Naruto: Starting from the time when the Six Paths of Pain was Kira Yoshikage

Chapter 112 Orochimaru's Defection

The setting sun painted the sky a thick, blood-red hue, and the wind whipped up dust across the wilderness, whistling past Kurapika's taut face. He squinted, watching the two figures in the distance move so fast they were just afterimages.

Hisoka's playing cards traced eerie arcs in the air, while Chrollo's fingertips flickered with the faint glow of his Nen ability. Each collision created a shockwave that made the rubble on the ground tremble.

Watching the two fighting in the distance, employing all sorts of unconventional techniques, Kurapika said, "It's hard to believe that Hisoka would agree to your suggestion."

During the Hunter Exam, Hisoka and Kurapika exchanged contact information, and the two have remained in contact ever since.

Kurapika even obtained information about many of the Phantom Troupes from Hisoka.

He just didn't understand why Hisoka would choose this moment to fight the Phantom Troupe leader one-on-one.

"Does he have a grudge against Kuroro?"

Kurapika's first thought was himself. Could Hisoka be like him?

"No..." Hua Shidou, standing beside him, slowly shook his head: "Hisoka has no grudge against the Phantom Troupe."

"Then why..." Kurapika's voice rose a few decibels.

Kurapika couldn't understand why Hisoka was doing this.

"Why do you think Hisoka joined the Phantom Troupe?"

Hua Shi Tou Lang turned his head and glanced at Kurapika, explaining, "His purpose in joining was to fight Chrollo."

"Fight...?" Kurapika's eyes widened, his confusion deepening. He frowned, his fingers unconsciously stroking the chain at his waist. After a moment's thought, he shook his head. "I don't understand the point of him doing that."

"If you don't like fighting, you naturally don't know how exciting it is for a battle maniac to encounter a strong opponent who is a suitable challenger."

Hua Shidou's voice carried a hint of emotion: "For someone like Hisoka, fighting is his entire life. He lives to constantly challenge stronger opponents and grow stronger in battle. For him, Chrollo is like the perfect whetstone; only in battles with Chrollo can he feel the meaning of his life."

If both Chrollo and Hisoka are fully prepared, then Chrollo, with his Nen ability "Thief's Ultimate," would undoubtedly have an absolute advantage and be able to outmaneuver Hisoka to death without even needing to appear in person.

Just like the Dark Continent arc in the original story, Chrollo, having completed his plan, almost completely manipulated Hisoka. Every move Hisoka made was precisely calculated by Chrollo, causing his opponent to die in an extremely frustrating way.

For Hisoka to turn the tide in that battle, the chances of him succeeding were practically zero unless he could unleash his full power like the protagonists of those shonen manga.

Battles between Nen users, while involving strength, ultimately boil down to an intelligence war.

Hisoka has never concealed his abilities, so Chrollo is very clear about the characteristics of his "Free-Bending Love" ability. Conversely, Hisoka knows nothing about Chrollo's abilities. Even knowing how to release "Thief's Secret" doesn't allow him to find out how many people's Nen Chrollo stole or what those Nen were like.

Therefore, Hisoka is at a significant disadvantage in the intelligence war alone.

No matter how high Hisoka's battle IQ is, there are some things that cannot be compensated for.

Unless... it's an encounter battle between the two sides.

For example, right now...

The fairest battle would be if Chrollo encountered Hisoka without being fully prepared.

Hisoka now knows... how to provoke Chrollo and make him fight him with all his might.

Suddenly, Hisoka's signature laugh, with its eerie ending, echoed from the center of the battlefield. He executed a backflip, creating distance between himself and Chrollo, the playing cards twirling nimbly between his fingers, a maniacal grin spreading across his face: "Phinks!"

Pakunoda, Peeling Ripper, Kubi... they all just perished~~

His voice trailed off, each word piercing Kuroro's ears: "My beloved leader~~ It seems the Phantom Troupe you built will become a thing of the past tonight~ Hehe~"

"Hisoka..." Chrollo's face darkened, and for the first time, a fierce rage ignited in his eyes, which always held a faint smile. A terrifying Nen pressure emanated from him, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze.

"You deserve to die!"

