"…."
Orochimaru narrowed his snake-like eyes.
As expected—
He couldn't remain in Akatsuki much longer.
What he sought—
Was the truth of life itself.
Immortality.
Joining Akatsuki?
Merely a means to an end.
A way to acquire resources.
But Akatsuki's ultimate goal—
"The Tailed Beast Deterrence Plan."
Absolute obedience.A unified will.
That ideology—
Stood in direct opposition to his research.
And now—
They were forming two-man teams.
Mutual surveillance.Restriction.Control.
…Unacceptable.
After a brief moment of thought—
Orochimaru sneered inwardly.
"Playing savior with a group of lunatics…"
"…is far less interesting than dissecting tailed beasts."
It was time—
To prepare his exit.
Among the current members—
Aside from Pain and Konan—
Only Jūzō Biwa truly believed in this so-called peace.
A deserter from the Bloody Mist—
Searching for something new.
…
At that moment—
Pain's gaze shifted toward Orochimaru.
A chill crept down his spine.
His thoughts—
Cut off instantly.
"…."
"Continue."
Pain's voice was calm.
Flat.
"Share your intelligence."
Silence fell briefly.
Then—
Zetsu spoke first.
"I have confirmed information."
"One week ago—"
"The Uchiha clan… was exterminated."
…!
Aside from Orochimaru, Pain, and Konan—
Everyone reacted.
Orochimaru already knew.
He had his own intelligence network.
As for Pain and Konan—
They had been informed earlier.
By "Madara."
"What?!" Jūzō's voice rose.
The name "Uchiha"—
Carried weight.
Even in the Mist.
Comparable to the Hōzuki clan.
Kakuzu frowned.
"Are you certain?"
Zetsu nodded.
"Confirmed."
"Only one child survived."
"…What a waste." Kakuzu sighed.
"The Sharingan is priceless."
"If I'd known earlier…"
"I would've taken a few pairs."
Sasori spoke next.
"…Who did it?"
A simple question.
But heavy.
All eyes turned to Zetsu.
Without hesitation—
He answered:
"One of their own."
"Uchiha Itachi."
"…."
Silence fell.
The name echoed in their minds.
Searching.
Recalling.
Then—
Pain spoke.
"Uchiha Itachi…"
"…will be your future comrade."
"…So that's the new member?" Kakuzu raised a brow.
Jūzō chuckled.
"They say the Mist produces the most rogue ninja…"
"But in terms of quality—"
"It seems Konoha wins."
A man who slaughtered his own clan—
And that clan being the Uchiha—
He was qualified.
More than qualified.
The others glanced at Orochimaru.
Sasori smirked faintly.
"Congratulations."
"A fellow countryman."
"…Heh."
Orochimaru chuckled softly.
Unbothered on the surface.
But inside—
He was surprised.
He knew about the massacre.
He knew the reason.
But—
Itachi joining Akatsuki?
That changed things.
And perhaps—
Presented an opportunity.
After all—
He had long coveted Itachi's body.
Especially now—
With the Uchiha gone—
The Sharingan had become rarer than ever.
His interest—
Was piqued.
Pain continued:
"Konoha has long been corrupt."
"The conflict between the Uchiha and the higher-ups…"
"Was inevitable."
"Itachi may have wielded the blade—"
"But the ones behind it…"
"Were undoubtedly Konoha's leadership."
Konan added calmly:
"Whether internal conflict or clan extermination…"
"Both benefit our plans."
"Indeed." Pain nodded.
"Konoha has been weakened."
Hearing this—
As a former core member of Konoha—
Orochimaru sneered inwardly.
"That old fool…"
"Has he grown so weak…"
"That he can no longer suppress internal conflict?"
"At this rate…"
"Konoha will fall under your leadership."
"If destruction is inevitable…"
"…then it might as well be by my hands."
A thought formed.
A plan.
Faint—
But steadily taking shape.
Pain spoke again.
"Itachi has witnessed the darkness of Konoha."
"He will understand our ideals."
"He will walk our path."
The others nodded.
On the surface—
United.
Within—
Each with their own intentions.
The room fell silent once more.
There had been other pieces of intelligence to report—
But compared to this—
They were insignificant.
"Anyone else?" Pain asked.
Silence.
"…Then this meeting is concluded."
"Dismissed."
The projections began to flicker—
Fading.
Then—
"Wait."
Orochimaru spoke.
"…I recall something."
Kakuzu snapped immediately.
"You 'recall' something important now?"
Pain glanced at him.
And Kakuzu fell silent instantly.
"…Speak."
"…Heh."
Orochimaru smiled faintly.
He hadn't originally intended to share this.
But—
He needed to prove his value.
To keep the funding flowing.
After a brief pause—
He spoke.
"The night after the Uchiha massacre…"
"Konoha's Root organization…"
"…was destroyed."
…!
Even Pain and Konan reacted this time.
Another shockwave—
Dropped into the room.
Pain turned to Zetsu.
"…You missed this?"
White Zetsu responded quickly:
"We heard it."
"But could not confirm its authenticity."
All eyes returned to Orochimaru.
"It's real."
He said firmly.
In truth—
He couldn't be completely certain.
But every informant in Konoha—
Reported the same thing.
One fact was undeniable:
Root…
Was gone.
"…Who did it?" Pain asked.
Orochimaru answered—
Without hesitation.
"Shenyue Yuan."
"A civilian ninja from Konoha."
"But during his Academy years—"
"He was said to rival Itachi."
"One of Konoha's twin prodigies."
Jūzō let out a low whistle.
"…So Konoha still produces monsters."