To tell the truth.

The treatment within the Akatsuki organization really isn't that great.

As someone who has started a business before, Orochimaru believes he treats his subordinates quite well, providing them with basic benefits and never being part of an organization that exploits its members like this.

However...

The Akatsuki seems to have always been like this.

The Akatsuki's leader, Pain, is powerful enough to suppress the organization's S-class rogue ninjas. These rogue ninjas, following the strong, wouldn't actively rebel against him. Most of these rogue ninjas have their own ideals, and the Akatsuki wouldn't interfere with how these ideals might trouble the world.

Orochimaru is different.

Orochimaru is an exception.

Orochimaru's intentions are not pure, targeting the very foundation of the Akatsuki, Pain's Rinnegan, which immediately led to Pain, the leader of the Akatsuki, targeting him for minor offenses.

Of course, that's just the superficial reason.

There's a deeper reason, which is Orochimaru's problems with his own subordinates, plotting to take over their bodies, leading to their retaliation.

In the Land of Wind.

This shadow clone meeting has ended.

Sasori of the Red Sand, as if forgetting he had ever snitched, took the initiative to reassure Orochimaru, "Orochimaru, don't worry about your mission. I will secretly monitor your assassination of the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa. Now, you can take off the organization's uniform to avoid leaking any information about the organization…"

Orochimaru's eyes flashed with displeasure.

At this moment, Orochimaru truly wished that Akihara Kagura was here to dismantle Sasori of the Red Sand into pieces!

Elsewhere.

Akihara Kagura left the Akatsuki's base.

Jiraiya, having spent a carefree night in a small town, believed that the affairs in the Land of Rain were nearly concluded. He planned to take Akihara Kagura to the Land of Wind to deal with his old friend Orochimaru's assassination of the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.

If Orochimaru causes too much trouble in the ninja world, Jiraiya feels it will be more troublesome to bring him back to Konoha in the future.

"The Land of Wind is a barren country."

"Sand Village is the ninja village of the Land of Wind."

"Before the Third Great Ninja War, the Third Kazekage disappeared, and Sand Village chose to start a war against the Land of Fire during the turmoil."

"After fighting with Konoha, both sides finally sat down to shake hands and reached a peace agreement, becoming allies to this day."

Jiraiya mentioned these past stories, giving Sand Village a lot of face, but sighed, "Unexpectedly, the missing Third Kazekage was turned into a puppet by a rogue ninja of Sand Village…"

"Puppets, huh…"

Akihara Kagura casually mentioned the first time they saw Sasori of the Red Sand at Orochimaru's experimental base, "I saw that puppet could use Kekkei Genkai…"

"Perhaps…"

Jiraiya, remembering the puppet master he had encountered, spoke gravely, "That is the legendary human puppet, turning living people into puppets, making the puppets act as if they were alive, but such puppetry has always been a legend."

"Oh?"

Akihara Kagura's eyes sparkled with interest, "I should have tried to capture that guy and learn from him how to make human puppets. And once I captured the Third Tsuchikage and the Fourth Mizukage and turned them into human puppets…"

"That's a forbidden technique!"

Jiraiya grabbed Akihara Kagura's head and scolded him angrily, "Don't just learn forbidden techniques, don't become someone like Orochimaru!"

After saying this, Jiraiya felt a sudden tightness in his heart.

Jiraiya thought of Orochimaru's life, who had once almost become the Hokage but was later lured away by the power of forbidden techniques...

"Anyway!"

Jiraiya looked at Akihara Kagura in front of him, seriously warning his disciple, "Never casually learn those harmful forbidden techniques!"

This disciple...

Really needs constant supervision, or he could go astray at any moment!

Fortunately.

They entered the Land of Wind.

The weather here is not something ordinary people can endure.

Even ninjas, with chakra in their bodies and physical strength far surpassing that of ordinary people, find it quite difficult to stay in such an environment.

Jiraiya took this opportunity to temper the character of Akihara Kagura, taking this young fellow on a trek through the desert.

