Hiruzen persuaded me to die

Orochimaru's expression remained unreadable, but a storm was raging within his mind.

Hyuga Naraku's eyes—an evolved form of the Byakugan—possessed the ability to remotely control puppets.

So...

Could the Rinnegan of the legendary Sage of Six Paths possess similar capabilities?

"Pain… is he just a puppet being remotely controlled?"

Orochimaru mused silently.

Starting from that assumption, everything began to make sense.

He clearly remembered seeing Yahiko's eyes in the past—and he was absolutely certain:

Yahiko did not have the Rinnegan.

On the other hand, the Uzumaki boy—Nagato—had always kept his eyes concealed beneath his long red hair.

"If Nagato was born with the Rinnegan…"

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly as two possibilities surfaced in his mind:

One—Pain's Rinnegan originally belonged to Nagato. In this scenario, Nagato might already be dead, while Yahiko and Konan survived among the three war orphans.

Or…

Two—Yahiko is dead.

And the Pain standing before the world is none other than Yahiko's corpse, being controlled by Nagato from the shadows.

Orochimaru's body trembled slightly with excitement.

There was no concrete proof, but his instincts screamed that the second scenario was the truth.

"If that's the case… why remain in hiding?"

Why would Nagato choose to lurk behind the scenes?

For self-preservation? To avoid having his true body discovered?

Impossible.

Pain's demeanor and way of speaking didn't match someone who was cautious or afraid.

"No… maybe it's not that Nagato won't reveal himself—but that he can't."

Orochimaru's gaze turned sharp, and a dark amusement stirred in his heart.

Just like a puppet master—his strength is manifested entirely through his puppets.

And the greatest weakness of any puppet master… is the puppet master himself.

Perhaps Nagato was just like that.

His actual strength might be far inferior to the puppet he controlled.

At that moment, a wave of uncontrollable desire surged within Orochimaru's heart.

The Rinnegan.

The eyes of the legendary Sage of Six Paths.

He remembered it clearly—when he joined the Akatsuki, Pain had blasted him over a hundred meters with a single strike.

He, Orochimaru—one of the Legendary Sannin—had been utterly helpless.

Under the overwhelming might of the Rinnegan, he had been reduced to nothing more than a powerless newborn.

But if...

If he could obtain the Rinnegan…

Orochimaru could barely suppress the madness rising in his chest.

And based on his deductions—it was possible!

Only two obstacles remained:

First, he had to find Nagato—the one pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Second, he needed to extract the Rinnegan from him.

"Hiruko's Chimera Technique should be ready soon..."

A twisted smile curled on Orochimaru's lips.

"The Akatsuki leader has ordered us to head to Amegakure directly."

He turned toward Naraku.

"If you're curious to witness the Chimera Technique ritual, Naraku-kun, you can come along. To the outside world, you'll simply appear to be one of my subordinates."

Hyuga Naraku gave a slight nod.

Yet deep inside, he felt Orochimaru was harboring dangerous thoughts.

Perhaps… even a death wish.

Land of Rain.

As the two approached Amegakure, they slipped into the hidden village unnoticed.

Heavy rain poured down from the dull gray sky without end.

The metallic rooftops and high towers echoed under the pounding of the rain.

Naraku's face tightened as they moved through the storm.

He could feel it—chakra within the droplets of water.

"Rain Tiger at Will Technique…"

His eyes sharpened.

This was a wide-range perception technique cast by Pain.

Anyone touched by the rain would be sensed instantly.

Any outsider attempting to sneak into Amegakure would be detected without fail.

Naraku remained silent, following Orochimaru quietly.

Up ahead, a tall, solitary tower reached toward the clouds, looming like a spear piercing the heavens.

Orochimaru stopped and looked up.

There—hanging lifelessly from the tower—

A man.

Shirtless.

A gas mask strapped to his face.

His body dangled motionless in the rain.

Orochimaru's expression didn't change, but his eyes glinted with recognition.

He knew that man very well.

The man responsible for the rise of the "Legendary Sannin."

Hanzo of the Salamander.

The Demigod of Amegakure—reduced to a corpse on display.

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Note: I did my best to translate everything accurately, but due to the presence of many confusing terms, there may be some errors. If you notice any mistakes, please let me know so I can correct them.