Right now, within the [Rain Hidden Village].
The rain drizzled softly.
On the gray, wide streets, pedestrians all wore straw hats and raincoats, hurrying past in a rush.
Before long, two figures—one tall, one short—wrapped in straw cloaks stopped in front of a pastry shop.
"Granny, give me two!"
Shimoku pushed back his hood, cheerfully pointing at the steaming buns and handing over some coins.
"There you go."
"They're a bit hot, be careful!"
The elderly woman running the shop handed Shimoku two meat buns.
He took them and took a bite.
The rich aroma of seasoned minced meat blended with chewy flour, immediately filling his mouth with saliva and instantly dispelling the chill of the rainy day.
Indeed, these warm buns tasted far better than dry rations.
"What a handsome young master you are!"
"And yet you look unfamiliar; are you from out of town?"
"That's right, we came here to visit a friend and do some exploring as well."
"Oh! I see!"
"How about it? My meat buns aren't bad, are they?"
The old woman laughed happily, asking proudly.
"They really are good!"
"You want one too, right?" Shimoku grinned and turned toward Orochimaru beside him.
Master Snake calmly shook his head and declined.
Clearly, he had absolutely no interest in such worldly pleasures...
Or rather, had long transcended even basic desires like food and drink.
Shimoku didn't press. After all, everyone had their own preferences.
Just because he himself enjoyed indulgence didn't mean he could force others to fall into the same 'vice.'
After all, without serious 'scientists' like Orochimaru, how could the Ninja World progress rapidly?
"Granny, I heard before that the [Rain Hidden Village] used to be plagued by constant warfare."
"But now, everything seems quite peaceful!"
Mentioning this, the old woman also got into the mood.
She began prattling on enthusiastically:
"That's right! All thanks to Lord Pain!"
"He ended the war and brought peace back to our village..."
"And not only that, Lord Pain even changed the formerly awful weather so that it now only rains on Sundays across the entire village. Finally allowing crops not to rot from too much rain, significantly increasing our village's food supply!"
"Truly speaking, Lord Pain is so much better than the previous village leaders!"
"And yet many young people still complain that Lord Pain is too strict, too demanding..."
"Hmph! They have simply never witnessed the horrors of war."
"That's why they don't know how to cherish this hard-earned peace!"
The old woman complained with obvious displeasure.
Seeming quite upset at those youngsters.
Of course, it couldn't all be blamed on the youth.
Due to his extreme hatred toward the former leader "Sanshouo and Hanzo,"
When Nagato took control of the [Rain Hidden Village], he directly executed every ninja who once followed them—even their families were wiped out completely, leaving no one alive!
His methods had been extremely ruthless, which naturally terrified many young people.
"Seems like truly an excellent village leader!"
Still munching on his meat bun, Shimoku nodded in agreement.
As for Nagato himself, Shimoku naturally knew him very well.
At this moment, engaging in casual chat, gathering information.
I just wanted to understand the people's opinions of Nagato in the Rain Hidden Village, since both of us were village leaders.
Yet we followed completely different paths.
I was quite approachable, governing the village with a gentle and enticing policy;
While Nagato was extremely cold, mysterious in movements, enforcing strict policies.
But now it looks like the kind of policies we use doesn't really matter all that much.
To the common people at the bottom,
Anyone who can make sure they've got food, clothes, and peace from war will earn their loyalty!
All other policies are nothing but methods, not the ultimate goals.
...
"By the way, have any of you seen our new village leader, Pain?"
"No, seems like no one has."
"All of Pain's decrees are conveyed through [Angel]."
"Angel's paper cranes are everywhere, swiftly transmitting Pain's orders."
"And thanks to Angel's presence, we can run our businesses in peace!"
The old woman gave a heartfelt expression of thanks again.
After all, if it weren't for [Angel] being everywhere, monitoring the entire city,
The village might fall into chaos like before.
At that time, forget about opening a shop and doing business—
One couldn't even walk on the street without possibly being robbed or molested!
"Tsk tsk tsk, what an amazing Angel!"
"And so popular too."
"Really enviable!"
"You agree, right, Angel...?"
Shimoku ate the last bite of his bun and clapped his hands.
