Chapter 10-A Fair Trade
Kabuto was waiting for Sasori at the middle of the bridge with a smirk on his face despite him needing to keep it under wraps. Sasori was so sure he had the Medic Nin under his control, but Orochimaru had quickly caught onto the Puppet Master, and turned Kabuto into a counterspy. Feeding Sasori false information, but with enough sliver of a truth behind it so Sasori wouldn't suspect anything. But now with the Akatsuki on the move, hunting Jinchuriki, Orochimaru along with the powers that be in Konoha knew that the organization would become a problem for them once they collected all the Biju together.
The solution? Cripple them by striking out against one of the top members. Sasori was a skilled Puppet Master, considered to be THE Puppet Master, and a Master of infiltration via his puppets. It was only a matter of time before the Akatsuki sent him to gather Intel on Konoha and what they plan to do about the organization.
'I wonder how Sasori-san has been? It has been quite a while since we last saw each other when he wanted me to gather information on Orochimaru-sama,' thought Kabuto since the man was known to disguise himself in many ways to escape detection.
His musing over the man ended soon when he saw Sasori walking toward him and found it interesting that the Puppet Master had yet to change forms. Normally, Sasori was one to change his appearance for every new meeting to throw off any potential watchers from knowing it was him, or that Kabuto was his (unknowingly false) spy.
"You're early," remarked Sasori with the two watching each other cautiously.
"I have good information on Orochimaru this time. He has a base setup not far from here and I was able to slip away on a false mission," replied Kabuto with Sasori's eyes giving him a suspicious once over.
"Most fortunate for you should the need to return to him become paramount to avoid any suspicion. I've been busy as well. Since the Kyuubi Jinchuriki's surprising return, Leader-sama has ordered a way to counter him, and destroy his attempt at fighting us. So far I have had the most success among all members of the Akatsuki," replied Sasori before producing a scroll and revealing what was inside to Kabuto's surprise.
"Is that...? How? How is this possible?" asked Kabuto, as he stared at the form of Shao Kahn himself, and touched the torso of the figure for himself.
"I was able to make a puppet of the man once word got out of his return. I have spent a great many hours each day perfecting the puppet that stands before you. It was not easy either. The details surrounding my latest creation had to be perfect from the height to the weight to even mimicking some of the abilities he is known to possess when fighting. It took an extensive amount of research and resources to make it this puppet as accurate as possible," explained Sasori with Kabuto eyeing the puppet of Shao Kahn up and down.
"You've certainly outdone yourself Sasori-sama. It does indeed look like the genuine article. If the Akatsuki were to somehow take out the real Shao Kahn, you could put this one in his place, and command the ever growing opposition to Konoha to do whatever the organization wanted from the shadows," commented Kabuto with Sasori nodding.
"As always, its feels good to have my work appreciated by those who have an eye for talent," replied Sasori before turning his eyes from Kabuto to what was behind the man and his eyes widened.
"Which is probably why the two of us got along well when we were partnered together within the Akatsuki. Right Sasori?" questioned Orochimaru, as he saw Sasori frowning at him behind his veiled face, and Kabuto turning around with a kunai in his right hand in a defensive position.
"Careful Sasori-sama. He's a very devious individual. We must work together if we are to defeat him," whispered Kabuto while eyeing Orochimaru and the saw the Sannin's face was filled with amusement.
"Siding with the Akatsuki? Oh Kabuto how you wound me so with your betrayals," said Orochimaru amusingly with Kabuto smirking back.
"You taught me well Orochimaru-sama," commented Kabuto while Sasori looked ready to run.
"Too well it seems," replied Orochimaru with his smile leaving him when he saw the puppet of Shao Kahn grin at him with a knowing look in his crimson eyes.
"You have to be more careful on what you tea-ACK!" exclaimed Kabuto in surprise, as he found a massive hand wrapped around his throat, and crushing it before he could even react while snapping the neck for good measure.
