vncnus Chapter 212 Pain: Uchiha Itachi, who exactly are you serving?
Chapter 212 Pain: Uchiha Itachi, who exactly are you serving?
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 how Akatsuki intends to deal 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."
During the foggy hours, the cell was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Orochimaru blinked, wondering if he had misheard.
"..-leave?"
Xiao Nan offered no explanation, simply stating 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. With a sudden movement, he vanished into the rain, becoming a blur.
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's eyebrows furrowed 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 was filled with alarm bells, but she walked forward without showing any emotion.
"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, a strange glint flashed in Itachi's dark pupils.
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.
His request to "borrow" Orochimaru to practice genjutsu, after personally capturing him, should have been perfectly 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: "—If I may ask, why is that not allowed?"
Of course, he couldn't directly reveal the real reason—after all, directly demanding Orochimaru's release 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 at the same time, this rogue ninja with impure motives towards Sasuke can be properly "entertained" in the genjutsu space, 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. Therefore, the organization cannot fulfill your request."
"What?" Itachi's pupils contracted slightly, almost thinking he had misheard.
"They've already been released?"
That's a dangerous person that Orochimaru has been eyeing with covetously at Sasuke!
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 with unwavering authority 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.
He composed himself and said in a low voice, "In that case, I understand. If there's nothing else, I'd like to take my leave."
After speaking, Itachi bowed slightly to Pain, then turned and walked towards the entrance of the hall.
Payne's voice rang out coldly from behind again: "Stop."
The weasel paused in its tracks.
His heart tightened, but he had no choice but to stop.
Almost simultaneously, he keenly sensed a chilling aura behind him.
Before anyone knew it, Xiao Nan had already swiftly formed hand seals, summoning a large number of snow-white paper scraps.
The paper scraps coalesced into dozens of sharp paper shuriken, hovering in mid-air, completely blocking Itachi's escape route.
Itachi noticed something amiss behind him out of the corner of his eye, and his gaze darkened slightly.
With Payne in front and Konan behind, he was instantly trapped in the center of the hall.
To make matters worse, he noticed that a tall, burly man had appeared at the doorway and was blocking the only exit.
The man was tall and muscular, with thick, bulging muscles.
He sported an explosive, short, spiky hairstyle, and his hair color, an eerie orange, was exactly the same as Pain's.
His face was dull and bloodless, and black rods were embedded in his forehead, bridge of his nose, cheeks and earlobes, arranged in different patterns.
What's most striking is his eyes, which are also the cold and indifferent Rinnegan!
It was Pain, one of the Six Paths of Pain – the Hell Path.
Pain of the Hell Path stood there expressionless, like an iron tower guarding a gate.
He did not launch an attack immediately, but stared intently at Itachi in the arena, as if waiting for some signal.
After a brief silence, Payne slowly stood up.
He raised his gaunt face, his expression indifferent: "Uchiha Itachi, answer my questions one by one."
As they spoke, Pain of the Hell Path moved at the sound.
He formed a hand seal and slammed his hands onto the ground in front of him.
Suddenly, a strange ring of purplish-red flames erupted around Pain, the Hell Path, enveloping his figure. A gust of cold wind arose out of nowhere, stirring up the fine dust in the air and emitting a strange, wailing sound.
"Boom!"
With a deafening roar like muffled thunder, the earth trembled slightly. Under Itachi Uchiha's watchful gaze, the floor in the center of the hall suddenly cracked open, and a hideous, enormous demonic face slowly rose from the ground!
The demonic face resembled Yama himself, with sharp horns on its head, and its tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, revealing the same Rinnegan!
A sinister and terrifying atmosphere instantly filled the entire hall, and the temperature seemed to drop several degrees.
Itachi Uchiha's gaze trembled slightly, and a bead of cold sweat quietly slid down his forehead.
"Uchiha Itachi—" Pain's voice, chilling with murderous intent, came from behind the demon mask, like a divine judgment, "Whom do you serve?!"
The questions echoed in the vast council chamber, so powerful that the air seemed to freeze.
The black-haired youth who had been called out stood quietly before the ghost face, his handsome, pale face flickering in and out of focus under the dancing purple flames.
Itachi pursed his thin lips, his dark eyes reflecting the enormous Rinnegan.
He could feel a strange power enveloping him, ready to unleash merciless punishment the moment he made a lie or attempted to resist.
Meanwhile, at the Hokage Building in Konoha Village.
The spacious Hokage's office was now packed with people.
The Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, sat behind her desk, her expression unusually devoid of her usual composure.
