66-70

Chapter 66: Orochimaru About to Face Defeat

“I said I just happened to hear you were in danger and was passing by. Do you believe me?” Aizen looked at Biwa Jūzō with a playful smile, answering his question with another.

Hearing this, Jūzō first shook his head, then nodded, his eyes firm. "No matter what your reason was for saving me, from today onward, I owe you my life. If you ever need it, you can take it anytime."

“That’s what I like about you,” Aizen said, patting Jūzō on the shoulder. "That’s why, when I found out about the trap set by the Mizukage, I decided to travel all this way to save you. But don’t worry, I have no interest in taking your life.”

While they spoke, Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage, was preparing to unleash a second Tailed Beast Bomb.

“Itachi!” Jūzō was alarmed and tried to rush forward again to help, but Aizen stopped him with a word. “Don’t worry. A Mangekyō Sharingan user isn’t that easy to defeat.”

As soon as Aizen finished speaking, blood filled the right eye of Itachi, who thought Jūzō had already died. His Mangekyō Sharingan activated, and black flames instantly engulfed Yagura, forcing him to stop the Tailed Beast Bomb. Yagura screamed in agony as the black flames consumed him, forcing him out of his tailed beast transformation.

“What is that...?” White Zetsu exclaimed. It was the first time it had witnessed Amaterasu. If Aizen hadn’t appeared, it might have had to wait many more years until Sasuke and Itachi fought to see it.

Aizen explained from the side, “Just like how his left eye contains the genjutsu Tsukuyomi, his right eye contains the power of Amaterasu. The black flames ignite where his vision focuses, and they don’t disappear until the target is completely burned. It’s the highest level of fire-based dōjutsu. That’s about it.”

“How do you know all this…?” Black Zetsu looked at Aizen in surprise. It was becoming increasingly puzzled by this young man, who didn’t possess any bloodline limits yet seemed so knowledgeable.

“You sure you want me to explain that here?” Aizen shot Black Zetsu an amused glance before turning back to Jūzō. “Jūzō, after today, you should realize that in the future, you won’t be able to keep up with the battles within the organization, right?”

“Yeah,” Jūzō responded, his voice filled with resignation. He knew that without Akatsuki’s protection, it would be hard to avoid being hunted down by Kirigakure.

But staying in Akatsuki meant constantly facing life-threatening situations like today’s, something that left him feeling hopeless.

Aizen continued, “Why not give up your spot as an official Akatsuki member? Go back to the Hidden Rain Village and serve as an elite jōnin, maybe train some new ninjas or even lead the Anbu. As long as you don’t betray the organization, I’m sure the leader won’t blame you.”

Aizen then looked over at Uchiha Itachi, who was gazing somberly into the illusion cast by his Mirror Flower, Water Moon technique. “As for Itachi, the leader will assign him a stronger partner.”

“That’s not a bad idea, but…” Jūzō hesitated before asking, “Why are you helping me?”

“I saved you because you were willing to risk your life to protect a comrade, slashing at a Tailed Beast Bomb without hesitation,” Aizen replied honestly. “Though I don’t particularly like that guy who killed his own parents, if you had abandoned him just now, I probably wouldn’t have saved you.”

“I see...” Jūzō finally understood, closing his eyes in thought for a moment. After a brief pause, he opened them and said, “I get it.”

With that, he removed the ring from his hand.

Aizen took the ring without even glancing at it and tossed it to Black Zetsu. Then he said to Jūzō, “From today onward, you have no connection to Uchiha Itachi. As for your Executioner’s Blade, do you want to take it back?”

Jūzō shook his head. “Consider it my way of settling things with the village.”

“Then head back. It looks like there’s going to be some drama in the organization soon,” Aizen said as he darted off in the direction away from Kirigakure.

Jūzō took one last, deep look at his Executioner’s Blade, now broken in two on the ground, then followed closely behind.

Only Black and White Zetsu remained, left holding the ring in bewilderment.

“That guy’s really something else,” White Zetsu commented as he watched Aizen and Jūzō disappear.

“Forget about that. We need to report this to Itachi immediately,” Black Zetsu said.

