NRAO: Chapter 361/362

Chapter 361

Orochimaru, like a butterfly flapping its wings, brought great changes to the shinobi world with just a small motion.

From the time of the First Great Ninja War, when he was only a few years old, he had already displayed unparalleled combat prowess and scientific research talent.

During the Second Great Ninja War, these two talents caught the attention of other villages.

And now, he has disrupted the balance of the entire shinobi world.

Everyone is aware of his plans, yet no one can stop him?

The Five Great Shinobi Villages were supposed to protect the remaining two tailed beasts.

But because of Orochimaru's schemes, everything has changed!

Currently, there are a total of nine tailed beasts in the shinobi world. Eight of them are already in Orochimaru's hands, leaving only one, still within Sunagakure.

This is completely different from the Fourth Great Ninja War in the original events!

The original war was a battle between the Akatsuki organization and the entire shinobi world.

But now, the Third Great Ninja War has just ended, and every village is still recovering!

With Orochimaru's support, Mei may have ascended to power, but there's no way she can lead Kirigakure into war!

As for Konoha, there's no need to even mention it.

And with Orochimaru having reached the Six Paths level, along with his army of clones...

That leaves only three major villages. Who among them can take the offensive?

Because of this, Rasa was panicking.

A kind of panic that made his heart race uncontrollably.

He knew that the current combat strength of Sunagakure was far inferior to that of Kumogakure.

If even the Kumo shinobi couldn't protect their own Jinchuriki, how could the shinobi of Sunagakure possibly protect Gaara?

"Orochimaru, I originally thought you would sneak in and capture Shukaku. But I never expected you to act so openly. It's truly surprising!"

A low voice came from the Red Sand Scorpion, lying on the ground.

After dealing with Kurama, Orochimaru had brought Pain to the Land of Wind to capture Shukaku.

In any case, the orphanage was close to Konoha's border, not far from here. A short detour wouldn't affect his command of the war.

Upon arriving, Orochimaru made no further moves. He simply stood outside Sunagakure, waiting for the village to respond.

Sasori was genuinely surprised by Orochimaru's direct approach. Based on the information he had, Orochimaru was an extremely cautious person. A man like that wouldn't normally use such a straightforward and forceful method!

Orochimaru's actions now were not like those of a legendary shinobi, but rather like a reckless brute.

Hearing Sasori's words, Orochimaru smirked. "With absolute power, why would I need to be sneaky?"

"The three of us alone are enough to threaten Sunagakure, wouldn't you agree, Pain?"

"Wrong."

"Oh?"

"You alone are enough," Pain said calmly.

Pain understood his own strength well, yet Orochimaru was clearly stronger than him.

So while his words might have sounded like flattery, they were, in fact, the truth.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

As they spoke, Rasa led a hundred shinobi rushing out from Sunagakure's entrance.

The moment they appeared, they surrounded the three of them without hesitation.

"You…" Rasa was briefly stunned, then his expression turned cold. "Sasori of the Red Sand?"

"It's surprising to meet under these circumstances, Rasa. No, I should call you the Fourth Kazekage now." Sasori flicked his scorpion tail nonchalantly.

Rasa was only five years older than Sasori, and there had never been a superior-subordinate relationship between them.

And Sasori was someone who had already abandoned all attachment to life. A person who had lost all purpose and meaning.

Someone like that no longer cared about much, whether it be loyalty, honor, or even his own life and death.

So, upon seeing Rasa, he felt no particular emotion at all.

"Enough nonsense, Sasori!" Rasa said solemnly. "Tell me, what is your purpose in coming to Sunagakure? As a once-genius puppet master of this village, you suddenly return after defecting, and you're associating with Orochimaru?

"I doubt it's anything good, right?"

"Purpose? I have no say in this matter."

"What do you mean?" Rasa was surprised by Sasori's response.

Just then, Pain took a step forward.

"Fourth Kazekage-sama, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Pain, and I am the current leader of the Akatsuki organization."

"Pain? The leader of Akatsuki?" Rasa frowned.

He knew that Orochimaru was a member of Akatsuki, but he never expected the organization's leader to be this person.

