"Not bad, huh? Konoha may be where I was born and raised, but I've already built Oto no Kuni (the Village Hidden in the Sound) with my own hands. That's my real turf now. So, Nagato, Konan, you two can totally come live in Oto no Kuni. Plus, there's an old acquaintance of yours waiting there!"
Kazama said with a grin.
"Old acquaintance? Who's that?"
Nagato and Konan asked in unison, curiosity piqued.
"Orochimaru! Long time no see, eh?"
Under Kazama's lead, Nagato and Konan soon arrived at Oto no Kuni.
"You are…?"
Orochimaru immediately sized Nagato up, his eyes narrowing.
"He's the Gedo Nagato, the one controlling the Six Paths of Pain, and the leader of your Akatsuki organization," Kazama explained casually.
"What?!"
Hearing Kazama's words and spotting Nagato's Rinnegan, Orochimaru's face paled, and he instinctively bolted, ready to flee.
As a former Akatsuki member, he knew all too well the consequences of betraying the organization.
Now, learning that Nagato was Pain, the leader of Akatsuki, Orochimaru's heart pounded with dread.
"Wait a sec!"
Halfway through his escape, Orochimaru suddenly paused, realization dawning. He was Kazama's subordinate now. Why would Kazama bring the Akatsuki leader to take him down?
As Orochimaru stood there, utterly confused, Kazama, Nagato, Konan, and the others burst into laughter behind him.
"Come on, Kazama-sama, I'm your most loyal follower! Why do you keep messing with me like this?" Orochimaru whined.
"It's not me messing with you—it's just that you're too jumpy! Nagato's left Akatsuki now. Your job is to find a place for him and Konan. They'll be staying in Oto no Kuni for a while."
"Really? That's awesome!"
Hearing that Nagato and Konan were joining Oto no Kuni, Orochimaru's fear flipped to excitement. He'd heard plenty about their strength. With those two on board, wouldn't Oto no Kuni become unstoppable?
"By the way, Kazama…" Nagato turned to him, a serious look in his eyes.
"You saved everyone in Konoha and foiled Kurozetsu's plans, but now Kurozetsu's got someone even stronger by his side—Obito. What's our next move?"
"Don't worry, I've got a plan for Obito," Kazama replied confidently.
"Alright, then. If Konan and I can help, you'd better let us know. You're our savior+ savior, after all," Nagato said earnestly.
"Relax, we'll definitely fight side by side in the future. For now, just take it easy in Oto no Kuni."
With that, Kazama headed back to Konoha.
What Nagato didn't know was that Kazama no longer needed to deal with Obito. When Kazama had rescued Nagato earlier, he'd secretly used the ultimate genjutsu, Beppin Tennin (Otherworldly God), on Obito.
Now, Obito was already under Kazama's control.
"Kazama, we owe you big time!"
Back in Konoha, Tsunade and the others rushed to thank him.
"Your strength is unreal—you brought back everyone in Konoha who died!"
"Yeah, even though the village is in ruins, we didn't lose a single person. That's unheard of in any battle!"
Faced with their gratitude, Kazama scratched his head, a bit embarrassed.
Sure, he'd revived everyone, but Konoha's current state—reduced to rubble—was partly his fault.
The Six Paths of Pain had only destroyed the buildings, but Kazama's Chō Shinra Tensei (Super Almighty Push) had flattened the entire village.
Still, if Kazama could destroy Konoha, he could rebuild it too.
Just as he prepared to use Mokuton: Renjū Ie no Jutsu (Wood Release: Pillar House Technique) to help reconstruct the village, he noticed two figures approaching with fierce determination—Konoha's elder advisors, Koharu and Homura.