"Oh my, to be honest, I truly didn't expect you to be hiding such a secret, Naruto-kun."
"Another world… one completely different from the Ninja World."
The small snake controlled by Orochimaru coiled itself on the table, flicking its tongue lightly.
Naruto couldn't help but feel as if he was seeing Orochimaru's pale, shadowed face reflected in the snake's movements.
"Cut the nonsense. Just say what you want."
Naruto knew that Orochimaru was the type who wouldn't act without a guaranteed benefit.
If he didn't have some scheme in mind, he wouldn't have revealed himself so soon.
Beside them, Jiraiya opened his mouth to warn Naruto not to agree to any of Orochimaru's demands, but Naruto raised a hand to stop him.
"Speaking with a clever one is always so refreshing, Naruto-kun."
"I want a sample of your body… Of course, it would be even better if you allowed me to conduct research on you directly."
"It's not even nighttime yet. Save the dreams for when you're asleep."
Naruto rejected the request outright.
If Orochimaru could plant a spy inside the Kusanagi Sword, then who knew what he could do with a living body?
Only a fool would agree to such terms.
"I see…"
"Naruto-kun, you don't seem to trust me. That's understandable."
The little snake nodded before continuing.
"Then, how about a different condition?"
"I want to see this 'other world' you speak of."
This request caught Naruto off guard.
His eyes widened slightly as he stared intently at the snake.
"I haven't found a way to bring things with me when I 'travel' yet…"
"No need to worry about that. I believe you'll find a way. I can wait."
Orochimaru's tone was unexpectedly calm.
And for good reason.
Although the Konoha Crush Plan failed, Orochimaru had suffered almost no losses beyond a few subordinates.
Unlike in the original work, where Orochimaru's hands had been sealed by Hiruzen's Dead Demon Consuming Seal and he urgently needed a new body, he was in no rush now.
He could afford to wait until his chosen vessel 'ripened' before performing the Living Corpse Reincarnation.
In other words, Orochimaru had all the time in the world.
Naruto fell silent for a few seconds before nodding.
"Fine. Speak."
With Orochimaru, Naruto never wasted words.
The man was a schemer through and through, and Naruto simply didn't mesh with that kind of personality.
"Where to begin…"
The snake slithered slowly across the table. Strangely, Orochimaru didn't seem to consider the possibility that Naruto had only agreed verbally.
It's as if, in his eyes, Naruto's word was absolute.
"Perhaps you don't know this, but the one who manipulated the Nine-Tails Rampage, leading to your parents' deaths, was someone else entirely. And no, I'm not talking about Danzo."
Naruto didn't even blink when he heard this.
"I know. It was someone with a Sharingan."
This time, it was Orochimaru's turn to be surprised.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya, who heard this truth for the first time, looked utterly stunned.
Because after the Nine-Tails Rampage, all the Konoha's high-ranking people said it was just a 'natural disaster', and even his teacher, Hiruzen, had remained silent on the matter.
Though Jiraiya had his suspicions, he hadn't uncovered any concrete evidence yet.
"How could it be…"
Jiraiya muttered to himself, already deciding that he would confront Hiruzen directly when he returned.
"Khu khu khu...it seems you know far more than this fool does."
Watching Jiraiya's expression of utter disbelief, Orochimaru's real face unconsciously revealed a smile.
"If that's all you have to offer, then our deal..."
"I know who he is!"
The moment these words were spoken, three pairs of eyes locked onto him.
In particular, Naruto's gaze carried an overwhelming intensity.
"I know, I know…"
"A Sharingan capable of controlling a Tailed Beast… That's not something achievable through mere transplantation, like Danzo's cheap tricks."
"Clearly, he is an Uchiha."
"And right now, aside from your little friend, Uchiha Sasuke, there are barely any Uchiha left alive in the entire Ninja World."
"…Uchiha Itachi?"
Naruto recalled the man in the black cloak with red clouds who had attacked him in the Forest of Death that day.
The one who had slaughtered every Uchiha's clansmen except Sasuke.
"No, not him. During the Nine-Tails Rampage, he was just a child… at the very least, he didn't possess that kind of power back then."
As he spoke, Orochimaru seemed to recall something unpleasant, and added reluctantly, "However, the culprit is connected to him. They belong to the same organization."
"…Akatsuki."
Naruto uttered the name softly.
Kakuzu, who had attacked him before, was wearing the same black-and-red robe as Itachi, and at that time, he said that 'Akatsuki will avenge him'.
If Orochimaru was telling the truth, then Naruto had already made an enemy of them long ago.
Unfortunately, Jiraiya hadn't yet investigated Akatsuki or the mastermind behind it, otherwise, his reaction might have been even more entertaining.
"Indeed. Perhaps you didn't know, but I was once a member of that organization."
Orochimaru's voice remained unhurried.
"In that organization, there was a man who called himself… 'Uchiha Madara'."
"Impossible!"
This time, it was Jiraiya who interrupted.
"Uchiha Madara died a long time ago. He's lying."
Naturally, Jiraiya had heard of the legendary conflict between Uchiha Madara and the First Hokage.
Unexpectedly, the snake merely tilted its head, ignoring Jiraiya entirely as it focused on Naruto.
"Naruto-kun, should I continue, or shall we let this fool keep interrupting?"
"Jiraiya-sensei…"
Hearing Naruto's voice, Jiraiya opened his mouth, but ultimately did not continue speaking.
"Thank you."
The snake nodded almost humanely before resuming.
"He called himself Uchiha Madara, though I never saw his true face… after all, I 'left' the organization before I could uncover much."
"But if you ask me who would have both the ability and the motive to control the Nine-Tails… then without a doubt, it was him."
After dropping this bombshell, Orochimaru casually tossed out another.
"In fact, even before I left, they were already planning something called the 'Tailed Beast Capture Plan'."
"Oh… and just so you know, I was the one who provided the bait that set their plans into motion."
As Naruto listened, the pieces began falling into place.
He also had to admit that according to what Orochimaru said, the guy in the [Akatsuki], who called himself 'Uchiha Madara' was a prime suspect.
"Is there anyone in that organization who always wore a mask?"
Naruto suddenly asked another question. He remembered his father's description of the 'mastermind' within the sealing space, a man hiding behind a mask.
"A mask?"
"The one who controlled the Nine-Tails… he always wore one."
The first figures that came to Orochimaru's mind were Sasori and Kisame.
But Sasori was just a puppeteer, and Kisame was definitely not Uchiha Madara.
'Who else could it be?'
Unfortunately, by the time Orochimaru was driven out of Akatsuki by Itachi, Tobi hadn't yet appeared, otherwise, he might have had the answer.