Naruto Dream Fulfillment Master

Page 265

He has already lost Yahiko, he absolutely cannot lose Minami.

Xiao Nan remained silent, quietly clenching her fists, but dared not rashly suggest that she should investigate herself.

For a moment, the atmosphere inside the room became somewhat stagnant, with only the raindrops outside continuing to fall.

After an unknown amount of time, Nagato finally let out a slow breath and said in a low voice, "...Release Orochimaru."

"Huh?" Konan was caught off guard when he mentioned Orochimaru. She didn't react for a moment and exclaimed, "You mean you want to release that guy?"

She was momentarily taken aback, not understanding why Nagato would suddenly bring this up.

Nagato looked at Konan's puzzled expression, a faint, bitter smile appearing on his face.

"Konan, the best solution right now is actually to cooperate with Jiraiya-sensei."

He said this with obvious helplessness.

“We need external help with the investigation. And Jiraiya-sensei… is naturally good at this kind of thing.”

"To collaborate with... Jiraiya-sensei?"

Nagato nodded and explained earnestly, "Yes. Uchiha Madara was originally considered a member of Konoha... In that case, it is most appropriate for someone from Konoha to investigate."

He slowly explained his reasons, his pale face revealing an unusual seriousness and caution.

Xiao Nan was stunned for a moment after hearing this, then nodded thoughtfully.

I have to admit, Nagato is right.

If we could leverage Jiraiya's information and resources, our chances of winning would undoubtedly be much higher.

The sound of raindrops hitting the window gradually subsided.

Nagato gazed at the misty rain outside the window, and said slowly, "And—"

"This isn't necessarily a bad thing. On the contrary... it could be an opportunity for us."

Sensing the hidden meaning in Nagato's words, Konan tilted her head slightly: "An opportunity?"

Nagato raised his head, the purple glow of his Rinnegan appearing exceptionally deep in the dim light.

He gazed at the distant, hazy sky and said in a deep voice, "Only by finding a way to get close to Konoha can we find Danzo... right?"

Chapter 212 Pain: Uchiha Itachi, who exactly are you serving?

Rain Village, underground of the central tower, prison corridor.

Xiao Nan walked quickly through the narrow passage, her mind in turmoil.

As she passed through an iron gate, she stopped in front of it and looked inside through the small window embedded in it.

In the corner of the cell, a tall, thin figure sat huddled, his pale face barely visible in the dim light, staring intently at the ground, lost in thought.

It was Orochimaru, who was imprisoned by the Akatsuki organization.

This traitorous ninja who had once betrayed the organization was now unusually quiet.

In fact, since his capture, Orochimaru has been puzzled as to what Akatsuki intends to do with him.

Is there another motive?

Xiao Nan raised her hand and pushed open the iron door. With a creak, the heavy iron door scraped against the ground, the sound particularly jarring in the empty corridor.

Hearing the noise, Orochimaru looked up warily, his golden snake eyes narrowing slightly.

Konan said coldly, "Orochimaru, you can leave now."

In an instant, the cell became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Orochimaru blinked in surprise, wondering if he had misheard.

"……leave?"

Xiao Nan didn't offer any explanation, but simply said calmly, "That's right. You're free now."

After saying that, she turned and walked towards the door.

Orochimaru remained seated in the corner, not rising abruptly.

His golden eyes narrowed slightly as he carefully examined the blue-haired woman at the door.

Judging from Xiao Nan's tone and expression just now, it didn't seem like she was joking.

But precisely because it was so unusual, he became even more suspicious.

Seeing that Konan was about to step out of the prison gate, Orochimaru could no longer restrain himself.

"……Why?"

Konan paused, her back to Orochimaru momentarily halting.

After a long pause, she left without turning her head and said, "Remember to return the Ring of Emptiness."

Before the words were even finished, the person had already disappeared at the end of the corridor outside the door.

In the silence, only Orochimaru remained alone.

He slowly stood up, his expression indescribable: a mixture of surprise, confusion, and even a hint of annoyance.

Even with Orochimaru's usual cunning, he was completely unsure of Akatsuki's intentions at this moment.

Why not pursue his crime of defection, or hold him accountable for his ambush of Uchiha Itachi last night, and just let him go like this for no reason?

This is nothing like Xiao's style.

