"I understand what you mean."
Orochimaru nodded. After Senju Tobirama had carefully explained the challenges of making this plan work,
Orochimaru had already realized that this plan was basically impossible.
That is, unless Konohagakure had no Jiraiya, no Tsunade, no Raijin, no Uchiha Madara, and no permanent Senjutsu.
Orochimaru could still try to find a way to bring down Konohagakure.
But right now, with his own strength alone, it was impossible to carry out this plan.
Schemes or straightforward tactics—none of it really mattered in the face of absolute power.
Yet now, after receiving such a definite answer from Madara, Orochimaru couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.
He really wanted those Kekkei Genkai.
As his strength grew, Orochimaru became more aware of the gap between ordinary ninjas and those with inherited bloodline abilities.
It was huge.
Really huge.
A gap so big it could make someone lose all hope.
"Good, as long as you understand."
Madara nodded at those words, then turned to Raijin.
"Raijin, do you have anything to add?"
He had originally wanted to see how Raijin would handle this situation, hoping to get a better understanding of him.
But unexpectedly, he ended up playing the villain himself, cutting off Orochimaru's hopes for Raijin.
"Madara-senpai is right."
Raijin first looked at Uchiha Madara and gave a slight nod, then turned to Orochimaru, who had his head down and remained silent.
He paused for a moment but didn't say anything. It wasn't that he didn't want to—
It was just that with Madara here, there were things he couldn't say.
"In that case, shall we head back?"
Madara turned to Raijin and asked.
"You go ahead. I still have some things I want to discuss with Orochimaru."
Raijin spoke to Uchiha Madara, looking a bit apologetic.
"Alright."
Madara nodded without hesitation, stood up, and left Orochimaru's courtyard.
Raijin's words had made it clear—he was still holding something back from Madara.
But that was normal, nothing to feel bad about.
After all, getting Raijin to work for him was *his* goal.
And since it was *his* goal, he had to be prepared to make sacrifices.
The process of giving would be unpleasant, but that didn't matter.
Because once he succeeded, the rewards would far exceed his expectations.
Uchiha Raijin, huh…
As Madara walked out of Orochimaru's courtyard, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
…
"I'm sorry."
After Madara left, Raijin spoke softly to Orochimaru.
"It's fine. You did your best."
Orochimaru was momentarily stunned. He looked up at Raijin, who had a serious expression, and blinked in surprise.
"It's not about that. At first, I thought it wasn't a big deal to bring Uchiha Madara here. But now that I think about it, I should have told you in advance. It was inconsiderate of me."
Raijin explained to Orochimaru.
That was also why he hadn't supported Madara's words earlier or commented on Orochimaru's plan.
"Ah… that, huh? If you really put it that way, I guess I *was* a little upset."
Orochimaru suddenly laughed.
Yes, when Uchiha Madara appeared here, he *had* felt uncomfortable.
How should he put it?
It was like… having an old comrade bring along someone you once fought to the death with—
And then having them lecture you.
For a brief moment, Orochimaru even wondered—
Had Uchiha Raijin stopped caring about what he thought?
Had their years of friendship… just ended like that?
"But now… I forgive you."
Orochimaru tilted his head slightly, a smile creeping onto his lips.
With Raijin's apology, his resentment vanished.
It wasn't that he was particularly forgiving, nor that Raijin's apology was anything special.
The apology was simple, just three words.
But those three words showed Raijin's respect for him.
And…
Raijin was still the same as always. When he made a mistake, he truly apologized.
Orochimaru liked this kind of straightforward attitude the most.
Compared to Jiraiya, who would stubbornly refuse to admit his mistakes no matter what, Orochimaru always used Ninjutsu to teach him a lesson on the spot.
"Not happy about it, are you?"
Raijin took a sip of the tea Orochimaru had poured and spoke to him.
"If I said I wasn't, would you believe me?"
Orochimaru let out a bitter smile and asked in return.
"Madara was right, but it's not that serious."
Raijin nodded at his words and replied.
Whether it was Uchiha Madara or Uchiha Setsuna, their methods worked, but only because they had absolute strength.
And because they were complete strangers to Orochimaru.
Threats could be useful, but they wouldn't completely solve the problem.
"I won't deny it. From the beginning, I never planned to help you accomplish this."
"I appreciate your honesty."
Orochimaru nodded. He wasn't an idiot.
People said Raijin was much sharper than him, but the truth was, Orochimaru had simply spent too much time in the lab and hadn't adjusted his thinking yet.
In reality, he was no stranger to these complicated relationships.
"Konohagakure can't afford any turmoil right now. I think you understand that."
Raijin continued as he looked at Orochimaru.
"I understand. I also get your situation."
Orochimaru nodded. Right now, Konohagakure was in a delicate balance. If that balance was broken, the village would split into two.
With Uchiha Madara's return, Konohagakure was no longer a place where Raijin alone could make the decisions.
So Orochimaru understood his difficulties.
"Good. Since you understand my situation, I also understand what kind of person you are."
Raijin chuckled and said to Orochimaru.
"I'll do my best to help you make this happen."
"Really?"
Orochimaru was stunned and immediately looked at Raijin.
"Of course."
Raijin nodded. Orochimaru might have said he was giving up on the idea for now, but that was only because he had no way to make it happen at the moment.
But the moment an opportunity appeared, Orochimaru would seize it without hesitation.
So Raijin gave him a promise.
He would help Orochimaru realize this goal, and it wasn't just empty talk.
"After exchanging information with Madara, we've basically confirmed that the legendary ancestor of chakra, Otsutsuki Kaguya, is sealed on the moon."
