"No, Tsunade, Konoha never received a request for a truce during the Third Shinobi World War."
"The war only ended when the major nations ran out of money and manpower to sustain it."
As Orochimaru affirmed his account, Uchiha Hikaru nodded slightly, satisfaction flashing across his face.
At least Orochimaru is being cooperative. That's rare.
"Orochimaru is right. The whole thing was orchestrated by Danzo and Hanzo."
"Danzo manipulated Hanzo into distrusting Akatsuki."
"Think about it—if you were Hanzo, would you allow another organized ninja faction to emerge right under your nose?"
"Remember, the Second Shinobi World War was started by Hanzo and the Land of Rain. Akatsuki, on the other hand, was advocating peace."
By now, Tsunade had begun to understand the full picture.
Of course. No village leader would allow a new leadership or ideology to rise independently within their own territory.
Danzo clearly exploited Hanzo's paranoia, playing him like a fiddle.
It's tragic… Akatsuki actually began with noble ideals…
Uchiha Hikaru noticed Tsunade's silence and gave her a moment to process everything. She had been drinking earlier—he wasn't sure how sharp her mind was at the moment.
"And Danzo's real goal wasn't just to weaken the Land of Rain. He wanted to incite a civil war there..."
"...and more importantly, he was after the Rinnegan."
"You mean—the red-haired kid had the Rinnegan?!"
"He had the Rinnegan?!"
Orochimaru and Tsunade jumped up simultaneously, slamming their hands on the table.
Orochimaru's eyes widened in visible shock, his pupils trembling as he processed the revelation.
"Hikaru… are you saying that Akatsuki has two pairs of Rinnegan?"
His voice trembled slightly, clearly disturbed by the implications.
Hikaru calmly motioned for them to sit back down.
"Relax. Let me explain."
"Hanzo used Konan—the purple-haired kunoichi—to corner Nagato. He forced him to kill their leader, Yahiko."
"Nagato was the red-haired boy. Yahiko was the orange-haired one."
"Yahiko... took his own life, impaling himself on Nagato's kunai."
Tsunade raised her hand abruptly, interrupting.
"Wait—Yahiko's dead?"
"But didn't Orochimaru say he was nearly killed by Yahiko?"
"And the Rinnegan—is it on Nagato or Yahiko?"
"Damn that Danzo! Why is everything always a mess because of him?!"
Fuming, she grabbed the sake jug and took several swigs straight from it, wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her Hokage coat.
Orochimaru stared at her, slightly dumbfounded.
Tsunade's gotten so much... manlier. Is it possible that somewhere along the line, she and I switched gender roles?
That ridiculous thought popped into his head, but before he could say anything, Tsunade glared daggers at him.
"Are you thinking something rude about me just now? I can tell! My sixth sense never fails. If you insult me again, I'll knock you through the damn wall!"
Sweat beaded down Orochimaru's cheek.
Seriously?! How can she sense that? Do all women have this built-in perception? But I have a woman's body too… does that mean I don't qualify yet?
Strangely, that only made him more curious about what it meant to truly "become" a woman.
"Ahem. Let's focus," Hikaru said, coughing lightly to bring them back on track.
"After Yahiko died, Nagato summoned a massive construct—its upper half was comparable in size to a Tailed Beast."
"A huge, lavender-colored dragon emerged from its mouth. Any ninja it touched died instantly, without warning. Hanzo was the only survivor from the Rain side."
"Danzo, of course, escaped unharmed—he and the other Root operatives had been hiding nearby the whole time."
"Danzo and Hanzo both witnessed Nagato's power and realized he was the true leader of Akatsuki. That's when they confirmed that he possessed the Rinnegan."
As Uchiha Hikaru laid bare the hidden past, both Tsunade and Orochimaru fell silent.
This is bad.
Akatsuki likely now harbored deep hatred toward Konoha. And once they were strong enough, retaliation was inevitable.
Tch. Danzo, you bastard.
Tsunade clenched her fists in frustration. She no longer cared about who owned the Rinnegan. She just wanted to drag Danzo out of the afterlife and beat him senseless.
...Wait.
Wasn't Danzo sealed in Itachi's Totsuka Blade?
Forget the Pure Land—that old schemer doesn't deserve it.
Too bad she didn't know that. She might've toasted to it otherwise.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru had fixated on the Rinnegan.
He began forming theories rapidly, mind buzzing with possibilities, before offering them aloud.
"Tsunade. Hikaru. I can think of three possible scenarios—"
"If you've got something to say, say it! Don't drag it out like some gossiping housewife!" Tsunade snapped.
Already furious, she couldn't stand Orochimaru's slow, dramatic pacing right now.
Orochimaru flinched but quickly composed himself.
"First possibility: Nagato sacrificed himself using some kind of forbidden jutsu to revive Yahiko—and implanted the Rinnegan into him."
"Second: it might be a form of human puppet technique. Sasori's puppets retain the blood and chakra traits of the deceased. Yahiko could've been made into a puppet, and the Rinnegan's power channeled through him."
"Third… Nagato, overwhelmed by grief, decided to take on Yahiko's identity. He dyed his hair, changed his appearance, and… became him."
Hikaru was impressed with the first two theories—logical, plausible, and disturbingly well-reasoned. Orochimaru really was the top mind of the shinobi world when it came to forbidden knowledge.
But then came that last one.
And all the respect Hikaru felt evaporated instantly.
His mind conjured up images of a deranged Snake Sannin returning to Konoha with bright orange hair and a new identity.
Yup. Uncle Snake's always had a weird streak. The netizens on those ninja forums weren't kidding…
Tsunade, on the other hand, nearly choked on her sake.
"Turned into him because he missed him?! Are you out of your damn mind?"
It was so ridiculous, she couldn't help but imagine a twisted romance brewing between Nagato and Yahiko.
Has Orochimaru been spending too much time with Jiraiya's old manuscripts or what?
She cast him a scornful glance, full of judgment and disgust.
Just like she was looking at a pile of trash.
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