"A world set in a Devil Fruit universe still has people practicing swordsmanship."
Orochimaru showed some surprise after reading the fifth chapter.
"What's wrong with that?"
Some thought this kid was odd; everyone else was just reading manga while he talked too much.
Orochimaru shook his head and said nothing.
It's like practicing pure sword techniques in a ninja world—utterly absurd.
"Swordsmanship isn't necessarily weak. There are strong warriors in the Land of Iron."
Akaba remarked.
"Yeah, you're right."
Orochimaru nodded in agreement but without changing his disdain for those samurais.
Not eating Devil Fruits doesn't mean someone is weak.
Smiling slightly, Akaba offered no further explanation.
This involved future plot points; better to leave it as a cliffhanger for now.
After finishing, Orochimaru politely closed the manga book and placed it neatly back on the shelf.
He looked at Akaba and said, "I ran into Tsunade-hime, Princess, and Akaba on the way over."
"Oh, so Akaba was accompanying Her Highness Princess? That explains why I didn't see him."
"We might see them soon. Got to ask him all about it."
"Only me interested in seeing Princess?"
Everyone became instantly excited — news involving both Akaba and Princess thrilled them.
However—
Orochimaru's comment clearly had an agenda. He wanted to be alone with Akaba.
"Gentlemen, I'll be off then. Enjoy yourselves, everyone."
Orochimaru stood up, slightly bowed, and left.
Akaba rose and followed Orochimaru out.
Not long after they started walking, he saw Orochimaru standing under a big tree by the roadside.
"Akaba, looks like you aren't happy either. Using Shadow Clones to trick Tsunade and slipping away for some peace."
Orochimaru teased gleefully.
Rolling his eyes, Akaba couldn't help but complain bitterly, "Stuck between two feuding women and dragged into their mess — it's just unbearable."
"Women are trouble. But seeing you suffer makes me quite happy."
Orochimaru chuckled softly.
"So, you've finished playing with Uchiha Ryo? Did you finally let him go?"
"No, I left a Shadow Clone behind."
Orochimaru maintained his Transformation Jutsu and continued walking slowly and rhythmically.
Both were essentially in situations where they couldn't be seen publicly, yet found plenty to discuss with each other.
Walking a few steps forward, he sighed deeply, "Once, I tried copying you, Akaba, aiming to write my own story. Later, I realized creating stories through researching the mysteries of ninjutsu and life itself is the greatest story of all."
Huh?
Akaba struggled to catch up mentally. Since when did this guy become so poetic?
He walked beside him a bit more before asking seriously, "Speak normally, please."
Orochimaru paused briefly, then laughed slightly, "Your story gave me a lot of inspiration. So, these mangas aren't entirely useless after all."
"What do you mean?"
Akaba frowned, confused by Orochimaru's cryptic words, though he sensed hidden intentions.
"Hmm… nothing much, really. Just felt like talking to someone."
Orochimaru finally said after a moment of silence.
"Where is your deal with him now?"
Akaba frowned slightly.
Orochimaru was shifting his thinking rather quickly.
"I plan to join them."
He said indifferently, "Only by joining them will I have more opportunities to go out."
Ninjutsu research required extensive experimentation and theoretical knowledge.
Unlike the Second, he didn't possess such terrifying theoretical expertise or talent, so he could only choose to do more experiments.
"Be careful. He isn't that easy to deal with. It's better to wait until you have sufficient strength."
Akaba hesitated briefly before speaking.
Danzo's methods were dark and ruthless. He would gradually push people into the abyss through successive schemes.
"He's a viper, but I am Orochimaru!"
Orochimaru was extremely confident.
There would always be danger in consorting with vipers, but he had been born to coexist with snakes.
"Yeah."
Akaba nodded without saying much else.
Although there was no sensing of outsiders, when dealing with Danzo and Anbu, one needed to maintain sufficient vigilance — better to say as little as possible about such matters.
He walked a few steps down a relatively secluded path.
Suddenly,
A gust of wind blew up, followed by a figure appearing in the middle of the road.
Danzo.
He glanced from Orochimaru to Akaba, clearly caught off guard for a moment, before finally saying, "You're together. That saves me quite some time."
"Teacher."
Akaba didn't drop his disguise, merely bowing slightly.
"Hmm, the Land of Whirlpools might be heading toward war."
Danzo said casually.
"Figured as much."
Orochimaru licked his lips.
That so-called 'Manga Con'? It's really just a cover for pre-war talks.
To him, it was an opportunity.
"When?"
Akaba asked after a moment of contemplation.
"The initiative lies in their hands. We can only respond passively. But roughly, it'll be after the Chunin Exams."
Danzo said indifferently.
Hmph. Not my problem.
Akaba remained silent — he had no intention of setting off together with Danzo. Better not to go than to do that.
"Looks like we're headed for another war again."
Orochimaru remarked.
"War is inevitable. If Konoha wants peace, we must take decisive action against others."
Danzo stated coldly.
Glancing between the two, he continued, "This mission will likely involve Anbu and Root. I hope you two can assist me."
"Fate is uncertain; I can't commit right away."
Orochimaru remained noncommittal.
"Teacher, if you need help with training, I'd be honored to assist."
Akaba said humbly.
He didn't want to participate in this war — at least not alongside Danzo.
As for Orochimaru,
Orochimaru showed no surprise or other emotions, yet from subtle small movements, it was clear he wasn't calm inside.
Danzo nodded, glanced behind him, and said, "You understand each other. I'm leaving first."
"Goodbye, Teacher."
Akaba bowed slightly again. When he looked up, Danzo had already vanished.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he pondered inwardly — had Danzo discovered their cooperation?
Both of them were thinking the same question.
They stood in silence for a while, each stepping away slightly, before letting out a quiet sigh of relief.
From Danzo's behavior, it seemed he hadn't noticed anything. However, the fact that both of them knew each other's identities was likely something Danzo had already anticipated.
After all, he was the one who had set this whole thing up from the beginning.
"Mr. Akaba, I'll take my leave if there's nothing else," Orochimaru said indifferently. "I still have quite a few things to handle, and anyway, I won't be needed for the closing ceremony later."
"Alright then."
Akaba yawned lazily and cracked his neck, muttering in irritation, "If it weren't necessary to stay here, I'd love to sneak off too."
Orochimaru gave a slight nod and then turned toward the village.
Akaba checked the time and did some quick calculations.
Tsunade should've almost finished her patrol round, and the closing ceremony would start soon.
"I need to recall my Shadow Clone at some point."
He mused quietly to himself.
If Tsunade ever found out he'd used the Multiple Shadow Clones technique to fool her, he definitely wouldn't get off easy.
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