The First Mission – Hunting Orochimaru

The masked man spoke solemnly.

At that moment, his mood was far from good.

When selecting members for Akatsuki, he had put a great deal of thought into it. He had even emphasized to Pain that Sasori of the Red Sand, a rogue ninja from Sunagakure, was undoubtedly at the Kage level.

With his puppetry skills, Sasori had the potential to become powerful enough to destroy an entire small country.

And yet…

After being away for just a few days, he received a letter from Konan.

The contents of that letter claimed that Sasori had been killed—by a young man wielding a sword.

A one-hit kill?

Was this some kind of joke?

What was even more absurd was that the boy who had defeated Sasori was now an official member of Akatsuki.

Without consulting Akatsuki's true leader behind the scenes, Pain and Konan had given him a uniform and a ring, making him a full-fledged member.

Naturally, the masked man was displeased.

However, Pain was still Akatsuki's official leader and had the authority to recruit members. The masked man wasn't going to argue over that.

But he couldn't ignore the issue either.

In Akatsuki, every member—whether it was Nagato, Konan, Kakuzu, Sasori, or those he planned to recruit later, like Uchiha Itachi—was someone he could manipulate.

But this newcomer, Kuzo, was an anomaly.

Worse, he was a tremendously powerful anomaly.

That made things complicated.

That was why the masked man had returned—to deal with the matter personally.

For the sake of the Moon's Eye Plan, he could not allow Akatsuki to have any unpredictable variables.

After hearing the masked man's concerns, Pain and Konan exchanged glances before responding calmly.

"We couldn't extract much useful information from him," Konan said.

"From what he told us, he, like us, is a victim of war, a displaced person."

"However, we've made a rough preliminary assessment of his abilities."

"Oh?" The masked man narrowed his eyes slightly.

After a brief pause, Pain continued.

"The short sword at his waist appears to be a unique weapon. It has the ability to extend and retract freely, adjusting its length at will. It's also incredibly fast and highly destructive."

"According to Konan's firsthand account, he used this weapon to kill Sasori in the Land of Wind."

The masked man remained silent for a moment, nodding slightly.

A weapon with such properties wasn't unheard of. He wasn't particularly concerned.

With his Mangekyō Sharingan and the power of Kamui, he had little to fear from physical weapons.

Pain continued.

"His second ability is the ability to cast a variety of strange techniques without forming hand seals. These include a pale fire-based technique, a golden lightning-based attack, and a levitation ability that allows him to float effortlessly."

"From our observations, every time he uses these abilities, there seems to be a glow in his pupils."

"This leads us to believe…"

"He likely possesses some kind of unknown ocular power—his golden eyes, which are different from any normal person's."

"Of course, this is only a hypothesis and has yet to be confirmed."

Pain finished his report methodically.

These conclusions were drawn after thorough discussion between him and Konan.

At that moment, the masked man's eyes flickered with a deep, unreadable expression. He muttered under his breath.

"So that's how it is…"

"A mysterious ocular technique with golden pupils?"

"This situation is more complicated than I expected…"

Beneath his orange mask, his expression turned serious—perhaps even grim.

He had not anticipated the emergence of an unknown Dojutsu.

After a long silence, he finally looked up again. Scanning the faces of Pain and Konan, he spoke in a low voice.

"This boy…"

"There are too many unexplained factors about him. We need to keep him under close observation."

"It just so happens that I have a mission in mind—one that would be perfect for him."

"During this mission, I will observe him personally. As an Akatsuki recruit, he will accompany me."

Konan's gaze shifted slightly.

"What mission?" she asked.

The masked man slowly stood from his seat. In the darkness, his blood-red Sharingan glowed ominously.

After a brief pause, he spoke.

"The target is a man who was once one of Konoha's legendary Sannin…"

"Orochimaru."

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