Along the way, they encountered some staggering merchants, some Sand ninjas escorting the merchants, and also rogue ninjas from other countries.

After all, with the harsh environment of the Land of Wind and a major ninja village present, rogue ninjas from other countries flee here to avoid being pursued by their homeland.

Sand Village.

When Jiraiya and Akihara Kagura arrived here, Sasori of the Red Sand and Orochimaru had quietly infiltrated the village, plotting to assassinate the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.

The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, also possessed the Magnet Release ability, allowing him to draw gold sand from underground, which was an important reason for him becoming the Fourth Kazekage.

Due to Sand Village's poor performance in past Ninja Wars, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind cut down on the village's military budget, making it difficult for Sand Village to maintain a strong ninja force. They could only save financial resources as much as possible to focus on training excellent ninjas.

Despite this...

To ensure Sand Village's finances did not collapse, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, needed to utilize his Magnet Release ability to extract gold sand, ensuring the village could continue to sustain itself.

However...

This was not a long-term solution.

Even if the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, worked as a gold miner, it could not always be an economic pillar for one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. This method was too risky.

A slight drop in the price of gold sand could potentially bankrupt Sand Village. The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, had to find a way to maintain the price and scale of gold sand exports.

Furthermore...

Other affairs of Sand Village were not going smoothly.

Other major ninja villages had more or less mastered the methods of creating or using Tailed Beasts, except Sand Village, whose One-Tail Jinchuriki had always been troublesome, even posing a risk of rampaging and harming the village. It might not be of much use in the future.

The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, was constantly thinking about handling the One-Tail Jinchuriki problem, as the Jinchuriki was his youngest son, Gaara.

Gaara's birth resulted in the death of his wife, Karura, which was one of the reasons Rasa had such a complex attitude towards this young son.

The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, stood on the terrace outside the Kazekage's office, watching a quiet red-haired little boy sitting on a rock in the distance.

The word "love" was engraved on the forehead of the red-haired little boy.

It was after the last time he was attacked by his beloved uncle, Yashamaru, that he carved it with sand on his own forehead, vowing to live only for himself from that day on, no longer needing any emotions.

The dark circles under the eyes of the red-haired little boy were due to his fear of sleeping.

Once Gaara fell asleep, the One-Tail Shukaku inside him would appear, rampaging within Sand Village, so he always dared not sleep.

Suddenly, a gust of wind arose!

A shuriken swiftly flew towards Gaara!

The red-haired little boy seemed to have no reaction, not noticing the shuriken aimed at his life, still sitting there on his own.

Whoosh!

A flurry of yellow sand suddenly rose, blocking the shuriken!

This shuriken came from a Sand ninja who came to assassinate Gaara, acting on orders from the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, and also harboring hatred for the One-Tail Jinchuriki who often rampaged through the village.

Even if this One-Tail Jinchuriki was a child, he must be eliminated!

The Sand ninja no longer hid, pulling out a kunai from his ninja tool bag and leaped towards Gaara!

However...

The red-haired little boy still had no reaction.

If this kid made no move, then this assassination attempt could succeed!

"Opportunity!"

Just as the Sand Village ninja reached Gaara, aiming the kunai at the little boy's chest, about to end the little fellow's life!

A mass of yellow sand suddenly flew up, blocking the assassin!

Boom!

The whirlwind of yellow sand hurled the assassin out!

Until this moment, Gaara, who had been sitting quietly in his original spot, finally seemed to react, slowly extending his palm towards the assassin.

"Sand Binding Coffin…"

Accompanied by Gaara's youthful and icy voice, a whirlwind of yellow sand rose, wrapping the assassin's body together!

"Let me out, let me out…"

The assassin, his face filled with terror, watched as the yellow sand wrapped around his body, cutting off his access to air until he was suffocated alive within the technique of Sand Binding Coffin!

"Killing like this is too slow…"

The young boy coldly released his palm, and the whirlwind of yellow sand instantly vanished, moving to his side, as the assassin's body fell to the ground.

The young boy looked at the corpse, revealing a cruel smile: "And it allowed him to die too easily. A method of killing that is more efficient and inflicts more pain must be developed quickly…"

……

On the distant terrace of the Kazekage Tower.