“What about the Three-Tails Jinchūriki? Shouldn’t we recover it?” White Zetsu asked.

“Now isn’t the time. We haven’t gathered enough information on all the jinchūriki yet. If we capture the tailed beasts recklessly, it will alert the Five Great Nations, making future captures more difficult. This has to be done all at once,” Black Zetsu explained.

As they spoke, the massive Venus flytrap merged into the tree trunk and disappeared.

Meanwhile, in the same dark cave, in the same dimly lit space, the Akatsuki members’ holographic figures began appearing one after another, surrounding a single meditation lamp at the center, its faint flame flickering.

“Jūzō has left the organization,” Pain announced as he appeared, his first words cutting through the silence.

“Oh my,” Orochimaru’s voice dripped with amusement as he looked at Uchiha Itachi. “And Itachi was his partner, wasn’t he? Did Itachi not stop him?”

Itachi was equally surprised, casting a brief glance at Orochimaru before replying coldly, “I watched Jūzō die with my own eyes. There’s no way he could’ve betrayed the organization.”

“No, I’m not saying he betrayed us. He didn’t die, either. He just gave up his position as an official member. He’ll still work for the organization, though,” Pain said, turning his gaze to Aizen.

Aizen nodded slightly, explaining, “During a mission with Itachi, Jūzō encountered the Three-Tails Jinchūriki and almost died. I happened to pass by and saved him. Since the organization’s future goal is to collect the tailed beasts, and Jūzō couldn’t handle the Three-Tails, I thought he wasn’t fit to be an official member anymore, so I requested he be removed.”

“So Itachi was able to face the Fourth Mizukage and come out unscathed?” Orochimaru licked his long, snake-like tongue, his golden, slit-pupil eyes flashing with undisguised excitement and greed as he gazed at Itachi, much like Aizen looked at Mikoto and Tsunade, as if they were precious treasures.

Itachi, however, was perplexed. He had seen Jūzō die with his own eyes. Could it be that Aizen had used that special substitution technique he had employed at the Uchiha compound again?

“It seems Orochimaru is finally going to make his move. I should take advantage and get something out of this…” Aizen thought with a playful smile. He didn’t plan to kill Orochimaru—after all, Itachiwasn’t worth that kind of effort.

If this snake master, who held the key to so many secrets, were to die, the future would lose a lot of its fun.

Aizen quickly shifted the conversation back to Pain. “So, Leader, have you decided on the new team pairings yet?”

“Akatsuki is still in need of new members. Once we’ve recruited more, we’ll finalize the teams,” Pain said, then deactivated the Phantom Lantern technique.

*Chapter 67: Blackmailing Orochimaru*

"Your situation has already been reported to the leader, and he has approved it."

Aizen withdrew from his light projection state and turned slightly towards Biwa Jūzō, who was standing nearby.

"Thank you," Biwa Jūzō sighed in relief, nodding in gratitude before asking, "So, what’s next? Should we return to the Hidden Rain Village or head to the temporary base where our organization coordinates missions?"

"You go back to the Hidden Rain Village first. Konan will take care of everything for you there. I'll head to the base."

Though Aizen didn't need to personally handle the mission exchange due to Black Zetsu, there was no way he'd miss the chance to witness yet another iconic moment where Orochimaru gets humiliated.

Since they were heading in the same direction, it didn't take long before Aizen and Biwa Jūzō caught up with Itachi Uchiha.

Not much was said between them—just a nod exchanged between Itachi and Biwa Jūzō.

Shortly before reaching the Hidden Rain Village, Biwa Jūzō parted ways with the two and headed towards the village.

Meanwhile, Aizen and the one with the mourning armband (Itachi) proceeded to the base to report their mission to Pain.

"Thanks for helping with Biwa Jūzō," Itachi said. This was the first time he'd spoken to Aizen in days, as they left the cave after the mission exchange.

"For someone like you to express gratitude, how unusual," Aizen crossed his arms, eyeing Itachi with interest. "But don’t get the wrong idea—I didn’t save Biwa Jūzō for your sake. I just didn't want someone like him to die in such a place."

"That’s enough for me," Itachi responded, closing his eyes slightly.

