The wind blew gently, and sunlight fell in dappled patterns through the gaps in the leaves.
After infusing himself with pupil power, the young Orochimaru formed hand seals and shouted, "Summoning Technique."
Bang!
As the dust settled, Tagorihime's form hadn't fully appeared, but her playful laughter echoed from the smoke, "It seems like it's been a while since you summoned me. If I hadn't gotten some new toys recently, I really might have... Huh?!"
Upon clearly seeing the scene in the forest, Tagorihime's face showed a hint of surprise. Then, with feigned playfulness, she asked Orochimaru with a smile, "What happened to you?"
The 'Sage Mode' granted a peculiar sense, and beast intuition was sharp. In some aspects of insight, this immortal snake, Tagorihime, could even surpass pupil ninjas.
At this moment, she could tell something was unusual about the young Orochimaru – a pressure originating from different levels of existence. This situation alone was enough for her to ponder. Yet, in addition to the transformed Orochimaru, there was another Orochimaru lying in the woods. Judging by their auras, the one on the ground was even closer to the Orochimaru from before. What could have happened?
Thoughts raced through Tagorihime's mind, but her gaze settled on the slowly rising Orochimaru, hoping for an answer from him. However, it was the boyish-looking Orochimaru who spoke first. His demeanor was as usual, his voice laced with a smile, "Tagorihime, I've summoned you here this time to deliver a message."
"A few days ago, I underwent surgery and completed a life metamorphosis. Out of gratitude for the past kindness of the White Snake Sage, I will share the methods and procedures with him later."
"As for who... he will be the one to go... Oh, right, he's a bit weak right now, so he'll need to rest first."
Tagorihime followed the young Orochimaru's gaze and met the eyes of the Orochimaru on the ground.
A smile appeared on the latter's face, without any hint of forced cheer. But Tagorihime grumbled inwardly, "Not to mention that the Great Sage's help is hardly worth the 'method of life metamorphosis.' If you really wanted to tell, why didn't you go yourself?" Of course, these were just thoughts she could have, she could never openly ask. In their past interactions, despite a significant gap in knowledge and combat power, Tagorihime felt she had the confidence to interact with Orochimaru as an equal, relying on the White Snake Sage. But now, Orochimaru might still be weaker than the White Snake Sage in terms of combat power, but Tagorihime could no longer question or challenge him. A fox wouldn't dare to be an enemy to a fierce tiger; this wasn't about courage, but a naked survival strategy.
Tagorihime, with a small smile on her face, bowed slightly to the young Orochimaru, "I will tell the Great Sage about this later."
She was clear about her role; she was merely a messenger. If there was anything amiss, the White Snake Sage would be the one to inquire. He was the one who could contend with the current Orochimaru. "Is there anything else? If not, I'll take my leave." Seeing the young Orochimaru shake his head, the Tianshin Snake bowed slightly, and then disappeared into the air. The next moment, the other Orochimaru was also summoned away.
"Regarding Ryuchi Cave, please keep an eye on it..."
As the young Orochimaru was giving instructions to the Genie Lamp, a viper suddenly appeared out of thin air beside him, opening its mouth to spit out a scroll...
Orochimaru casually opened the scroll and his eyes fell upon it, his brow furrowing slightly, "Kumogakure, Kirigakure, Iwagakure... The Jinchuriki from the three villages. Nagato is truly decisive."
He really didn't have time to deal with them now. However, on second thought, this also meant that Nagato and the Akatsuki organization wouldn't have time to manage him. This was a rare window of opportunity. After a moment of thought, Orochimaru turned his gaze in the direction of Konoha Village, "I should probably inform the old man about this."
Regardless of how many Tailed Beasts Nagato acquired, they might not pose a fatal threat to him. But for the ninjas of Konoha, the danger could be considerable. The destructive power of the Outer Path—Demonic Statue of the Ten-Tails was likely far greater than ordinary Tailed Beasts. If there were a battle later, it would be beneficial to have more ninjas who could survive due to their wooden bodies. With this thought, Orochimaru clasped his hands together, and a Wood Clone emerged beneath his feet, speeding towards the village.
...
In the Hokage's office, a small meeting had already begun before Orochimaru's arrival. Utatane Koharu, her brow furrowed, said sternly, "Jiraiya, do you know what you're saying? Supporting Mount Myōboku again? Konoha Village's ninjas aren't like you, able to travel freely using Summoning Techniques. A round trip would take at least two months."
