"So… what is your answer?"
Orochimaru's lips curled into a clear smile, his face showing both a sinister and sincere look. He stared at Shisui as if looking at a sacrifice willingly stepping into a serpent's jaws.
Deception? Force?
Those cheap tricks weren't needed.
All he had to do was put the truth in front of Shisui, and Shisui would make the choice himself.
And this choice was already decided, made completely by his own will.
To make someone bow to another's will is nothing compared to making them bow to their own.
He wanted to protect the village and his clan. When he couldn't have both, he hesitated and wavered.
But if there was truly a path that could achieve both, he would walk it with even more determination than anyone else.
Genie once used a word to describe Shisui — Saint.
It sounded very fitting.
Orochimaru licked his lips. He used to hate people like this, especially the strong ones among them.
They didn't care about personal gain. Even though they had great value, it was hard to work with them.
And making their vision for the group come true was way too hard and troublesome—just not worth it.
But Genie gave him a new idea.
If something was good for the group, these idealists would do it without holding back, even if they didn't get anything in return.
So, if you hide or wrap up your own interests and tie them to the group's interests, wouldn't that mean paying a much smaller price?
Orochimaru couldn't help but admire it. Truly the thinking of a black-hearted merchant, a filthy parasite!
Still, it worked really well.
Just saying something like "For the village" or "For the clan" could make a Mangekyou Sharingan user give everything without hesitation.
That's terrifying!
If it were before, when his goals clashed with the village, he might have broken away and started over, wasting who knows how much time.
The clearer this became to Orochimaru, the more he hated Danzo.
Parasites—there's no room for a second one in Konohagakure!
And under Orochimaru's "sincere" words, the last bit of doubt in Shisui's heart vanished.
With his feelings out of the way, Shisui thought calmly for a moment, then shook his head at Orochimaru. "Orochimaru-sama, I can't beat the Eight-Tails. Even against the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, I couldn't hold her off for long, even if I fought to the death."
He wasn't making excuses. He had fought Yugito after she transformed and knew her strength. This was a clear judgment of the situation.
He was only fourteen, his body still not fully developed. On top of that, his Mangekyou Sharingan specialized in genjutsu, which put a huge strain on his body.
After thinking for a bit, Shisui spoke again. "If we can capture the Two-Tails Jinchuriki alive, maybe my eye technique could work."
Shisui explained what his Mangekyou ability, Kotoamatsukami, could do. As he spoke, he kept an eye on Orochimaru's face. Seeing that Orochimaru's smile didn't change and still looked just as sinister, Shisui felt a little relieved.
Kotoamatsukami could permanently and completely change someone's will and thoughts. It was like a power from legend—no one could hear that and not be wary. Shisui took Orochimaru's calm reaction as trust, and it moved him deeply.
"Capturing the Two-Tails Jinchuriki alive is far too difficult."
Orochimaru shot the idea down without hesitation.
What a joke. The ability had a cooldown of more than ten years after one use. That kind of cost wasn't in his plans.
Worried Shisui might act on his own, Orochimaru added, "Your eye technique costs too much to use. Don't try it in battle unless there's no other choice, especially against Jinchuriki. Their chakra mixed with the tailed beast's makes your jutsu too likely to fail."
This was exactly what worried Shisui from the start, which was why he suggested capturing the Jinchuriki alive.
But with that plan rejected, and since he couldn't stop the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Shisui was at a loss. He couldn't help but look at Orochimaru, hoping for another plan.
He didn't want his clan to suffer huge losses unless it was absolutely necessary.
"I already considered the gap between you and the Two-Tails Jinchuriki."
Orochimaru pulled out a vial of pale green liquid from a scroll and handed it to Shisui.
It was a Yamato-brand genetic serum. Though called a genetic serum, "cell serum" was more accurate. It was basically a cell fusion liquid that could copy and grow cells at the cellular level, strengthening the host's body.
The effect was decent, but the price was high. Counting the failures, the average cost of one vial was ten million ryo.
For comparison, a Konohagakure elite jonin had a black market bounty of just over thirty million ryo.
This one vial was worth a third of a jonin's life.
Still, Orochimaru never hesitated to spend money on someone useful.
Orochimaru smiled. "Drink it. It will make your body stronger."
Shisui pulled the stopper and drank it without a second thought. He couldn't think of any reason Orochimaru would want to harm him.
Then Shisui collapsed, his body twitching and convulsing, both hands clutching his throat as muffled cries escaped his mouth.
"Tsk tsk tsk… with a reaction like that, he's going to gain even more than I expected."
Even though most of his doubts were gone, Orochimaru couldn't help but sigh at the sight.
So even with the same drug, there were differences in bloodline quality.
Pushing aside stray thoughts, Orochimaru turned his mind back to the battlefield.
Everything was going according to plan—he just needed the right moment.
...
The next day, at dusk.
The fortress that had only had its defensive barrier up for a little over a day was completely abandoned by the Konoha forces led by Orochimaru. Now, new reinforcements had moved in to take their place.
The two advisors to the Hokage, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, exchanged a look and then turned their eyes toward the direction where Orochimaru and his group had disappeared.
"Orochimaru is too aggressive."
Koharu frowned again as she recalled how he had practically tossed the fortress to them like it was trash.
Putting personal feelings aside, she still didn't agree with Orochimaru's methods.
They had already managed to establish a stronghold. The safest plan would be to advance slowly and drive Kumogakure out of the Land of Fire step by step. Hoping to end the war in one blow was reckless. Win or lose, the cost would be huge, and if they failed, the entire front could collapse, and even the hard-earned stronghold might be lost.
But Orochimaru acted on his own. She had already humbled herself to try to talk him out of it, but he completely ignored her.
And his squad leaders acted like they'd been drugged, following his every word without question.
Homura didn't respond to her complaint. He just stared at the sinking sun and lit a cigarette.
Koharu frowned deeper and asked, "Don't tell me you agree with Orochimaru's way?"
"No, I didn't say that."
Homura blew out a puff of smoke and said slowly, "But tell me this—if we followed our method, could Orochimaru have rebuilt a stronghold on the border in just one night?"
Koharu had no answer.
"If Orochimaru can do that, it means he's stronger than us."
Homura flicked away the cigarette butt and added, "Of course, if he fails, I won't let it slide. I'll take his authority from him along with Hiruzen."
After speaking, Homura turned his gaze toward the forest, now swallowed by the coming dark.
There was one thing he didn't say aloud: Konoha could still handle a war of attrition for now.
On the Iwagakure front, the Root division was holding the line. Jiraiya was stationed at the border of the Land of Wind. But the defenses toward the Land of Water—they had abandoned those.
Sure, the Hidden Mist was in turmoil, but there was no telling when they'd settle things.
Konoha really couldn't afford to drag this out.
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