"Kain, you're back. Long time no see. Just wait a moment while I finish this experiment,"
Orochimaru said without looking up, continuing his work.
Kain had located Orochimaru's research site deep within Ryūchi Cave, after shaking off that annoying snake princess.
Orochimaru's latest experiment was too large-scale for anywhere in the Land of Fire—only the remote, energy-rich environment around Ryūchi Cave was suitable for his biological studies.
The region was teeming with potent wildlife. Thanks to the chakra and natural energy of this ninja world, animals and plants here grew beyond normal limits. Wild boars three to four meters tall weren't unusual, and bamboo could reach up to ten meters thick.
"You've already acquired the chakra of the Seven Tails, Five Tails, and Four Tails? Impressive, Orochimaru. If only you could capture a full tailed beast too," Kain remarked, eyeing the massive nine-headed dragon sprawled out nearby.
Orochimaru had already transplanted six of the dragon's heads with the chakra cores of various tailed beasts and modified its body to continuously supply chakra to each one.
"There aren't that many Jinchūriki just lying around," Orochimaru replied. "Without a suitable constitution, even five Kage-level shinobi wouldn't survive housing a tailed beast. And without the right container, it's impossible to sustain them. I'm only able to extract and preserve their chakra thanks to those Six Paths Ninja Tools you provided."
After his current experiment failed, Orochimaru gave up on it for the moment. He suspected his failure had something to do with Kain's constant chatter in his ear—but unless it was about money, he didn't want to say anything.
Still, outwardly, Orochimaru maintained his usual eerie grin and rasped,
"So, Kain-kun, what brings you here?"
Kain raised an eyebrow. "Tsk. Doesn't sound like a warm welcome. I came bearing gifts, but maybe I should just head back."
"Of course not, you're overthinking it, Kain," Orochimaru said quickly, his eyes lighting up at the mention of "gifts." He had long suspected that many of the strange and powerful items Kain brought weren't from this world at all—mysteries even the ancient White Snake Sage didn't know about.
"I was just about to brew some tea. I've actually been expecting you," Orochimaru added with a sly smile. Even a man like Orochimaru knew how to put on a polite face in front of someone as resourceful as Kain—after all, he once had to beg for help himself.
Kain stopped teasing and pulled out several items: samples of Kaido's bloodline factor, dozens of other unique blood samples, and a vial containing his own Yamata no Orochi ability serum.
"Orochimaru, these are various serums and power sets. Most are duplicates, but I want you to make me a pet—just like the last dragon, maybe even better. I'll handle the tailed beast chakra part myself. Ideally, I want it to be the same size as before.
Also, about the energy supply—how much food would it need per day? Or can it just absorb natural energy?"
Orochimaru, eyes gleaming as he sifted through the data, briefly glanced up and answered,
"It doesn't require too much. I preserved its natural tendency to hibernate. About a hundred tons of meat per month should suffice."
"That's really not bad, and its combat power is incredible. Orochimaru, make me one. No—make me two," Kain said.
He had already reviewed Orochimaru's strength reports on the hydra. Each of its six heads could fire miniature tailed beast bombs—devastating attacks stronger than the most powerful nuclear weapons. It could unleash six simultaneously, and over forty in rapid succession before running dry.
Outside of the Eight Tails and Nine Tails, there probably weren't any tailed beasts capable of such destructive output. Definitely not the Three Tails.
Orochimaru was now fully immersed in the new serums, and responded absently,
"Mm, yes... I understand..."
Afterwards, Kain left Orochimaru's lab, but as soon as he stepped outside, Ichikishimahime swooped down and wrapped herself around him like a snake.
To prevent Kain from suddenly using the Reverse Summoning Technique, she even activated her celestial chakra technique to absorb his chakra.
Grinning like someone who'd just secured a great deal, she said happily,
"I feel like I've been evolving faster lately. Even the White Snake Sage hasn't evolved as quickly as I have!"
Kain paused for a moment, then pulled out Kaido's bloodline factor serum and said,
"Here's something good for you. Maybe it'll help push your evolution even further."
The moment Ichikishimahime saw the syringe, she realized something was off and tried to flee. She wasn't stupid—every time she tried to get benefits with a proud face, Kain would somehow turn it into something else.
But this time, before she could react, Kain immobilized her with a petrification spell and calmly injected the Dragon ability serum into her body.
Not long after the injection, Ichikishimahime became drowsy. Kain tossed her into a nearby cave while she was still under the effects of petrification, then returned directly to the ninja world.
Orochimaru's talent for biological research was undeniable. Inspired by this, Kain made a mental note to push Orochimaru to start experimenting with mechanical organisms—perhaps even create something akin to a mechanical tailed beast.
