Chapter 125: Raikage, Why Is It You Again?
How to make Orochimaru agree?
Uzumaki Naruto naturally had no way, but The Fool did.
The Fool and Orochimaru could be considered to have quite a deep connection.
Furthermore, Orochimaru certainly hadn't given up on his desire for Sasuke's body.
Although he had a child now, it would take at least a dozen years to raise it to the point where it was suitable for a Living Corpse Reincarnation.
In such a long time, Naruto was confident he could settle the Ninja World; would Orochimaru not have any thoughts about that?
Sasuke was different—he was 'plug and play'.
If it weren't for the fact that Orochimaru had just changed bodies, he would have wanted to become Sasuke long ago.
After Sasuke obtained the Mangekyo Sharingan, his strength on the surface was indeed greater than Orochimaru's.
But who was Orochimaru?
Given any opportunity, he would find a way to leave a mark on Sasuke.
This could be glimpsed in the original story.
If it weren't for Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke wouldn't even have discovered the things Orochimaru left inside his body.
He had always thought he had already killed him.
After Naruto finished sparring with Sasuke, he didn't even rest.
Mainly because he hadn't consumed much.
He might have lost only about a third of his Chakra.
And it was still rapidly recovering.
By the time he transformed into The Fool and left Konoha, he had already recovered seventy to eighty percent.
But at this moment, Sasuke hadn't even recovered half.
Even so, he already surpassed most Ninjas.
If it were Kakashi, he would have had to lie down for at least ten days to half a month.
Naruto activated his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode and sped along like a bolt of lightning, his speed not inferior to the Raikage in the slightest.
In less than an hour, he had arrived at Otogakure.
In the original story, because Orochimaru lost both arms and his subordinates, the Sound Five, were mostly dead, he had already fled by the time Jiraiyaand Naruto came looking for him.
But now it was different.
His strength hadn't suffered any damage.
If Jiraiya dared to come, Orochimaru might actually be able to keep him there.
Clearly, Jiraiya understood this logic as well; even though he knew Orochimaru was in Otogakure, he had never come.
Furthermore, given the situation in Konoha, it was not suitable to start a war in the short term.
Due to various reasons, Orochimaru was living quite comfortably now, just waiting for his child to be born before causing trouble again.
Otogakure was located in the Land of Rice Fieldsand wasn't particularly large.
Naruto hadn't been here before; it was his first time stepping on this land.
Kagura Minds Eye activated.
It was like he was playing Minesweeper, checking area after area.
In just half an hour, he found Otogakure.
With so many Ninjas gathered together, they were as bright as the sun in the night sky to his Kagura Minds Eye.
"It should be here."
Naruto appeared at a stronghold.
Although Orochimaru wasn't a rabbit, he understood the concept of 'a wily rabbit has three burrows' very well.
Even on his own turf, he had several strongholds.
Naruto wasn't wearing the clothes of the Akatsuki Organization.
The Fool had been missing for too long and had caused trouble during the Chunin Exams; once Uchiha Itachi reported back, he became a traitor.
But he didn't care.
You're catching The Fool, what does that have to do with me, Uzumaki Naruto?
Unless Nagato and Obito personally took action, otherwise, he wasn't afraid.
"Who is it?"
Naruto didn't hide his figure and was discovered almost instantly.
In front of him, seven Ninjas suddenly appeared.
Naruto glanced at them; he didn't recognize any of them.
"I've come to see..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he was greeted by a dense cloud of shuriken.
Don't they understand the concept of 'not killing the envoy when two countries are at war'?
Naruto shook his head helplessly.
He raised his hand and threw out a Hadoken.
The invisible wave blew away the shuriken and even sent all seven Ninjas flying, crashing into the walls and falling unconscious.
Naruto continued forward.
More and more Ninjas rushed toward him.
He took out Enma; the sword light flickered with flames, each strike stronger than the last.
Finally, Naruto saw a Ninja he recognized.
Jirobo.
One of the Sound Five.
Well, fat and bald.
He's a strong one.
"Hey, Jirobo, ask Orochimaru if this is how he treats his guests?"
Naruto swung his sword again.
Surging flames filled the entire corridor.
At the same time, a violent wind howled, filled with cold killing intent.
Jirobo felt as if he were a river levee trying to resist a once-in-a-millennium flood.
An indescribable panic surfaced.
How can he be so strong?
He recognized The Fool and knew he might be very powerful; after all, he had talked and laughed with Lord Orochimaru.
But he didn't expect him to be so overbearing and unreasonable.
If it weren't for his sufficient loyalty to Orochimaru, he would have wanted to kneel and kowtow under this pressure.
He roared loudly, "Everyone, stop right there!"
Actually, he didn't need to say it; the other Ninjas had already stopped in their tracks.
"Take me to see Orochimaru."
Naruto put away Enma and said indifferently.
He had no intention of killing anyone and hadn't dealt any lethal blows, but whether they could survive depended on their own abilities.
"Lord Fool, please follow me."
Jirobo bowed respectfully and turned to lead the way.
The environment became increasingly dim.
Naruto felt as if he were heading all the way toward the center of the earth.
He shook his head.
Orochimaru's living habits were truly like a snake's; he liked cold and dark places.
After a few minutes, in an underground hall.
Naruto saw Orochimaru and Yakushi Kabuto.
Orochimaru wasn't using his original face, but was in a loli form.
He subconsciously glanced at his slightly bulging lower abdomen.
But it wasn't obvious.
"The Fool, why is it you again?"
Before Naruto could even speak, Orochimaruspoke with a cold face and a very displeased tone.
"???"
What's going on?
Naruto was a bit dazed.
"A while ago, you took Tayuya away from me. What do you want today?"
Orochimaru's vertical pupils revealed coldness as he said, "I advise you to behave yourself and not push your luck."
"..."
Naruto cursed in his heart—Shadow Clone, look at what you've done!
How am I supposed to negotiate terms with him now!
But what did the Shadow Clone want with Tayuya?
He knew Tayuya reasonably well.
One of the Sound Five, she was good at playing the flute—no, wait, it seemed to be a flute—and controlling three monsters.
After activating the Cursed Seal, her strength should be at the Jonin level.
But it was useless.
Tayuya was unfailingly loyal to Orochimaru; even if she reluctantly worked for you because of his orders, it certainly wouldn't be of her own free will.
No, that's not right.
Perhaps Tayuya had already become an undercover agent.
Given Orochimaru's personality, it was impossible for him to trust The Fool. Now was a god-sent opportunity; he would definitely plant an undercover agent.
Naruto weighed his words and said, "I've come to return a favor."
"Return a favor?" Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "Tayuya is not something that can be compared to a simple gift."
Good grief.
Give you an inch and you take a mile, right?
According to your nature, even if Tayuya died, you wouldn't blink an eye.
And now you're telling me she's very important?
A master of playing dumb, Orochimaru.
"This gift far exceeds her value."
Naruto said word by word, "Uchiha Sasuke."
Orochimaru was suddenly startled, his eyes filled with suspicion as he looked at The Fool.
"Uchiha Sasuke? Is it the one I'm thinking of?"
"Of course, is there a second Sasuke in this world?"
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.
A long time ago, he felt that The Fool had some issues.
He gave off the feeling of someone who was just bored.
He had to stick his foot into everything.
But afterward, he would leave without gaining any benefits.
Are you doing charity?
He didn't believe that The Fool had come all this way just to deliver an assist from a thousand miles away.