Chapter 360 — Bargaining Chips
Kei looked calmly at Orochimaru.
He was weighing his options—specifically, what he could extract from Orochimaru in return.
In truth, Kei's feelings toward Orochimaru were far more complicated than they appeared.
His greed whispered to him that whatever he could gain from Orochimaru should far exceed what Orochimaru wanted from him.
Still, Kei retained his rationality.
He understood that profit required payment.
More importantly, Orochimaru's latent value was extraordinarily high. There was a real possibility that Kei would need Orochimaru's help again in the future.
With that in mind, Kei began to consider what he could gain this time—using Kimimaro as leverage.
What Orochimaru wanted was obvious.
Blood.
Perhaps bone marrow.
Nothing more.
Orochimaru's experiments were fundamentally different from Kei's, and so were his materials. And Orochimaru knew perfectly well that Kei would never allow Kimimaro to die.
That meant the samples alone would be more than enough.
So… should I have him test the Sharingan? Or something else?
Kei thought briefly.
The idea flickered through his mind—then vanished just as quickly.
That path was clearly unreliable.
Kei had already opened a forbidden door for Orochimaru. If he pushed too hard, who knew what kind of chaos might follow?
And at this stage, Kei didn't urgently need Orochimaru to do anything specific.
Ask him to assassinate his former teacher?
That wasn't simple at all—and whether Orochimaru would even agree was questionable.
Kei exhaled softly and decided to take a more direct approach.
"Then let's be clear," he said calmly.
"What exactly do you want, Orochimaru—and what are you offering me in return?"
Orochimaru's lips curled slightly as his tongue slid across them.
"What I want?" he replied softly.
"I believe you already know the answer, Kei-kun."
"But since you asked, I'll be frank."
"I need blood from that child—the one who successfully awakened his bloodline limit."
"And if possible," he added smoothly,
"I would also like his bone marrow."
He paused deliberately, watching Kei's expression.
As expected—no reaction.
Calm. Controlled. As though everything had already been anticipated.
Orochimaru wasn't surprised.
If Kei wouldn't say it himself, then Orochimaru would say it for him.
And what came next, he suspected, was what Kei truly cared about.
Orochimaru had thought carefully about what he could offer in exchange.
After all, what did someone like Uchiha Kei actually need?
In the end, Orochimaru concluded that the most valuable thing he could provide wasn't power—but access.
Information.
And people who could reach places others could not.
Orochimaru understood Kei's current situation well—perhaps better than Kei realized.
He had a grasp of Konoha's internal balance, even if he pretended otherwise.
Danzō was dead.
But Root was not.
And the Third Hokage—Orochimaru's former teacher—had taken full control of it, reforging it into an airtight structure.
The opposition between Kei and the Third Hokage was obvious to Orochimaru.
And that… was something he could exploit.
"As for what I can give you," Orochimaru continued with a faint smile, not bothering to draw things out,
"Perhaps one person. Or maybe two."
"Two people," he clarified,
"who can allow you to extend your hand into the roots of a great tree."
"Into Root…?" Kei's expression finally shifted, ever so slightly.
A strange glint flashed through his eyes.
It seemed that, at last—
He understood exactly what Orochimaru was offering.
Two people?
Yakushi Kabuto?
And Yakushi Nono?
The moment Orochimaru spoke, those two names surfaced in Kei's mind.
Back in his original plans, he had considered using those two to disgust and destabilize Danzō.
Unfortunately for Danzō, he had died far too quickly—at Kei's hands.
The chain of events that followed had also caused Kei to temporarily shelve some of those earlier plans.
There was, of course, another key variable.
Uchiha Shisui.
It wasn't as though Kei had never reached into Root.
"Kei-kun, your expression seems… unusual."
Orochimaru caught the shift immediately. Then, as though a realization struck him, he smiled thinly.
"Could it be that my kind and respectable teacher has already extended his hand into a bloodline clan?"
"So you noticed," Kei chuckled softly.
"Yes, that's exactly what happened. Unfortunately for him, he reached too far and brushed against me."
"And even more unfortunately," Kei continued calmly,
"although he never noticed my gaze, and although my subordinate hesitated… I've never been someone who's easy to reason with."
"I see," Orochimaru hissed, tongue flicking out briefly.
"So Kei-kun already has a plan."