Meanwhile, at the border between the Land of Rain, the Land of Rivers, and the Land of Wind—Akatsuki's new base of operations—Konan rushed to Nagato with urgent news from the Land of Rain.
"Nagato, Hanzo is dead."
Nagato, now the Akatsuki's sole hope, was still developing his Rinnegan abilities. Until he achieved mastery, Akatsuki needed to avoid unnecessary conflict. But this news was too important for Konan to ignore.
Nagato slowly emerged from the shadows, pushing himself forward in a wheelchair. His face was calm, but his body radiated quiet fury.
"Hanzo is dead? How did it happen? Why?"
"It may be tied to Konoha," Konan said gravely. "Their shinobi have appeared at the Land of Rain's border. They're claiming Hanzo was executed for killing Danzo and stealing secrets from Konoha and the Land of Fire. They're now preparing to enter Amegakure to search for more."
She briefly summarized the situation. Tensions between Rain and Konoha were escalating, and war seemed likely.
Nagato frowned in disbelief.
"Hanzo was always cunning. How could Konoha possibly capture him?"
"Hanzo is dead," a new voice answered. Before Nagato could process what Konan had said, Uchiha Obito appeared from the Kamui dimension, bringing more details.
"Hanzo tried to use Danzo's corpse to negotiate with Konoha, hoping for a 500-million ryo bounty. He planned to use that money to hire mercenaries to destroy Akatsuki. But Konoha and the Land of Fire never intended to pay him. They lured him in and eliminated him. Now Amegakure is leaderless, and if we don't act soon, Konoha will take control."
Nagato's expression darkened. His hatred for Konoha simmered just beneath the surface. His parents had died by Konoha's hands, and not even Jiraiya's teachings could erase that resentment.
Konan, however, furrowed her brows and said seriously,
"You want Akatsuki to seize control of Amegakure? Now? This isn't the right time. Your Rinnegan still isn't fully awakened."
It was true—Nagato had only created four of the Six Paths of Pain so far, making it impossible for him to fully wield the true power of the Rinnegan.
"Then the Akatsuki organization will have no choice but to abandon their homeland and relocate," Obito said coolly. "You can't possibly take on Konoha in your current state. I won't intervene. If my existence is exposed, the Five Great Nations will unite against me."
Feigning wisdom and detachment, Obito advised Nagato and Konan to stay hidden and preserve their strength. With that, he disappeared into Kamui space.
Uchiha Obito then headed to the battlefield himself.
This time, the Konoha squad leaders were Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Shisui.
Obito remained extremely wary of Shisui—the most gifted prodigy of the Uchiha clan. He suspected Shisui had the potential to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.
If that Mangekyō happened to counter his own space-time jutsu, it would put him at a great disadvantage.
He had once dared to invade Konoha and unleash the Nine Tails with just one eye—solely relying on the strange power of his space-time dojutsu.
But if someone else awakened a similar ability, Obito would not tolerate it.
The Uchiha clan was too much of a variable in his grand plan.
After Obito left, Konan turned to Nagato.
"Nagato, what should we do now?"
Nagato remained silent for a moment before answering softly,
"Yahiko's dream was to make this country stop crying... I won't abandon this land."
Konan nodded, already knowing the answer in her heart.
"Alright. I'll summon the Akatsuki members."
She paused for a moment, then added,
"Do you think we can negotiate with the Fire Daimyo? Yahiko once borrowed a great deal of money from him and even formed a connection... but that was a long time ago."
Nagato thought it over before replying,
"I don't have much hope. Konoha and the Fire Daimyo are closer than ever. Negotiating might be too difficult—but you can try."
Konan nodded. "Understood. Once the Akatsuki members gather, Pain will lead them. I'll go to the Land of Fire myself—we're the only ones who've met the Daimyo. You can't travel, so I'll make the trip."
In a remote town in the Land of Fire—one of the last development sites in the Fire Daimyo's construction plan—Rin Nohara sat quietly.
She had endured two years of solitude. She gently set down the latest issue of Genin World Weekly and picked up another book—an advanced medical text Kain had translated for her before he left. Outside of reading, there was little she could do.
Her only joy came from reading brief mentions of familiar names in the ninja news.
Sigh…
Rin Nohara exhaled softly and muttered to herself, a little forlorn,
"Lord Minister still hasn't come... Will I ever get to leave this place?"
"Of course, Nohara-san."
A familiar voice sounded from behind her.
It was the first time she had heard an outsider's voice in two years. Her heart leapt as she turned around with joy.
Kain stood behind her, holding a gift box and smiling warmly.
"Sorry, I've been busy lately. But I'm glad to see you're still doing well."
…
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