The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, watched the entire process of his son being attacked, his eyes revealing a trace of disdain and disgust, before he returned to his office by himself.

Besides this Kazekage.

Two other people also noticed this scene.

Orochimaru, looking at the red-haired boy who killed without blinking, as if seeing a treasure, licked his lips with his tongue.

"A perfect killing tool."

"Hmph…"

Sasori of the Red Sand, having watched the entire process, spoke nonchalantly: "Let's go investigate some information first. I haven't been back to this village for a long time. I wonder if the pawns I placed in the village are still alive…"

"Find out information about that boy for me."

Orochimaru, still looking at Gaara, chuckled: "Perhaps that little guy could be used for many things in the future!"

However, after Sasori of the Red Sand gathered information, they discovered the identity of the red-haired boy was not simple.

"The son of the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa…"

"The One-Tail Jinchūriki of Sand Village…"

Both Orochimaru and Sasori had plans in their minds. Upon learning the boy's identity, they couldn't help but think of a method to assassinate Rasa.

"Kidnap him."

This was the plan proposed by Sasori.

"Trick him away."

This was the method cheerfully proposed by Orochimaru.

The two had the same idea, just different methods of execution.

After frowning, Sasori immediately chose to follow Orochimaru's suggestion: "You are the one in charge of executing the plan, do as you wish…"

……

Orochimaru's smile immediately turned gloomy.

Sasori's words obviously reminded Orochimaru of the task that had been forcibly assigned to him, ruining his good mood about a perfect assassination plan!

"I'll lure him away from Sand Village."

Orochimaru gritted his teeth, adding to his plan: "Let the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, discover that his son has been taken by us, luring Rasa out of Sand Village to chase us."

Assassinating the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, within Sand Village was too risky. Accidentally being surrounded and killed by the ninjas of Sand Village would also be troublesome and annoying.

Now, having seen the red-haired boy, whether it was the boy's identity or the One-Tail within him, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, would definitely not allow his son to be kidnapped.

"Agreed."

Sasori nodded, offering to help: "When I left, I left a few pawns in the village. We can have these pawns report to Rasa."

The plan was immediately put into action.

Orochimaru discovered that many within the Sand Village harbored hostility towards Gaara, the little guy, and the assassination attempts on Gaara gradually ceased to draw attention, even the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, didn't care about such trivial matters.

According to Orochimaru's observations, he believed this might be because the one called Gaara possessed a strange ability. Gaara was surrounded by sand that would automatically protect him and could be controlled to kill people.

"Fortunately…"

Orochimaru realized his plan was the right one.

Because the sand's protective ability around Gaara was extremely strong, capable of withstanding any level of assassination attempt, Sasori of the Red Sand's effort to capture the little brat would surely cause a disturbance!

Moreover…

There were still many ninjas in the Sand Village monitoring Gaara!

No matter what, the village's Jinchūriki is absolutely indispensable, especially when this Jinchūriki is uncontrollable and could go berserk at any moment!

After some thought, Orochimaru killed a ninja from the Sand Village who had been monitoring Gaara, used the Face Copying Technique to take on his appearance, and quietly approached Gaara.

On a rock amidst the wind and sand.

Gaara was still sitting there.

Ever since the assassination attempt by his uncle, the red-haired boy no longer wanted anyone's company, even going as far as nearly killing some children who approached him. He had no more playmates around him.

Always alone.

Gaara stroked the tattoo on his forehead, still remembering the words spoken by his uncle, Yashamaru, who loved and cared for him the most, on his deathbed.

Everyone in the village hated him, his father, his uncle, his siblings, everyone in the village detested his existence…

In this life…

He must become a Shura who loves only himself.

These were also the words Yashamaru told Gaara before dying.

"Gaara."

A voice suddenly appeared behind Gaara.

"…"

Hearing someone approaching, Gaara quickly turned his head, and the face of this young boy, barely six or seven years old, unexpectedly showed a sharp intent to kill!

