Somewhere near the Tanzaku Town;
"Interesting! It seems like Tsunade has some other plans for this."
Orochimaru let out a sinister laugh as he watched the slug disappear into a puff of smoke.
He turned towards Kimimaro and said.
"You should return to our base and wait for me. If I don’t return, I will return in another form."
"Lord Orochimaru, let me give up my life for you. I can’t hold on for much longer. Let me fight for you one last time."
Kimimaro got to his knees and begged.
Orochimaru hesitated and shook his head.
"No, Kimimaro! You are still useful. This body has a lot of problems. I believe Tsunade has already been approached by someone else."
"It must be Jiraiya, since only he knows her location so well. Even if Tsunade rejects this deal, I can return on my own."
In fact, the reason why he said he couldn’t return was entirely due to the bad feeling he had in his gut.
Considering Naruto had become Hokage, he shouldn’t be allowed to leave, but even a clone would be a problem for him now.
Especially since Naruto’s clone could easily borrow Nine-Tails chakra and stay much longer in the battle.
’That old bastard! It seems like my last words really provoked him too much.’
Orochimaru thought of the time in battle when he said he would destroy the village.
Would he? Of course not!
Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t destroy the village.
He didn’t have that kind of power, especially if he was already having a hard time fighting the Third Hokage with the First and Second Hokage.
More importantly, Orochimaru had spent most of his life in that village. Even if he had grown out of it, he didn’t think he would actually destroy the village.
It was just a momentary rage that he had for the Third Hokage. Who knew he would use such a ridiculous Jutsu on him?
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru!"
Since Lord Orochimaru said he had something else for him, Kimimaro wouldn’t throw his life away for nothing.
He nodded and left. He still needed some medical attention.
Kabuto used to give him that, but he hadn’t returned for three days.
Orochimaru’s face was quite gloomy as he walked towards the destination.
’Things are getting worse for me. Kabuto, did you really betray me?’
Considering Kabuto’s skills, even if it were Naruto, he didn’t think Kabuto would be captured.
Unless he was killed, he had no problem returning to him.
But for three days, Kabuto hadn’t returned. This was a problem since he needed Kabuto for a lot of things.
There was a chance that he had confessed to Naruto, but Kabuto was not that kind of person.
So, unless Naruto already found out about Kabuto from Danzo and lured him in, there was no other reason for Kabuto to betray him.
After all, the person Kabuto hates the most would be Danzo, and considering what Naruto did to Danzo, he actually had a reason to join Naruto.
Even he, the S-Rank Traitor and the man who had recently attacked Konoha, was afraid of cooperating with Danzo.
He was not afraid of death, but he didn’t want to be chased down by Naruto.
Soon, Orochimaru reached the place where he was supposed to meet up with Tsunade.
She had brought her student, and surprisingly, Jiraiya was also present.
"It seems like you didn’t plan to ambush me here."
Seeing Jiraiya’s presence, Orochimaru chuckled.
"What made you think that?"
Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind, which gave Orochimaru goosebumps.
When he turned his head, Naruto was standing behind him.
At this moment, he understood the difference between Naruto and him.
This was the difference between Kage and an actual Otsutsuki with a Shinobi mindset.
If Naruto had run towards him, even with his current strength, Orochimaru would’ve found his trail.
After all, he had dealt with speed-type Shinobi like the Third and Fourth Raikage, and many of the Cloud Village Shinobi.
Unfortunately, Naruto could completely shut down his Chakra Signature.
That meant no matter how good a regular sensor one could be, without Sage Mode, it would be impossible to sense him.
"Don’t worry! I am not here to kill you."
[Release]
Naruto threw a kunai in front of Orochimaru and released the Shadow Clone.
Orochimaru looked straight into Jiraiya’s eyes and asked.
"What do you plan to do here?"
"Just wait for their arrival!"
"Their?"
Orochimaru’s pupils shrank when two people suddenly appeared next to the Kunai in about twenty seconds.
Twenty seconds was all it took for Naruto to find the Second Hokage in the village.
"Second Hokage!"
Orochimaru subconsciously licked his lips when he saw the Second Hokage. This was his idol.
He had previously used this idol to kill his sensei. Seeing him, Orochimaru’s pupils shrank rapidly.
He looked at Naruto in shock as he asked.
"You! You have undone that Jutsu. How?"
Naruto waved his hand.
"I won’t tell you, but you will eventually find the truth yourself, right? Besides, I am not here to discuss that with you."
"I’ll be blunt. I have undone that Jutsu, and I have your arms. Even if you undo that Jutsu again, you can never regain your arms."
"So, I’m willing to exchange this pair of arms for your complete, detailed research on the First Hokage’s Cells, Cursed Seals, Cloning Projects, and Clan Traits."
"I know you have done a lot of research on those things, and I need them. I’ve brought the Second Hokage here to help you realize something."
"I might not be a science guy, but this lord here will recognize any problem you leave in the documents."
"Once you give everything, I will return your arms."
Hearing that, Orochimaru’s anger flared. He clenched his fist, barely able to move his hands.
But his eyes were stuck on Naruto. He had never been this angry with someone before.
He had a problem with Naruto now, but he couldn’t reject him.
Because those arms meant everything to him.
"How can I trust you?"
When Orochimaru asked this question, Naruto chuckled and said.
"You don’t have a choice. Only I can give you those arms. They are souls after all."
"But if it makes you feel any better, I understand the mechanism of your resurrection, which means I only have to kill those people with the Cursed Seal to actually kill you."
"So, you better understand what to do. If you agree, we’ll meet near Konoha’s walls. Remember, Orochimaru, if you try to hide anything."
"I will not trust you again."