While Pain was seriously pondering how he should deal with this new phantom who happened to stumble upon the Orochimaru's ring.
"Hey, Hidan, look at this!" a high-pitched childishly mocking voice chimed in from the ground. It belonged to a man wearing an orange mask, who was poking at a lump of brown mass with a stick. "There's some fresh shit here! Do you think it dropped from a human or some stray animal wandering through the woods?"
"Shut your damn mouth, you annoying brat, and let's get this two-tails extraction started already!" Hidan snarled back annoyed by the interruption.
Konan's eyes narrowed as she studied the intricate details of Kimimaro's eye features. "He has the exact same pale green eyes from Konoha ANBU we fought when we captured seven tails jinchuriki," she noted. "He is also one of Orochimaru's former loyal lackeys."
Itachi Uchiha stood motionless as his black eyes turned subtly toward Kimimaro, keeping his expression neutral like Itachi would to avoid drawing any suspicion from his peers, Itachi analyzed the situation. "So," the Uchiha thought inwardly, "he has finally stepped up to take the mantle of the Land of Sound."
Kimimaro didn't bother to dignify their bickering or interrogation with a verbal response. Instead his gaze drifted upward sweeping across the horrific visage of the Gedo Statue. To his surprise, he noticed: two of the colossal statue's giant eyes were open.
"Counting the two-tails lying on the ground, there should be a total of three captured so far," Kimimaro thought. "I already know the Seven-Tails was taken earlier. That leaves one unaccounted for... which other Jinchūriki fell to them?"
His gaze shifted downward, landing on the spooky figure, who had just uttered an absurd remark about feces... a comment so out of place in a room filled with S-rank criminals that it was almost surreal and no one seems to care about such disrespect must mean he should not be underestimated with.
"He is a complete fool," Kimimaro mused assessing the posture of the cranky masked man. "Yet, he should be Hidan's new partner. Now that Kakuzu had been taken away by Jiraiya and Naruto, these two are the only members physically present in this hideout. The rest are merely projections."
Every detail mattered including the spatial layout, Kimimaro mentally stored it all for he needed to double back and take a through look later, this reconnaissance would be invaluable.
He had not come to play games, he tilted his head slightly, letting a quiet disdain seep out. "I have come to save Lord Orochimaru from the hands of the you, the Akatsuki," he said.
"Though it seems your leader is remarkably careless. Allowing an intruder to walk straight into your inner sanctum hardly speaks of the organization's level."
Pain's projection flared with a surge of chakra as his Rinnegan eyes gleamed down at Kimimaro as he started to ascend to a higher level.
"It appears Orochimaru's pet has managed to grow some fangs," Pain responded as he stood above Kimimaro. "Understand this, intruder: the only 'Lord' in this here is me. I am the true god."
Kimimaro didn't flinch and instead he doubled down meeting the terrifying gaze of the said god with composure. "Do you get all this unshakeable confidence simply from the eyes you bear? for someone who is so dependent on them can they truly be call themself a god?"
Pain's expression remained stoic as the atmosphere in the carven grew heavier. "Your feeble mortal mind lacks the capacity to comprehend my divinity. This conversation has reached the end."
Pain raised his hand preparing to sever the thought waves and forcefully purge Kimimaro's consciousness from the jutsu.
"Before you cut me off and cast me out," Kimimaro interjected smoothly, "you should consider the consequences of what happens the moment I leave these walls."
Pain paused his hand stopped in mid-air. "The moment I depart," Kimimaro continued, "I will leak the coordinates of this hideout to the Raikage. Given that his jinchuriki is captured, he would be ecstatic to receive such intelligence. And while I am spreading the word, I will make sure the message reaches the Hokage as well. Tsunade considers me a valuable ally.
Now, ask yourself: while you claim to be an almighty god, what becomes of Hidan and that spooked brat on the ground? When two Great Nations descend upon this location, those two will be slaughtered since two of the Akatsuki are not participating in the extraction it will be delayed to at least a week. And you cannot send reinforcements to save them, can you? During a Biju extraction, every single one of your members is bound in place, forced to remain stationary until the process is complete."
Pain's piercing Rinnegan narrowed slightly as he re-evaluated Kimimaro below him.
"He is sharp," Pain thought to himself. "Not only is he formidable, but he possesses the calculated intellect required of an Akatsuki. He realized our extraction pace has been severely delayed ever since Kakuzu was captured."
"What is your name?" Pain asked, his tone shifting from dismissive arrogance to subtle intrigue.
"Kimimaro... Kaguya Kimimaro," he answered with the same fierce gaze.
Pain remained silent for a moment before speaking. "If you desire to know what became of Orochimaru after he was captured, I can give you those answers. Join the Akatsuki. Take his place and succeed him within our ranks."
A invitation to join the most dangerous organization right in the middle of a sealing ritual without care for the Yugito who could turn dead any moment and all their efforts turning to waste.
Kimimaro pondered the proposal for a brief moment, weighing his options carefully before delivering his terms. "If you release Lord Orochimaru to me unharmed, I will personally capture a Bijuu and deliver it to you. However, I have zero interest in becoming a member of your Akatsuki."
Pain's response was immediate. "He is not in our custody anymore. He has escaped after launching an attack against Itachi Uchiha."
~~
A/N: Brave of Kimimaro to talk back at pain. Will he join the Akatsuki? Is pain lying or is it the truth?
Advance chapters available @patreon.com/aizenDuchiha0