Aizen didn’t reply and instead disappeared in an instant, heading to the familiar stone steps in the forest from the original story—where Orochimaru had his arm severed by Itachi—and waited for the confrontation.

Before long, Orochimaru and Itachi finally crossed paths.

Orochimaru’s lips curled into a sinister smile, greed and delight evident in his gaze as he looked at Itachi.

On the other hand, Itachi’s expression remained stoic, never once looking directly at Orochimaru.

Just as they passed each other, Orochimaru suddenly turned, releasing a giant snake from his sleeve that instantly wrapped around Itachi.

"Do you know what eternal life means, Itachi?" Orochimaru stood at the top of the stairs, looking down arrogantly. "I don’t know yet, but I need a perfect body to find out."

Before he could finish, Aizen’s voice suddenly rang out from the side, "Oh my, what do we have here?"

Hearing this, Orochimaru turned and saw Aizen standing at the top of the steps. His expression became serious as he asked, "Aizen-kun, are you here to stop me?"

"No, you seem to misunderstand the situation," Aizen shook his head.

"What?" Orochimaru was momentarily confused. Before he could react, he was trapped in Itachi's genjutsu, Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes, immobilized.

Itachi, who hadn’t been bound by the snake, now stood in front of Orochimaru.

The roles had reversed, with Itachi looking down at Orochimaru from a superior position.

Everything Orochimaru had experienced so far was nothing but an illusion.

"I didn’t expect to be caught in such a powerful genjutsu... Such incredible ocular power... How beautiful," Orochimaru gasped in shock, his face pale, trembling slightly. Then, with a sly smile, he slowly clasped his hands together, attempting to break the genjutsu and catch Itachi off guard.

But he had severely underestimated the fully awakened Mangekyō Sharingan of Itachi.

Swish!

A flash of light and the sound of a blade cutting through the air followed.

Orochimaru’s left arm fell to the ground.

"Orochimaru, none of your techniques work against my eyes," Itachi said, glancing briefly at Aizen before delivering the iconic line that would haunt Orochimaru for much of his life.

Seeing this, Aizen knew that if he stayed any longer, Orochimaru would likely meet his end.

Kabuto wouldn't dare show up to save Orochimaru now.

If Orochimaru died, it would take away a lot of future excitement.

Aizen glanced at Kabuto, who was hiding in the shadows, activated his Tiangang Art, and with a casual wave, pulled Orochimaru's ring from his severed arm into his hand.

"Looks like you don't need my help after all. I’ll inform the leader about this, and how to deal with Orochimaru is up to you." With those parting words, Aizen disappeared into the forested steps.

As expected, the moment Aizen left, Kabuto appeared and launched a surprise shuriken attack to force Itachi back.

Using explosive tags as a diversion, Kabuto took the chance to escape with Orochimaru and his severed arm.

Itachi, however, had no intention of killing Orochimaru. He saw the greed in Orochimaru's eyes for the Sharingan and thought of using him to help shape Sasuke’s future.

With these thoughts, Itachi calmly continued on his way, as if he hadn’t just been attacked by Orochimaru.

On the other hand, Orochimaru and Kabuto were in a terrible state as they encountered Aizen, who had been waiting for them.

"Orochimaru-sama..."

No one in the Akatsuki was an easy target. Seeing Aizen suddenly appear, Kabuto broke out in a cold sweat, gripping two kunai and standing defensively in front of Orochimaru.

"Kabuto, stand down," Orochimaru said in a low voice.

"But, Orochimaru-sama..." Kabuto began to protest but immediately felt the killing intent radiating from Orochimaru, causing him to quickly retreat behind him.

"Aizen-kun, are you here to kill me?" Orochimaru asked, his expression serious as he stared at Aizen.

In the past, he wouldn’t have considered Aizen a threat.

But after what had just happened with Itachi, his mindset had changed.

He now realized that geniuses couldn't be judged by normal standards.

Although Aizen didn’t possess the Sharingan, he was in some ways more dangerous than Itachi.

Now, with his left arm severed, his combat power was significantly reduced.

Without a suitable new body, one wrong move, and both he and Kabuto could end up dead.