"I hated the sound of his voice almost as much as I hate your Orochimaru," remarked Shao Kahn with Orochimaru frowning at him and the yellow slitted eyes of the snake Sannin looked over at Sasori.
"You are not Sasori. A fake perhaps?" guessed Orochimaru with Shao Kahn smirking.
"Sasori is dead. Just like your Medic Nin here," commented Shao Kahn with Orochimaru glancing at the dead man crushed neck in Shao Kahn's hand.
"Don't be so sure. Kabuto has come back from worse," commented Orochimaru with a smirk on his face.
"I normally wouldn't argue with you about that since I know he took my Rasengan from me head on and survived all those years ago. However, you have forgotten one simple fact Orochimaru," remarked Shao Kahn with a grin on his face now.
"Oh? And what is that exactly?" questioned Orochimaru with a hint of amusement and curiosity in his voice.
"Its hard to make your body regenerate from such lethal injuries when your soul has been ripped from its body!" stated Shao Kahn before throwing the body over the bridge after taking what he needed.
And saw Orochimaru no longer looking amused.
"I see. Well you took my subordinate. Now I shall take yours!" exclaimed Orochimaru, as he launched Kusanagi from his mouth at the Sasori puppet, and saw it pierce the body before pulling the blade out.
'It is a good thing I wasn't in that. Or else I would be dead right now,' thought Kankuro from his hiding spot, as he cut the strings that were connected to the Sasori puppet, and make it fall over in a slump to fool the Sannin into thinking its user inside of it and was no longer alive.
"Such a waste. Now I need to find a new subordinate," commented Shao Kahn casually while not caring about the body in front of him.
This was the plan regarding Kankuro's safety since Orochimaru believed impersonating Sasori on such a level required the person be in the puppet body. Not outside of it at a safe distance. Normally that would be true, IF it was anyone else, but Kankuro had been working on the Sasori puppet tirelessly, and using the late Puppet Master's own notes on how to do it from a long enough range where only the eyes of the Byakugan could reveal the truth.
Sadly, Orochimaru had no such eyes in his possession, or Shinobi with said eyes under his command.
"Don't bother. Once I kill you, I will happily take the ones you have off your hands, and make good use of them. Well...those that I don't kill that is," remarked Orochimaru with a grin on his face.
"Big talk coming from someone who fears death," countered Shao Kahn with a chuckle while Orochimaru frowned at him.
"And you don't?" questioned Orochimaru curiously.
"Do you really have to ask? After all Konoha put me through? After all I've been through to get where I am today? Do you honestly expect ME to be afraid of death?" questioned Shao Kahn while feeling a bit of anger at the question.
Why would he? Someone who took down the Dragon King, made Elder Gods fearful of his power, and just recently took care of one of the Fallen One had no reason to be afraid of death.
"True, but can you say for certain that there is not a single part of you that isn't afraid of me? Of what I can do?" questioned Orochimaru with Shao Kahn summoning his Wrath Hammer to his hand.
"I've faced beings far more powerful then Sannin. I have seen things that make all the nightmares of this world seem tame by comparison. You do not frighten me. Not in the slightest," replied Shao Kahn with Orochimaru's grin reappearing.
"Well...I'll just have to bring about that fear into your heart. Normally I wouldn't do this right away, but considering how strong you are, its better I bring out my true appearance to ensure my victory 'Shirohebino Chikara!'" replied Orochimaru before revealed his true form forged from his years of experimentations on himself and turning his entire body into one giant white snake.
"Interesting concept for a snake. Passing yourself off as a dragon in order to reach the heavens. But you are not one of them and never will be no matter how hard you try," said Shao Kahn with Orochimaru hissing at him and moving at incredible speed toward the former Emperor of Outworld.
"You dare mock me? Orochimaru of the Sannin?! I have ascended beyond anything you could have ever seen before today. You stare into the eyes of a God!" exclaimed Orochimaru with his bloodlust rising to the surface.
