"The Eye of the Moon Plan?"
Orochimaru paused for a moment to process this unknown information. What was the meaning behind that name? Moon's Eye? Moon… Eye? He couldn't figure it out. "The Eye of the Moon Plan? What is it for?"
What was it for? Naruto wanted to know the answer to that question too. He wanted to know very, very badly.
He knew that Obito's future identity would be the Ten-Tails' jinchuriki. He knew that Obito Uchiha was the mastermind behind the Akatsuki, a group widely considered to be a major villainous organization in the Naruto world. He knew that Obito Uchiha wanted to overthrow the ninja world.
So, what could he deduce from that?
All of this was information Naruto had pieced together from the dueling arena. The "Eye of the Moon Plan" was a term he learned from Obito's AI dialogue, a phrase that appeared just as often as "Rin." There was no doubt that it was a crucial plan, one that might even be the main plot of Naruto.
But what were the specifics? He had no idea! Naruto genuinely had no idea. He had only heard fragments of information from the AI characters. How the hell was he supposed to know?
All Naruto knew was that this plan would definitely overthrow the ninja world!
Ha! If it was just about overthrowing the ninja world, it was exactly what he wanted to do. Naruto also wanted to overthrow the ninja world and give it a massive overhaul.
So, the "Eye of the Moon Plan" was now his. He would use Obito's name to do what Naruto wanted!
How would he overthrow it? Naruto was still thinking about it, but it would definitely be a profound change, politically and economically. These were all things that he—Naruto, the sun of the ninja world—couldn't do in the open. As for the negative consequences, Obito Uchiha could take all the blame!
This was the true Root, the one that would deeply embed itself in the darkness and secretly eliminate all obstacles to the world's prosperity! Danzo and his ilk? The "Root" that protected Konoha? Hah, they were just a fake Root! Obito Uchiha was the real Root! A Root that could withstand the tests of time and history!
Looking at the battered Orochimaru, who only had his eyes shining brightly, Naruto knew that the plan was not yet complete. He shouldn't reveal everything, but he could give him a preview.
"The Eye of the Moon Plan…" The corner of Naruto's mouth under his mask curled into a wicked smile. His tone was relaxed and certain. "Is what I want to do."
"Like what?"
"Like…" Naruto didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked, "Orochimaru, don't you sometimes find this ninja world tedious?"
"Tedious?" Orochimaru frowned slightly, his facial wounds twitching, but he didn't seem to mind. What Obito said… tedious? He didn't think so at all! Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha, and even Obito Uchiha himself were people he had been trying to get his hands on. The Uchiha clan, the Senju clan… and now the Uzumaki clan after Naruto's rise to fame, were all bloodlines he wanted to study. The only thing that was truly tedious was the lack of funds.
"Perhaps," Orochimaru said dismissively.
Naruto glanced at him, but didn't pay any mind. He imitated Obito's mannerisms, his voice growing passionate. "The child of a daimyo becomes a daimyo, the child of a minister becomes a minister, the child of a general becomes a general, and the child of a ninja remains a ninja…"
Naruto's gaze turned back, his lazy eyes brimming with intense aggression. "The world has become stagnant. A world that never changes is too tedious! Too rotten!"
"Oh?" Orochimaru's interest was piqued. "What do you want to do?"
"I want to tear it down!" Naruto's voice was calm and unwavering as he spoke of something that would shake the ninja world to its core. "First, we start by killing the daimyos!"
"Is that so?" Orochimaru almost bit his tongue. He had expected the person in front of him to be crazy, but not this crazy! This was a complete madman! The daimyos! What was a ninja doing killing daimyos? Was that something a ninja could even do?
At this moment, the laws that had existed for thousands of years had become so ingrained in their minds, like a mathematical truth, that they were difficult to overturn.
However… Orochimaru licked his lips excitedly, suppressing the joy in his eyes. Things seemed to have gotten interesting. He was never one to follow the rules. Daimyos? They must be very rich! If I kill the daimyos, I might be able to get a lot of money.