"How pitiful, Uncle Snake. You lost an arm to a mere three-tomoe Sharingan genjutsu and had to rely on your subordinate to escape. But you won’t have any more chances."

Aizen smiled disdainfully, forming a seal with his right hand. In an instant, a giant tree sprouted beneath Orochimaru and Kabuto, binding them both.

Then, with a flick of his sleeve, Aizen retrieved the Zanpakutō Kyōka Suigetsu from his system storage and began slowly walking toward them.

Seeing Aizen approach like a grim reaper, Kabuto, trapped in the genjutsu, was horrified and shouted to the also-bound Orochimaru, "Orochimaru-sama!"

"This is the true power of the Kyōka Suigetsu illusion," Orochimaru’s face twitched, and he no longer retained his earlier composure.

*Chapter 68: Summoning Beast, Garaga*

Orochimaru realized that Aizen's mastery of genjutsu had already surpassed that of Yūhi Shinku in the past.

Faced with Aizen’s illusion techniques, Orochimaru found himself completely powerless.

He quickly shouted at Aizen, "Aizen, you can't kill me."

"Give me a reason? And don't spout some nonsense about how Akatsuki members can't kill each other. You seem to forget that you were the one who just attacked Itachi first. Besides, from the looks of things, you seem to be planning on betraying the Akatsuki. Even if I kill you, the leader won't blame me."

Aizen stopped in his tracks, a playful smile on his face. He gripped Kyōka Suigetsu in reverse and whispered, "Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu."

His real goal was simply to implant Kyōka Suigetsu into Kabuto, who had yet to fully grow into the boss he would become.

And to extort Orochimaru a little along the way.

Orochimaru thought for a moment and said, "Aizen-kun, I noticed a long time ago that the reason you defected from Konoha and massacred the Sarutobi and Shimura clans was because Konoha could no longer satisfy you, right? You, like me, are a person devoted to ninjutsu."

"I have many ninjutsu collections. Whatever you want, I can give it to you."

"I enjoy talking to smart people." Aizen smiled and sheathed his zanpakutō. "But I'm not interested in your disgusting snake techniques. What I need is a decent summoning beast and a good defensive jutsu."

"I heard you signed a summoning contract with Ryūchi Cave, one of the three great sanctuaries, and you've also learned the First Hokage's Rashōmon."

"Oh, and the Flying Thunder God technique used by the Second and Fourth Hokage is also nice. You were Hiruzen Sarutobi’s student, so you must have seen it."

"If you can give me these three techniques, then perhaps today I’ll pretend I didn’t see you."

Orochimaru said, "You have quite the appetite, Aizen-kun. I can give you the summoning scrolls for Ryūchi Cave and Rashōmon."

"But the Flying Thunder God technique isn’t something just anyone can learn. You need a natural affinity for space-time ninjutsu. I couldn’t master it, so I didn’t record it."

"Then we’ll leave it for now. Hand over the other two scrolls."

Hearing this, Aizen wasn’t discouraged. Whether Orochimaru was telling the truth or not didn’t matter, as he hadn’t held much hope for it anyway.

There would be plenty of opportunities in the future to get the Flying Thunder God technique.

"Take them." Compared to life, everything else was worthless. Hearing Aizen’s words, Orochimaru spat out two scrolls from his mouth.

Just as he was about to throw them to Aizen, Aizen's voice rang out, "That’s too dirty. Wipe off the saliva first."

As he spoke, Aizen released the genjutsu restraining Kabuto.

Having been humiliated by both Itachi and Aizen, Orochimaru’s anger had reached its peak.

Never had he, Orochimaru, felt so humiliated.

But now the situation was against him.

Helpless, he suppressed his rage, flicked his tongue to send the scrolls to Kabuto, and said coldly, "Kabuto, clean them."

While speaking, he shot Kabuto a meaningful glance.

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru." Kabuto respectfully responded, understanding the signal, and carefully began to clean the scrolls with a cloth.