"Do you want to die?"

"Of course not."

The ninja from the Sand Village, who had been secretly monitoring Gaara, stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, chuckling, "Although living seems meaningless, as long as you survive, you'll always find something interesting…"

"…"

The red-haired boy was silent for a while, then coldly said, "To me, living has meaning. From the day I was born, it was to kill more people!"

"What a gentle child."

The Sand ninja actually laughed, not at all startled by Gaara's murderous intent. Instead, he went along with Gaara's words and continued, "Even if you were born to kill, it seems the people you've killed aren't strong enough, nor are there enough of them. Even if you live to be seventy, how many people can you kill?"

"…"

Gaara was a bit stunned.

All this time, no one had ever talked to Gaara like this.

Because no one dared to communicate with this child, fearing being killed by his temperamental outburst, let alone discussing the topic of killing.

Moreover…

Why did this person bring up a math problem when talking about killing!

Gaara frowned, thought hard for a while, and as if he had calculated the answer, said, "By the time I'm seventy, I can kill tens of thousands of people!"

"…"

The Sand ninja didn't care how bizarre Gaara's answer was and actually smiled, clapping his hands as if to show appreciation.

"That's impressive…"

"But…"

"I do know someone…"

"Who can kill tens of thousands of people in a single day…”

When the ninja from the Sand Village mentioned this place, his smile piled up: "The meaning of your entire life is merely equivalent to an ordinary day he spends. Doesn't it feel like you kill too few people every day?"

"!!!"

A look of shock appeared on Gaara's face.

This little red-haired boy always thought he was ferocious enough in killing. No one in the entire Sand Village dared to approach him, but to his surprise, there was someone who killed even more!

"You're right…"

Gaara's temper flared immediately, and he clenched his fists tightly. The sand whirled up with his movements: "I will kill tens of thousands of people every day!"

However…

The momentum of the little red-haired boy faltered.

Because now, it took him a bit of time to kill a single person. How could he possibly kill tens of thousands in a day? Maybe this guy was deceiving him!

"No, I don't believe it!"

Gaara stared at the ninja from the Sand Village, saying in a deep voice, "I can kill someone with ease. How could anyone kill faster than me!"

"You can see for yourself."

The eyes of the ninja from the Sand Village were like those of a snake before hunting, his tongue licking his lips: "There's a mass grave outside the Sand Village, burying the bones of thousands, all killed by that person…"

"Fine!"

"If you dare to deceive me, I will kill you!"

A fierce look appeared on Gaara's face, and he immediately regretted his words because he couldn't leave the village. His father would never allow it!

"I'm leaving now…"

The ninja from the Sand Village turned around to leave, seemingly indifferent to the boy's predicament: "When you see that mass grave, come find me…"

"Wait…"

Gaara hastily called after him.

Ever since Gaara underwent a drastic change in temperament, no one dared to interact with him. This guy was the only one willing to talk to him during this period.

"I can't go out on my own…"

Gaara looked at the ninja from the Sand Village, asking in a deep voice, "Take me out to see, and then bring me back quietly, without him noticing!"

This "him"...

Naturally referred to Gaara's father, Rasa.

"Of course…"

The ninja from the Sand Village slowly reached out to touch his own cheek, smiling lightly and nodding: "We don't need to be sneaky because this was ordered by the Kazekage. He also thinks you're too gentle when you kill."

"…"

Gaara's expression suddenly turned ugly.

The little boy silently followed behind the ninja from the Sand Village.

A group of ninjas responsible for monitoring Gaara seemed as if they saw nothing, still standing there in a daze.

Sand Village.

Akihara Kagura and Jiraiya finally arrived here.

Just as Jiraiya was planning to follow a group of merchants hiring ninjas from the Sand Village to sneak into the village, a little red-haired boy and a ninja from the Sand Village walked out.

"Hmm?"

The little boy immediately caught Akihara Kagura's attention.

The little red-haired boy seemed to notice Akihara Kagura looking at him and asked the ninja who brought him out: "Hey, that person is looking at me. Let me go over and kill him first…”