"You mean Orochimaru wants to destroy the Akatsuki just because you guys rejected his jutsu?" Sutetchi asked with his voice filled with disbelief.

"What was the technique?" Tenchi wanted to know more.

"It's a technique that binds a dead person's soul to the earth. The user is able to manipulate the dead person at will, and a living sacrifice must be made in order to resurrect the dead one," Pain explained to the shocked clones.

"What's this technique called?" Fumetsu asked, interest sparking in her eyes.

Pain looked straight into her eyes. "Edo Tensei."

"What if he uses Edo Tensei against us in a battle?" Karasu asked, "Do you have a backup plan?"

"We can just kill Orochimaru, can't we?" Ningyou suggested.

"That won't work." Pain dismissed that idea. "Killing the user won't stop the technique, and Orochimaru is a powerful ninja. He cannot be killed easily."

"Can we kill the resurrected shinobi?" Sakan wondered.

"No. As long as their souls are bound to the earth, we cannot maim them." It was getting frustrating as one method was being dismissed after another.

"Then what can we do?" Nendo wracked his brain.

"What about sealing them?" Karasu brought up a new theory.

Pain thought for a while. "That might work. Or we could incapacitate them, but the incapacitation will be more difficult if there are more of Edo Tensei shinobi."

Suddenly, Shiro popped in from the wall. "Leader-sama, there's this pale guy with long black hair outside waiting to speak with you. He says his name is Orochimaru!"

"It's been a long time, Pain," Orochimaru smirked. Kabuto stood beside him, and four other strangers flanked the two.

"Orochimaru," Pain said with a voice as cold as ice. Itami tensed a little from beside her mentor. The other clones stood beside their originals, and they were all in a bunch behind Pain, ready to fight if needed.

Kabuto caught Karasu's eye and gave her a mocking look. Karasu returned the look through narrowed eyes. She had clearly not forgotten that he had used her as an "example" the first time they had met.

"I suppose you know why we are here." Orochimaru's nasty smirk stayed in place.

"It's to get revenge, isn't it?" Pain's Rinnegan bore into Orochimaru's snake-eyes.

"Heh heh heh. We've been out of touch for years, yet you can still guess my intentions. However…"

"What?" Pain couldn't think of a reason why Orochimaru would not want to get his revenge.

"However, if you return the clones, I will leave the matter alone and leave you in peace."

Pain glanced at Itami. She stared back with fear and determination in her eyes. In the past few years, she had become his friend. She was someone who understood him, and Pain couldn't imagine the Akatsuki without her.

"My clone is staying," Pain growled.

"So is mine," Konan added. Tenchi looked relieved.

"And mine." Kisame grinned. Sakan gave his teacher a friendly punch on the shoulder.

Itachi stepped in front of Karasu, blocking her from Orochimaru's view.

"My apprentice understands that art is supposed to be a bang, hmm!" Deidara smirked.

Sasori scoffed. "My apprentice will bring the concept of real art to the next level. I'm not giving her up that easily."

Zetsu stared daggers at Orochimaru. "Are you asking me to give you my plant buddy?"

Sutetchi glared at Kakuzu, who said, "Don't glare at me like that. I wasn't gonna send you away."

"Hell, my apprentice can be a pain sometimes, but I'm not letting you take her!" Hidan hollered.

Orochimaru's face twisted. "Very well. Then this is war."

Pain took a threatening step forward. "Go back to Otogakure, Orochimaru. You cannot hope to win against us here."

With that, Pain turned around and started walking back to the hideout. The rest of the Akatsuki followed suit. Orochimaru turned to one of the four strangers and nodded. The ninja, who had eight limbs, immediately started weaving signs. He spat out a strange substance into his hands and threw it at the Akatsuki. The substance spread out and took the form of a giant spider web, trapping the Akatsuki and their clones underneath.

Karasu retaliated with Wind Style: Wind Blade Slash, tearing the web apart. The eight-limbed ninja had made daggers out of the same substance as the web, and he threw them at Karasu. Ningyou quickly attached chakra threads to her partner and yanked Karasu out of the way. Tenchi and Konan formed paper shurikens and hurled them at the enemy. The shurikens struck the ground in front of the Otogakure ninjas. After the dust cleared, Orochimaru and his followers were nowhere to be seen.

"Did we get them?" Sutetchi asked.

"No," Pain said, "They escaped, using the dust as a cover. They will come back."

"From now on, you must stay in pairs," Pain ordered, "If you are going to leave the base, you have to let me know where you're going."

"Understood," most of the clones replied.

"Is everything ok?" Karasu asked Ningyou, "You look upset."

"It's all because of Tobi," Ningyou grumbled, "He walked up to me and said 'Ningyou-chan, don't wander off now. You don't want your daddy to be worried, do you?' He called Sasori-san my FATHER! And stop laughing!" she added when Karasu turned away.

"What did you do?" Karasu struggled to keep a straight face.

"He ran off before I could do anything!"

Karasu doubled over, laughing. Ningyou glared at her best friend for a moment and could no longer restrain her own laughter.

"It seems our apprentices find something highly amusing, Itachi," Sasori's cool voice echoed around the corridor.

"Itachi-san! Sasori-san!" NIngyou gasped. She and Karasu both straightened up to face their mentors.

Sasori gazed at them with curious eyes. "Would you like to tell us about this thing you're laughing at?"

"Um, well…Tobi said…" Ningyou started to explain.

"Of course it's Tobi. Go on," Itachi became interested in what Tobi had said.

"Tobi called Sasori-san Ningyou's father," Karasu said before Ningyou could stop her.

Ningyou blushed, Sasori looked shocked, and Itachi's eyes widened. After a couple seconds, Itachi started chuckling and Sasori smiled.

"Is Kidomaru ready?" the clone asked impatiently.

"Everything is in order," Orochimaru assured.

"Good. Have him wait at the ruins in the Forest in the Death."

"He is already there with the thousand Otogakure shinobi."

"He and his group will have to take care of the first one. I need to kill the second one you assigned."

Orochimaru smiled. "Go for it."

I'm getting the feeling that a lot of readers will be angry with me after the next chapter. Well, reviews are still appreciated and thanks for reading!