Just as he was about to tamper with the scrolls, Aizen’s voice sounded again, "Your name is Yakushi Kabuto, right? The adopted son of the late Konoha orphanage caretaker, Nono Yakushi. We share a similar background, and while I sympathize with your situation and despise Danzo’s methods, if you dare to pull any tricks in front of me, I won’t forgive you."

"You must know that Danzo's left arm was once severed and could never be healed. I have a way to kill both of you."

"Lord Aizen, you must be joking. How would I dare to tamper with the scrolls in front of you?" Kabuto wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, forcing a smile.

Only after Kabuto cleaned the scrolls completely did Aizen reach out, channel his chakra, and pull them into his hand.

"I’ve given you what you wanted," Orochimaru grunted. He then ordered Kabuto, "Kabuto, release the genjutsu. We're leaving."

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru." Kabuto stepped beside Orochimaru, formed a hand sign, and attempted to disrupt Orochimaru’s chakra to break the illusion, but found it impossible.

At that moment, Aizen’s voice rang out again, "Don’t waste your energy. The battle in genjutsu is a battle of mental energy. With your level of mental power, you can’t break my illusion."

"Aizen, what do you mean by this?" Orochimaru shouted, thinking Aizen planned to backstab him.

"No need to rush. Since I’ve taken your things, I’ll let you go today. But don’t you want to see what I can summon?"

As he spoke, Aizen signed the two summoning scrolls right in front of Orochimaru and Kabuto.

Boar—Dog—Rooster—Monkey—Ram.

With swift hand seals, he shouted, "Summoning Technique!"

As a large surge of blue chakra burst from Aizen’s hand, there was a loud bang, and when the smoke cleared, a massive crimson serpent with reverse scales and a single eye appeared.

"Lord Orochimaru, what is that?" Kabuto stood behind Orochimaru, looking up in terror at the colossal creature.

Orochimaru, too, was horrified, a drop of cold sweat trickling down his forehead as he trembled, "I never thought he’d summon that monster."

Aizen hadn’t summoned Manda. Instead, he summoned the red-scaled, one-eyed serpent from the depths of Ryūchi Cave's most savage nest: Garaga.

A creature that even surpassed Manda in strength.

In this era, when the power levels hadn’t yet collapsed, Garaga was no joke compared to its weakened portrayal in fanworks like Boruto, where it was made to look foolish by a few second-generation characters.

This Garaga was a true monster.

"I thought it would be Orochimaru's Manda, but it turns out to be you," Aizen whispered in surprise as he stood atop Garaga’s head.

At the same time, Garaga noticed Orochimaru and Kabuto. With a brutal voice, it hissed at Orochimaru, "You’re the one who signed a summoning contract with that whelp, Manda, right? Who gave you permission to summon me?"

As it spoke, a violent gust from Garaga's mouth blew Kabuto away, while Orochimaru himself was knocked backward, his mouth agape, eyes wide.

But instead of fear, Orochimaru’s face held a sinister smile as he glanced maliciously at Aizen atop Garaga.

"Heh heh, Garaga, don’t get the wrong idea. It wasn’t me who summoned you."

Now, he was in no rush to escape.

As long as he hadn’t openly betrayed the Akatsuki, he wouldn’t face pursuit from the other members.

Now, all he had to worry about was Aizen alone.

He was curious to see how Aizen planned to subdue this monster, Garaga.

*Chapter 69: The New Team Member, Scorch Release Pakura*

Following Orochimaru's gaze, Garaga noticed for the first time that a human was standing on his head. Without a word, he violently thrashed his head, sending Aizen flying off.

Aizen flipped in the air, landing steadily. "Your name is Garaga, right? This isn’t how you should be treating your master."

As he spoke, lightning sparked from Aizen ’s right hand, and he quietly activated the heaven Art.

Amidst the sound of a thousand birds chirping, the Chidori extended into a spear over a hundred meters long, shooting straight toward Garaga.

Garaga, being a snake of the Ryūchi Cave with immense Senjutsu chakra, also possessed sensory abilities and quick reflexes. Sensing the threat from Aizen ’s enhanced Chidori Sharp Spear, his massive body swiftly slithered aside, easily dodging the attack.

His throat swelled as he gathered a vast amount of Senjutsu chakra, preparing to spit out a petrifying liquid.