"Then I imagine you'd be very interested in a woman who has just returned from Iwagakure—someone who harbors deep resentment toward Root, possesses intelligence on Kumogakure, excels at disguise, and is capable of earning Root's trust."
Kei suddenly raised his head.
"Yakushi Nono," he said.
"And if my memory serves me correctly, she also has a child with her… Yakushi Kabuto. Am I right?"
For an instant, Orochimaru's snake-like golden pupils contracted.
But only for an instant.
Soon, his familiar smile returned.
It was unexpected—but not shocking.
He didn't know exactly how Kei had obtained this information. Perhaps Kei had drawn conclusions based on the girl he had taken in.
Either way, if Kei knew their identities, then he surely understood their value.
"It seems your authority within Konoha has reached an enviable height, Kei-kun," Orochimaru said slowly.
"Yes. It's them."
"So that's how it is."
Kei glanced briefly at Ayaka, who had remained silent the entire time, then smiled faintly.
"The wandering witch returns to her old trade. No one knows where they've gone. And alongside her, a boy named Yakushi Kabuto disappears as well."
"Orphans going missing isn't unusual," he added calmly,
"but anyone who thinks carefully can piece together what happened."
"A sharp nose, as expected of you," Orochimaru replied smoothly, choosing not to interrupt.
"So, Kei-kun—what do you think?"
"Very good," Kei said after only a brief pause.
"I'm very interested in those two."
And he truly was.
One would go on to earn a legendary title in the future; the other would become one of the hidden architects behind the Fourth Shinobi War.
More importantly—
If he controlled Yakushi Nono, then Yakushi Kabuto would inevitably follow.
Yes, Root already had Uchiha Shisui.
But Shisui could reveal very little.
And earning the Third Hokage's complete trust was far from easy.
Kei had confidence in Shisui—but he could never underestimate Sarutobi Hiruzen's influence.
Preparing for the worst and planning for every possibility had always been Kei's style.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have kept multiple contingencies even after securing Uchiha Obito.
More cards in hand meant greater security—especially when those cards were as discreet as the ones Orochimaru offered.
"Can you guarantee they'll listen to me?"
Kei met Orochimaru's gaze directly.
"I don't want assets that require constant cleanup. That might be reliable—but it wastes my time."
"They will listen," Orochimaru replied calmly.
"More accurately, they listen to me. But I can guarantee that unless invited by you, I will not return to Konoha."
He smiled faintly.
"In that case, does it really matter who they're loyal to?"
"Interesting," Kei said with a faint smile of his own.
"It's rare to see you this candid, Orochimaru."
Then he shook his head.
"But that price isn't enough. Those two aren't fully under my control."
"Oh?" Orochimaru paused slightly, though his expression remained unchanged.
"Then what else do you want?"
Kei studied him quietly.
In truth, he was already satisfied.
There were only three effective ways to control someone: coercion, trust, or jutsu-based domination.
And Kei had neither the time, energy, nor inclination to pursue any of those right now.
Whatever methods Orochimaru used, they were likely some mixture of persuasion and manipulation.
Even if Orochimaru promised not to return to Konoha without invitation, Kei suspected the real reason was simpler:
Konoha was more dangerous for Orochimaru than the outside world.
And assets cultivated by someone else—even obedient ones—were inherently less valuable.
"Relax," Kei said calmly.
"I'm asking for more, but not something unreasonable."
He glanced at Ayaka, then produced a scroll and tossed it to Orochimaru.
"I'll also give you payment. I prefer straightforward transactions."
"I speak. You act. I pay. Simple."
Orochimaru caught the scroll, eyes gleaming as his tongue slid across his lips.
"Interesting. And what exactly is my payment—and my task?"
"A pair of Sharingan," Kei said flatly.
"Two-tomoe. Their previous owner was an Uchiha—like the last pair I gave you."
"Someone I killed."
"How do you find that compensation?"
"Two tomoe?" Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, then smiled even wider.
"That's quite a deal. So—what do you want me to do?"
"Simple," Kei replied.
"My people are too slow. They're collecting information on the Hyūga clan—but not the current one."
"I want records from a thousand years ago."
"The Hyūga from a millennium past?"
"That doesn't concern you," Kei said calmly.
"If you grow curious and I find out, I will visit you."
"But until then, you have only one task."
"Accept it—and we have a deal."
"And that task is?"
"Find traces of the Hyūga clan from a thousand years ago."
"Traces we haven't found."
---