Could this man not only command Sasori but also subdue Orochimaru?

"Hm." Pain nodded. "The reason we're here today should be very clear to you, Lord Kazekage, correct?"

"I don't quite understand," Rasa feigned ignorance.

"Shukaku." Pain was unfazed by the act. "We are only here for Shukaku. As long as you hand it over, we promise not to harm your village."

"What?"

"Are these guys insane?"

"They think just a handful of people can threaten us?"

"Even with Orochimaru—"

Boom!

Before the Sunagakure shinobi could finish their words, a terrifying, enormous figure suddenly appeared before them!

With its massive form, sharp fangs, and nine enormous tails swaying in the wind, it exuded an overwhelming presence.

"This is… Kurama?"

"H-How is this possible?"

"Is this a joke?"

"K-Kurama?"

"Shit, retreat!"

The sudden appearance of Kurama made the Sunagakure shinobi tremble in fear.

Even a large shinobi village feared the destruction a rampaging tailed beast could bring.

Once a tailed beast went berserk, death and devastation would follow.

And now, Kurama had appeared right before them. How could they not be terrified?

But what was even more terrifying… was the fact that it seemed to have been summoned by Orochimaru?!

Seeing Kurama appear, Rasa was also shocked. "Why is Kurama here? And… wait…"

Rasa's expression darkened.

Kurama hadn't attacked immediately.

It simply lay there, grinning, as if waiting for Orochimaru's command.

Could Orochimaru control a tailed beast?

No, that's not right!

"This is…!"

Rasa's eyes widened in shock.

Because he had just noticed, Kurama's eyes… were shaped like lavender ripples?!

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Chapter 362

Kyuubi's eyes had taken on a ripple-like pattern?

There was no doubt, Kyuubi was being controlled, and it was through the power of the Rinnegan!

Whether it was a tailed beast or a summoned creature, once controlled by dojutsu, its eyes would take on the shape of its controller's pupils.

Just like Kyuubi at this moment, its eyes had become Rinnegan.

This phenomenon had occurred multiple times in the original events, such as when Sasuke controlled Manda to shield himself from Deidara's explosion, when Obito controlled Kyuubi to attack Konoha, and when all of Pain's summoned creatures displayed the same transformation.

Speaking of controlling summons with dojutsu, it was necessary to mention the art of summoning.

Logically, a shinobi could only sign a contract with one species of summoned creatures in their lifetime. It was impossible to form blood contracts with multiple species at the same time.

But there was one exception.

That exception was shinobi who possessed dojutsu!

Shinobi with powerful eyes could summon two or even more different types of creatures simultaneously.

Even though they couldn't sign a second blood contract, they could use their dojutsu to control other summoned creatures, effectively allowing them to summon multiple species at once.

This was exactly how Pain controlled his summons and how Sasuke commanded his hawk.

To put it simply, Orochimaru's blood contract covered all the snakes in Ryūchi Cave, meaning he could only summon snakes.

If he wished to summon another species, he would have to use dojutsu to control an entirely new creature. Once controlled, he could then summon that new species in addition to his original contracted summons.

However, the second species of summoned creatures would consist only of individually controlled beings, not an entire race bound by a summoning contract!

Back to the present.

Rasa was still in shock as he looked at Kyuubi, controlled by the Rinnegan.

After all, the ability to control a tailed beast with dojutsu was an extremely terrifying prospect for other villages.

"Rinnegan..." He turned his gaze toward Pain. "So that's how it is…"

As Kazekage, he was naturally well-informed.

Even if he had never seen the Rinnegan before, he had at least heard of it.

These were the legendary eyes of the Sage of Six Paths.

"Lord Kazekage, for the sake of your village's safety, please consider Lord Orochimaru's proposal!"

A gentle yet firm voice echoed through the battlefield.

Hearing this, Rasa frowned. "Who are you??"

"My name is Uzumaki Kushina… well… the former Jinchuriki of Kyuubi."

"Kyuubi's Jinchuriki… What?! You were Kyuubi's Jinchuriki?"

This time, Rasa was truly stunned.

The name Uzumaki Kushina might not have meant much to him, but the title "Kyuubi's Jinchuriki" certainly did…

There was no doubt, Kushina had willingly followed them to Sunagakure.