However, Garaga didn’t know this was all part of Aizen ’s plan. Through his heightened observation ability, Aizen could predict Garaga’s every move.

Just as Garaga dodged the Chidori Sharp Spear, the lightning spear transformed into a whip, wrapping around his massive body.

Then, with a powerful tug.

Hiss—! Amidst a painful screech, Garaga’s proud head was yanked down from the sky by Aizen ’s lightning whip, slamming violently into the ground. The petrifying liquid he had been about to spit out spilled over, turning all the surrounding plants into stone.

"Lord Orochimaru? Is this really something a ninja can do?" Kabuto swallowed hard, looking fearfully at Orochimaru beside him.

"Let’s go." At this point, Orochimaru couldn't bother with the illusion still affecting him.

With all the commotion here, it was only a matter of time before members of the Akatsuki arrived. If Aizen and Itachi corroborated his betrayal of the Akatsuki, Orochimaru would be done for.

Upon hearing this, Kabuto immediately grabbed Orochimaru and dashed away, leaving behind a smoke bomb to obscure their escape and interfere with Aizen ’s vision.

Aizen didn’t bother with them. Instead, he flashed in front of Garaga and, with a Chidori, slashed away the reverse scale on his forehead.

"You’ll behave now, won’t you, Garaga?" Aizen asked with a slight smile.

"Please forgive my offense, master," Garaga quickly apologized, as according to his nature, a snake would become submissive once its reverse scale was removed.

At that moment, Black and White Zetsu appeared, having been the first to sense the commotion.

Emerging from the ground in their massive Venus flytrap, Black Zetsu looked in surprise at the giant creature restrained by Aizen ’s lightning whip and couldn’t help but ask, "Aizen , what happened here?"

Aizen let out a casual "Oh," then turned and confidently lied, "Orochimaru just tried to take Itachi’s body but failed. Afterward, he attempted to flee from the Akatsuki, and I intercepted him."

"Who knew that guy would play dirty and summon this giant snake as a distraction, using the opportunity to escape."

"But you don’t need to worry. I’ve already subdued this snake. From now on, it’ll be my summoning beast—bleeding and sweating for the organization."

As he finished, Aizen glanced at Garaga, gently patting his large head with a smile. "Isn’t that right, Garaga?"

"Yes, master. But, could you please release me from the lightning? It’s very uncomfortable," Garaga replied pitifully.

"Ugh," Aizen ’s mouth twitched. "You’re a big male snake, so could you please stop saying things that might cause misunderstandings?"

As he spoke, Aizen removed the lightning whip from Garaga’s body. Garagafelt much better, though his scales were still covered in burn marks from the electricity.

Watching the interaction between Aizen and the snake, Black Zetsu didn’t seem suspicious.

After all, Orochimaru had long harbored ill intentions toward Itachi.

It wasn’t surprising he would make a move on Itachi.

"Alright, go heal up for now. I’ll call on you when I need you," Aizen said impatiently, waving his hand.

"Yes, master." With a respectful response, Garaga disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving behind only a faint trace of his large body.

At that moment, all the Akatsuki members—except Konan, who was guarding Pain’s true body in the Rain Village—began to arrive. Among them was Tobi, disguised as Deidara’s partner, "Tobi."

"What happened here, Aizen ? And what was that giant snake all about?" Pain asked as soon as he saw Aizen .

"Orochimaru betrayed the organization and fled," Aizen replied smoothly, delivering the explanation he had prepared earlier. He also handed over Orochimaru’s ring.

Pain raised his hand, and the ring floated into his palm.

Pain neither fully believed nor disbelieved Aizen ’s words. He turned to Uchiha Itachi, asking, "Itachi, is this true?"

"Orochimaru did attack me not long ago, but I hadn’t expected him to betray the organization," Itachi answered, casting a deep glance at Aizen .

"That’s not surprising. That treacherous snake has always put his own interests before the organization," Sasori chimed in, having long been dissatisfied with Orochimaru.

Pain continued, "Though I would prefer not to let Orochimaru escape, we’re too short on members right now."

