While Lan was pondering how to repay a favor, Shigeo Aburame had already entered the Land of Fire with Konan. They journeyed west along its border toward the Land of Rain.
For safety, they disguised themselves as ordinary mountain folk, taking several days to reach the Akatsuki base in the Land of Rain, where they met Nagato and the others.
After three years, Nagato's appearance hadn't changed much, but his demeanor had grown more composed and mature. Still, when he saw Shigeo and Konan, he couldn't hide his excitement.
"Master… Konan, you're here!"
He almost addressed Shigeo as "Master," but caught himself in time.
Shigeo smiled and nodded at him, then shifted his gaze to Orochimaru, his grin widening.
"Lord Orochimaru, it's great to see you again. It's been a while, and you look as vigorous as ever!"
"Hehehehe…"
Orochimaru let out a raspy laugh, licking his lips with his wet, elongated tongue as he eyed Shigeo.
"You look well yourself. But hiding so much from me? That's no way to treat an ally, now is it?"
"Hahaha, don't be like that, Uncle Snake! You're one of the people I admire most!"
Shigeo laughed heartily, walking up to Orochimaru and slinging an arm around his shoulder as if they were old friends.
"Uncle Snake, to be honest, my respect for you rivals that for my teacher. Otherwise, I wouldn't have agreed to your earlier invitation, let alone brought you here. And I trust you've already gained something valuable, right?"
"Heh…"
Orochimaru smirked without replying, his gaze shifting to a hunched, small figure nearby.
Shigeo noticed this person as well, narrowing his eyes slightly behind his sunglasses.
He had recognized him immediately—Sasori of the Red Sand.
This genius puppeteer and rogue ninja from the Hidden Sand Village had murdered the Third Kazekage, considered the strongest Kazekage, and turned him into a human puppet capable of wielding his Kekkei Genkai.
The figure before them wasn't Sasori's true form but his human puppet, Hiruko.
Creating human puppets, which use human corpses as primary materials, was a forbidden technique even in the puppet-crafting Hidden Sand Village. Sasori's departure from the village had been largely due to his exposure by Lady Chiyo.
In the original timeline, it was Konan who defeated and recruited Sasori, making him a member of Akatsuki. Now, although Konan had followed Shigeo and only joined Akatsuki six months prior, Sasori had still found his way into the organization.
And, interestingly, he had become Orochimaru's partner, a pairing that highlighted the quirks of fate.
Besides Orochimaru and Sasori, the base housed several others Shigeo didn't recognize. He barely glanced at them before losing interest, assuming they wouldn't survive long enough to be relevant in the familiar timeline.
To him, most rogue ninjas weren't worth any particular courtesy.
Perhaps his dismissive attitude was too apparent, as a middle-aged man with a scarred face stepped forward, shouting at him.
"You're Shishi, right? I know your background. Hmph, you were just a musician sucking up to Hanzo back in the day. Don't you know who I—ugh…"
Before the man could finish his sentence, a sharp tail spike pierced his chest.
His eyes widened in shock, but he slumped over, dead, without another word.
The others seemed unfazed, some even chuckling eerily.
Shigeo ignored them, turning his gaze to Sasori, who had killed the man. He smiled faintly.
"Thank you for resolving that for me, oh masterful puppeteer, filled with artistic flair!"
In the original story, Sasori and Deidara were dubbed the "Art Duo," as both considered their work art. Deidara, with his explosive clay, viewed fleeting explosions as art. Sasori, on the other hand, revered puppets as eternal art.
Knowing this, Shigeo deliberately phrased his words to resonate with Sasori's sensibilities.
"Oh? You understand art?"
Sasori controlled Hiruko to toss the corpse aside like garbage and walked up to Shigeo.
"You're a musician, right? So what do you consider art? Music?"
"More precisely, art is what can be preserved."
Shigeo spread his hands, smiling.
"Music or otherwise, things that can't be preserved will eventually be forgotten. Only things that endure have value, and only valuable things can be called art."
"…"
Sasori said nothing, staring at Shigeo for a long moment before controlling Hiruko to turn and leave.
As he walked off, Orochimaru licked his lips with a smile and quickly followed.
Once they were gone, the remaining people gradually dispersed until only Nagato, Shigeo, and Konan remained.
"Master…"
Nagato seemed about to speak, but Shigeo raised a hand to stop him.
"Nagato, it's been so long since we've seen each other. Let's not talk about work right now. Tell me about your life these past two years!"
He winked twice as he spoke.
Having been close companions for nearly two decades, Nagato was well-versed in interpreting Shigeo's subtle cues and gestures. He immediately shifted topics, recounting mundane matters like Rain Country policies, alliances with other villages, Akatsuki operations, and its members.
Shigeo listened intently, offering few interruptions as if he were a devoted audience.
After about two hours, Shigeo raised his hand again.
"That's enough. There's no one spying on us anymore. Now, what were you trying to say earlier?"
"Hmm!" Nagato nodded and directly asked, "Master, the situation is as I described in the letter. What should I do?"
"Just stick to the usual plan!"
Shigeo grinned and uttered something that left Nagato stunned.
"Nagato, when I told you to kill Hanzo and defect, it wasn't just to let Yahiko take power. It was also to lure out Uchiha Madara. And it seems we've succeeded!"
"What?"
Nagato was utterly dumbfounded.
*(End of Chapter)*