He smiled slightly as he let out a sigh and responded.
In the next moment,
Suddenly, on Shimoku's left, countless paper cranes burst into view, swiftly assembling into a human shape.
It was a young kunoichi, appearing around twenty years old.
She had long lavender-blue hair and wore a light blue paper flower pinned to the right side of her head. Her golden-orange eyes had purple eyeshadow applied. She wore a black robe decorated with white edging and red clouds. Her face was beautiful, her temperament serene.
"Angel! It's Angel!"
At the sight of Konan, the old woman couldn't help but cry out in excitement.
But Konan, with her calm expression,
Didn't pay attention to the elderly woman at all.
Her gaze fixed solely on Shimoku.
She tried to figure out how this child had sensed her beforehand?
Her [Paper Person of God Technique] was exquisite beyond compare. Not only could it imitate ordinary objects, but even simulate water with paper. The precision was so refined that even the Sharingan would struggle to detect it.
It was hard to believe that this kid had actually detected her presence first!
"Are you Shimoku Uchiha?"
"Yes."
"Now that I think about it, 'Angel,' you really are quite beautiful."
Shimoku nodded earnestly as he commented.
"Don't get smart with me!"
"Shimoku Uchiha, Orochimaru, come along..."
"I'll take you to see Pain!"
Konan warned coldly, explaining her purpose.
Soon after,
She led Shimoku and the other man away from the street,
Heading toward the tower located at the western part of the city.
"How does it feel? You and Jiraiya have visited the Rain Hidden Village several times before, right?"
Shimoku mused offhandedly as they walked along.
"Indeed, it has changed dramatically!"
"The buildings, the atmosphere, the people... It even rivals Konoha now!"
Orochimaru sincerely remarked.
After all, he still clearly remembered how rundown the Rain Hidden Village used to be.
Even *Sanshouo and Hanzo*, who had defeated the three Sannin back then, failed to lead the Rain Hidden Village toward peace.
Yet this new Village Headman, Pain, had actually accomplished that.
And on top of that, he had brought prosperity and stability to the villagers.
That alone was proof enough of his capability and strength!
Besides...
The leader turned out to be someone from Orochimaru's past!
"Tsk tsk tsk!"
"I never thought it would really be that little girl from back then!"
Orochimaru couldn't help but chuckle in amusement as Konan walked away.
Back when he first joined Akatsuki, he had always been guided by the leader Pain himself and Sasori.
He'd never actually seen Konan in person before.
Most likely, Nagato had kept her hidden deliberately to avoid being recognized by Orochimaru.
After all, during their great battle back then,
Orochimaru had indeed seen all three of them.
"If that's the case," mused the wise Master Snake,
"is the leader of Akatsuki possibly linked to the other two kids from back then?"
However, as sharp as he was, even the clever snake master could only guess at the truth without full certainty.
...
Before long,
the trio arrived beneath a tall tower.
As they stepped inside, they found themselves standing in a vast, open square—spacious and empty.
And naturally, the so-called Lord Pain was nowhere to be seen.
"It seems like quite a show is about to begin."
"Just take it easy. Don't go collapsing the place..."
Orochimaru smirked playfully and whispered a reminder to Shimoku on his left,
then promptly leapt to the right side, stepping aside voluntarily.
Unfazed, Shimoku casually replied:
"Just messing around. No need to get deadly serious over this."
At the same time,
as soon as Shimoku finished speaking,
Konan leading the way ahead instantly disintegrated into a swarm of paper cranes.
The cranes folded again, transforming into countless paper shuriken,
each spinning rapidly as they shot straight toward Shimoku—
a ruthless, sudden attack with no hesitation!
Clearly,
this had already been expected by both Shimoku and Orochimaru.
After all, whether it was negotiation, cooperation, or joining Akatsuki,
first came a test of strength.
In the ninja world (Ninjutsu realm), weaklings simply weren't taken seriously.
That's just how the ninja world worked — survival of the strongest.
This was precisely why Konan came at him so hard — to see what the young Uchiha was really made of.
And of course, if given the chance, she wouldn't mind eliminating this unpredictable variable altogether!
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