As Pain finished, Tobi suddenly popped up, "Hey, hey, why not just let me join?"

"Step aside." Sasori, hidden within his puppet Hiruko, shot Tobi a glare, instantly silencing him.

Sasori then addressed Pain, "Leader, I always knew Orochimaru couldn’t be trusted. Let me handle it. Kabuto is like one of my puppets—I can easily track down Orochimaru's hideout."

"Don’t rush. Your new partner has already been decided. Originally, I had intended him for Aizen , but now it seems you two are a better match," Pain shook his head, referring to Deidara.

"Leader, you’re not going to keep me with Black Zetsu, are you? If that happens, I can’t guarantee I won’t pull a Kakuzu and betray my teammate," Aizen quickly protested, not wanting to stay with Zetsu. Partnering with Deidara at least meant free rides on a flying clay bird.

White Zetsu: "..."

Black Zetsu: "..."

"Don’t worry. Your new teammate has already been decided. From now on, Zetsu will operate alone, focusing on intelligence gathering," Pain explained. "However, to ensure there are no loose ends, you’ll join Sasori in hunting down Orochimaru."

"I’m fine with that," Aizen shrugged. "But I am curious. Who’s this new partner you’ve chosen for me?"

Pain didn’t drag it out. "After much consideration, I realized that, given your temperament, you’d likely clash with any male member I paired you with. So, after careful thought, I’ve chosen a female for you. She’s none other than the hero of the Hidden Sand Village, Scorch Release Pakura."

Chapter 70: Pain Tries to Stop Aizen from Approaching Konan

“That woman doesn’t seem like the type to betray her village,” Sasori remarked. Coming from the Hidden Sand Village, and being a key figure in sparking the Third Ninja War, he naturally knew of Pakura, the Scorch Release user who had made significant contributions to the Sand Village during the war. He understood that she wasn’t the kind of ninja who would abandon her village.

“Maybe that was true before, but things are different now,” Pain replied.

Pain glanced at Black Zetsu, who nodded and explained, “We’ve just received intelligence that the Fourth Mizukage is dead. The Elder of the Mist Village, 'Genshi,' has nominated Mei Terumi, who has both the Lava and Boil Release bloodlines, to be the Fifth Mizukage.

To secure a peace treaty with the Mist Village, the Sand Village’s leadership has decided to sacrifice Pakura to meet Genshi’s demands.

Pakura herself isn’t aware of this. Barring any unexpected events, she’s likely to die on this mission.

If we rescue her, given her hatred for both the Sand and Mist Villages, she would definitely agree to join our organization.”

Hearing this, Aizen realized what was happening. He vaguely remembered that Pakura was betrayed by the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, Gaara’s father, and handed over to the Mist Village. In the original story, this was only briefly mentioned without a detailed timeline, but now it was clear that this was the moment.

No doubt, Yagura, after being severely injured by Itachi’s Amaterasu, was saved by Mei Terumi and the Mist Village elder, Genshi. Then Genshi instructed his trusted subordinate, Ao, the "Byakugan Killer," to use the Byakugan he had obtained during the Third Ninja War to dispel the genjutsu cast by Obito.

Due to his severe injuries, Yagura could no longer suppress the Three-Tails within him.

After informing Mei Terumi and the Mist Village’s leadership about being manipulated by Akatsuki, Yagura, to prevent further harm to his village, chose to commit suicide, taking the Three-Tails with him.

Years later, the Three-Tails would be resurrected and live in a lake somewhere, only to eventually be captured by Deidara and Obito.

Everything fit together now.

(P.S.: This part might feel a bit forced, but in the original series, every member of the Akatsuki was essential. Without them, the group would lose its soul, so I had no choice but to bring Pakura into the story. At least she’s got a nice back.)

“That’s really dark. It seems this so-called Fourth Kazekage is no different from the Third Hokage and Danzo. Harsh on their own, weak against outsiders. Completely useless at everything but internal conflicts. If these guys don’t die, Sand and Leaf will eventually fall because of them.”

Aizen then looked at Sasori with interest and chuckled, “Sasori, if you hadn’t defected from the Sand Village back then, with your talent and strength, plus the connections your grandmother and great-uncle had, don’t you think you might have become the Fourth Kazekage?”