Shao Kahn knew his position on the bridge and being able to dodge was narrow at best given how the bridge wasn't that large to begin with. Seeing his only chance to maneuver required leaping back, Shao Kahn used his seemingly inhuman speed to move back while Orochimaru tried to get in close. Of course, this was done to make Orochimaru think he had the edge, that Shao Kahn was afraid to go toe to toe with the Sannin, and lure the serpent into a false sense of security.
And it worked.
Orochimaru had taken the bait, as his pride, and arrogance in his sense of superiority had gotten the best of him. Seeing someone so infamous as Shao Kahn "retreating" caused the Sannin to believe he was the stronger of the two and it would soon cost him dearly. The former Emperor of Outworld had his Wrath Hammer at the ready in his right hand, it was in a position where he could swing it with one hand, and at an incredible speed without the Sannin seeing it coming. Something that wouldn't be possible if he went for a two handed swing, which would sacrifice speed temporarily for more power, which Shao Kahn knew Orochimaru would exploit during their fight.
Shao Kahn waited until Orochimaru was well within striking range before swinging his Wrath Hammer at the Sannin's head and sending he giant snake flying into the nearby cliff side. Jumping forward, the former Emperor of Outworld let out a battle cry, as he brought his weapon over his head, about to slam it down on the Sannin's skull, and crush his brains. Orochimaru however, was not one to be taken down by one hit to the head, and lashed out with his tail at Shao Kahn. The hit connect and sent the large man flying back, but he was able to land on his own two feet, and saw Orochimaru coming at him with a desire to bite him in half.
Acting quickly, Shao Kahn went through hand signs, and slammed his free hand on the ground to make a massive Earth Wall. He knew the Sannin would not be stopped by the wall and would smash through it within seconds, but that was all the time Shao Kahn needed. While Orochimaru was using his size and power to knock the wall down, Shao Kahn went through another set of hand signs, and launched his Great Breakthrough Wind Jutsu point blank at the Sannin's face. The shocked white snake was sent across the other side of the ravine, through a large amount of trees, and thrashing wildly to get himself upright. Once he did, Orochimaru snarled at Shao Kahn, who smirked at him, and made a "come get me" hand motion toward him. Hissing loudly, Orochimaru charged forward, his desire to kill Shao Kahn increasing with every second that went by.
Shao Kahn threw the Wrath Hammer at Orochimaru, who clearly saw the mighty weapon coming, and dodged it with ease. However, Shao Kahn wanted Orochimaru to dodge, and think he had a way in to kill his target. When Orochimaru was close enough, Shao Kahn had braced himself against the ground, channeling so much chakra to his feet that even Onaga himself wouldn't be able to move him. When Orochimaru opened his mouth, both the upper and lower parts of the mouth were caught in Shao Kahn's hands, and it became contest between the unstoppable force meeting the immoveable object. The two locked eyes with each other, neither one willing to give ground, and Orochimaru arched his tail to swipe at the side of his prey's body. Acting quickly, Shao Kahn summons chakra chains from his body, startling the snake Sannin since he didn't know his opponent could even do that. Shao Kahn grinned at the Sannin before successfully grabbing the long tail before he forced it into the Sannin's mouth, and Orochimaru instantly knew what he had planned.
"A snake, can never defeat a dragon, much less ascend to become a dragon. If you were ever truly worthy of such an ascension Orochimaru, you wouldn't still have poison sacs behind your fangs," said Shao Kahn before forcing the white snake's mouth shut and was making the Sannin bite down his own tail.
"YOU BRAT! HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO ME!" bellowed Orochimaru behind his mouth and was thrashing violently while Shao Kahn kept the Sannin's mouth closed.
"You haven't seen anything yet fool," said Shao Kahn before thrusting his right hand into the Sannin's skull took his soul before ripping out the twisted creature's gooey brain and crushing it in his hands.
