Setting Out for the Land of Lightning

"In a few days, Kabuto is going to launch an attack on Root..."

Before Orochimaru could finish, Shisui’s expression shifted dramatically, and he raised his head in disbelief.

Orochimaru, however, acted as though he had not noticed Shisui's reaction, and continued speaking at his own pace.

"This matter has nothing to do with you. But when the village sends people to pursue him, I hope you will drag your feet."

"It would be best if you do not cross paths with him."

He delivered these words as naturally as if he were discussing some mundane task rather than a vicious assault on his fellow villagers.

While Shisui felt that this was entirely wrong, he could not help but ask, "But why...?"

Moreover, he had seen Kabuto back when Shinsuke was training him; how could Kabuto possibly possess the strength to attack Root?

"It's for the sake of the village... although I'd like to say that."

Orochimaru smiled faintly. "This time, it is a personal grudge. A personal grudge between Kabuto and Danzo, and between myself and Root..."

He briefly recounted Kabuto’s background, followed by the account of how Root had ambushed him while he was recuperating.

"Danzo has gone too far this time. I need to exact retribution against him, and furthermore..."

Orochimaru glanced sidelong at Shisui, speaking in a slow, measured tone, "This is also for the Uchiha clan."

Shisui had just been about to refuse and persuade Orochimaru to abandon this operation, but upon hearing this, he was slightly startled. What did Yakushi Kabuto attacking Root have to do with his clan?

"Before the Root ninja ambushed me, they stole the research data for the physical reinforcement surgery," Orochimaru said slowly.

"And right now, completing that physical reinforcement surgery requires either mastering Sage Mode or relying on the Sharingan. Which method do you suppose he will use?"

Shisui’s face darkened at these words. Without needing to ponder deeply, he directly concluded it would be the latter.

Throughout the history of the shinobi world, those who had successfully mastered Sage Mode could be counted on one's fingers. By comparison, the latter method was far simpler.

"Danzo's ultimate goal is the Sharingan. One or two eyes wouldn't satisfy his appetite, but since he harbors ambitions for the Hokage's seat, he certainly wouldn't turn traitor to the village because of it."

Unflurried, Orochimaru guided Shisui's train of thought.

"By comparison, causing turmoil among you Uchiha serves his interests much better, and it is far simpler."

"Not to mention, the recent Kumogakure delegation incident has provided him with even more pretexts."

Shisui's expression turned ugly. He wanted to retort that this was mere conjecture, but Orochimaru was too silver-tongued; he even began to suspect that Orochimaru might have leaked the information intentionally.

Yet, remembering Danzo's past persecutions, he fell silent once more.

Even without the physical reinforcement surgery, Danzo—and even the two Hokage advisors—had long harbored deep animosity toward the Uchiha clan; now they simply had one more reason.

Moreover, setting the clan aside, the fact that Danzo had broken into an underground laboratory and ambushed Orochimaru in pursuit of the physical reinforcement surgery made his blood run cold.

Shisui did not know what to do. He could urge Orochimaru to consider the greater good, but Danzo would never do the same.

Although Orochimaru did not use this argument to persuade him, Shisui felt that weakening Danzo's sphere of influence would ultimately benefit the village.

After a moment of silent contemplation, Shisui looked up at Orochimaru.

"To what extent do you intend to retaliate against Danzo? And if Yakushi Kabuto is pursued by Anbu ninja, how do you plan to handle it?"

"You don't need to worry about that..." The corners of Orochimaru's mouth curved upward; he already knew where Shisui stood.

***

The following day, before the gates of Konoha.

Orochimaru swept his gaze over the two squads of shinobi and gave a slight nod.

Kakashi and Hyuga Hizashi went without saying, and the remaining six were also elites among the Anbu, all temporarily requisitioned by him.

For a peace negotiation delegation, this lineup was perhaps overly extravagant.

Jiraiya, who had come to see them off, asked with a skeptical frown, "Tell me the truth, are you really just going to negotiate with the Raikage this time?"

"What cannot be won on the battlefield will never be obtained at the negotiation table either."

Orochimaru grinned, parting his lips into a dangerous curve. "I will demonstrate our strength appropriately."

"At the very least, Kumogakure cannot be allowed to strip away every single clause of the peace treaty we sign. Otherwise, wouldn't I simply acquire the additional infamous title of a bully within my own village?"

Jiraiya looked somewhat awkward at these words. Driven openly and covertly by the Third Hokage and Danzo, the villagers and shinobi had been fiercely criticizing Orochimaru, a public outcry second only to the scandal surrounding Hatake Sakumo in the past.

There was simply no helping it. Orochimaru had effectively shouldered the blow for the village, absorbing the fallout of the negotiation leader dying on Konoha soil. Bearing these consequences was only natural.

Even though he had traveled on a diplomatic mission for the benefit of the village, outsiders viewed it as him cleaning up his own mess, making any risks he faced entirely self-inflicted.

Though Jiraiya felt that Orochimaru probably didn't care, he had still come eagerly, watching his reactions in secret.

Now he could finally rest easy—Orochimaru was still very much Orochimaru.

Among the shinobi squad, Kakashi was uncharacteristically not reading his book, paying close attention to Orochimaru's condition as well.

Seeing him maintain his usual unruffled, smiling composure, Kakashi's gaze flickered uncertainly as he wondered what was running through his mind.

Naturally, Orochimaru cared nothing for Kakashi's thoughts. He glanced around at the group, and seeing that everyone had arrived, he issued a direct command:

"Move out!"

***

In an underground cavern within the Land of Hot Water.

Obito lay completely naked, immersed in a white, paste-like fluid with only his head resting above the surface, fast asleep with his eyes closed.

Over a month ago, his heart had been pierced by Orochimaru. Though it hadn't killed him instantly, it still constituted an extremely severe injury.

To heal himself, he had maintained this state for a long time, handling all his bodily functions entirely with the aid of the White Zetsu that lived symbiotically with him. If he hadn't clearly known that this creature wasn't human, Obito would have had to bear an extra layer of psychological pressure, which would have made the process far harder to endure.

At a certain moment, two pitcher-plant leaves slowly rose from the floor, revealing a bizarre, half-black and half-white human face in the center.

Obito opened his eyes, his gaze falling upon Zetsu. "How is the situation outside?"

"Konoha and Kumogakure's negotiations failed, and Orochimaru has gone to negotiate in person..."

Zetsu recounted the intelligence he had gathered. "Although it's different from what you imagined, this plan seems to have succeeded."

"Orochimaru..."

Hearing the name, Obito's gaze flickered, his right hand instinctively pressing against his chest.

Though the wound had healed, a dull ache still lingered somewhere in his sensations.

His judgment differed completely from Zetsu's. Having witnessed the sheer danger that man posed, he firmly believed that the peace negotiations would succeed.

Obito glanced sideways at Zetsu and spoke slowly, "Go eliminate that old Kumogakure ninja. If Orochimaru heads to the Land of Lightning, that fellow will inevitably be exposed."

"How dare Orochimaru do such a thing? Have you been scared out of your wits?" Zetsu asked in astonishment.

"Leaving aside Kumogakure village, even within the Land of Lightning itself, if he is ambushed, he faces the genuine risk of death."

"You don't understand that man's audacity," Obito waved a hand dismissively. "Just do as I say."

Seeing how wary Obito was, Zetsu could only nod. Then, the White Zetsu side seemed to recall something and asked out of curiosity,

"Is Sage Mode really that powerful? Fast enough that it didn't even give you time to use Izanagi?"

Obito glared fiercely at Zetsu, seemingly stung with embarrassment and anger.