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Shin examined the Third Kazekage puppet, making Sasori nervous. He was afraid Shin would steal it.
But Sasori was overthinking it. Though he considered it his greatest masterpiece, Shin wasn't impressed.
"It's just average." The puppet was weaker than the living Third Kazekage. Shin lost interest.
"Are you questioning my puppetry skills?" Sasori was indignant. It wasn't just an insult to his skills, but to his art. Sasori's art was eternal beauty, embodied by his immortal puppets.
"If you want to think of it that way, go ahead." Unless Sasori could make a puppet stronger than the living Third Kazekage—Shin would consider it average.
Sasori was angry. He wasn't known for his good temper. If it was anyone else, he would have attacked them with his poison needles.
But this was Shin Uzumaki—He could only suppress his anger!
"One day, I'll create a puppet that will amaze even you," Sasori vowed inwardly.
They found Orochimaru thanks to Zetsu's intel. He hadn't left the Land of Fire after defecting from Konoha—he was hiding in a secret base. Anyone else would be more cautious—but Orochimaru was fearless.
He wasn't afraid of Konoha's pursuit, unless Hiruzen Sarutobi came personally.
Minato Namikaze, as Hokage, wouldn't chase a missing-nin himself; a Kage couldn't leave the village so easily.
And Danzō wouldn't bother. Jiraiya had pursued him, but Orochimaru had injured him. Jiraiya was probably still recovering.
Jiraiya was injured not because he was weaker than Orochimaru, but because he wasn't ruthless enough—He couldn't bring himself to kill Orochimaru, so he ended up losing.
"This isn't far from Konoha. Is Orochimaru really hiding here? Did Zetsu give us false information?" Sasori was suspicious.
"Zetsu's information is correct. Orochimaru is indeed here." Shin could sense Orochimaru's chakra with [Kagura's Mind's Eye].
"Orochimaru, come out." Shin knew Orochimaru was hiding nearby.
"Shin?" Orochimaru emerged from behind a tree. He had been informed by his snakes. He had thought it was Konoha assassins, but it was Shin.
"Shin, what brings you here?" Orochimaru asked. He glanced at Sasori and frowned.
"Is this your puppet, Shin?"
Sasori was hiding inside Hiruko, which looked like a puppet, so Orochimaru mistook it for Shin's creation.
As soon as he finished speaking, Hiruko's mouth opened, and it fired a barrage of poison needles and senbon at Orochimaru—They were incredibly fast. Even an elite Jōnin would struggle to dodge.
But Orochimaru was cautious. He summoned a snake to block the attack. The snake died instantly, not from the needles, but from the poison.
Though Sasori's poisons weren't as potent as Chiyo's—they were still deadly.
Orochimaru's face remained impassive, but he was inwardly annoyed. For some reason, Snakes were becoming scarce in Ryūchi Cave; he didn't like losing them.
If he went to Ryūchi Cave, he would know why. Shin had split the cave in two with his [Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion], killing countless snakes in the process.
"Orochimaru, watch your words." Sasori didn't attack again, but he didn't like Orochimaru.
"So it's not Shin's puppet." Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, but he held back his anger. He suspected Sasori was connected to Shin.
"Orochimaru, we're here to invite you to join an organization," Shin said.
"An organization? Did you create it, Shin?" Orochimaru was interested.
"No, I'm just a member," Shin said with a smile.
"Even you're just a member? This organization must be impressive." Orochimaru was surprised. Uzumaki Shin wasn't even the leader?
"The leader of the Akatsuki has the Rinnegan. Interested?"
Shin wondered if Orochimaru could resist the Rinnegan's allure. In the original story, one of the reasons Orochimaru joined the Akatsuki was because of Pain's Rinnegan.
Orochimaru had been close to obtaining the Rinnegan before, but he had missed his chance. But even if he had taken it, he wouldn't have been able to keep it.
Uchiha Madara was still alive at the end of the Second Shinobi World War. Even if Orochimaru had known about Nagato's Rinnegan and tried to take it, he wouldn't have succeeded.
He might have even provoked Madara and been killed.
"Since it's your invitation, Shin, I accept." Orochimaru didn't hesitate after hearing about the Rinnegan.
"I knew you would," Shin said, looking at Orochimaru, who knew Shin had seen through his motives.
But Orochimaru also wanted to learn more about the Akatsuki's leader, especially his strength.
"I wonder how strong the Leader of your Akatsuki is." Orochimaru asked with a smile.
"Hmph, he's stronger than you," Sasori said coldly. He didn't like Orochimaru.
Orochimaru glared at Sasori. He wasn't a pacifist. He wanted to kill Sasori for his insolence—but learning about the Akatsuki leader was more important. He could deal with Sasori later.
He looked at Shin. He wouldn't get any useful information from Sasori, who clearly didn't like him.
If he wanted to know about the Akatsuki's leader, he had to ask Shin.
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