Jiraiya and Kakashi stood beside her, both with extremely solemn expressions.
Beside him stood Hiruzen Sarutobi, the former Third Hokage and advisor to Konoha, whose hair was gray but whose eyes were piercing.
The room was completely silent, and the air pressure was so low that it was hard to breathe.
Just now, Jiraiya and Kakashi reported everything they saw in their dream last night to Tsunade and Hiruzen Sarutobi.
When the last syllable fell, the entire room fell into a deathly silence.
"You mean," Tsunade finally spoke after a long silence, her hoarse voice breaking the stillness, "that the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails' rampage was actually Madara Uchiha?"
As the granddaughter of the First Hokage, Tsunade had naturally heard of Madara Uchiha's name.
That was the strongest nemesis of my grandfather, Hashirama Senju, a man who should have perished after the battle at the Valley of the End decades ago.
However, Jiraiya now tells her: Madara Uchiha may still be alive and secretly stirring up the entire ninja world!
Jiraiya nodded heavily.
Upon hearing this, Tsunade's pretty face turned pale, and she stood there speechless for a moment.
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been silent for a long time, slowly sighed and said with a solemn expression, "I didn't expect it—it's been so long, and that person is still alive."
Hiruzen Sarutobi is the only one among everyone here who has personally witnessed Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju fighting.
Although he was young at the time, that scene is still deeply imprinted in his memory and will never be forgotten.
Even though most of his life has passed, he can still vividly recall the earth-shattering scene whenever he closes his eyes.
The commotion at the Valley of the End could be glimpsed even by Konoha, which was dozens of kilometers away.
That Susanoo, like a god...
Such divine methods were beyond his wildest imagination at the time!
Unlike the somber and oppressive atmosphere in Amegakure and Konoha, Orochimaru, who had been inexplicably released, had safely returned to the underground base of Otogakure in the Land of Rice Fields.
Orochimaru walked alone in the passageway leading to the main laboratory, his footsteps making a crisp clattering sound on the metal floor that echoed in the silent underground.
"It's too quiet," Orochimaru frowned slightly as he walked, the strangeness in the base making him more vigilant.
Did something happen to Kabuto?
Or is it...?
Just as I was pondering this, a strange sound suddenly came from the depths of the corridor ahead.
"Thump—thump—"
It sounded as if something heavy was slowly tapping the floor, accompanied by a faint hissing sound, which resembled a painful groan.
Orochimaru stopped in his tracks, his golden pupils beneath his black hair narrowing slightly.
He was certain that no experiments had been conducted at the base when he left, and there shouldn't have been any unusual activity.
But what is this strange noise?
Before he could think it through, another loud bang suddenly rang in his ears.
"Thump!" Accompanied by the sound of something falling to the ground, there was also a faint, ear-piercing sound of machinery overturning.
"Not good!" Orochimaru's face darkened, and without further hesitation, he quickly ran towards the sound.
An ominous premonition welled up in his heart. This base contained a lot of valuable research materials and samples, and he absolutely could not afford to make any mistakes!
After winding his way down the corridor, Orochimaru finally stopped in front of a tightly closed metal door.
He remembered that this was a laboratory that Yakushi Kabuto usually managed.
The door, which should have been locked, was now half-open, with dim, flickering light shining through the crack.
Orochimaru stood at the doorway and slowly pushed the door open.
The scene that came into view made his pupils shrink; the laboratory was in complete disarray.
The large medicine cabinet against the wall was kicked over, with glass shards and medicine residue scattered all over the floor. Mixed with messy papers and fragments of blood, a pungent smell of medicine filled the air, and a sense of danger seemed to float in the air.
In the center of the room, a young man with short silver-gray hair sat in a chair, his thin upper body completely exposed, his muscles twitching and trembling violently.
He was none other than Orochimaru's most trusted subordinate, Kabuto Yakushi.
At this moment, Dou's expression was extremely painful, with large beads of sweat seeping from his forehead, and his glasses were askew and had fallen to the ground.
His eyes were tightly closed, his jaw was clenched, and his left hand pressed firmly against his right arm, as if he was trying his best to suppress something terrible.
Looking down into Dou's right arm, one could see a needle inserted into the arm, connected to a bag of an unknown pale green solution on an IV stand, which was dripping steadily into his veins.
Dou's right arm was completely deformed.
Veins bulged beneath his pale skin, throbbing and twisting wildly along the blood vessels. Strange snake scale patterns appeared near the injection points that were originally close to the skin, spreading continuously down his arm.
Orochimaru's expression changed: "Kabuto, what are you doing?!"