And all over the Elemental Countries, hundreds upon hundreds of individuals with Curse Seals given to them by Orochimaru cried out pain at feeling their Curse Seals lose their piece of Orochimaru's soul. Some of them agents for Konoha, others who were loyal only to Orochimaru himself, and some were obedient slaves with no will of their own. It did not matter though, as without Orochimaru's soul in the Curse Seal after it left the host body to an unknown destination, the remaining components mixed with the pieces of the Sannin's soul began to attack the bodies of these people. Dying painful agonizing deaths and their bodies mutating into something hideous in the process before becoming a gooey oozing blob of unidentified biological mass.
Instantly, knowledge of Orochimaru's past dealings were revealed to Shao Kahn, and it took longer then suspected to absorb everything. Partially because the Sannin had tried to fight back from within once absorbed, but the fool didn't realize that he was outnumbered by far with the entire Uzumaki Clan within his body, and they weren't going to let the damned fool have his way.
Still, such an annoyance required this be dealt with properly, and decisively to ensure that several of the other souls from Konoha don't try anything. With a grin forming at an idea on how to rectify this and lower the moral of Konoha even further, Naruto decided to get some form of divine assistance to provide him with some additional troops.
But the divine help he wasn't going to call upon wasn't from the Elder Gods. No. He was going to summon the one deity who was tied to all of this. The one in charge of this realm and the one partially responsible for things going bad in his life.
The Shinigami.
Ordinarily, the Shinigami takes the soul of the mortal who summons him, as that was the price of summoning the deity for something you wanted. But Shao Kahn had enough dealings with deities, sorcerers, and one arrogant Dragon King to know how to convince this particular God to give him what he wanted.
"Who dares summon me?" demanded the Shinigami when Shao Kahn went through the hand signs he recalled from his Father's memories.
"I do," replied Shao Kahn with the Shinigami looking at him with wide eyes in surprise and a hint of fear.
"I know of you. I haven't seen you for well over a decade, yet the Elder Gods talked of you often. What do you want former Emperor of Outworld?" said the Shinigami with Shao Kahn smirking at the fact this deity was being so fearful of him.
"A trade. I require three souls in your possession. In return, I will give you three souls that are in mine," replied Shao Kahn with the Shinigami narrowing its eyes at him.
"What three souls do you want? And what three souls are you offering?" questioned the Shinigami with Shao Kahn's grin increasing.
"I am offering you the souls of Namikaze Minato, Jiraiya of the Sannin, and Orochimaru of the Sannin. I believe two of the three souls in my possession have been making a mockery of your station as a Death God. You currently have one third of Namikaze Minato's soul in you because it was a Shadow Clone. Even less from Orochimaru, yet his contract with Sarutobi Hiruzen when summoned last time required the entire amount. At the same time, you got three quarters from the Sarutobi Hiruzen from his actions, but couldn't get the last part because my so called Father used a power that was not his own, and another's medical skills to extend his life," explained Shao Kahn with the Shinigami narrowing his eyes further.
"And names of the three souls you want?" questioned the Shinigami before Shao Kahn went through hand signs.
"Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei!" exclaimed Shao Kahn with three coffins rising up and the lids falling to reveal which souls he wanted.
"It is bad enough you summoned me and I cannot take your soul due to the fact that you could throw one of the many inside of you away. But to use THAT horrible Jutsu is trying my patience considerably Shao Kahn," stated the Shinigami with Shao Kahn currently scowling back at him.
"If you wish to challenge me in some form of battle...you are welcome to try," said Shao Kahn with the Shinigami growling at him.
"The Elder Gods could barely stand against you. I am not so confident or that naive in believing I would be any better in a fight," said the Shinigami with the deity looking at the three bodies within.
"Three souls for three souls. I have the remaining two thirds of Namikaze Minato's soul within me from when he put a piece of himself within the seal that you helped create with the blessing of the Elder Gods and the other part was when I killed him. You finally get to claim what you were cheated out of from the start on two of the three souls in my possession. And when the time comes to for Sarutobi Hiruzen to die...I won't take his soul for my own. He will be all yours," said Shao Kahn with the Shinigami growling at him.
