"Orochimaru."
Jiraiya took a sharp breath at the sight of the pale snake summoner. "It's quite unseemly for old friends to meet like this," he said, his voice heavy.
"Why don't you sit down and have a proper chat?" Jie Uchiha suggested calmly, shooting Orochimaru a pointed look.
Orochimaru understood instantly. Jie was targeting Jiraiya and Tsunade.
Reuniting the Sannin... how interesting, Orochimaru thought, licking his lips.
Setting his experiment aside, Orochimaru led the group into an adjacent reception room. A heavy, awkward silence fell over the three Sannin. Jie knew the distance and alienation built up over the years wouldn't fade so easily.
Not wanting to stick around and watch the drama, Jie turned to Orochimaru. "The adaptation period for the Living Corpse Reincarnation should be over by now. You're used to this body, right?"
Orochimaru nodded. "So, Jie, are you ready to finish our transaction?"
"It's better to eradicate the hidden dangers in your body early so you can relax," Jie replied flatly.
"Then I will leave it in your hands," Orochimaru said with a faint smile.
"Transaction? Hidden dangers?" Tsunade frowned, listening closely. Was there something wrong with Orochimaru's body? Was that why he agreed to stay in the Hidden Leaf?
Only then did she realize Orochimaru looked a size smaller than before. She knew for a fact he didn't have the Creation Rebirth jutsu to casually alter his physical age.
Anxiety washed over her. "Orochimaru, what happened to your body?" she asked urgently.
Facing Tsunade's concern, Orochimaru's raspy voice softened considerably. "It's just a minor issue. Jie will take care of it."
Tsunade's heart sank. Given his paranoid nature, Orochimaru would never let anyone tinker with his body without absolute certainty. But was Jie Uchiha really that skilled in medical ninjutsu? He was incredibly powerful for his age and had mastered countless jutsu. Did he have high-level medical skills on top of all that?
'Is there really such a perfect person in this world?' Tsunade wondered in shock.
"In that case, look into my eyes, Orochimaru," Jie said, his tone indifferent.
The moment the words left his mouth, the three tomoe in his eyes spun wildly. In a flash, they morphed into an intricate, glowing triangular pattern.
Kotoamatsukami: Radiance
"Gah!" Orochimaru cried out, clutching his head in agony. Within seconds, his pale forehead was drenched in cold sweat.
"Are you okay?!" Tsunade and Jiraiya rushed forward in a panic. From their perspective, Jie had merely glanced at him, yet it triggered a violent reaction. Was this how he cleared hidden dangers?
"I'm fine," Orochimaru gasped weakly. The pain quickly faded, leaving his pale face filled with absolute relief.
In that split second, Orochimaru felt as if his soul was a piece of raw iron being forged in a sea of scorching flames. The process was agonizing, but once the impurities burned away, only his pure self remained.
"I didn't expect you to actually do it, Jie," Orochimaru said with a forced smile, genuine disbelief lingering in his eyes.
He could clearly feel that the lingering remnants of Yamato's will within his soul had been completely wiped out. Though his own soul felt slightly weak right now, this new body responded to him with perfect compatibility. It felt as if it had been his all along.
"As long as it works," Jie remarked casually. "Truthfully, I wasn't entirely sure if it would be effective."
Jie cast an amused glance at the Sannin. Originally, he figured that if the ocular jutsu failed, he would just kill Orochimaru and use a Resurrection Coin to revive him. Burning an item like that would be a waste, but gaining Orochimaru's absolute loyalty wouldn't be a bad trade-off.
After all, Orochimaru held the core technology of the ninja world. Having him around would undoubtedly be a massive help.
However, Jie hadn't expected Kotoamatsukami to actually be capable of selectively destroying that fragmented will.
With his assistance, Orochimaru's Living Corpse Reincarnation could now be considered a perfected jutsu, except for a brief period of weakness and adaptation.
He just didn't know how many times they could repeat this operation.
Every time he used Kotoamatsukami to destroy an invading will, it invariably chipped away a tiny fraction of Orochimaru's original consciousness.
If Orochimaru's mental state weakened past a certain threshold, his mind wouldn't be able to withstand the treatment anymore.
But that was a problem for the future.
Having completed his end of the deal, Jie smoothly exited the laboratory, leaving the space for the three old friends to catch up.
Given the Hidden Leaf's current situation and Orochimaru's silver tongue, Jie was confident... Even if Tsunade and Jiraiya didn't agree to officially return right away, they would at least stay in the village for a while.
And that window of time was exactly what Jie wanted.
Thinking of the towering piles of paperwork he had casually tossed aside in the Hokage's office, a brilliant idea formed in his mind.
'Perhaps I can use this upcoming mission to help the Sannin reconcile', he mused. 'If I can get both Tsunade and Jiraiya to stay, I'll have three Kage-level powerhouses working under me. Once they clean up the Hidden Leaf's mess and take charge, I can just be a hands-off boss and live comfortably.'
Dreaming of that beautiful, lazy future, Jie felt a surge of anticipation.
'It's decided. I have to make sure Jiraiya and Tsunade stay in the Hidden Leaf'. With his mind made up, Jie headed toward his home.
Work? What work? He had skipped out today specifically to go on a date with Izumi. Even if the date had been derailed, there was no way he was going back to the Hokage's office now just to look at Shikaku Nara's gloomy face.
Recalling the image of Shikaku dumping a massive stack of documents on his desk for review, Jie shivered in revulsion.
'My perfect pawns need to get to work.'
Returning to the Hokage's office the next day, Jie felt his scalp go numb at the sight of Shikaku's dark, exhausted expression. Fortunately, it wasn't long before Orochimaru arrived, bringing Tsunade and Jiraiya with him.
"Kid, since my grandfather believed in you enough to appoint you as the Hidden Leaf's Fifth Hokage," Tsunade said, eyeing Jie with a complex expression, "I've decided to trust you this once as well."
Through her long talk with Orochimaru, Tsunade had learned the whole truth and had developed a bit of interest in Jie—the man who dared to lead the Uchiha clan in a rebellion against Hiruzen Sarutobi.
She wanted to see what kind of village the Hidden Leaf would become under his leadership.
As for Jiraiya, the best friend he had spent years chasing had finally returned. Now, Tsunade had decided to stay, too. Aside from gathering "material" for his novels, there was nothing else calling him to the outside world.
"Since Tsunade and Orochimaru are staying, I don't have much to say against it," Jiraiya laughed casually. "But kid, next time I'm out gathering material, don't blow my cover."
"Since the Sannin have reconciled and returned to the Hidden Leaf," Jie said, rummaging around his desk. He pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. "I happen to have the perfect assignment for you three."
He handed over the wrinkled mission briefing. "I'm sure this will help you find that old cooperative spirit."
Tsunade shot a look of disgust at the crumpled paper before taking it. But as she read the contents, her heart skipped a beat.
"You really don't hold back when bossing people around, do you, kid?" she muttered...
"Our very first task is hosting the diplomatic envoy from Iwagakure!!?"
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