Shigeo Aburame was, of course, not dead.
The decision to stage his "heroic death" was primarily to divert others' attention through Orochimaru.
For most people, escaping from Konoha was no simple task. However, for Orochimaru, it was as easy as breathing.
As one of the legendary Sannin, Orochimaru was born and raised in Konoha, fought in two Shinobi World Wars, and even contributed to the village's defense systems. With his immense power and familiarity with the village, as long as Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't intervene, he could come and go as he pleased.
Shigeo Aburame's current strength wasn't much weaker than Orochimaru's. Escaping Konoha wasn't hard for him either, but he preferred a safer route.
Faking his "death" was the safest option.
This approach had multiple benefits: it avoided being labeled a rogue ninja, minimized risk, allowed him to leave Konoha freely, and ensured Konan's safety. It was a win-win-win situation.
Leaving his daughter behind in Konoha was also intentional.
After all, the child was still very young, and staying in Konoha would provide her with a better quality of life than anywhere else.
The Aburame clan would not mistreat her.
As for repaying the clan's kindness, Shigeo would do so in the future when he returned.
Shigeo understood that his former strength had heavily relied on his **blood-feeding insects**. Without them, which he called his "chakra generator," relying solely on **ration beetles** (a sort of "chakra power bank") was far from enough to maintain his reputation as the "Black Demon."
Orochimaru's invitation was an opportunity he couldn't refuse.
---
After several days of travel, Shigeo and Orochimaru crossed the Land of Fire's borders and entered the northern Land of Rice Fields.
The Land of Rice Fields was a small country, even smaller than the Land of Rain, without a formal ninja village—just a few declining ninja clans.
The Fūma Clan was one of the more notable ones.
Orochimaru quickly subdued these clans with little effort.
After building his own team, he constructed a new underground base and resumed his "old profession"—forbidden experiments.
Shigeo wasn't particularly interested in Orochimaru's experiments and had no intention of participating. Once he got his hands on the **Hashirama Cells** he'd been longing for, he began new syntheses with parasitic bugs.
However, this synthesis process was far from smooth.
The invasive power of the Hashirama Cells was overwhelming. Even a minuscule amount—barely the size of a pinhead—would cause the parasitic bugs to die quickly after synthesis.
Ration bugs fared slightly better; they could survive a few days before dying and turning to wood. However, if more Hashirama Cells were used—say, the size of a soybean—the ration bugs would last no more than two hours.
This made Shigeo realize he needed stronger bugs to successfully integrate Hashirama Cells.
For instance, **blood-feeding insects**.
"It seems I'll need some of Nagato's hair!"
With that thought, Shigeo sent Konan to the Land of Rain to retrieve some of Nagato's hair.
There were two main reasons for sending her.
First, Konan could use her Paper Style to fly, making the round trip quick and efficient.
Second, Shigeo was running low on Hashirama Cells. The equipment and materials for cultivation were available only in Orochimaru's base, and he preferred to save his resources.
Why not be frugal while on the move?
Orochimaru didn't mind Shigeo's "economy." In fact, he generously shared his technology for cultivating Hashirama Cells and handed over all his past experimental data in scroll form.
All those experiments had failed, with test subjects dying. The one surviving child could use Wood Release but was far inferior to Hashirama Senju.
Deeming the child a "failure," Orochimaru handed him over to Danzo and ceased all experiments on Hashirama Cells.
Thus, when Shigeo requested the cells, Orochimaru agreed without hesitation.
---
Shigeo claimed a lab in Orochimaru's base to focus on cultivating Hashirama Cells.
A few days later, Konan returned with a bundle of blood-red hair, proof she had met Nagato.
What shocked Shigeo most was Konan's attire.
When she left, she'd been wearing a black, form-fitting short dress. But now, she wore a black cloak adorned with red clouds.
One word immediately came to Shigeo's mind: **Akatsuki**.
His guess was quickly confirmed.
Konan brought not only Nagato's hair but also a letter from him.
In the letter, Nagato explained that two years ago, a masked man claiming to be Uchiha Madara approached him and invited him to join a plan called the **Eye of the Moon Project**.
According to the masked man, if the plan succeeded, it would transform the cursed world and bring eternal peace to the shinobi world.
Nagato had tried to attack the masked man but couldn't even touch him, let alone defeat him.
To buy time, Nagato agreed to the invitation and, after consulting Yahiko, established the Akatsuki organization.
Over the past two years, the Akatsuki had recruited numerous rogue ninjas from various countries and acted as mercenaries in their wars.
Their biggest employer was the Third Tsuchikage of the Land of Earth, who alone had commissioned them for dozens of assassination and intelligence-gathering missions.
The Akatsuki's growing prominence had drawn the attention of the great nations, leaving Nagato uneasy. Learning of Shigeo's situation, he sent Konan to seek his help.
"This Nagato, he could've just asked me to join outright!"
After reading the letter, Shigeo shook his head with a wry smile and turned to Konan, who wore a pleading expression.
"Konan, there's no need to look at me like that. Go back and tell Nagato I'm tied up for now. Tell him to wait two months, and I'll bring some help when I come."
"Great! Thank you, Brother Shigeo!"
Delighted, Konan hugged Shigeo and kissed his cheek. Before he could react, she dissolved into a flurry of white papers that scattered into the air.
**Paper Substitution!**
Watching this, Shigeo chuckled.
At that moment, Orochimaru's raspy laughter echoed nearby.
"Hehehe… You two seem close. I can't help but feel a little envious. It seems Jiraiya made the right choice back then."
"I think so too," Shigeo replied with a smile, then turned to Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru-sama, I know of an organization that specializes in recruiting rogue ninjas. Its leader possesses the Rinnegan, said to be the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths. Would you be interested?"
"Oh?" Orochimaru's eyes gleamed. "What's the organization called?"
Shigeo's smile grew brighter.
"Akatsuki!"