The sudden explosion in the silent laboratory was like a blow to the head for the pharmacist.
He abruptly opened his tightly closed eyes, staring incredulously at the doorway: "M-Orochimaru-sama?!"
Dou gasped in a hoarse voice, his face filled with shock.
Orochimaru stood motionless at the doorway, draped in a wide black robe, revealing only the lower half of his pale, handsome face.
"Lord Orochimaru?!" Upon hearing the familiar voice, Kabuto suddenly opened his eyes and stared incredulously at the doorway.
His pupils, which had been glazed over from the excruciating pain, suddenly dilated, his bloodshot eyes filled with shock and bewilderment: "This—this is impossible! How could you—"
Yakushi Kabuto opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know where to begin.
His mind was in complete chaos.
In order to rescue Orochimaru, he took a desperate gamble, integrating all of Orochimaru's research findings and injecting them into his own body, thinking only of fighting to the death to obtain enough power to fight against the Akatsuki organization.
But fate played a cruel joke on him.
Just as he was enduring excruciating pain and the effects of the drugs, struggling on the verge of death, Orochimaru miraculously returned unharmed!
"Could it be—an illusion?" Kabuto muttered to himself, his eyes momentarily unfocused.
However, it was this moment of distraction that caused his chakra, which he had been struggling to circulate, to suddenly lose control!
The drug that had been relentlessly eroding his body on his right arm was no longer restrained and surged towards his entire body like a flood bursting its banks!
"Ahhh!!"
Yakushi Kabuto let out a painful growl, his body involuntarily convulsing violently.
He watched in disbelief as large patches of snake scales rapidly appeared beneath the skin of his right shoulder, the dark gray scales writhing as if alive.
It quickly climbed up to the shoulders and collarbone, and showed signs of continuing to spread towards the chest.
The excruciating pain caused by that strange change was indescribable. Dou gritted his teeth, his entire body almost curled up into a ball.
"Oh no!" Kabuto was filled with extreme fear.
He was no longer able to suppress the rampaging drug in his body. At this moment, he felt an indescribable corrosive sensation spreading throughout his body along his bloodstream, as if countless venomous snakes were frantically crawling and gnawing under his skin along his blood vessels!
"This is truly an eye-opener for me, Kabuto."
Orochimaru grinned. "While I was gone, you actually injected all my research findings into your own body?"
His gaze slowly swept over the half of the body covered in scales, and he excitedly licked his lips. "Are you trying to become my experimental subject?"
In excruciating pain, he was almost unable to think, with only one thought echoing clearly in his mind: It's over.
In just a few seconds, Kabuto Yakushi foresaw his own end.
Kabuto knew better than anyone how much Orochimaru valued his research findings.
He used those results without informing Orochimaru, which already violated Orochimaru's taboo.
Even more deadly is that his current bizarre half-human, half-snake appearance is probably more valuable to Orochimaru, who is pursuing immortality and truth, than any experimental subject!
The once-renowned Yakushi Kabuto has now become an excellent living test subject.
His fate was predictable.
A picture even popped into Dou's mind.
Orochimaru stood indifferently to the side, quietly watching how the potion completely devoured him, while he observed and recorded everything with great interest.
Thinking of this, Dou closed his eyes in despair, his heart ashen.
"Well—it's better this way. At least Lord Orochimaru is safe and sound—"
Just as Kabuto was resigned to his fate, a cold and powerful chakra suddenly entered his body from his shoulder, like a cold snake burrowing into his blood vessels!
Dou shuddered violently, his previously scattered consciousness suddenly clearing up. He felt as if the rampaging potion had encountered something even more terrifying, and it instantly quieted down.
The burning pain was miraculously relieved by more than half.
Dou slowly opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was a pale, slender arm that was pressing tightly against his injured right shoulder.
Looking up along the arm, one could see Orochimaru standing beside them, his face cold and his eyes slightly closed.
Wherever the continuous flow of cold chakra passed, the snake scale patterns that had spread to Kabuto's shoulders and neck gradually stopped expanding, and the excruciating pain that felt like it was being torn apart inside his body gradually subsided.
Yakushi Kabuto gazed contentedly at the familiar face before him, almost thinking for a moment that he was still in a dream.
Orochimaru actually came to his rescue?!
Orochimaru raised his hand and gently stroked Kabuto's messy silver hair, as if soothing a lab rat: "You're not allowed to act on your own like this again."
But in an instant, he smiled sinisterly, his golden pupils filled with a sharp glint:
"My research isn't for you to use for suicide pranks, understand?"