"The Akatsuki Organization?" Hearing this unfamiliar name, Naruto's clone frowned. He keenly understood that his knowledge of the ninja world was far too superficial. Before he was one hundred percent confident, he couldn't afford to reveal his various trump cards.
Seeing the doubt in Naruto's clone's eyes, Orochimaru's expression turned grave, and he said in a low voice, "The members of the Akatsuki Organization are all Kage-level missing-nin from various major hidden villages. Uchiha Itachi, who previously defected from Konoha, is one of Akatsuki's members."
At the mention of Uchiha Itachi, Orochimaru's gaze turned abruptly cold. He himself had once been a member of Akatsuki. His primary purpose for joining had been to obtain Uchiha Itachi's body. But frustratingly, Itachi at that time had rendered him a lamb to the slaughter with just a single technique.
Those eyes…
Orochimaru's fists quietly clenched. It was precisely after being thoroughly thrashed by Itachi that he realized that, to the ninja world, his Kage-level strength was already a thing of the past. This era still relied on Kekkei Genkai. Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan alone had him completely suppressed. After failing to ambush Itachi, Orochimaru had left the Akatsuki Organization.
"Akatsuki's goal is to bring true peace to the world. I's not clear on their specific plans, but their organization has at least six Kage-level ninja. Their power is comparable to Konoha's," Orochimaru added.
"Six Kage-level members! Konoha probably only has slightly more than that," Naruto's clone mused, frowning.
"Six? If the Uchiha clan hadn't been wiped out, perhaps," Orochimaru sneered. "Danzo has many hidden cards; his strength is solidly Kage-level. The Third, even with one arm, can also be considered Kage-level. Guy, after opening the Eight Gates, can reach Kage-level. Jiraiya and Tsunade are Kage-level as well. Beyond them, I really can't think of any other top-tier combat power in Konoha."
Orochimaru scoffed, "They played a good hand so badly. This is the fine work of Konoha's higher-ups."
"In that case, if Akatsuki were to move against Konoha, Konoha might not necessarily be able to withstand them," Naruto's clone pressed. "Since Akatsuki can recruit these Kage-level powerhouses, their leader must be incredibly strong, right? Have you ever met him?"
"No, the leader is extremely mysterious. I've never even seen his true face."
Hearing this, Naruto's clone's expression darkened slightly.
"Since they want to bring peace, they must have a plan," Naruto's clone said, his gaze profound as he looked through the window at the Hollow that had finished its meal. "I'm very interested in their plan. If there's a chance, I must learn about it."
"I would advise against it," Orochimaru chuckled sinisterly. "They intend to make this world feel pain, thereby achieving peace."
"Oh? I didn't expect their philosophy to coincide so well with mine," Naruto's clone said, quite surprised. In his view, the ninja villages of this world were too selfish, only knowing how to achieve their own strength through exploitation. Their application and development of ninjutsu were also solely focused on warfare. Naruto wanted to overthrow these regimes, using brutal methods to make all ninja villages tremble in fear. Only after experiencing true pain would they detest war and yearn for peace. This way, under a series of his future measures, the ninja world would get back on the right track, focusing on education and agriculture, reducing war and hostility, and achieving grand unification. But achieving such an ideal was exceedingly difficult.
"Although I haven't learned their specific plan, I can guess a little. To realize their ideals, they first need war machines powerful enough to shock the villages," Orochimaru shrugged.
"You mean, Tailed Beasts?" A smile played on Naruto's clone's lips. Though phrased as a question, his tone was one of certainty. The power of one Tailed Beast might not be enough to contend with a ninja village, but if the power of all nine Tailed Beasts was gathered, no faction could underestimate it.
"If their target really is the Tailed Beasts, then I'm also one of their targets." Despite this deduction, Naruto's clone felt no panic. Firstly, he was currently still under the protective umbrella of Konoha. Secondly, even if his own strength was not yet Kage-level, he was confident he could escape unscathed if necessary.
Uchiha Itachi is likely one of their more important members.
Naruto's clone pondered, recalling his interactions with the Nine-Tails. The Nine-Tails harbored immense animosity towards the Sharingan. It seemed to have been controlled by the Sharingan in the past. An eye capable of controlling Tailed Beasts… the Sharingan's potential was vast.
"By the way, Orochimaru, how much do you know about the Sharingan?" Naruto's clone inquired. With such a ready-made research fanatic available, Naruto naturally wanted to get many questions answered. Given Orochimaru's fervent passion for research, he had definitely studied the Sharingan.
"After the three-tomoe Sharingan, it can evolve into the Mangekyo. Each Mangekyo possesses unique abilities. One of Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyo abilities is Tsukuyomi, which can drag people into a dream world where the enemy endures immense mental and physical suffering. It's an incredibly terrifying genjutsu." Orochimaru shared his insights on the Sharingan generously, without holding back. However, just mentioning the Sharingan made Orochimaru grit his teeth in hatred. That battle had been nothing short of humiliating. The fight hadn't even truly begun, and he had been taken down by a single genjutsu. Due to his continuous use of secret techniques to switch bodies, Orochimaru's resistance to Tsukuyomi was extremely weak. This was also why Orochimaru was so focused on researching Hollows. His soul had been weakened by his secret techniques. Shinigamification and Hollowfication, on the other hand, could strengthen, even mutate, the soul, perhaps compensating for his shortcomings.
"Akatsuki's move should not be far off. We need to accelerate our research progress," a trace of apprehension appeared on Orochimaru's face. "Before a major war breaks out, we at least need to cultivate Shinigami capable of fighting."
"Capable of fighting, and willing to fight for us… that, I am very good at," Naruto's clone said with a cryptic smile upon hearing this.
"What? Naruto-sama is here?" Within Otogakure.
Uzumaki Karin, having just received the news, was ecstatic.
"Tch. So he's the Uzumaki Naruto you're always pining for," Jirobo grumbled. Recalling the oppressive force he had felt from Naruto's clone earlier, his hands actually trembled slightly. He clenched his trembling right hand with his left, forcing a cold snort. "He's just a kid."
"A kid? Lord Orochimaru himself said that Uzumaki Naruto's strength is already Kage-level," Kidomaru chimed in from the side.
Kage-level… what a distant term.
What they didn't know was that Orochimaru had exaggerated Naruto's strength from Jonin to Kage-level to motivate the Sound Five.
"I'm going to see Naruto-sama!" Uzumaki Karin couldn't contain her excitement any longer, stood up, and rushed towards the door.
"Tch, that lovesick fool," Kidomaru pursed his lips disdainfully. Ever since Uzumaki Karin had arrived in Otogakure, her mind had been completely filled with Uzumaki Naruto. Every day she counted the stars, hoping Naruto would come for her. This greatly puzzled the Sound Five. What charm did Uzumaki Naruto possess to make Uzumaki Karin so devoted?
"That Haku who joined Otogakure earlier is also no simple character. He'll probably team up with Uzumaki Karin," Kimimaro, who had just returned, added. Although Uzumaki Karin had been training with them, she had not yet officially joined the Sound Five.
"Is that Haku really strong? He looks very gentle, seems like a nice person," Jirobo interjected.
"Very strong. He has a power within him that is not inferior to mine," Kimimaro's eyes glinted with fighting spirit. "I want to spar with him. See if my bones are sharper, or if he is stronger."