“Tch, who cares?” Sasori scoffed, glancing at Aizen before falling into thought. While he didn’t know how Aizen knew so much about him, it was true that if his parents hadn’t died, he might have moved toward becoming the Kazekage.

But now, it was far too late.

“Don’t be mad, I was just making small talk.” Aizen, not disliking Sasori but actually liking the tragic character from his previous life, smiled awkwardly before turning to Pain. “Leader, let me handle this. When it’s time to leave, just have Konan send me a message.”

Pain nodded. “Since the incident with the Fourth Mizukage, although the Mist Village hasn’t openly acted, they seem to suspect us, Akatsuki. You might encounter the elite forces of the Mist. Should I assign additional members to assist you?”

Aizen shook his head. “No need. More people would just make us a bigger target for the Mist. Just have Black Zetsu guide me. If you’re really worried about my safety, you can send Konan—”

Before Aizen could finish, Pain cut him off. “Black Zetsu will guide you.”

Up in the highest tower of the Rain Village, Nagato’s mouth twitched. He had a strong feeling that Aizen had bad intentions toward Konan.

Or rather, it seemed that Aizen had bad intentions toward any beautiful kunoichi.

He was a complete perv, just like his teacher Jiraiya.

The only difference was that Aizen was younger and had looks that naturally attracted women.

Konan was his and Yahiko’s dear friend, so Nagato had to be vigilant.

He couldn’t let Aizen succeed with Konan.

“Fine.” Reluctantly, Aizen nodded. There would be other opportunities later.

“What about me? Am I teaming up with Itachi?” After Aizen had destroyed four of his hearts, Kakuzu had developed a fear of him. Now that their conversation was over, Kakuzu finally spoke up to ask about his role.

“You’ll be working alone for now,” Pain said, then turned his gaze to Uchiha Itachi. “I’ve prepared a new partner for Itachi.”

“Leader, does that mean we’ll have eleven members? And do we have enough rings for that?” Aizen looked around.

There was the edgy kid Obito, the rebellious Pain, the hardworking Kakuzu, the love-deprived Sasori, the grieving Itachi, and the creation of Yin-Yang Release, Zetsu. Then there was Aizen himself, the wealthy Konan who hadn’t arrived yet, and the soon-to-be members Kisame, Deidara, and Pakura.

Excluding the intern, Obito, there were already ten members.

Kakuzu’s partner would most likely still be Hidan.

Including the masochist Hidan, that made eleven members.

Aizen clearly remembered that there were only ten rings in the original story.

Because Orochimaru had fled with his ring, even when Obito later joined Akatsuki as a full member, he had to take Sasori’s ring after his death. So where would the eleventh ring come from?

“We only made ten rings initially. Although they’re troublesome to craft, making one more won’t be an issue,” Pain replied indifferently, glancing around before settling his gaze on Itachi and Aizen.

“Itachi, meet your new partner, and tomorrow you and Sasori will head to the Land of Earth to welcome a new member.”

“As for Aizen, wait for further instructions. Konan will notify you once we receive news from the Sand Village.”

“Dismissed.”

With that, Pain vanished.

The rest followed suit, leaving only Aizen and Obito.

“What was that about Orochimaru earlier?” Obito, now speaking in Madara’s voice, questioned Aizen.

“Didn’t I explain everything just now?” Aizen shrugged.

“Do you really expect me to believe that? With your strength, you could’ve easily severed Orochimaru’s wrist, if not his head, before he performed the summoning technique.” Obito squinted.

Aizen laughed awkwardly. “Nothing gets past you, does it? Fine, I’ll tell you. Orochimaru offered me the summoning scroll for Ryuchi Cave, as well as the First Hokage’s Summoning: Rashomon technique, in exchange for his life. So I took the deal. Next time, I won’t hold back.”

“You’d better keep that promise,” Obito warned before disappearing using Kamui.

“He’s such an edgy guy.” Aizen smirked and dashed toward the Rain Village.

It had been three or four months since he last saw Izumi and Lady Mikoto. To be honest, he really missed them.