"You have a deal. As loathe as I am to make such a thing with the likes of you, I gain more from your revenge, and I intend to collect what is owed. Sarutobi Hiruzen mocks me everyday he lives. Its insulting. The souls of Namikaze Minato and Orochimaru of the Sannin are also mine by right when they summoned me and the Elder Gods to oversee the sealing," declared the Shinigami before he released the three souls Shao Kahn wanted from his stomach and they stood in front of the bodies produced.
"And you shall two of those three wanted souls plus Jiraiya of the Sannin being the third soul I give. The man was the teacher of Namikaze Minato and like Orochimaru, he was the student of Sarutobi Hiruzen," added Shao Kahn with the Shinigami grinning now.
"My three souls. If you please," replied Shinigami with Shao Kahn nodding before he brought out three orbs that now hovered in front of him and each orb soon forming the ethereal body shape they belongs to when alive.
Namikaze Minato.
Jiraiya of the Sannin.
Orochimaru of the Sannin.
"What the...? The Shinigami? But...how?" questioned Minato at the sight of the Death God.
"Your son is very smart. Far smarter then you! Not to mention he honors his deals made with me!" declared the Shinigami with a grin on his face before grabbing all three souls brought before him.
"Release me Shinigami! I am Namikaze Minato! I am the Child of Prophecy! I command you to release me!" protested Minato with the Shinigami growling at him.
"You have no say over me mortal. You made a pact with me and the Elder Gods. You cheated me out of your soul by providing only a third of it. The deal was for the whole thing. Now its time you pay what is owed to me. The same for you Orochimaru. Your soul should have been mine years ago and I will not be denied any longer," replied the Shinigami before devouring all three souls with Jiraiya screaming and pleading that he wanted to be alive again so he could peep on women.
Clearly the man did not have his priorities straight.
With their trading of souls finished, the Shinigami left Shao Kahn to his own devices, and went to have fun with the newly acquired souls that were long overdue to be punished. As for the former Emperor of Outworld, he looked at each body standing because of their connection through the Edo Tensei, and the three souls hovering nearby. Shao Kahn soon grabbed each orb one at a time, letting his power cover the soul he touched for a second, letting the essence of the person see what he had seen, feel what he had felt, and pushed the soul into the body in front of him.
And one by one, they each gasped as life filled them again before falling to their knees with shocked wide eyes. They stared up at the towering form of Shao Kahn, his crimson eyes glowing while staring down at them, and he knew they had seen how far Konoha had fallen. They saw his memories, they saw his pain, they saw his betrayal, and they felt his rage when it came to the Leaf's arrogance.
"You know why I have brought you back," commented Shao Kahn while looking at the man in front of him slowly nodding.
"I do," replied the man though it was clear in his voice that he didn't want to believe the Leaf had fallen so far.
"You our bound to me. All three of you. You can speak freely and move around just as well. The only thing you cannot do is attack me or those close to me. Understand?" said Shao Kahn with the three nodding.
"They betrayed us. The betrayed our beliefs...brother," said the second man among the three individuals.
"Not only that, but they betrayed my clan. A clan that helped yours build Konoha. They betrayed everything we built together!" stated the only woman among the three.
"There is only one recourse of action that can remedy this," said the second man with the first closing his eyes as if to deny the horrible realization of what was being spoken.
"Konoha must fall," said Shao Kahn while staring at the one among the three clenching his hands at wanting to deny that statement.
"Surely there must be another way," replied the first man weakly.
"Grow up brother! Our dream of what Konoha was and should have been died with us. Our students betrayed us! They betrayed your wife's clan! The Senju Clan! The village does not care about others. Wake up and see the truth! Can you see it Senju Hashirama!" exclaimed the man next to the now identify Senju Hashirama.
"I know Tobirama. I know. Its just...we created Konoha to stop the Warring Shinobi Era and bring peace despite the conflicts. Now the very village we created has started a war quite literally with world. It is not easy to destroy what you create if you love it," replied Hashirama to his brother.