Hisoka, however, seemed greatly encouraged, laughing even more maniacally. He licked his lips, his eyes gleaming with excitement: "Then please, Master, use your full power~☆"

He suddenly threw the playing cards in his hand, which turned into a streak of light in the air: "Make me even happier♡!"

My~ ...

The fight between the two intensified.

Hua Shidou stood still, watching quietly. No matter what, Kuroro had to die here today. The legendary A-class thief group, the Phantom Troupe, would become a thing of the past, and the Ten Elders, who were at the top of the mafia and at the pinnacle of power, would also become a thing of the past.

Starting today, a new organization will be born after the destruction of these two major forces... that is Akatsuki.

Kuroro is dead... He died an ordinary death, just like any other person... He was killed by Hisoka, who slit his throat with a playing card.

Hisoka also died, the moment he killed Chrollo, the moment his bloodthirsty smile bloomed... He died because his soul was extracted by Huashidoulang.

The Ten Elders also died, assassinated by the Zoldyck family, but it was publicly announced that they died at the hands of the Phantom Troupe.

Neither the troupe nor the gangsters are winners.

The real winner was Hua Shidoulang, who stood behind both sides. The moment the Ten Elders died, the Xiao he arranged immediately gathered up their remaining forces. Those who disobeyed were all killed, and those who obeyed were given power.

Its power expanded rapidly in an unbelievable way.

By the time the other gangs realized what was happening, the situation was already decided, and they could no longer cause any trouble. In the end, all they could do was be incorporated into the gang.

After unifying the gangs in the Hunter x Hunter world, Hua Shi Tou Lang began to train wholeheartedly, awaiting the start of the Chimera Ant arc in the future.

Both the King Ant and the three Royal Guardians are beings at the pinnacle of life in this world.

These monsters are definitely a touchstone for strength.

Everything returned to calm. Whether it was Nagato's main body or his clones in other worlds, Konan or Sasori in the Dragon Ball world, they were all currently in a phase of frantic learning and growth. They were frantically learning everything they could, and their strength was growing at an unbelievable speed.

Until Nagato received the expected news from Zetsu: Orochimaru had defected from Konoha.

Konan looked at the message from Zetsu and said to Nagato, "One of the Legendary Sannin... Orochimaru, Nagato... is that the person?"

'

Nagato looked at Konan and nodded.

As Jiraiya's disciples, Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko all had a brief encounter with the Legendary Sannin of Konoha. At that time, Amegakure had become a battlefield, and the three risked their lives to find the Sannin in order to gain the power to survive. As a result, Nagato's pet, Little, was killed in the process.

However, although they found the Sannin, the Sannin treated them differently at the time. Orochimaru advocated killing them to help the three of them get rid of their suffering; Tsunade had some pity for them but did not stop Orochimaru; only Jiraiya was moved and taught them ninjutsu for three years.

This led to the formation of the original Akatsuki organization.

"Should we recruit him?" Xiao Nan asked.

She was no longer the helpless little girl she once was; now, she was not afraid of even facing Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin.

What she cared about was Nagato's attitude.

"Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin... With his strength, there's no problem for him to become a full member of Akatsuki."

To be honest, Orochimaru, as a veteran powerhouse in the ninja world, is clearly a level above Pakura in strength. Recruiting him into Akatsuki would undoubtedly make him a full member. It should be noted that even in the later stages of Naruto, Orochimaru still had a place in the final battle of the Fourth Shinobi World War.

Although he no longer possessed the imposing presence of the big boss from the Konoha Collapse Project era, he could at least manage to land a comedic role.

Moreover, Orochimaru is truly useful to Nagato, who has already obtained the Book of Seals.

Compared to the original version of the Impure World Reincarnation recorded in the Book of Seals, Nagato was more interested in the improved version of the Impure World Reincarnation in Orochimaru's possession, as well as the Undying Reincarnation developed by Orochimaru for the purpose of immortality... These ninjutsu were of great use to Nagato.

As for Orochimaru's future betrayal of Akatsuki... that will happen several years later, after Itachi joins Akatsuki, and Nagato is confident that Orochimaru will not dare to defect.