"Not to mention that Mount Myōboku is located in the west of the Land of Wind, atop an endless desert. The journey isn't an easy one."
"Elder, I understand what you're saying..." Jiraiya said with a wry smile. "But please, consider how helpful the toads of Mount Myōboku are to our Konoha. Now that they are in danger... it's not right to stand by and do nothing, is it?"
"Mount Myōboku has indeed been very helpful to Konoha, but it's only 'very helpful'..."
Utatane Koharu drew out her words, her reply sharp and cold. "Mount Myōboku is facing a great disaster, and Konoha doesn't need to go all out. Sending one Sannin-level ninja should be enough." The giant summoning beasts of Mount Myōboku were indeed very useful. If the opportunity arose, she would naturally want to coerce them into signing harsher agreements to make them a greater asset to Konoha.
But the problem was that it was impossible. There was no way to travel long distances in the ninja world. She couldn't have Konoha ninjas abandon the village for two months to participate in a battle they could clearly stay out of. Seeing Jiraiya about to say more, Utatane Koharu glared, her voice chilling, "Jiraiya, don't forget your position!"
Indeed, Jiraiya's growth had been greatly aided by Mount Myōboku, and she wasn't surprised by his current sentiments.
Everything should have its limits. To disregard the village's safety and plunge into Mount Myōboku's crisis was truly going too far. "..." Jiraiya's expression turned somber. He knew this was an excessive request, and he wasn't truly insisting on acting in the manner he just described. Utatane Koharu had her position, and he had his. If there were truly no other options, he would go alone and fight to the death at Mount Myōboku.
But for now, he just wanted the village's higher-ups to understand that 'supporting Mount Myōboku' was something worth discussing, not something to be completely abandoned at the first setback, or even to try and persuade him to abandon it.
"..." Both sides held their ground, and the atmosphere in the conference room became tense.
"Sigh..." The Third Hokage, seated at the head of the table, put down his pipe and let out a long sigh. He turned his head to look at Jiraiya, "I know you're hoping for some kind of turn of events, but a month's journey is an insurmountable distance."
"Konoha ninjas cannot abandon the village for over two months; that is the bottom line." Seeing Jiraiya look down in disappointment, the Third Hokage continued, "However, the Sealing Team has recently made some breakthroughs in 'Flying Thunder God' research. If it's just one or two people, there might be a chance."
"As for the choice of personnel... let's tentatively assign Orochimaru. If there are any problems, he can also use Ryuchi Cave to return..."
"Wait..."
Before the Third Hokage could finish, he was interrupted by a voice. The next moment, Orochimaru pushed open the door to the Hokage's office and walked in, smiling, "You arrange this kind of task without even consulting me first? Aren't you afraid I'll just refuse outright?"
The appearance of the person in question changed the atmosphere of the meeting. The Third Hokage and Jiraiya, along with others, looked at Orochimaru with a smile, their brows furrowed. This wasn't because of Orochimaru's appearance; he wasn't planning on explaining much to the village. He was currently using a transformation jutsu.
These were all top-tier ninjas in the ninja world, but besides Jiraiya, they were completely unaware. They were more concerned about what he had just said. Utatane Koharu stared at Orochimaru and said sternly, "Are you planning to refuse the village's assignment?"
When direct support for Mount Myōboku was impossible, and they didn't want to completely sever ties, Orochimaru was the most suitable choice to go as backup. Not only was he powerful, but more importantly, he could quickly travel back and forth over immense distances using the summoning beasts of Ryuchi Cave. As for the distance between Ryuchi Cave and Konoha... the village could afford to wait that long. Of course, all these plans had one prerequisite—Orochimaru wouldn't back out.
Meeting everyone's gaze, Orochimaru smiled, "Of course, I agree to this matter. However, what happens at Mount Myōboku a month from now is a minor issue. We are currently facing a life-or-death crisis."
"Do you know why the Akatsuki organization hasn't launched a second attack after so long?" Before they could ponder, Orochimaru directly stated, "I've just received news that the Akatsuki organization's leader, Nagato, has undergone physical enhancement surgery."
"Not just the kind that White Zetsu had, but also the kind where Yakushi Kabuto transformed from a Chunin to an elite Kage-level power overnight."
