Aoba had to admit his admiration for Orochimaru, who had taken snake techniques to their absolute limit.
The white snake on the ground was unmistakably Orochimaru's signature. Waving his hand, Aoba had Yume take Karin inside while he took the snake to another room.
Once alone, the white snake opened its mouth and spat out a scroll. As Aoba unsealed it, a puff of white smoke appeared—and Orochimaru stood before him.
No, it couldn't be the real Orochimaru. Even someone as bold as him wouldn't dare waltz into Konoha so openly.
This must be some special kind of clone. Using the white snake as a medium, he'd employed a pre-prepared Reverse Summoning Technique to appear before Aoba.This method is quite sophisticated and convenient. However, it's not entirely foolproof. Once Konoha takes notice, the Barrier Team can seal off this reverse summoning technique.
"Lord Orochimaru, it's been a long time."
"Heh, Aoba. I've missed you dearly. I can hardly wait for our next transaction."
So eager. Aoba had expected Orochimaru to contact him, but he thought it would take at least half a year.
To his surprise, Orochimaru reached out again in just about three months—and in such a dangerous manner.
This could only mean one thing: Orochimaru had likely tested the information Aoba provided himself.
While Itachi Uchiha was practically Orochimaru's natural counter, in battles between shinobi, intelligence was crucial.
With Orochimaru's methods, if he was properly prepared, even Itachi might not gain the upper hand.
Of course, this was assuming neither side fought to the death. Otherwise, if Itachi summoned his Susanoo and wielded the Totsuka Blade, Orochimaru would be finished.
But Itachi, intending to leave his eyes to Sasuke, probably wouldn't go all out against Orochimaru either.
Even so, Orochimaru must have confirmed the accuracy of Aoba's intel, hence his eagerness to continue the exchange.
After a moment of thought, Aoba spoke.
"Very well. What information does Lord Orochimaru seek?"
"The Rinnegan. I want intel on the Rinnegan."
"With all due respect, this might be the most valuable piece of intelligence in the entire Shinobi World right now. Though I only know part of it, its worth is still immeasurable."
"Tsk tsk, Aoba-kun. I find myself growing more and more curious about you. These secrets—even I have no leads on them. Yet you somehow know.
Rest assured, I understand your terms: equivalent exchange. I've come prepared as well."
"Good, then let's begin. First, the Rinnegan possesses multiple abilities, but I only know of those displayed by the current leader of Akatsuki.
However, there's something I must clarify beforehand. Lord Orochimaru, though I've never joined Akatsuki, from what I know, the leader you've all seen is not the true leader."
"What do you mean?"
"It's one of the Rinnegan's abilities. What you've encountered is likely a special puppet created using the Rinnegan—far more advanced than conventional puppetry.
The leader of Akatsuki can perceive everything the puppet sees and hears, as if he were present himself. Moreover, the puppet can wield the Rinnegan's unique abilities. And there are six such puppets in total."
The last sentence caused Orochimaru's expression to shift slightly. Though he had never fought the leader, he was well aware of the caliber of Akatsuki's members.
From what he knew, the leader had always been the one they saw—no one else. This meant a single puppet had subdued those powerful rogue shinobi. And there were six of them.
"The puppet you've encountered is named Deva Path. It can use two of the Rinnegan's abilities: Shinra Tensei and Banshō Ten'in.
Shinra Tensei is a repulsive force capable of repelling all objects, jutsu, and even energy. Once activated, it becomes the perfect offensive and defensive technique.
Banshō Ten'in, on the other hand, is the exact opposite—it draws people, objects, or jutsu toward the user. It's an absolute control technique."Aoba stopped there and didn't continue further. Although he was well aware of the other five paths' abilities, revealing everything at once would be too outrageous.
The key point was that if he disclosed everything, Orochimaru wouldn't be able to offer an equivalent trade. After all, this intelligence was something Jiraiya would later obtain at the cost of his life—its value was self-evident.
"This is all I know about the Rinnegan's abilities. I can confirm that the Rinnegan has even more powers that haven't been revealed yet. Mainly because, as of now, there might not be anyone in the entire Shinobi World capable of forcing all those abilities to manifest."
"Hmm, I see. I acknowledge this information. Aoba-kun, state your request. What do you want?"
"Sealing techniques. I need all the information on sealing techniques—from the basics to the advanced. Lord Orochimaru, your expertise in sealing techniques is unparalleled, so I believe this won't be a problem, right?"
"Sealing techniques?"
It had to be said, Aoba's demands always caught Orochimaru off guard. Aside from their first trade, where he had asked for a Kusanagi Sword, the second trade had left Orochimaru completely baffled—he had requested Danzo's blood sample.
This time, Orochimaru had expected Aoba to ask for forbidden techniques he had in his possession—or perhaps another Kusanagi Sword. After all, swordsmen had little resistance to such treasures.
But instead, Aoba had chosen information on sealing techniques.
"No problem. I'll compile the sealing technique materials for you shortly. Now, let's continue."
Clearly, the previous bit of information was far from enough to satisfy Orochimaru's appetite. He wanted more.
Aoba thought for a moment and realized that the earlier intel about the Rinnegan had indeed been a bit dry. Mainly because Orochimaru likely couldn't verify it the way he had with Itachi.
To put it bluntly, if Orochimaru dared to provoke Nagato at this stage, he'd probably be forced into a cursed seal reincarnation on the spot.
"Fine." Aoba agreed to continue the trade.
"Excellent. What I want to know next is—how did the Rinnegan come to be?"
Orochimaru's question was somewhat vague, but Aoba understood his meaning. He just hadn't expected Orochimaru to consider this angle.
"That's something I'm still investigating myself. I can only tell you the parts I know."
"Fair enough. I trust you won't disappoint me, Aoba-kun."
Aoba chose his words carefully. He needed Orochimaru to feel he was gaining something substantial without becoming overly greedy toward him.
"My current conclusion on this matter is that the Rinnegan likely evolved from the Sharingan."
Since Orochimaru was already obsessed with the Sharingan, it was best to let him keep fixating on it.