"What are you doing!" Orochimaru said, glaring at Kimimaro. He valued talent and liked to claim their bodies for himself. However, he couldn
"What are you doing!" Orochimaru said, glaring at Kimimaro.
He valued talent and liked to claim their bodies for himself.
However, he couldn't accept Kimimaro turning his talent against him.
"The Boss said never to show weakness. Your tongue is too distracting. Who else would do something so disgusting?" Kimimaro said coldly.
Orochimaru was speechless.
He couldn't argue with that.
Who else could turn their tongue into a whip and hide the Kusanagi sword in their throat?
"Haha, Orochimaru, don't take it personally. Kimimaro was just joking," Kai said, touching his nose sheepishly.
"Someone's coming. Follow my lead. If we can't bluff our way through, then fight," Kai said.
Before Orochimaru and Kimimaro could respond, the worn-out gate, riddled with old and new attack marks, burst open.
Kai was surprised. Then, he saw a portly figure burst out of the village with surprising agility.
Behind him were four elders, their faces like tree bark, their eyes gleaming.
Kai raised an eyebrow.
If he remembered correctly, the portly man was the Kusagakure ninja who became the Human Path of Pain in the original story.
However, after Kai's meddling, history had changed.
The Human Path was accompanied by four elders, suggesting he held a high position in Kusagakure.
"Greetings. I'm the acting village head of Kusagakure, Akihiko Kusano!" the portly man said. "These four are our village advisors. They know I hired the Akatsuki to quell the rebellion, so they insisted on seeing you. Please don't be offended."
"Hired the Akatsuki?" Kai raised an eyebrow, surprised.
In the original story, the Akatsuki accepted mercenary work under the guise of peace.
It was similar to how nations accepted missions.
However, the Akatsuki was a private organization, so their prices were lower.
This made them a good choice for a small village like Kusagakure, which had suffered recent disasters.
The fact that Akihiko Kusano had mentioned the Akatsuki made things easier for Kai.
"I'm Yahiko of the Akatsuki. I heard about the unrest in your village, so I came early. I hope you don't mind, Akihiko-mura-cho," Kai said, quickly improvising. He was glad he hadn't killed the Kusagakure ninja earlier, as he had learned useful information.
It was a stroke of luck. Hopefully, things would continue smoothly.
"You're Yahiko, one of the three leaders of the Akatsuki?" Akihiko Kusano was surprised, then said quickly, "I didn't expect you to come personally! Your organization is truly dedicated to peace…"
"And please, don't call me 'mura-cho.' I'm just the acting village head. If others heard you, I'd be embarrassed."
Kai was taken aback by Akihiko Kusano's enthusiasm.
The ninja world was full of oddballs.
"Akihiko, they're guests. Moreover, he's the leader of the Akatsuki, here to help us quell the rebellion. Take them inside to rest," an elder with a horse-like face said.
"Yahiko-shuryo, please forgive us. Kusagakure doesn't have the resources or manpower of the Great Nations."
"Please refrain from wandering around. We wouldn't want any misunderstandings."
His words carried a hint of suspicion.
Sensing the shift in Akihiko Kusano's expression, Kai smiled. "Elder, you're too humble."
"I've heard that Kusagakure excels at combining the strengths of other nations and innovating to create powerful jutsu."
"Your village welcomes talented individuals from all walks of life, including those with unique bloodlines. This spirit of inclusivity is an example for the Akatsuki and a major step towards peace."
Kai looked directly at the horse-faced elder.
His subtle flattery made the elder feel like he was punching air.
He couldn't attack someone who was smiling.
Kai's words were flawless, leaving him no room to maneuver.
"Yes, a spirit of inclusivity! That's the spirit of Kusagakure!" Akihiko Kusano said, laughing.
He was just an acting village head, a newcomer.
Kai's words made him enthusiastic. He clapped Kai on the shoulder. "Yahiko-shuryo, if you don't mind, I was just going to check on the newly arrived refugees. There's a red-haired brat among them, said to be from the destroyed Uzumaki clan. Interested?"
Red-haired brat?
Kai raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected things to go so smoothly.
Akihiko Kusano was practically handing him what he wanted.
Faced with Akihiko Kusano's enthusiasm, Kai smiled. "If you don't mind, Akihiko-mura-cho, we'd like to see your village's beauty. That spirit of inclusivity is something we can learn from. Of course, it's all thanks to your enlightened leadership. It's a shortcut to making Kusagakure strong."
"Haha, Yahiko-shuryo, you flatter me! I'll host a banquet tonight! We'll drink until we drop!" Akihiko Kusano said, his face flushed with excitement.
Seeing how easily Kai had manipulated Akihiko Kusano, Orochimaru had a strange feeling.
The title of the ninja world's greatest manipulator might be changing hands!
Faced with Kai's subtle diplomacy and his approachable demeanor, Orochimaru finally understood why he had gathered so many outlaws.
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