A moment of silence fell over the Hokage's office, the atmosphere suddenly becoming heavy. Everyone, except Orochimaru and Jiraiya, felt as if a giant boulder had been placed on their hearts, and a chilling coldness seeped into their bones. Compared to this, the argument between the Elder and Jiraiya just moments ago seemed almost cheerful. Disaster loomed.
No matter what catastrophe Mount Myōboku faced in the depths of the desert, it undoubtedly wouldn't affect Konoha. But the Akatsuki organization and its leader, Nagato... they were terrifying enemies.
Even if they had lost the Crimson Box, Nagato possessed the Sage Eyes, and his own combat power was capable of causing immense destruction. Furthermore, his strength had now been enhanced. Looking at Orochimaru, who still had a smile on his face, everyone felt a mix of emotions. If there had never been that physical enhancement surgery from the start, the village's strength might not have increased so rapidly, but they wouldn't have encountered such an enemy. However, in that case, Orochimaru might not be so strong either...
The cause and effect of events were intertwined. Even though everyone present were elites of the ninja world, it was hard to say who was right or wrong. Danzo, who had become completely insignificant, glanced imperceptibly at Orochimaru, finding his claim of 'recently hearing' quite interesting. It might be valuable intel to trade with the Akatsuki organization.
Danzo's scrutiny was not missed by the current Orochimaru, but he didn't have time to bother with him now. After all, to kill a village elder-level figure, one would need a justifiable reason. Orochimaru naturally didn't want to waste that effort. Moreover, in Orochimaru's view, letting Danzo live while he moved further away from his goals might be a more profound punishment for him. And after a deathly silence in the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage looked at Orochimaru and slowly asked, "Now, do you still have the strength to stop Nagato?"
"I have some confidence that I can repel him again," Orochimaru nodded slightly and then smiled. "But I can't guarantee others. It's best to continue expanding the scope of the surgery... Oh, and Sunagakure Village can also be included in the surgery. I've already discussed some trade with the Kazekage."
Everyone in the room frowned upon hearing this. Secretly negotiating with another ninja village on behalf of Konoha was clearly against procedural justice, but this was clearly not the time to pursue it.
The Third Hokage nodded slightly, "I'll have Tsunade keep an eye on this and speed up the process of creating wooden ninjas." Saying this, he seemed to remember something and turned to Jiraiya, saying, "If Mount Myōboku provides substantial aid to Konoha within this month, there will be great returns in the future."
"I understand," Jiraiya nodded. His gaze fell on Orochimaru, who, with a smile, turned into a wooden statue.
...
The wind rustled, and white clouds shifted shapes as they roared past. Orochimaru stood high in the sky, overlooking the Land of Stones below, a sense of emotion welling up within him.
The environment was equally harsh. If the Roran Oasis in the desert was a gift from the earth, then the desolation of the Land of Stones stemmed from insatiable greed. The White Snake Sage, who had dwelled underground for nearly a thousand years to take control of the Dragon Vein, had already absorbed enough natural energy. Yet, that fellow hadn't given up on monopolizing it.
Currently, all the natural energy in Ryuchi Cave was secondhand, having been processed. If the White Snake Sage were to need it someday in the future, it would most likely flow back. One could say that Ryuchi Cave and all living things within it were her backup hidden reserves of natural energy; the only difference was that one was alive and the other was dead.
Of course, Orochimaru wasn't a saint either. He wasn't thinking about these things to criticize the White Snake Sage, but rather as a point of comparison to consider his own future actions.
"We arrived too quickly, and the clone is still recovering. Why don't we take this opportunity to explore?"
Genie Lamp smiled mysteriously. "Coincidentally, there's a child below that you'll be very interested in." Orochimaru nodded slightly, "Alright."
He sped down in the direction Genie Lamp pointed, and in a short while, they arrived at a small mountain with unusually dense vegetation. "The natural energy here is very abundant."
Orochimaru's eyes glowed slightly as he surveyed the scene below, exclaiming, "It seems this is a leak point from Ryuchi Cave." A long time ago, the natural energy within the White Snake Sage had reached saturation.
"That's right," Genie Lamp floated in the air, tilting its head and smiling. "And this is where you can find the kind of person you were looking for in Roran – a child corrupted by natural energy. He's in the cave below."
"Interesting," Orochimaru licked his lips. "I must go and see."
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