Escaping the Mist Ninja starts with backstabbing your teacher.

Chapter 86 Sudden Change in Amegakure!

Orochimaru was well aware that Tsunade was very important, and he had considered many things during his contemplation.

He knew how the other party knew this confidential information, and they certainly wouldn't have told him, but—that message provided him with the answer.

Orochimaru revealed a wicked smile and said in a somewhat hoarse voice, "This deal is fine, I agree."

"but----"

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

"We should have other deals to finalize."

That is immortality!

It was only after witnessing the death of Rope Tree that he truly understood how fragile life is.

One second he was happily telling you that he was going to be the Hokage, and the next he was giving you a comforting word of advice.

The next moment, the detonation tag exploded, and the young, broken body fell easily to the side, lifeless.

At that moment, Orochimaru was completely stunned. Tsunade's entrustment, the disciple to whom he had poured his heart and soul.

Life is as fragile as silk; a gentle touch can cause it to break quietly and never be restored.

From that moment on, Orochimaru felt a barrier between himself and the rest of the world; no one would ever understand him again.

As for the other party wanting the First Hokage's cells, he wasn't worried about anything. After all, even he was helpless when it came to the First Hokage's cells.

The only way to maintain balance is to rely on the Sharingan's ability to continuously absorb chakra, suppress that activity, and balance that yin-attribute chakra.

As for the experimental data, it's impossible to provide anything truly fruitful; the initial manuscripts were sufficient.

At most, it's just analysis of primary cells and some traits tested.

When faced with Orochimaru's question, Izumikawa slowly revealed a smile.

"Indeed, there is another deal, a deal concerning [immortality]."

Their conversation, conducted under the cover of darkness, quietly forged a certain cooperation, reflecting humanity's pursuit of immortality.

Orochimaru's idea was to change his body like a snake shedding its skin, to get a younger, more energetic body, and thus achieve a different kind of "immortality".

Izumikawa proposed an idea: that the Tailed Beasts, even if they die, can reassemble and be resurrected.

It is not only a collection of chakra, but also possesses a physical body, and is a kind of "immortality".

This piqued Orochimaru's interest. Recalling the Eight-Tails fragments he had nurtured, it seemed he could conduct some experiments.

In return for this fragment, Izumikawa proposed a trade, and what he would exchange in return was the chakra of another tailed beast.

The two agreed on the time and place for their next transaction, and the Valley of the End returned to peace.

Above the sky, Izumi sat on the back of the giant skeletal bird, pondering softly.

He was very satisfied with the deal, and he didn't care at all whether Tsunade had been sold too cheaply.

-

Become stronger, and live forever!

These are the things he pursues. Once he has these two things, he can slowly pursue the rest.

What is the ninja world crisis, the ninja world war, or Danzo's conspiracy, Madara Uchiha's plan, Nagato's deterrence and peace, and Obito's world with Rin?

None of this mattered to him; whoever got in his way, he would deal with.

Orochimaru is a great collaborator, both in terms of his research capabilities and his pursuit of immortality.

"Those who have goals and pursuits are the most easily tempted!" Izumi murmured to himself, reminding himself at the same time.

However, his two conspicuous actions have probably caught someone's attention, so he will need to keep a low profile for a while.

The transaction was completed, selling off Tsunade, this hot potato, in exchange for Hashirama cells, and trading One-Tailed Chakra for Eight-Tailed Fragments.

In this way, having collected some of the fragments, he can focus on seclusion for a period of time.

Meanwhile, on the other side, in Amegakure (Rain Village).

The sky was overcast, and rain continued to fall steadily, just like any other day.

But atop that steel rain tower, six figures, both men and women, quietly arrived.

With uniform orange hair, black metal rods on their faces, and wearing a black robe with red clouds, they fluttered in the wind and rain.

Swish!

Their brief appearances and disappearances, as eerie as ghosts, will bring about change to Amegakure.

After cooperating with the man who called himself "Uchiha Madara," Nagato finally learned how to control and use the power of these Sage Eyes.

After Nagato fully mastered this power, the gaze of those Sage Eyes, filled with his anger, returned to Amegakure.

The six figures moved like ghosts through Amegakure, their target being the village leader, Hanzo.

"who!"

The rain ninjas they encountered on the road offered no resistance, not even a warning, and all collapsed in pools of blood.

The Six Paths of Pain is the power that Nagato currently wields. He uses the power of the Rinnegan to transform corpses into puppets.

These are the Asura Realm, the Human Realm, the Animal Realm, the Hungry Ghost Realm, the Hell Realm, and the Heaven Realm.

The main entity, the Heavenly Path controlled by Nagato, is Yahiko, his close friend who was forced to death by Hanzo.

As for Yahiko, who is Pain, the purple Rinnegan in his eyes slowly rotated, his gaze locking onto Hanzo's residence.