No matter what Xiao is planning, he wouldn't be foolish enough to stay and investigate himself.

Orochimaru gave a sinister smile and muttered to himself, "How interesting..."

Since Xiao Nan has personally declared "freedom," presumably no one will stop her along the way.

He quickly and successfully exited the tower dungeon.

The moment I stepped off the ground, a fine drizzle fell on my face.

Dark clouds loomed overhead in the gloomy sky, and the endless rain in Amegakure seemed particularly biting today.

Orochimaru, hooded and standing in the shadows of the tower's side, looked up at the gray sky and licked his pale lips with the tip of his tongue.

He composed himself and stopped thinking about the reasons behind Xiao Nan's actions, knowing that it was not a good place to stay any longer.

The most urgent task is to get back to Otogakure as soon as possible.

Firstly, his research materials were located there, and he was worried about leaving them there for too long.

Secondly, and more importantly, he had not been able to contact Yakushi Kabuto for some time.

Orochimaru stood in the rain, taking one last look at the tower. Suddenly, his figure blurred, becoming a fleeting shadow as he vanished into the rain...

……

In the council hall atop the tower in Amegakure, the atmosphere was equally somber and cold.

Pain, the Deva Path, sat at the head of the table, his purple Rinnegan gazing down at those below.

Uchiha Itachi stood quietly in the center of the hall, his expression as calm as ever, but now he frowned slightly, as if he was pondering Pain's words.

As Konan pushed open the door and entered the hall, she happened to see Itachi standing opposite Pain.

In the dim light, she immediately noticed several strange white spikes that were faintly emerging around the weasel's neck.

Xiao Nan frowned slightly: Isn't this... the strange substance that the masked man had when he first appeared?

Now, these strange "white thorns" have appeared on the side of the weasel's neck. Could it be...?

Xiao Nan's heart pounded with alarm bells, but she walked forward without making a sound.

"Itachi, the organization may not be able to fulfill your request." Payne's deep voice echoed in the empty hall, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

Upon hearing this, Itachi Uchiha's dark pupils flashed with surprise.

He did not answer immediately, but simply looked up and stared directly at the "god" in front of him.

For the Akatsuki organization, there has always been an unwritten rule: members can generally dispose of the targets they capture themselves.

Just as Kakuzu often secretly exchanges the corpses of mission targets and even his comrades for bounties, the organization generally never questions it.

He captured Orochimaru himself this time, only to ask to "borrow" him to practice genjutsu.

Such a request should be reasonable.

However, Payne's direct rejection of him was truly unexpected.

Itachi glanced at Konan not far away and noticed that she was staring at the "white spikes" on his neck with a rather wary expression.

A bad feeling welled up in Itachi's heart.

After a brief silence, Itachi spoke slowly, his voice still calm: "...May I ask why?"

He certainly couldn't reveal the real reason directly—after all, directly asking Orochimaru to be spared would be too unusual.

"Practicing genjutsu" was just an excuse. Itachi's original plan was to get Orochimaru and then immediately use his eye technique to control him, making him fall into the illusion of Tsukuyomi.

In this way, Orochimaru's life can be saved to fulfill Jiraiya's entrustment, and the genjutsu space can also be used to "entertain" this rogue ninja with impure motives towards Sasuke, killing two birds with one stone.

However, to his utter surprise, Payne rejected his request without saying a word.

Just as Itachi was wondering what was going on, Pain added without batting an eye, "Orochimaru has already left. So—the organization cannot fulfill your request."

"What?" Itachi's pupils contracted slightly, almost thinking he had misheard.

"They've already released them?"

That's Orochimaru—a dangerous figure who's been eyeing Sasuke with predatory intent!

If he were to regain his freedom, wouldn't Sasuke be in even greater danger in the future?

What is Payne thinking?!

"This is God's decision." Pain's tone was icy, his gaze sweeping over Itachi without room for argument, as he spoke each word clearly, "Do you have any objections?"

Uchiha Itachi's heart skipped a beat. Being stared at by that condescending gaze, he simply lowered his eyes slightly and respectfully replied, "...I have no objection."

His expression remained unchanged, revealing neither joy nor anger, but his suspicions deepened.

Payne, though usually dignified, was rarely this aggressive—his attitude today was far too unusual.