Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 268 Meeting Orochimaru

"I'm not here to criticize you; I just want to ask about the situation in the Land of Rain."

Kakuzu breathed a sigh of relief, his body immediately relaxing: "I thought you were going to keep me behind to punish me. You should have said so earlier!"

"Are you afraid of me?" Aburame Shisei asked, somewhat surprised.

"I'm scared. What if you cut off my salary? That would be a really scary thing!"

Aburame Shisei: "..."

He hadn't realized that this relaxed state was actually a sign of fear towards him.

After making a few jokes, Kakuzu regained his serious expression and said, "Yahiko is now the de facto leader of the Land of Rain. He has changed a lot compared to before."

"His style of doing things has become more decisive and more skillful. He personally participated in several battles against Sunagakure and Iwagakure, achieving good results and even repelling the combined forces of the two villages."

Aburame Shisei nodded: "It seems that Hanzo's death had a great impact on him."

"Maybe," Kakuzu replied casually, leaning back in his chair, the two of them chatting as if it were just everyday stuff.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing: Konoha has joined the war."

Kakuzu turned and continued, "However, instead of attacking the Land of Rain, we've formed a cooperative alliance with them. Strategist, do you think we should continue providing the Land of Rain with unconditional aid?"

Aburame Shisei shook his head and said, "In that case, let's stop."

Because he was about to take action against Konoha. As long as Yahiko was around, Nagato couldn't be won over, and he didn't want to be led by the nose by Yahiko and try to smooth things over with Konoha.

However, he was somewhat surprised that Yahiko and Konoha were able to cooperate.

Kakuzu noticed his confusion and explained, "Actually, it's quite a coincidence."

"A few days ago, Amatsu, the second strategist of Amatsu Village, was inexplicably ambushed by Root. They attacked the camp in front of everyone while their experts were away."

The Rain Ninja were furious, and the two sides were on the verge of fighting. It was because of this incident that Konoha was forced to intervene.

Later, Konoha somehow learned that Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan were actually Jiraiya's students. Tsunade, as his senior apprentice, stepped in to negotiate on his behalf and repeatedly assured them that it was not Konoha who had made the move.

After one round of negotiations, all issues were put on hold.

Later, Tsunade performed an autopsy and discovered that the Root corpse had actually been dead for a long time and had been disposed of later. So this was a conspiracy against the Land of Rain and Konoha.

Can you guess who framed this person?

Kakuzu adopted a mysterious expression, indicating that Shisei Aburame wasn't very curious, and he didn't continue to keep her in suspense.

"No one could have imagined that it was that old man Onoki! And after this incident was exposed, he didn't deny it, but directly admitted it, and even said with righteous indignation that it was a 'necessary means during wartime,' which made Tsunade so angry that she almost hit him on the spot."

"By the way, the position of Rain Village strategist has now been taken over by a ninja named Naganobu. This man is quite strong and has outstanding abilities. Yahiko was able to withstand the attacks of the two major ninja villages several times in a row, which can be largely attributed to him."

Changxin? This name had never appeared in his memory, and there was no such person in the original work.

"Have you inquired about his background?" Aburame Shicheng asked.

Kakuzu shook his head and said, "I don't know much about this person's specific situation."

"As for his background... I heard that he had been wandering in the Land of Rain for a long time, and was a thug when he was a teenager, until he joined Dawn Castle. Because he repented and reformed, he joined the Akatsuki organization. Unexpectedly, it was discovered that he had ninja talent, and he even created a kind of ink-type ninjutsu."

"What ninjutsu did you say?" Aburame Shisei suddenly sat up.

Seeing his reaction, Kakuzu was quite surprised. After thinking carefully for a moment, he said, "I think it's called something like 'Super Beast Imitation Painting'?"

Yu Nuzhicheng sighed softly, his heart finally at ease. He said, "Notify the Immigration Department to select some of the better-behaved citizens to save."

Kakuzu also sensed something was wrong and pondered, "Are you saying the Land of Rain is doomed?"

"It's not that the Land of Rain is going to be finished, but that it's going to split up. And the Super Beast Imitation Painting actually originated from Konoha's Root."

No further explanation was needed from Aburame Shisei; Kakuzu understood instantly.

He stroked his chin, his eyes shifting slightly: "So what exactly is Konoha playing? First, sending spies to kill people, then colluding with Onoki to infiltrate Amegakure. They're treating these kids like monkeys!"

"It's not necessarily Konoha playing a trick on us, is it?" Aburame Shisei wasn't too sure either, since Konoha had never been a bright place in his mind.

Moreover, there's Danzo, the Dark Lord of the Ninja World, and Hiruzen Sarutobi; who knows what they might do?

In short, that area is now in chaos, and cutting losses is the right choice.

-

A day later, Shisei Aburame left the Land of Waterfall and disguised himself before heading to Konoha.

This time, he simply disguised himself as a merchant and prepared to enter through the main gate of Konoha.

The previous generation of Konoha's gatekeeper ninja stopped him and politely asked, "Excuse me, sir, could you please show me your identification?"

With a smile, Shisei Aburame took out the business registration form that Ryuji Ida had prepared for him.

This certificate bears the official seal of nobles from other countries, so it naturally shows no signs of forgery.

"No problem, please come in."

Aburame Zhicheng smiled and nodded at him, then swaggered inside.

This time, his mindset upon returning to Konoha was completely different from when he defected; it was a completely different feeling.

He used to live cautiously as a Konoha ninja; now, as an infiltrated enemy ninja, he feels no pressure and is at ease.

He looked up and watched the Konoha residents bustling past him on the street, seemingly still living in a false prosperity.

No one noticed the few ninjas walking by on the street, their faces bearing the weariness and tension typical of wartime.

"Konoha is still the same Konoha, it has never changed." Aburame Shisei avoided the crowd and walked into the dark alley.

Occasionally, when he encountered a lone ninja, he would quietly approach him, a faint fragrance wafting from his hands.

The ninjas' eyes glazed over for a moment, then returned to normal, as if they had only been in a daze for a moment.

In that brief moment of distraction, Shisei Aburame had already obtained the information he wanted.

He continued until he learned the likely route Orochimaru would take. He casually left messages on several paths, then left the core of Konoha and entered the Forest of Death.

Soon after, as darkness fell, a familiar figure stepped into the forest.

Aburame Shisei appeared before him and said, "Orochimaru, it's been a long time."

Orochimaru's pupils contracted slightly, then a smile appeared on his face.

"Long time no see, Strategist Shiraki. Or perhaps... Zhicheng-kun!"