105 Jiraiya, you don’t really want to either…

After drawing the blood, the Spirit Lamp returned Naruto to Jiraiya and then logged out. When little Naruto left Orochimaru’s embrace, he struggled repeatedly, showing signs of reluctance.

This left Jiraiya feeling deeply frustrated. He had nurtured Naruto with great care and effort, yet the boy’s attitude was nothing special. Orochimaru put on a few affected smiles, and in Naruto’s heart, his status had somehow risen above Jiraiya’s. Whom could he appeal to for justice?

At this thought, Jiraiya’s eyes darkened with displeasure, and the smile on Orochimaru’s face became unbearably sharp in his sight.

“…”

Taking a sip of tea, Orochimaru subdued his smugness and asked, “After all this time, how is your training with the Sage Mode coming along? Can you enter it on your own yet?”

Jiraiya shook his head. “It’s not that simple. I’m still just a little short of it.”

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. “Looks like you’ve wasted quite a bit of time on this kid.”

Jiraiya frowned deeply at those words. Although they were true, from a personal standpoint, calling it a “waste” was overly harsh.

Just as he was about to retort, he saw Orochimaru close his eyes and concentrate. Patterns appeared around his eyes, and his aura shifted noticeably.

Jiraiya was stunned, his voice rising eight tones. “Sage Mode? You’ve actually mastered it?”

After returning from Ryuchi Cave, Orochimaru hadn’t spoken much about Sage Techniques, and Jiraiya had assumed he had failed again. He hadn’t expected Orochimaru to have mastered it already and even to be ahead of him, having reached Sage Mode through his own efforts.

Jiraiya felt both pleased for Orochimaru and deeply vexed. Naruto, Sage Technique—this guy came just to provoke him today… That bastard!

“…”

Orochimaru noticed Jiraiya’s irritated expression and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Using Sage Techniques to rile Jiraiya up?

Seeing how he was obsessed with raising the child and neglecting his own training, Orochimaru had indeed thought of this on a whim.

But that was not the main reason he came to see Jiraiya.

“I will be leaving the village for a while soon,” Orochimaru said calmly as he set his teacup on the table. “I plan to bring Tsunade back.”

“Soon?” Jiraiya frowned.

Before pondering what Orochimaru wanted with Tsunade or whether he could bring her back, Jiraiya’s foremost concern was how Orochimaru’s departure would affect the village.

“You should know the village is currently pressuring the Hidden Cloud Village and might require your cooperation for operations at any time…”

He paused, then added, “The old man won’t let you leave.”

Orochimaru understood Jiraiya was speaking the truth. Times were different now. He could no longer leave the village as he had last time without permission.

Otherwise, it would mean disregarding the village’s interests, a line that must not be crossed.

Within this boundary, he could act recklessly—disrespect Danzo on one side, challenge the two Hokage advisors on the other—and the village’s ninja citizens would only see it as internal power struggles among the leadership.

But during wartime with other ninja villages, concepts like “village” and “comrades” are magnified infinitely.

If you don’t think of the bigger picture or prioritize the village’s interests, you are not a comrade.

Without comradeship, the “Legendary Sannin” become just powerful ninjas associated with Konoha’s name.

The villagers are pragmatic. If you cannot protect them, no matter how strong you are, you remain an outsider.

Even being a traitor requires some skill.

Take Danzo, for example. Over many years, he resorted to unscrupulous means and committed acts soaked in the blood of comrades, yet he maintained the image that “heroes aren’t only those who stand in the light.”

Therefore, although many criticized Danzo, there was no justifiable cause to cut him down at the root.

Then there’s Shikaku Nara as a negative example. For personal motives, he openly set aside the village’s interests, sparking widespread rejection among the village’s ninja citizens.

Of course, some opportunists may have fanned the flames, but ultimately, the villagers felt uneasy.

They’re not fools. As ordinary people in the shinobi world, they clearly understand that they have no power to constrain a ninja, especially one as strong as an Kage-level shinobi.

Yet the villagers are more than individuals; they are part of the village. Viewed from this perspective, Shikaku’s actions naturally incited anger.

“The Genetic Era”—

Today you harm the village’s interests for selfish reasons; tomorrow, who knows what you might do.

Shikaku saved his comrades, showing personal sentiment, but he also defied the village’s will and thus suffered backlash.

Lessons from the past are guides for the future, and Orochimaru naturally will not overlook the wisdom of his predecessors.

The longer he dealt with the Spirit Lamp, the more he understood the term “chives”—how precious his current status and influence in Konoha were. Naturally, he was reluctant to give them up lightly.

So, even if it was just for appearances, he had to put on a show.

“I understand the old man’s thoughts well,” Orochimaru said, playing with his teacup and smiling. “That’s precisely why I need you to persuade him for me.”

“You want me to persuade the old man?” Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. “Then what reason will you give me to do so?”

He was not someone who disregarded the overall situation.

“Simple,” Orochimaru licked his lips. “Even if the Hidden Iwa and Hidden Cloud go to war, knowing the old man’s temperament, he will just watch from the sidelines, letting them exhaust their war potential. Konoha and the Hidden Cloud will not fight each other.”

“So even if I have to go to the battlefield, it will only be to serve as a deterrent. And there are many alternatives to that.”

Jiraiya nodded, acknowledging Orochimaru’s logic, but it was still insufficient.

There were indeed many alternatives, but having Orochimaru involved was undoubtedly the most effective.

Orochimaru’s ninjutsu and combat style carried a higher level of deterrence in battle than Jiraiya’s own.

“On the other hand, the situation has escalated to this point largely because the Fourth Raikage was seriously injured,” Orochimaru said with a hint of amusement in his eyes. “Besides me, there’s only one other person in the shinobi world who can help him recover.”

“Do you think the Hidden Cloud would consider this solution?”

Jiraiya’s expression changed as he paused, still holding Naruto.

After a moment of silence, he said, “Tsunade. She knows what’s at stake and wouldn’t treat the Fourth Raikage. The Hidden Cloud might not even have the nerve.”

“No, you haven’t faced that brother, so you don’t understand his boldness. For the sake of the village, he won’t fear those risks,” Orochimaru grinned. “And Tsunade might not refuse to treat the Fourth Raikage either.”

“She’s not afraid to die, but she fears losing those close to her. Her severed niece—Shizune Kato—is her weakness.”