At the main gates of Konohagakure in the Land of Fire, the atmosphere had grown tense once again. With the Land of Water stirring up trouble, the village's security had tightened significantly.
Every person entering or leaving Konoha had to undergo rigorous registration and inspection.
"Name..." the sentry ninja asked, not even bothering to look up. He had been so busy these past few days that if he looked up at everyone, his neck would likely snap.
"Rodriguez Diarmuid," Diarmuid replied with a cheery smile.
"Rodri... that's a rare surname... hm?" The sentry stopped mid-sentence and snapped his head up to stare at Diarmuid, his expression shifting to absolute shock.
Since Diarmuid had visited Konoha before, the common civilians might not know much, but the ninja, especially the sentry guards at the gate, had long since burned his face into their memory.
Good grief, it really is him!
You're an S-Class wanted criminal across the entire shinobi world, why do you keep running to our village whenever you're bored? And registering so openly... you're making my job very difficult.
Even if I register you, I can't exactly just let you in!
"What... what are you here for?" the sentry asked, feeling helpless.
"Ah, your village's Danzo invited me," Diarmuid lied smoothly, pulling a powerful name to cover his tracks. Though it had little to do with Danzo directly, Diarmuid figured he was technically here to help capture the Three-Tails, so it wasn't a total fabrication.
"Who is Danzo?" the sentry blinked, looking confused.
Diarmuid: "???"
Are you kidding me right now?
"Shimura Danzō! You don't know about Root?" Diarmuid asked hesitantly.
"What 'Root'?" the sentry asked, even more bewildered.
Diarmuid was utterly speechless. Danzo, you old coon, how do you expect to run for Hokage? You're basically a background character, a total NPC in your own village. If I were a Konoha villager, I wouldn't vote for you either!
Actually, very few ninja in Konoha knew about the organization known as Root; usually, only Jonin ever came into contact with it. Or perhaps the Anbu, who were closely linked with Root, but as the Hokage's direct strength, they weren't the talkative type. To an outsider or low-level ninja, Root didn't exist. For the sake of secrecy, they always operated under the guise of the 'Anbu.'
"Then do you know Orochimaru?" Diarmuid asked after a moment of thought.
"Of course! How could I not know Orochimaru-sama?" the sentry said quickly.
Diarmuid once again realized how "intellectually challenged" Danzo's campaign strategy for Hokage was...
Setting that aside, he said, "You can think of it this way: Orochimaru's superior invited me to Konoha. You can send someone to go ask if you like."
The sentry certainly couldn't just let Diarmuid in. Soon, a ninja was dispatched. About five or six minutes later, he returned and reported, "The Hokage has granted permission. Orochimaru-sama is waiting for you at his home."
As expected, even though I left without saying goodbye last year, Hiruzen still hasn't blocked me from entering. What a pal!
Diarmuid entered Konoha and headed straight for Orochimaru's residence. The gate to the courtyard was wide open, likely left unlatched specifically for him. He walked right in.
Upon entering, he saw a young girl, Mitarashi Anko, munching on a fried dango. Her eyes lit up with excitement when she saw him.
"Onii-san! You're back!" Anko cried out in surprise.
Diarmuid smiled and nodded. "Anko-chan, what are you doing here?"
Anko didn't mind the "Anko-chan" nickname at all; in fact, she seemed quite happy. She knew this powerhouse was on good terms with her sensei, so she didn't hide anything. "I don't know what's gotten into Sensei lately. He's becoming more and more strict. He just dumped a ton of ninjutsu on me and told me to practice them all..."
Diarmuid paused, feeling a brief sense of melancholy. "Work hard then..."
Anko might not have sensed it, but Diarmuid could guess: Orochimaru was settling his "affairs" in Konoha. Truly, Anko was someone whose potential had been stifled by Orochimaru's departure. Although Diarmuid hadn't spent much time with her, he could tell she was smart and bold. Orochimaru himself had often praised her talent.
It made sense. Anko was Orochimaru's only disciple in Konoha. He had hand-picked her, and she had occupied a significant place in his mind for years, how could she be a "failure"?
Undoubtedly, Anko was gifted. She was simply "screwed over" by Orochimaru. During her most critical growth period, Orochimaru had just up and left, and her own teacher had defected from the village, leaving her with an immense psychological blow. This inevitably stunted her growth, and as Orochimaru's student, she was subjected to endless investigations by Konoha. The mental pressure was unimaginable.
Though she eventually passed the investigations, she was left without a teacher. No one else would step up to train her; she was permanently branded with the "Orochimaru" label. Since then, she had been a self-taught talent, even facing marginalization. Despite this, she managed to stumble her way to the rank of Special Jonin, which was a testament to her innate ability.
The strongest proof? Aside from Sasuke, she was the only one capable of surviving the Cursed Seal of Heaven.
"I will," Anko nodded confidently. "I'd love to chat more, but I better get going. See ya!"
"Alright, take care," Diarmuid smiled.
After saying goodbye to the boisterous Anko, Diarmuid entered the house. Orochimaru had just finished preparing a meal and was bringing it to the table. He arched a brow. "Your timing is impeccable."
