A special thank you to my patrons:
—Cain, Jacob Mooe, Varun Madhu, Gonzalo Sumalavia, kevin Williams, KD2001, merp., Jose Carrillo, Derek M, Joseph, Jose Sierra, Nuro, SPabloS, Nocturnal, Impreux, Florin Durbaca, Salim, Vernan Stapleton, Pasang Sherpa, Edvards Kazlouski, Wilver, Matthew Moretz.
You can read 30 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - [email protected]/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
-------------------------------------------------------------
Orochimaru and Danzo followed the long snake, racing through the sewers.
A "sneak attack" relied on the element of surprise—speed was of the essence. They were banking on the sudden intruders to draw "Akatsuki" and Pain's attention, giving them a window to hunt for the Rinnegan.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance; neither Orochimaru nor Danzo wanted to let it slip.
"Are your things reliable?" Danzo asked uneasily.
He'd been here before, but not through the sewers.
Thankfully, Amegakure rained constantly, so the underground pipes were wide. Otherwise, rainwater would flood the streets. If these were the narrow pipes back in Konoha, he couldn't have squeezed through.
Even so, he wasn't as nimble as Orochimaru and could only struggle to keep up.
"Snakes are more reliable than people." Orochimaru added, "My snakes never betray me."
Danzo let out an awkward chuckle. "I thought after seeing Itachi, you'd go after him. Didn't expect you'd set your sights on the Rinnegan."
"As long as Sasuke's in my hands, Itachi will come to me eventually. But this opportunity? It's different. I've waited so long—this is the best shot I'll get. I know what you're thinking: if it's such a golden chance, why bring you along, right? Truth is, the 'good opportunity' I mentioned is Pain being distracted by those outsiders, plus the two of us teaming up. You don't seriously think I could take Pain alone, do you?"
Danzo stuck close behind Orochimaru. At those words, his brow furrowed slightly. "From the sound of it, Pain's that strong?"
"The Hokage wouldn't stand a chance against Pain. That give you an idea of his power?" Orochimaru chuckled.
"That strong?" Danzo said, stunned.
He'd initially figured he and Orochimaru together would at least hold the upper hand, no matter what.
But Orochimaru's assessment of Pain forced him to tread more carefully.
"Exactly. My advice? When facing Pain, don't even think about holding back. Otherwise, we're both dead." Orochimaru warned.
Danzo rubbed his right arm, weighing whether it was worth sacrificing a Sharingan for this. Then Orochimaru added, "This is the 'Rinnegan' we're talking about."
'Right... the Rinnegan!' Danzo's eyes lit up.
The Sharingan was precious, sure, but next to the Rinnegan, it seemed downright ordinary.
After all, the only recorded wielder of the Rinnegan was the Sage of the Six Paths.
'This must be heaven's gift to me—I can't waste it!' Once Danzo steeled his resolve, his doubts vanished.
The two followed the long snake out of the sewer. In the distant night sky, flashes lit up sporadically, accompanied by the rumble of explosions—clearly, the intruders and "Akatsuki" had clashed head-on.
The pair exchanged glances, smirks tugging at their lips.
With everyone's focus on the intruders, they could slip in unnoticed and fish in troubled waters.
The long snake led them into a towering steel structure.
As Amegakure's tallest building, Danzo had spotted it on his first visit—Konoha didn't have anything this high.
Right now, Danzo had plenty to say, but in this atmosphere, he kept his mouth shut tight.
Orochimaru eyed the tower, a flicker of doubt in his mind.
This wasn't some "secret" spot—quite the opposite. Every soul in Amegakure knew of it.
The Rinnegan really hidden here?
But the long snake had already vanished into the shadows. Without overthinking, he followed.
A "sneak attack" hinged on catching them off guard—striking before anyone could prepare.
Talking? That just tipped them off, no matter how quiet.
The long snake slithered ahead swiftly, Orochimaru right on its tail.
Inside the tower, light was scarce. Danzo couldn't even make out Orochimaru's silhouette, relying on faint footsteps to gauge his direction. Anxiety gnawed at him, and he couldn't help but pick up the pace.
Suddenly, the tower blazed with light—lamps flickered on along the walls.
In an instant, Orochimaru and Danzo were spotlit.
"Orochimaru, Danzo—why aren't you helping suppress the intruders? What are you doing here?" A woman's voice echoed from above.
Danzo and Orochimaru jerked their heads up, spotting Konan with massive wings unfurled behind her—like an angel descended.
"We were patrolling too—just happened to stumble on this place." Orochimaru smiled faintly.
Konan's presence here didn't surprise him; the long snake had been tailing her. But if she'd anticipated his arrival, that threw a wrench in things.
Was he the one profiting from the chaos, or had she set a trap? Hard to say.
"No intruders here. You can leave." Konan issued a blunt eviction notice.
"No, I'm just curious. With Pain out there hunting the intruders himself, why are you here?" Orochimaru asked.
"You really want to know?" Konan countered.
"Planning to seize Pain's spot while he's distracted?" Orochimaru's eyes flicked to the long snake darting into the sewer—he bolted after it.
"What are you doing?" Konan snapped, hurling a flurry of paper shuriken to block his path.
Danzo, seizing the moment of their standoff, hurried after. He was about to duck into the sewer when a massive surge of chakra erupted from it. A black object shot out, grazing his hairline, followed by a powerful blast of force—and wastewater—that slammed into him.
Konan sneered. "Think I don't know what you're up to? That was me being polite earlier. Head back now, and I'll pretend I didn't see you. I'll even overlook your little schemes. But now? No need for that. Let me just say this: if I could guess you'd come, does that mean what you're after is really here?"
"You knew why we came?" Danzo clutched his chest—that hit had really stung.
"I'm not an idiot. It hasn't even been a few years—I couldn't forget. He ambushed Pain before; today's just a repeat, except this time he brought backup." Konan said.
Danzo eyed Orochimaru suspiciously.
They were using each other, but their goal aligned: the Rinnegan.
Siding with "Akatsuki" or Konan wouldn't get him the Rinnegan. After a moment's thought, he positioned himself at Orochimaru's side.
Orochimaru licked his lips. "Things are chaos out there—aren't you worried?"
"Not at all. I know they're just bait, meant to draw our eyes so you can move. Controlling the Hokage, getting chased out of Konoha—it's all your 'bitter ploy.' You don't play along, and I couldn't care less. But since Konoha's targeting 'Akatsuki,' don't blame us for getting murderous."
"Ha?" Orochimaru blinked. Konan seemed to think he was in cahoots with the intruders.
But who the hell even knew who those intruders were?