"Konoha is no longer the village you created Hashi-kun. It has betrayed everything we all believe in and fought for during our time," said the woman with Hashirama.
"I know Mito-chan. I just...," replied Hashirama before letting out a sigh in defeat.
"Its times like this, I wish I never made this Jutsu. To be brought back from the dead to see the horrors that awakened after our deaths," said Tobirama before the three of them stood and stared at Shao Kahn.
"You three will be key in Konoha's fall. More specifically, you three will be fighting key individuals of my choosing. Hashirama, when the time comes, you will be fighting your Sarutobi Hiruzen," said Shao Kahn with Hashirama wincing.
"I understand," replied Hashirama with sadness in his voice.
"Tobirama will fight Shimura Danzo," said Shao Kahn with the serious looking man nodding.
"It is time I put that whelp in his place before putting the body in the ground," replied Tobirama coldly with Shao Kahn smirking.
"And myself?" asked Mito curiously.
"You will be fighting Tsunade. Your Granddaughter," said Shao Kahn with the woman scowling in fury at the mention of Tsunade.
"Tsunade is not my Granddaughter anymore. She is a betrayer of both the Uzumaki and Senju Clans," declared Mito with Shao Kahn nodding.
"As for myself...leave my Mother to me," said Shao Kahn with the three nodding.
"You aren't preparing to attack Konoha now, are you?" asked Hashirama with Shao Kahn shaking his head no.
"Not at the moment. But soon. I have to deal with the Akatsuki first. They are hunting all of the Jinchuriki," said Shao Kahn with the three nod before they were greeted by the sight of Kankuro appearing with Temari and Gaara.
"I never thought I would stand before the first two Hokages of Konoha," said Gaara with a small bow respect with both men returning it.
"I'm more honored to be standing in front of Uzumaki Mito. I was told by Chiyo-sama herself that you were considered to be THE strongest Uzumaki and kunoichi of your generation," said Temari with Mito smirking.
"I was also Kurama's very first Jinchuriki after that major incident with my husband and Madara. He was sealed inside of me to protect him from all of the Sharingan Eyes of the Uchiha Clan," added Mito before her eyes saddened knowing the fox had suffered much and so had his third vessel.
And as a result...Shao Kahn was soon born.
"I am the current Jinchuriki of Shukaku and the Kazekage of Suna," said Gaara with both previous Hokages and Mito bowing slightly to show their respect for the man.
"Being a Kage of your village given your status is remarkable. You must be very proud," remarked Hashirama with Gaara nodding.
"He wasn't always loved by Suna, but our little brother was able to turn their perceptions of him around," said Kankuro knowing his little brother had done much for Suna when he could have done the opposite.
"That and I was not the first Jinchuriki to be a Kage. Kiri had a Mizukage who was the three-tailed Jinchuriki, but he went crazy, and started a bloodline purge due to them being 'unnatural' in a sense. Since then, the love for Jinchuriki has not been what you would call popular," replied Gaara with two Senju and Uzumaki frowning at hearing that.
"That doesn't make any sense Kazekage-sama. For a Jinchuriki to punish bloodline users for being different would be like a Jinchuriki punishing another Jinchuriki for the same reason," said Hashirama while not finding much sense for a Jinchuriki to do that.
"Unless...Unless the Jinchuriki was manipulated by an outside force. Specifically the Sharingan Eyes of an Uchiha," added Mito since she like her husband knew quite about the Sharingan.
Probably more then anyone outside of the Uchiha Clan or Madara himself.
"The Uchiha Clan is almost nonexistent. Only a handful are left," replied Shao Kahn with Tobirama shaking his head.
"For now and as far as you know. If Konoha has indeed become as corrupt as what you showed us from your own memories, they will be trying to use the one Uchiha they have in the village as a stud to breed more of the bloodline," replied Tobirama with Shao Kahn growling.