"You seem very idle," Diarmuid quipped.
"That is true. I haven't had much to do lately. Most of the experiments I needed to finish are nearly done..." Orochimaru said calmly.
Diarmuid felt a bit puzzled. In his memory, shouldn't Orochimaru be knee-deep in Wood Release research during this period? He had seen him working on it before. Later on, Orochimaru (with Danzo's backing) had even gone so far as to experiment on infants, eventually resulting in Yamato.
Wait... has he stopped?
Diarmuid decided to ask: "Have you made any progress on Wood Release lately? I'm still at a dead end, so I figured I'd ask."
"No. After you left Konoha last year, I stopped that line of research. Don't worry, there's no rush. You will awaken Wood Release sooner or later," Orochimaru said with total confidence.
Diarmuid: "???"
Wait... so Yamato isn't happening? Orochimaru quit?
He wanted to say something, perhaps urge Orochimaru to continue, but the words caught in his throat. How could he "urge" him? This was technically a good thing. If he encouraged him and Orochimaru ended up killing dozens of infants, wouldn't that sin be on Diarmuid's head?
Diarmuid didn't consider himself a "good person," but he wasn't that malicious. He wasn't Danzo! So, he just nodded and stayed silent.
Orochimaru sat down. "You haven't consume anything, have you? Join me."
"Sure." Diarmuid ignored the odd choice of the word "consume" and picked up his chopsticks. As they ate, Orochimaru asked, "So, why are you back?"
"Last year, I promised Danzo I'd get him a Tailed Beast, remember? I've made arrangements. You said you were interested, so I came to find you," Diarmuid replied casually.
"Perfect. What's the plan?" Orochimaru asked, his interest piqued.
"Let's go see Danzo later. I need him to show me the mission intelligence on Kakashi and his team. I need to confirm the location," Diarmuid said.
This was his real reason for seeking out Orochimaru and Danzo. He couldn't pinpoint exactly where Kakashi would fall into Madara's trap, the moment where a Chidori would pierce Rin's chest.
He had decided to use the Three-Tails as an excuse. He would claim he discovered a Kirigakure plot targeting those "easy-to-handle" kids, and that he needed their intel to track them and snatch the Three-Tails. Given Danzo's lack of humanity, he wouldn't hesitate to hand over Kakashi's information.
"Kakashi?" Orochimaru blinked. "What does he have to do with this?"
"Kirigakure has a bizarre plan targeting those kids. They plan to capture one of the Konoha youngsters alive, seal the Three-Tails inside them, and force them to become a Jinchuriki. Then, they'll send them back to Konoha and release the Tailed Beast to cause chaos. At that point, the Stone and Cloud villages will take the opportunity to launch a new offensive," Diarmuid explained.
Orochimaru: "???"
He was genuinely stunned. Though it sounded far-fetched, the more he thought about it, the more he realized its "impracticality" made it a highly plausible threat. Orochimaru could already envision the total collapse of Konoha's strategic position if such a plan succeeded, dragging the village back into the depths of war.
"So, if you sabotage the Mist's plan and steal the Three-Tails, wouldn't you be indirectly helping Konoha again?" Orochimaru asked, surprised.
"Exactly. That's why I think Hiruzen should give me a 'Friend of Konoha' medal and gift me the Scroll of Seals as a bonus," Diarmuid said seriously.
Orochimaru laughed. "You might not know this, but two months ago, Kakuzu and Jūzō killed Hiruzen-sensei's nephew, a Jonin of the Sarutobi clan, and offended the Nara clan."
Diarmuid sighed. "I know, I know. But what does that have to do with us? At most, the Yorozuya is just a tool. People should think more about who posted those missions. They're the real enemies. Why don't they mention that Kakuzu also took a job to kill a Jonin of the Hozuki clan from the Mist?"
In the shinobi world, this cycle of "you kill me, I kill you" was impossible to untangle. It was precisely because of this ambiguity that Hiruzen didn't truly hold a grudge against Diarmuid, otherwise, would he have authorized his entry?
After chatting with Orochimaru for a while, Orochimaru suddenly said, "By the way, I haven't told you yet. I've been researching a new conceptual ninjutsu lately, something like a Reincarnation Technique. It might allow one to reach a state of eternal soul existence."
Diarmuid looked at Orochimaru with surprise and nodded. "Good luck with that."
Orochimaru looked at him strangely. Why are you acting like this is expected? Don't you find my idea brilliant?
Before Orochimaru could dwell on it, Diarmuid asked, "Speaking of which, I'm also quite interested in soul-based techniques. Do you know many? Care to teach me a few?"
Orochimaru's frequent use of the Living Corpse Reincarnation would eventually leave his soul in a weakened state, making him essentially defenseless against Genjutsu. Conversely, a strong soul could, to an extent, resist the power of illusions. However, Diarmuid had never encountered a technique specifically for tempering the soul.
Orochimaru thought for a moment. "I think I understand what you mean. But such techniques are rare. If I had to name one, the Spirit Transformation Technique of the Kato clan is the only one I know of that truly and effectively tempers the soul."