"You mean…?"
Orochimaru's eyes lit up instantly, and he eagerly asked Raijin.
"Right now, Konohagakure already has enemies, so we shouldn't make new ones for the time being. But one way or another, we'll have to deal with this potential threat eventually."
Raijin shared his thoughts with Orochimaru.
"I see."
Understanding flashed across Orochimaru's face.
"How long do I have to wait?"
Orochimaru instinctively licked his lips.
The ancestor of chakra…
He could hardly contain his excitement.
"Until I die."
Raijin shrugged helplessly as he replied.
—
"You…"
Orochimaru pursed his lips in frustration, but after calming down, he understood that Raijin couldn't give him a clear answer right now.
After all, Konohagakure still hadn't figured out Jigen's background.
"Do you have any intel on Jigen? I really want to kill him..."
Orochimaru gritted his teeth and asked Raijin.
"That's funny. You make it sound like if I tell you where he is, you could actually take him down."
Raijin rolled his eyes at Orochimaru.
"Just tell me where he is. Whether I can kill him or not isn't your concern."
Orochimaru frowned, clearly annoyed.
Seriously... who does he think he is looking down on?
"I want him dead more than you do."
Raijin scoffed and turned to leave Orochimaru's small courtyard.
He didn't have time to chat.
Even though his progress with permanent Senjutsu was slow, he was still making steady improvements.
There was no need to stress over Jigen's whereabouts for now.
At the very least, the ninja world was peaceful at the moment.
The best thing to do was to focus on getting stronger.
Raijin had already proven that the Mangekyou Sharingan could slowly grow stronger through Senjutsu training.
Originally, he was close to mastering new Mangekyou abilities.
But after suddenly absorbing the Giant Tenseigan, his nearly controlled ocular power spiraled out of control again.
Trying to use the Giant Tenseigan to replicate other visual jutsu had suddenly made the process much longer than expected.
His next goal was to unlock the remaining four gates and fully regain control over his eyes.
After all, during the day, his eyes looked normal, but at night... damn, his room was so bright it was like daytime even without a lamp.
It made Tsunade's eyes hurt.
Eventually, Tsunade ended up making him a high-quality blackout eye mask...
Which was really annoying.
Even when they slept in separate rooms...
—
Konohagakure Research Center.
"You look happy. What did Raijin promise you?"
Senju Tobirama glanced at Orochimaru and asked casually.
"Raijin said that once the ancestor of chakra is freed, he'll let me study her."
Orochimaru grinned as he spoke.
As long as there was even a small chance, the future looked exciting to him.
"The ancestor of chakra? You mean the mother of the legendary Rikudou Sennin?"
Senju Tobirama was surprised and asked Orochimaru.
"That's right. Raijin said that after exchanging intel with Madara, they've basically confirmed that Otsutsuki Kaguya is real."
Orochimaru nodded firmly.
"Who knows how long that will take?"
Senju Tobirama chuckled, clearly unimpressed.
"But at least there's hope, right?"
Orochimaru was still smiling.
"Hmm, you're right."
Senju Tobirama nodded. As long as Orochimaru could stay focused, that was enough.
—
"Uchiha Suisei deceived us. Uchiha Madara abandoned us.
Yet Konohagakure remains prosperous and powerful.
So where is our chance?"
In an unknown cave, Yuki knelt on the ground and spoke in a low voice.
"Raijin is definitely strong, and Tsunade is just as terrifying. But not everyone in Konohagakure is that powerful. They still need to go on missions, travel outside the village, and that… is our chance."
Dou looked at Yuki as he spoke.
As time passed, Dou had grown older.
Fortunately, the Kaguya clan's bloodline disease hadn't affected him.
Because of that, he still held considerable influence within the organization.
"I agree."
A, the leader of the rogue ninja from Kumogakure, immediately raised his hand.
Even though Kumogakure no longer existed, the reputation of the "AB Duo" had been carried on.
"This isn't something we can just rush into. If we don't have a strong enough intelligence network, Konohagakure will find us in no time."
Yuki sighed, feeling a bit helpless.
That was exactly why they had been lying low for so long without making a move against Konohagakure.
Instead, they had been living as wandering ninja, surviving by taking underground bounty missions.
"Besides, Konohagakure has a lot of shinobi skilled in space-time jutsu. That Uchiha Suisei… he's an absolute nightmare to deal with."
A voice rang out—it was Kakuzu.
Damn it, who would have thought that after completing a mission and counting his money, he'd suddenly get stabbed in the back by Suisei?
There wasn't even a warning.
Out of nowhere—bam! One heart was gone.
Luckily, he had five hearts.
By playing dead, he barely managed to escape.
That was how he ended up finding this organization.
Kakuzu knew very well that he had been sold out.
If he wanted to survive in this world, he needed a group that could offer him protection.
And this group—made up of rogue ninja from Kumogakure and Kirigakure—was his only option.
It wasn't about how strong they were.
At the very least, they had a deep grudge against Konohagakure.
Kakuzu didn't care about gaining power or status.
As long as he could get one peaceful night's sleep, that was enough.
Even ninja needed rest.
Surviving alone while being hunted by Konohagakure?
Nearly impossible.
After all, there was only one Jigen.
"If you all want, I might be able to provide you with enough intel."
A voice suddenly rang out.
Kakuzu instantly turned toward the source of the voice.
That voice—he knew it all too well!
Damn it! It was finally time for this guy to keep his promise!
"Where's my money?!"
Kakuzu glared at the newcomer, his voice full of rage.
(End of Chapter)
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