At this moment, Nagato, controlling Yahiko's body, has arrived at the place he has been longing for day and night.

With just a raised hand, a powerful repulsive force surged forth, shattering the guarding ninja along with the gate.

Before Hanzo could react, the dark figure flashed past.

The cold kunai sliced ​​across his chest, sending him flying backward and crashing into the wall behind him.

This caused the elderly Hanzo to show a look of horror, a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of his mouth. He struggled to raise his head and asked, "Who are you?"

In Nagato's heart, Pain (Tendo) is the eternal leader of Akatsuki, so the current main body is Yahiko.

He looked at Hanzo, clutching the kunai he once held, and said in a deep voice, "Don't you remember my face, Hanzo?"

The purple Rinnegan, orange hair, and the extra black rods on his face made Hanzo's pupils shrink, instantly recalling that scene from several years ago.

"You are—Yahiko of Akatsuki? Impossible, absolutely impossible! Shouldn't you be dead already?"

Looking at Hanzo, whom he once revered, now so weak and cowardly, Nagato couldn't help but recall Yahiko's words.

Those words of praise for Hanzang have now turned into sharp blades, piercing his heart.

Yahiko once hoped to become someone like Hanzo, contributing to peace in the ninja world.

But now it seems so ridiculous, so tragic. The evil of human nature has overwhelmed them, tearing apart the reality of the world.

"It's pathetic. You are no longer the person you used to be, and you won't understand why you lost."

A series of figures converged.

Just as Nagato was speaking, the remaining six Paths of Pain arrived at once.

Standing behind Pain Yahiko, he coldly stared at Hanzo.

The other person raised their hand and slightly opened their mouth, trying to buy themselves a chance to survive.

But the only response Hanzo received was Pain Yahiko raising his hand.

"Disappear, Hanzo!"

"Shinra Tensei!"

A powerful, invisible, and immense repulsive force surged forth, like a powerful hammer, slamming heavily into Hanzo's body.

A terrifying repulsive force crushed every cell in Hanzo's body.

His eyes bulged, gradually rolling back to the whites, and his bones made a crisp sound.

The sternum fractured and gradually collapsed, internal organs ruptured one after another, and life was rapidly disappearing.

Thus, Hanzo the Salamander, the leader of Amegakure who once dominated the ninja world and was known as a "demigod," died in his own village.

Pain Yahiko lowered his arm, looked at the pile of corpses, his expression unchanged. Eliminating Hanzo was merely the first step he needed to take.

A sweeping cleanup engulfed the entire Rain Village, and the remaining six Paths of Pain dispersed once more, working with Konan to completely take control of the village.

As everything settled down, in Hanzo's room, a man who called himself "Uchiha Madara" slowly appeared and looked at Yahiko, who was controlled by Nagato.

"It seems you have completely mastered the power of those eyes."

Pain Yahiko merely glanced at the other party, his indifferent expression remaining unchanged.

Nagato and Konan remained wary of the mysterious "Uchiha Madara".

But Nagato cannot deny that the other party's teachings are correct.

He knew very well that the other party was after his Rinnegan and wanted to achieve some goal through him.

However, neither he nor Xiao Nan could figure out what the purpose of this was.

"Isn't this exactly what you wanted to see?"

"No need for further explanation, what's your next step?"

The plan to collect the Tailed Beasts was proposed by the other party, which was to absorb all the Tailed Beasts through the Gedo Mazo and gain control of a power that would terrify the ninja world.

Making Nagato a "god" in the ninja world—that's the goal they've revealed so far.

Obito chuckled coldly beneath his mask and continued, "To collect the Tailed Beasts, we'll need some help."

"As for the candidates, I already have a few in mind, and I can invite them."

Nagato asked in a deep voice, "Who are they?"

"Kakuzu, a rogue ninja from Takigakure; Sasori, a rogue ninja from Sunagakure; and Juzo, a rogue ninja from Kirigakure."

"In addition, there are two more people whose recruitment you will need to decide for yourself."

"However, my suggestion is to recruit, because their actions are very likely to hinder us."

As Obito slowly announced the selected personnel, he threw out the biggest question.

"Who?"

Nagato asked.

"Izumi Taketori, a rogue ninja from Kirigakure, and Yogakure, a rogue ninja from Sunagakure."

When Obito revealed the origins of the two men, Nagato immediately recalled the three people who had suddenly appeared that day.

Besides the two people whose names appeared, he also remembered the girl who seemed to be from the Uzumaki clan.

"The enemy has appeared in Konoha and Sunagakure one after another, and both times they appeared before the Tailed Beasts went berserk, which has greatly affected our plan to capture the Tailed Beasts."

Obito added that he highlighted the danger the other party posed, thus increasing his importance in Nagato's mind.