Chapter 143: Orochimaru Was Prepared.
"I... hate this!"
Danzo Shimura was still captured alive by Jiraiya. Although it took some effort, the outcome was satisfying.
However, because the Sharingan on Danzo Shimura's arm had gone blind one by one due to Izanagi, they had completely lost their value for reuse.
And without the suppression of the Sharingan, the Hashirama cells inside Danzo Shimura's body also entered a berserk mode.
"Don't waste your strength..." Danzo Shimura, who was gradually turning into wood, shook his head. "It's impossible to take me alive for trial."
As he faced complete failure and his life gradually neared its end, Danzo Shimura's lone eye regained its clarity. Looking at Jiraiya, who still wore a guarded expression, he shook his head self-mockingly.
"Watch out for the remnants of Root. You should clear them all out after I die; they have betrayed me and Konoha."
"Also... beware of the person closest to you; he is the true culprit behind the scenes!"
Jiraiya was extremely disdainful. Although a dying man's words are often kind, in Jiraiya's perception, Danzo Shimura clearly wasn't one of them.
"You should worry more about yourself!"
"You will regret this, Jiraiya!"
After Danzo Shimura finished his last words, the berserk Hashirama cells completely consumed him. Danzo Shimura's entire being turned into a giant tree, and his life force vanished entirely.
Jiraiya stepped forward and reached out to touch the humanoid tree before him. Satisfaction flickered in his eyes; the cancer of Konoha had finally met its end at his hands.
Meanwhile, Uzumaki Kenshin stood at a distance, witnessing everything. Once he felt the time was right, he flickered to Jiraiya's side.
"Lord Jiraiya, I wonder how you plan to deal with us former Root Ninjas?"
"I'll leave you to Ibiki for screening..." Jiraiya clearly didn't want to get too involved in Konoha's administrative affairs. "Rest assured, if there are no issues after the investigation, you will still be part of Konoha, even if you once served in Root."
With Jiraiya's word, Uzumaki Kenshin felt relieved. Just as Naruto's main body had guessed, although Jiraiya could be tough at times, he was mostly a representative of moderation.
This was inseparable from Jiraiya's Heart-Nature.
"Yes, Lord Jiraiya!"
Uzumaki Kenshin bowed respectfully, then disarmed himself and called the Root Ninjas who had defected with him to follow Jiraiya and the others toward the Konoha Anbu Interrogation Room.
Naruto's main body walked at the very front with Jiraiya. The two reminisced while constantly bickering, trying to alleviate the gloom in their hearts from the past few days.
This was mainly Naruto comforting Jiraiya. Heaven knows what the meticulous Jiraiya had perceived; if he started suspecting Naruto, all of Naruto's efforts would go down the drain.
"Sensei, thank you very much for coming to save me."
"Yo, where's the stubborn little brat from before?"
"It's not being stubborn. You're the person who treats me best besides Hokage Grandpa. This has nothing to do with being stubborn, even though you usually seem completely unreliable, Sensei!"
Jiraiya's expression slumped. He toyed with his waist-length white hair and then rapped Naruto on the head.
"You annoying brat, just stick to your old way of addressing me. To be honest, I'm really not used to you being so serious!"
"Hehe, Perverted Old Man!"
"Get lost!"
Jiraiya laughingly kicked Naruto's butt, and the previous gloom completely dissipated now that Naruto was finally safe and sound.
...
In the Sound Village, all relocation preparations had been completed.
Naruto's main body arrived here again after Danzo Shimura's death. Looking at the Otogakure Ninjas who had been broken up into smaller groups, Naruto couldn't help but admire Orochimaru's organizational skills.
To be honest, if it weren't for his personality and taking the wrong path, Orochimaru would have been the best choice to succeed as the Fourth Hokage.
But there are no 'ifs' in this world. Orochimaru's current state could be called self-inflicted.
There was no need to consider various external factors; thinking too much about things unrelated to himself wasn't Naruto's style. He had come today for a very important matter.
Stealthily bypassing Uchiha Sasuke, who was training hard, he navigated through the winding paths to Orochimaru's laboratory. As soon as he entered, Naruto saw Orochimaru, who had been waiting for him.
He leaned back in his laboratory chair, his expression calm and rippleless, as if he had already guessed his fate. He looked at Naruto entering the lab with a playful gaze.
"Naruto-kun, the day I least wanted to face has finally arrived!"
Orochimaru licked his lips and pointed to the chair opposite him, gesturing for Naruto to sit so they could have another open and honest talk.
"No need." Naruto shook his head in refusal. "You know why I'm here."
"Yes, I've known from the beginning." Orochimarurested his chin on his hand. "I just didn't expect Naruto-kun to be so heartless and so distrustful of me."
"There was never any trust between us to begin with."
Naruto's expression was cold as he slowly walked up to Orochimaru, sizing him up. Then, the corners of his mouth curled up into a cryptic smile.
"This body of yours is reaching its limit..."
"Yes, I plan to perform the Mind Transfer ritualafter obtaining Naruto-kun's consent." Orochimaruhad no intention of hiding it. "I used your cells to create a body that is very compatible with my Soul."
"Have you made progress in your research on the Soul?"
"It's only slightly better than before; there's still a long way to go to understand the essence of the Soul." Orochimaru spoke truthfully, then changed the subject. "I wonder what Naruto-kun plans to do to me this time?"
"I have no intention of ending our partnership." Naruto stated his plan frankly. "I just want to add a layer of insurance on you to prevent you from making any small moves in the shadows."
"It seems the negotiations have reached a stalemate!"
Orochimaru's snake-like eyes glinted with cold light. He was never one to sit and wait for death. Since he had anticipated this day, how could he not be prepared?
"Does Naruto-kun not care about the safety of your little girlfriend?!" Orochimaru clapped his hands, and Yakushi Kabuto emerged from the shadows at the sound, carrying the unconscious Hyuga Hinataon his shoulder.
"You're playing with fire, do you know that!"
Naruto's expression quickly darkened. His Mangekyo Sharingan, just one step away from evolving into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, activated instantly. He carefully scanned Hyuga Hinata and felt slightly relieved when he saw she was only unconscious and hadn't suffered any other harm.
"Put Hinata down, and I'll grant you a dignified end."
"Then I'll have to see exactly what kind of 'dignity' Naruto-kun intends to grant me!"
There was no fear in Orochimaru's eyes. He licked the corner of his mouth and stood up, looking down at Uzumaki Naruto, who was ready to strike.
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