō-dono. But as for our organization's strength… you should know it isn't so simple.
"And our complete plan for dealing with Yorin—and Konoha as a whole—is already being laid, piece by piece."
"…What plan?" Dotō blurted—and then immediately realized what a foolish question it was.
Obviously they wouldn't just hand such a trump card to an outsider.
But then… did that trump card even exist?
"You can take the gamble," Orochimaru said mildly. "So. What's your choice?"
"…"
"Tch. I'll join."
After a brief internal struggle, Kazahana Dotō gave his answer.
Just as Yorin had predicted, Dotō couldn't resist the bait. Even knowing it was poisoned, his arrogant belief in himself told him he could handle it.
The truth was, his whole life had been way too smooth.
From childhood up, Kazahana Dotō had never really suffered a serious setback.
Even losing the succession to his elder brother was something he'd anticipated, prepared for, and already begun maneuvering against long before it happened.
Someone like that, when faced with a manipulator on Orochimaru's tier—a top-level con artist, or rather a master political operator—falling for it was only natural.
On one side, Yorin was planning to cheat him out of his ancestral domain and Edo-Tensei him into a 24/7 lab grunt; on the other, Dotō was still feeling smug, even imagining how he'd seduce and "conquer" Orochimaru and end up with both power and beauty.
…
Dotō slipped into character quickly. Soon after, Akatsuki's elite squad met up with his Yukigakure ninja, merging into one force heading straight for the Land of Snow.
These operatives had been hand-picked by Yorin out of Konoha, the Uchiha clan, Uzushiogakure, Kirigakure, and Amegakure—cream of the crop. Their loyalty and skill were beyond question, and their combination techniques were shocking to see—designed to give the enemy "surprises" they'd never forget.
They were privy to Akatsuki/Ninshū's deepest secrets. Every one of them had joined the Youth Officer Corps, Anbu, and the dual structure of Ninshū and Akatsuki. Their devotion to Yorin and to the shinobi revolution was absolute; at any time, they were ready to offer him their hearts—literally if needed.
Dotō compared these fighters to his own Snow ninja.
He hated to admit it, but these Akatsuki elites were more than twice as strong as the Yukigakure troops—even counting the Snow nin's signature chakra armor.
"As expected of a world-class villain organization," he thought.
The realization only fired him up further. If anything, this made him even more confident about what they were about to do.
"Just you wait, brother," Kazahana Dotō thought as he looked in the direction of the Land of Snow.
"Next… you're going to witness a miracle."