"Kou, you're always so boring. Your inappropriate honesty really annoys me!" Yakushi Kabuto's dull jokes did not dispel Orochimaru's doubts. "Even without Kotoamatsukami, it shouldn't be difficult for Danzo to deal with you. Could it be that you've become so strong?"

"How could it be?" Yakushi Kabuto smiled awkwardly, cold sweat streaming down his face. "With so many abandoned pawns and cannon fodder, it won't be difficult to escape using the Soul Death Technique."

"Really?" Orochimaru didn't ask any more questions. He turned to look at Danzo and his subordinates who had gradually escaped the shackles of the trap. "I am not interested in your secrets, but you must do well in what you are told to do. When you act on your own, you'd better think about the consequences of angering me."

"Got it." Hearing that Orochimaru had no intention of pursuing the matter, Kabuto Yakushi breathed a sigh of relief.

"You really work hard! I really can't figure out what Danzo has discovered that he values ​​so much!"

Yakushi Kabuto laughed dryly and agreed, "How could Danzo find out about Lord Orochimaru's affairs? Maybe there is another hidden story!"

"The Anbu of Konoha is not strong enough to escape my vigilance. So it is indeed as you said. Is there another reason?"

Orochimaru couldn't help but mutter to himself, thinking about what Danzo had said since they met, and suddenly something clicked in his mind, "I don't understand, village, miracle, wisdom, dedication? So that's it!"

After figuring out the key point, Orochimaru laughed, "I was overthinking it."

"Does Lord Orochimaru understand? Could it be that we are really blind and missed some treasure?"

"How could that be? This time, it was Danzo who asked me for help, but the means were a little more drastic. This reminds me of many years ago, when Danzo, whose body was on the verge of collapse, curled up in the dark underground, begging for my help like a wounded hyena."

As he spoke, Orochimaru, who seemed to recall the past, smiled contemptuously, "This time, I guess there was some important discovery in the village, and he couldn't solve it himself, so he thought of me."

After hearing what Orochimaru said, Kabuto Yakushi asked in confusion: "Since we are in Konoha, is there anything that Danzo can't get? Even Tsunade, the Hokage, can't stop the stubborn Danzo, right?"

"Of course we can do this for tangible treasures, just like the Sharingan he has now. Even the powerful Uchiha family can't stop his greed. But if it's an intangible thing, how can we get it? Although there are various kinds of mind-reading skills, they are not omnipotent after all. Memory is not equal to wisdom!"

"Wisdom? I see. Danzo made his purpose clear from the beginning." Kabuto Yakushi also understood Danzo Shimura's plan.

"There is something that Danzo feels needs my personal involvement. This is no less difficult than the research on the first generation of cells. I am really curious..."

"If he is so valuable, why didn't Danzo use Kotoamatsukami to control this person he thought was valuable, but instead went to a far place to ask for help from the adults?"

"Go for the far-flung? Since Kotoamatsukami only uses it once every many years, Danzo probably thinks it's more cost-effective to use it on me, right?"

"That's true!" After figuring out the situation, Kabuto Yakushi said as he looked at the approaching Danzo Shimura, "But maybe we can take advantage of the anxious Danzo..."

Orochimaru shook his head and said, "Don't think Danzo is too stupid. He still has the Sharingan. Ordinary means cannot deceive him."

"Of course you can't use ordinary methods. Remember? Lord Orochimaru, you had a backup clone of your original body before you were reincarnated. Isn't it normal to use this to impersonate your real body?"

"You've really thought it through, Kabuto." Orochimaru smiled sinisterly, and suddenly a snake jumped out from his sleeve and quickly wrapped around Kabuto's neck. The snake's head, spitting out its tongue, stared at Kabuto's eyes fiercely.

"Why don't I remember ever agreeing to let you touch my clone? You are so bold and reckless, do you want to die once?"

It doesn't matter how you deal with the failed products of the experiment that you have abandoned and long ignored, but it is quite unpleasant to be collected by Pharmacist Kabuto in such a secret way. If someone with ulterior motives discovers the weakness of the original body and takes advantage of it, it will not be a good thing.

The bound Kabuto Yakushi dared not move, let alone argue in front of the furious Orochimaru. He could only wait for Orochimaru's decision.

Seeing that Kabuto Yakushi looked like he was ready to be slaughtered, Orochimaru thought for a moment, released Kabuto Yakushi's restraints, and said to Kabuto Yakushi, who was kneeling on the top of the Ten Thousand Snakes and coughing non-stop, "Do as you wish! You'd better pray that you do it well enough to make me happy, otherwise, you will be waiting for a fate worse than death, if you can still escape alive."

Looking at Danzo who was approaching, Orochimaru said impatiently: "Hurry up and get ready, don't look so pitiful. I have to meet my old friend later, and I hope to hear good news from you later."

…

In the dense primeval forest, Orochimaru was running forward. The sound of the battle behind him had long been lost. Even the most outstanding perception-type ninja could not easily track him. After a long time, Orochimaru stopped on the top of a giant tree, looked at the jungle behind him and said, "Why don't you come out? Then I'm really leaving."

"You're still so unlovable, Orochimaru!" Jiraiya, with white hair, came out and said to his former teammate who looked exhausted, "You've changed a lot..."

"Why? Are you here to persuade me to return to the village this time too?"

Jiraiya shook his head and replied, "No, the old days are gone forever."

"Then what are you doing here? Do you want to avenge the old man?"

"Tsunade and I are very unhappy about the death of the Third Hokage. Orochimaru, this was the Third Hokage's own choice and I couldn't stop him! However, this doesn't stop me from feeling disgusted by what you did. You were once a genius, but you have fallen to this point. You firmly believe that you can understand all the truths in the world, but you are so obsessed with the Sharingan. You have completely forgotten your original intention."

"You know too little about this world, Jiraiya. Let me tell you, if it were the Sharingan, all of this would be worth it."

Speaking of this topic, Orochimaru couldn't help but raise his voice and spoke a little fanatically.

"You are going against common sense, greedy without restraint, and ignoring the moral values ​​of the world. You are about to become the kind of person you once hated." Jiraiya looked at the stubborn Orochimaru with a little regret, "Perhaps only death can free you from the shackles..."