With the curse mark in place, Gekko Chizan was not worried at all that the two of them might stir up any trouble.
After all, with this kind of power in Orochimaru's hands, if either of them dared to try escaping, all it would take was a single Flying Thunder God to go straight to Orochimaru and eliminate the hidden danger in minutes.
Samui and Mabui felt the rain fall on their bodies. The two exchanged a glance, both seeing a trace of helplessness and sorrow in the other's eyes.
"Let's go. Don't be so sentimental."
"The one in power in the Rain Village is no longer that so-called demigod."
"Your talents can be fully displayed here."
"After all, you're both outstanding talents that I personally selected."
The grin on Gekko Chizan's face made the two of them burn with anger.
Personally selected? More like abducted. Not only that, they had been forced to suffer quite a lot at Orochimaru's hands.
The vicious looks from the two women had no effect on Gekko Chizan whatsoever. His skin was already cultivated to an ultimate thickness—this kind of gaze meant absolutely nothing to him.
Eventually, they were brought to an office.
Along the way, they curiously observed their surroundings. This village was completely different from Kumogakure. There were no white clouds here—only dark clouds and endless rain.
Compared to Kumogakure, the Rain Village still fell far short.
"Chizan, you're back?"
"Oh? Are these the two elites you mentioned? They're actually girls?"
"You didn't go to some village and abduct people again, did you?"
"People from Kumogakure?"
Konan, who had been busy working, was quite happy to see Gekko Chizan return. But her gaze quickly fell on Samui and Mabui.
The aura of the two girls was quite striking. After all, different lands nurture different people—those from Kumogakure either had skin so pale it almost glowed, or a deep wheat-colored tone.
These two happened to be one of each, leaving Konan clicking her tongue in amazement.
"Not bad. These years of experience have really sharpened your eye."
"You could even tell that?"
"They are indeed from Kumogakure. I abducted them from there."
"They've already gone through training with my sensei, so feel free to arrange their work."
"As for payment, just handle it as you see fit. Don't let them feel disheartened. Hahaha."
Samui and Mabui examined Konan in front of them. No matter how they looked at her, she seemed much easier to get along with than Gekko Chizan.
After all, Konan really was beautiful—and beautiful people often came with a built-in aura of kindness.
At that moment, another person walked in from outside.
"Konan, the repair work at the eastern city gate is running out of funds. Give me a bit more."
"Eh? Sensei, you're here?"
"And these two are…?"
Terumi Mei was holding a large stack of reports, originally here to ask for money. A village this big needed funds for everything.
But the moment she stepped inside—well then. Two stunning beauties, plus her extremely unreliable sensei.
The atmosphere instantly made Terumi Mei sense something. She no longer cared about the money and immediately began sizing up Samui and Mabui.
"No need to explain. Let me guess."
"Same as me? Abducted by you?"
"That skin tone and temperament—shinobi from Kumogakure?"
"Sensei, I have to say, no matter how underhanded you are, your eye for talent is really good."
Samui and Mabui also noticed that the newcomer was a girl about their age.
Strictly speaking, Terumi Mei was a bit older than them, so she appeared more composed.
But Terumi Mei knew very well that if Gekko Chizan was bringing people to the Rain Village at this time, it meant he was delivering talent to the village.
Just thinking about her workload being reduced made her indescribably happy.
"Tch, what do you mean underhanded?"
"Am I underhanded?"
"Nonsense!"
Gekko Chizan waved his hand casually. Crystal Release activated, once again performing the office-chair trick.
After sitting down, he continued speaking:
"But you're right about one thing. These two are talents I dug out from Kumogakure."
"From now on, they'll be under Konan."
"Terumi Mei, my disciple. Similar background to yours. A genius from Kirigakure—also dug out by me."
"So don't think your experiences were terrible."
"In other words, being chosen by me is actually your good fortune."
"Oh, right. Konan, the technique I gave you—teach it to these two."
The Heavenly Transfer Technique was originally something Mabui had mastered. Now it could be considered a rightful return.
Konan nodded. There had simply been too many things going on recently; she hadn't even had time to learn that new technique herself.
"I'll leave the rest to you."
"Konan, don't forget what I reminded you of."
"I'm leaving."
Gekko Chizan had new tasks waiting after returning to the village, so he needed to go make preparations.
Flying Thunder God was the best choice for travel. In the blink of an eye, Gekko Chizan vanished from the office.
After he left, Konan looked at the stunned Samui and Mabui and spoke softly:
"Although his methods may not be very pleasant, since he chose you, it proves you truly have exceptional qualities."
"My name is Konan. She is Terumi Mei."
"From now on, you'll follow the two of us."
"The Rain Village will be your new home."
"As for matters related to Kumogakure, you should forget them as soon as possible."
"After all, you will no longer have any ties with Kumogakure."
Hearing Konan's words, Samui and Mabui could only nod.
Then Terumi Mei stepped forward, grabbing one of them with each hand.
"Hey now, don't look so gloomy. Even though my sensei is extremely unreliable—"
"His strength and way of thinking are both far ahead of the curve."
"Just settle in."
"Eh? What's this?"
Terumi Mei suddenly noticed the pattern on Samui's neck, shaped like three tomoe, and asked curiously.
Samui let out a soft sigh.
"This is a curse mark. Something Orochimaru gave us—a power boost, and also a curse."
At the mention of Orochimaru's name, Terumi Mei shuddered.
"My bastard sensei really is a bastard as always. Every time he finds people, he sends them to see that great terror first."
"I stayed under Orochimaru for a while back then too. It was terrifying."
"Come on, come on. I'll take you to eat something good. Let's properly cleanse ourselves of the fear instilled by Orochimaru!"
As soon as Orochimaru was mentioned, Terumi Mei instantly found common ground, dragging the two of them toward the door.
Seeing this, Konan burst out laughing.
"Is Orochimaru really that terrifying?"
"I didn't think so."
Konan had dealt with Orochimaru quite a lot. Back when Takigakure cooperated with him, Yahiko and she were the ones who handled the liaison.
He looked a bit gloomy, sure—but terrifying to that extent? She really didn't see it.
Terumi Mei:
"Hmph! He is terrifying! Super terrifying!"