"The only thing worse then one Uchiha is a small army of brats with that bloodline within them," remarked Shao Kahn with Mito nodding in agreement.
"What is the next course of action?" asked Temari with Shao Kahn thinking things over in his head.
"From what I got from Orochimaru's memories when I took his soul prior to using it in a trade with the Shinigami, I saw a key base we need to visit," replied Shao Kahn before he explained to them why that base was so important.
"Another Uzumaki? Alive?! In Orochimaru's clutches?" questioned Mito with Shao Kahn nodding.
"She worked for him. Her name is Uzumaki Karin. He took her in at a young age and was able to ensure her allegiance to him. Its one of the few secrets kept from Konoha's higher ups," said Shao Kahn with Mito looking livid.
"Where is she being held. We'll tear that place apart to get her out of there," said Mito with Hashirama and Tobirama nodding in agreement.
"Is that wise? We don't want to tip Shao Kahn's hand in terms of surprise when you three along with him attack Konoha," questioned Gaara with Shao Kahn smirking.
"Normally, I would agree with that idea Gaara, but if Konoha hears whispers of their Shodaime, Nidaime, and Shodaime's wife returning...the fear would skyrocket," said Shao Kahn, as he wanted the people to fear what was about to happen, and what was to come in the near future.
"But won't that still give the former Sandaime Hokage and the Gondaime Hokage time to figure out how to defeat them?" questioned Temari since she knew the Edo Tensei used to bring these three back to life was created in Konoha.
"As it stands, the three of us are all alive, and in our prime once more. The only one who could stop us is the one who summoned us with the Edo Tensei. Normally, I would use a Jutsu I created to counteract the controlling power one gains when summoning the dead, but I believe that will not work with us. You gave us back our souls, which means we do have freewill, but at the same time, you made sure our souls were tied to your own, and prevent us from possibly turning on you," said Tobirama, as he was the leading expert on the Edo Tensei, and its abilities.
"Orochimaru studied the Edo Tensei and every detail of its potential thanks to the former Sandaime Hokage giving him access to it during his reign in secret when doing all of those crude experiments. I gained all of Orochimaru's knowledge on the Jutsu when I took the Sannin's soul and knew how to keep you bound to me while giving you three your freewill. It was to ensure I wasn't betrayed by any of you once learning of Konoha's treachery and wished to join them," replied Shao Kahn with the three Kage level Shinobi nodding in understanding.
"It won't be long before Konoha learns of Orochimaru's death and sends out Shinobi in order to quickly recover his research," said Kankuro to remind them that time was still of the essence here.
"Agreed. You three will go to Orochimaru's various bases. Crush any who stand in your way and recruit anyone willing to fight against Konoha for allowing the Sannin to do what he did to them. Aside from Karin, I know of at least two potential recruits for you to enlist," said Shao Kahn, as he put his hand on each of their heads one at a time before showing them the images of those within Orochimaru's lab, or dungeons worth looking into to add to their ranks.
After a nod from all three resurrected Shinobi, they took off to the various locations they knew Orochimaru's bases were located, and a means to get through their security. All they had to do was henge into Orochimaru, speak like him for a time, gain access to his inner sanctum, and unleash their fury upon the unsuspecting loyalist of the Sannin if not Konoha from within.
"What now?" asked Gaara now that Shao Kahn had what he needed and then some.
"Now we hunt for the rest of the Akatsuki. And when they are all wiped out...Konoha will be next," answered Shao Kahn knowing he was going to enjoy crushing his former Hell of a so called home into ash.
He had plenty of experience when it came to these type of matters.
(A/N: YAY! Another chapter. I hope you liked it. Some of you felt Shao Kahn's actions a couple chapters back made him too soft. In my fic, he has changed slightly because the One Being, and Onaga's influence on him are no longer there. If you check MK Wiki you will see in Shao Kahn's bio that both Onaga and Shao Kahn were influenced by the One Being to merge the realms together. Just throwing that tidbit of information out there for you to know. Until next time...PEACE!)