Furthermore, with this madman in front of him attracting all the attention, he could completely distance himself from the whole thing.
"I know you want to escape, and I want to use your strength. So? Do you want to join me?"
Before Orochimaru could answer, Naruto added, "Of course, if you don't agree, I won't save you."
"I don't have a choice, do I?" Orochimaru's voice was calm, as if he had returned to his usual peaceful state.
"Good!" Naruto nodded slightly, then made a hand gesture. "Summoning Jutsu!"
Poof!
A puff of smoke appeared in the small prison cell. After the white smoke cleared, a figure stood in the cage. Orochimaru felt a sense of familiarity with this person. It wasn't the person, but the clothes he wore—a black cloak with red clouds. The Akatsuki uniform!
However, he didn't recognize the person at all. It was a young face with a spiky gray haircut, purple eyes, and a rare forehead protector. Yugakure? Was that the village that had disappeared? Orochimaru guessed that this person had joined the Akatsuki after he had left.
He shifted his gaze from the person to Obito. Orochimaru's eyes asked, "Who is this?"
"I heard you have a jutsu called the Living Corpse Reincarnation, where you can take over someone's body." Naruto motioned with his hand. "Here, I've prepared a body for you."
"As for your current body…" Naruto looked at Orochimaru's mutilated body. "You don't need it. This way, you can feign your death and make Konoha believe you are gone!"
Orochimaru looked down at his broken body. "Heh, you've thought of everything." His eyes flickered. For a moment, he couldn't figure out what Obito Uchiha was up to.
"Not only have I thought of everything, but this person is also said to be immortal!" Naruto's tone was full of temptation. What kind of evil thoughts could Naruto have? He just wanted to completely control Orochimaru, that's all!
The person in the black cloak with red clouds was, of course, Hidan, whom Naruto had completely controlled a long time ago. He would give this body to Orochimaru so that Orochimaru would take it over, and he could then completely control Orochimaru. What he had said before, that he only needed Orochimaru to be alive, didn't mean he would be free. A dog on a walk had a leash, let alone a cold-blooded snake!
Seeing that Orochimaru wasn't moving, Naruto urged, "Come on, what are you waiting for? The Konoha patrol will be here soon."
Naruto's intention was very clear: Orochimaru, get into the bowl!
Orochimaru looked at Obito Uchiha and then at the vacant-eyed ninja who was clearly under a genjutsu. A sharp glint flashed in Orochimaru's eyes, but it was quickly buried. He knew he had no other choice.
However, Orochimaru knew that Obito Uchiha only knew a little about his Living Corpse Reincarnation. This ability had a three-year cooldown. The worst-case scenario was he would just have to change his skin again in three years! Besides, what Obito Uchiha said made a lot of sense. Leaving this body behind and faking his death would give him a long time of peace.
"Then I thank you, sir!"
Orochimaru tried to regurgitate his true form, but his body didn't respond. "Tsk," Naruto sighed in disgust. He went up and tapped Orochimaru a few times and then took out a pill. After swallowing the pill, Orochimaru felt much better, and his wounds healed slightly. Only then could he continue.
Pssh!
A large white-scaled snake crawled out of Orochimaru's mouth and lunged at Hidan. The controlled Hidan didn't react at all and was immediately taken over by Orochimaru. Throughout the entire process, Orochimaru didn't feel the slightest bit of resistance.
"Excellent!" Seeing that Orochimaru had fallen for it, Naruto was very satisfied. He clapped his hands and, while Orochimaru was in the chaos of taking over the body, he used a sealing jutsu to permanently seal Orochimaru's soul within that body. With this, Orochimaru had nowhere to run! He couldn't die, and his soul couldn't escape. Orochimaru had essentially entered the "cage" of Hidan!
Naruto was very pleased. A faint smile on his lips, he said, "Orochimaru, let's go!"
A vortex appeared, swallowing both of them.