Having barely recovered, she had entrusted her daughter to Nonō and pleaded with Orochimaru to let her come along.

Her sole purpose was to temper Orochimaru's bloodthirsty tendencies and advocate for peace.

And in truth, she had succeeded.

Because of her presence, Orochimaru had indeed restrained himself from killing indiscriminately.

Seeing her striking red hair, Rasa had no choice but to believe her claim.

However, what puzzled him was, if the tailed beast had been extracted, why was Kyuubi's Jinchuriki still alive?

Of course, now was not the time to dwell on that. The most pressing issue was whether he should yield to Orochimaru.

Gaara was his son, that was undeniable.

But as a shinobi, he had always been prepared for sacrifices.

If Gaara were to die, he might grieve for a moment, perhaps even shed a few tears.

But if the village fell, it would mean that he, as Kazekage, had failed.

Without a village, there would be no nation. Without a nation, there would be no family.

The consequences of failure would be far worse than losing his son.

Should he surrender Shukaku?

That might mean only losing a single tailed beast, but no one could predict what further consequences would follow.

But if he refused…

Just Kyuubi alone was enough to destroy them.

Not to mention, standing beside Orochimaru were Sasori, Pain, and the Rinnegan itself.

Could Sunagakure really stand against these three powerhouses and Kyuubi?

Rasa felt his thoughts spinning in turmoil.

Sasori's combat ability was at most on par with his or Chiyo's.

But Orochimaru had already proven capable of effortlessly eliminating the Raikage and a Jinchuriki who could possibly stop him?!

If a battle broke out, and Pain joined the fray alongside the massively destructive Kyuubi, the outcome was obvious…

"Damn it… this guy…"

"Lord Kazekage, you must not give in!"

"That's right, Lord Kazekage! Let's fight them together!"

"Idiot, stop spouting nonsense, that's Kyuubi!"

"Kyuubi? So what? As long as we attack together—"

"Shut up! Orochimaru is controlling Kyuubi! Doesn't that tell you everything?"

"Dammit…"

Hearing his subordinates' frantic arguments, Rasa gritted his teeth, clenching his fists tightly.

This… was the crushing weight of absolute power.

In the past, it had been the First and Second Hokage.

Now, it was Orochimaru, Pain, and Kyuubi.

Was the shinobi world truly doomed to kneel before Konoha once more…?

—

Meanwhile, as Orochimaru was using his overwhelming power to force Rasa into submission, a group of Konoha shinobi had arrived at the seaside border of the Land of Lightning!

There were about a hundred of them, all clad in ANBU masks.

Leading them was a man with bandages wrapped around his right arm and eye.

As they gazed at the massive factory before them and the dense ranks of clone soldiers, the shinobi of Konoha were left in shock.

"An army of this scale… it's enough to dominate any large-scale war!"

"Unbelievable… this is simply too powerful! As expected of Lord Orochimaru!"

"Indeed… this isn't something an ordinary man could accomplish."

The members of Root were trained to remain silent, yet even they couldn't hide their astonishment at the sight of Orochimaru's base and the sheer number of clones.

Clones.

That word alone was enough to instill shock.

It was a concept beyond the understanding of ordinary shinobi, let alone the fact that these clones possessed combat abilities equal to their own.

Danzo himself was even more thrilled.

Because in addition to the forces Konan had taken to the Land of Frost, there were still more than 10,000 clones here.

And at this very moment, all 10,000 of them were waiting for Danzo's command.

He had waited far too long for this moment.

"This man actually used technology to create such an army? Unbelievable!"

Whoosh!

Just as he finished speaking, a young man in a white robe suddenly appeared before him.

"Who?"

The sudden arrival immediately put the Root shinobi on high alert.

Danzo, however, remained unfazed. Raising his hand to stop his subordinates, he looked at the young man and spoke in a solemn tone.

"You must be Orochimaru's son, correct?"

"My name is Mi."

The young man smiled gently and bowed respectfully to Danzo.

"As per my father's orders, I am here to assist Danzo-sama in infiltrating Kumogakure!"