Orochimaru had been eyeing Kirigakure for a long ti.
Ever since the end of the Third Great Ninja War, when Karatachi Yagura beca the Fourth Mizukage, the village had implented oppressive policies against clans with Kekkei Genkai, along with various other inexplicable asures.
This had thrown the entire village into chaos, causing many excellent Ninjas to leave.
Even the Seven Ninja Swordsn of the Mist had seen several mbers defect, including Biwa Juzo and Kurosuki Raiga.
"Do you have so kind of intelligence?" nma had reason to suspect that Orochimaru had spies operating in Kirigakure.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to so precisely locate Kaguya Clan and capture Hozuki Suigetsu.
"Khu khu, I do have so information." Orochimaru chuckled lightly, a hint of smugness in his tone.
'It seems even Shura, a powerful Ninja who ca from the future, didn't have intel on the Blood Mist Village.'
"When are we going?" nma figured now was the perfect ti to recruit people from Kirigakure. He couldn't just let Orochimaru take all the talent.
Not to ntion Kimimaro, at least Haku must be recruited.
"How about three days later?" Orochimaru's face was full of amusent.
The Kirigakure was extrely dangerous right now. Even a powerhouse like Orochimaru would have no choice but to flee if discovered during infiltration.
That's why he wanted to bring nma along.
After all, nma's combat record was well-docunted across the Ninja World. Both Konoha and Kumogakure still had bounties on his head.
Orochimaru even had so rumors that nma was the one responsible for the destruction in Kusagakure.
"Fine. Three days from now, I'll wait for you in the Land of Waves." nma nodded and turned to leave.
The Land of Water was a nation composed of nurous islands. Although Kirigakure had implented a lockdown policy, the Land of Water itself wasn't completely isolated. There were many ways to get there, with the simplest being taking a boat from a coastal port directly to a port in the Land of Water.
From there, they could infiltrate Kirigakure by land or.
…
Agakure.
The rain fell like a woven curtain, shrouding the entire village in a hazy mist.
Disguised with a Transformation Technique, Konan walked through the dimly lit marketplace, holding an oil-paper umbrella as she stepped over puddles in the narrow alleyways.
The damp air carried a mix of mildew and decay, much like the war-torn country itself.
"Hey! Get lost, you brats!" A man's harsh shout pierced through the sound of rain, catching Konan's attention.
She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a butcher angrily shooing away a group of ragged orphans.
Such scenes can be seen everywhere in the Land of Rain, or rather, orphans can be seen everywhere in the Land of Rain.
Sandwiched between the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Fire, the Land of Rain had long been subject to interference from foreign Ninjas. It had been a major battleground in all three Great Ninja Wars. The people of Land of Rain had grown accustod to the pain of losing loved ones.
The scene felt all too familiar, reminding Konan of herself, Nagato, and Yahiko huddling in the ruins a decade ago.
Carrying a basket, she found herself inexplicably following the children. When they turned into an alley, she deliberately dropped a package of food on the ground.
The raindrops pattered against the oil-paper wrapping.
But before she could walk away, a clear voice called out from behind her: "Nee-san!"
Konan paused in surprise and turned around.
"You dropped this!" A purple-haired girl stood barefoot in the muddy water, her tattered umbrella doing little to shield her from the downpour.
The girl was painfully thin, her ribs visible through her threadbare clothes. Her stomach even let out an embarrassing growl at the scent of food.
Yet, the innocence in her eyes reminded Konan of her old companions.
She turned away, feigning indifference, "It's dirty now. I don't want it."
Then, Konan left instantly with Body Flicker Technique.
The water droplets she stirred hung in the air like glistening arcs.
Watching the mysterious woman disappear, Ajisai's eyes sparkled with admiration.
Clutching the package of food, she hurried back to her friends.
"Wow! I told you she wouldn't want it back!"
"Open it quick! What's inside? It slls so good!"
"Don't grab! Save so for !"
" too! too!"
Konan stood atop a nearby building, watching from a distance as the purple-haired girl shared the food with her friends. A warm feeling flowed through her heart.
After returning to the secret base, Konan began preparing als for Nagato.
Now that Nagato had lost the use of his legs and had to supply Chakra to the Six Paths of Pain, his daily life depended entirely on Konan's care.
"That guy Madara hasn't been back in a while, has he?" Nagato's weak voice ca from behind Konan after the al.
"It's been almost half a month." Konan replied as she gathered the leftover food.
"It seems that Shura left quite an impression on him last ti." Thinking of the guy who called himself 'Uchiha Madara' had returned wounded the previous year, Nagato's weak voice was filled with sarcasm.
'That self-proclaid Uchiha Madara and his companion, Zetsu, were clearly not to be trusted.'
When Obito first approached the Akatsuki seeking cooperation, Yahiko had outright refused, stating that he didn't seem like a good person.
After Yahiko's death, Nagato had chosen to work with them… but even as he walked alongside the tiger, he remained wary of those two at all tis.
"Zetsu said that Shura is a rogue Uchiha and is very strong. But he did not provide any other information." Konan said. She wasn't entirely sure about 'Madara's' true strength, but since he claid to be 'Uchiha Madara' and had once attacked Konoha during the Nine-Tails Rampage, even Nagato was cautious of his intangibility ability.
So naturally, Shura, who had managed to injure 'Uchiha Madara', had beco a point of interest for both Nagato and Konan.
"Moreover, because the other side has Ninja with strong sensing abilities, Zetsu said that he won't send White Zetsu near Hoshigakure anymore." Konan added.
"Hmph, I know." Nagato chuckled coldly, "That guy is trying to bait into dealing with Shura for him."
While Nagato's Six Paths of Pain weren't fully completed yet, with the Rinnegan, handling Kage-level opponents wouldn't be too difficult for him.
Still, he had no intention of playing into Obito and Zetsu's hands by rushing into the Land of Bears to fight an equally powerful Shura.
"It seems they really are wary of Shura's strength." Konan mused. In a way, this was a good thing, as having an external enemy would force 'Madara' and Zetsu to cooperate better with Akatsuki.
Just as Konan finished handling these matters and resud helping Nagato prepare the Six Paths of Pain, a venus flytrap-like figure erged from the ground.
"Yo, Leader, Konan." The white half of Zetsu greeted them.
"Where's Madara?" Konan asked imdiately.
"Probably in Kirigakure. You know how it is… he has to reinforce Yagura's Genjutsu control every month." Zetsu replied.
The last ti they had gone to Kirigakure to scout for potential recruits, they had coincidentally run into Yagura returning to the village.
After defeating Yagura, Obito used Genjutsu to control Yagura and the Three-Tails in his body, which gave Nagato and Konan so preliminary understanding of 'Madara's' strength.
"Kirigakure, huh?" Konan murmured.
The current tyranny of the Blood Mist Village was caused by Obito. So Konan wondered just how much hatred 'Madara' held for Kirigakure to tornt it from the shadows for so many years.
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