"Konan, contact Sasori... never mind, just contact Kakuzu and tell him he has work to do."

Nagato's original plan was to have Sasori, who was with him in the original series, accompany him to recruit Orochimaru, but as soon as he said it, he remembered that Sasori was still in the Dragon Ball world, so he changed it to Kakuzu.

"Yes, Nagato."

Xiao Nan nodded and then released a paper crane that flew into the distance. Her origami skills were very suitable for communication.

Soon, Kakuzu received the news.

"No problem, Chief." Kakuzu agreed without hesitation.

He was worried about the lack of business lately, and this was a good opportunity to recruit new teammates with his leader. If Orochimaru was sensible, he could become...

Accompany the leader on a mission to boost their favorability, and occasionally encourage the leader to conquer a small country to earn some pocket money.

Ever since he made a fortune from destroying Takigakure, Kakuzu has become very keen on this, earning more from a single mission than he would normally do dozens or even hundreds of missions.

Anyone would care just as much.

If Orochimaru doesn't know what's good for him, well, that's fine... Kakuzu wouldn't mind accepting either the high-bounty head or the powerful heart inside the other's chest.

No matter how you look at it, this deal is a win-win situation.

At this time, Orochimaru was unaware that he had just escaped the village and had already been targeted by the largest peace-loving force in the ninja world.

Orochimaru's figure darted swiftly through the forests of the Land of Fire. Just yesterday, his human experimentation was exposed, and he fled from the village where he had lived for decades. Because he left in a hurry, he was all alone, without even taking his most beloved disciple, Anko, with him.

When facing his former teacher, the Third Hokage, Orochimaru's eyes flashed with a complex and unreadable light. In the end, he hardened his heart, turned around, and stepped into the darkness, leaving behind only the cold words, "Farewell forever." Facing his former best friend, Orochimaru paused slightly but did not turn around, letting Jiraiya's shouts be swallowed by the wind. His resolute back held a struggle unknown to anyone.

But people always have to look forward, and besides, living in the past is not Orochimaru's style.

Fortunately, he had anticipated being discovered before starting his human experiments, so his advance planning meant he wasn't without options. It's just a pity about those valuable experimental data; it's likely that it will benefit that old fox lurking deep within Konoha's roots.

The wind rustled through the trees, carrying away the fallen leaves. Orochimaru, who had been darting swiftly through the shadows, suddenly stopped abruptly. His toes touched a thick branch, and the wind lifted a corner of his dark green robe, revealing a pale, slender wrist. His signature orange-yellow snake eyes narrowed sharply, staring intently at the spot directly in front of him.

"Who goes there?!" Orochimaru's unique hoarse voice broke the silence, with a hint of barely perceptible wariness at the end.

Konoha's pursuers? No, apart from the Third Hokage, no one in Konoha could give him such a sense of danger.

However, the Third Hokage could not possibly be here.

It can only be someone from outside Konoha.

"Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin, now an S-rank rogue ninja of Konoha..." A cold, emotionless voice suddenly rang out.

Orochimaru's pupils contracted again as two figures slowly emerged from the distance. Their distinctive red-cloud-patterned black robes came into view, but due to the lighting, Orochimaru couldn't make out their faces.

"We're here to invite you to join our organization."

The other person spoke again, their tone as still as stagnant as still water.

"An organization?" Orochimaru's eyes flashed with disdain. He didn't even stay in Konoha, the strongest of the five great ninja villages, so how could he possibly join some other messy organization? Who was he? Orochimaru, even if the Kage of the other four great ninja villages came to recruit him, he would only be turned away.

To Orochimaru, Pain's words sounded like a joke.

"I have no interest in joining your organization."

Orochimaru refused outright and decisively.

"We're not asking for your opinion, we're informing you."

Pain's face was expressionless. His black metal rod gleamed coldly in the dim light of the forest. His voice remained calm and composed, yet still full of domineering power: "If you refuse, then leave your life behind."

At this moment, Pain and Kakuzu came into Orochimaru's view. Orochimaru, who was originally preparing to mock them, was stunned the moment his eyes met Pain's!

That's... the Rinnegan of the Sage of Six Paths?!

Shock was mixed with ecstasy.

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