Everything that had happened at the refugee camp was witnessed by Orochimaru.
When he was a child, he had once been just like that little boy, fleeing the ravages of war with his parents to reach Konoha.
The only difference was that his parents had both died in the conflict, leaving him completely alone.
The scene brought those old memories rushing back.
“Seigen-kun…
your treatment of refugees…
is quite different.”
Even prosperous Konoha had never handled refugees with the same level of care as the Hidden Flame Village.
Konoha’s approach was simple: treat those with superficial injuries while ignoring anyone with more serious illnesses.
After that, they would distribute some food, gather everyone into one place, and leave the rest to fate.
How many ultimately survived depended entirely on whether the Sage of Six Paths was watching over them.
The Hidden Flame Village’s refugee relief efforts were incredibly meticulous.
There were at least three or four hundred people here.
With so much effort invested…
What exactly was Seigen trying to accomplish?
“I have to ask…
what is your purpose in taking in all these refugees?”
Orochimaru couldn’t hold back his curiosity any longer.
“Oh, that?” Seigen replied casually.
“Whether it’s economic growth or military strength, what does a village need most?
Population.”
Without growing the population, how am I supposed to develop the village?
How am I supposed to build an army?
Recalling everything he had seen since arriving, Orochimaru realized that the Hidden Flame Village operated completely differently from every other hidden village.
Still…
That had little to do with him.
As long as he could continue his research, that was enough.
“All right.
We’re here.”
Seigen stopped before the entrance to a cave.
“This will be your laboratory.
Take a look.
If it doesn’t suit your needs, you can pick another location nearby.”
“This will do.”
Orochimaru stepped inside and immediately discovered that the cave was much larger than it appeared from the outside.
It was obvious the facility had only recently been completed.
“All that’s missing now is your laboratory equipment.”
“It won’t take long.”
At that moment, Seigen noticed the ring on Orochimaru’s hand.
Only then did he remember…
Orochimaru was still a member of the Akatsuki.
“Oh, right.
As for your research…
I might know of an excellent test subject.”
“Oh?”
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and looked at Seigen with renewed interest.
Seigen pointed at the ring on Orochimaru’s finger.
“That’s the Akatsuki’s token…
if I remember correctly…”
After a brief look of surprise, Orochimaru motioned for him to continue.
“There’s someone in the Akatsuki named Tobi…
The strange creature that follows him around would make a very suitable research subject.”
Seigen deliberately avoided saying anything more.
He had no idea whether his village was already under White Zetsu’s surveillance.
Besides, he had no intention of revealing all of his intelligence to Orochimaru at once.
“You certainly know quite a lot, Seigen-kun.”
“Heh.
Here’s what I want.
Introduce me to the Akatsuki’s leader and help me join the organization.
Then the two of us can capture that test subject together.
What do you think?”
Orochimaru didn’t hesitate in the slightest.
“Very well.”
He accepted immediately.
Seigen naturally had his own reasons for wanting to join the Akatsuki.
Where was the greatest concentration of talent in the entire ninja world?
Obviously the Akatsuki.
Sasori, a mechanical genius.
Deidara, an explosives expert.
Kakuzu, a financial mastermind.
Every one of them was an exceptional talent.
How could Seigen possibly let them slip away?
Ding!
Congratulations, Host!
You have triggered the special mission: Behind the Scenes Mastermind.
Mission Objective: Recruit every member of the Akatsuki away from the organization, leaving Nagato to discover that he is the only one who never truly betrayed it.
(1/10)
Reward: Eye Mystery Box ×3
Huh?
A system mission?
Seigen’s expression stiffened.
The difficulty of this mission is absurd.
Recruiting one or two members was one thing.
But dismantling the Akatsuki until only Nagato remained?
That difficulty had been cranked all the way to the maximum.
And the reward…
He didn’t even know what to say.
A mystery box?
Seriously?
This damn system is just like those game companies from my previous life—not even willing to disclose the drop rates.
System, what can these mystery boxes contain?
Possible rewards include the Tenseigan, the Rinnegan, the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, and more.
Well…
that actually sounds pretty good.
Seigen quietly began calculating his next moves.
It looked like the mission’s progress had already counted Orochimaru.
For now, Orochimaru had effectively been poached and now belonged to his side.
As for the others…
Oh, System.
Why hasn’t the Hashirama Sage Body mission been completed yet?
Haven’t we already established the new hidden village?
Host, there is another condition.
The Uchiha must shine once again.
Only when the Hidden Flame Village earns enough prestige to attract the attention of the Five Great Hidden Villages will the mission be considered complete.
Damn it…
I knew it wouldn’t be that easy.
“Oh, right.
Those Rinnegan eyes of Nagato’s…
I imagine you’re quite interested in them.”
To ensure the mission could continue smoothly, Seigen didn’t want Orochimaru acting on his own out of greed for the Rinnegan.
If Orochimaru made his move prematurely, how was Seigen supposed to keep recruiting Akatsuki members?
The best solution was to redirect Orochimaru’s attention elsewhere.
“Heh…
those eyes said to belong to the Sage of Six Paths.”
The power of the Rinnegan fascinated Orochimaru immensely.
Although he didn’t fully understand what those eyes were capable of, that only fueled his desire to study them.
“I’d advise against entertaining that idea.
Nagato’s strength…
isn’t something you can handle right now.”
Seigen also had no desire to see Orochimaru die before producing any worthwhile research results.