About ten minutes earlier.
That was when Aramaki and Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzo, and Jiraiya had just begun fighting.
Orochimaru had been observing the battle from the sidelines.
He had thought that if Jiraiya and the other two working together could put Aramaki under some pressure,
then he would not mind joining them and properly displaying his combat abilities.
But after watching for a minute or two, he knew that even with him added in, their chances of victory would not be high.
His connection to Ryūchi Cave had suddenly been cut off.
As a result, he could no longer use the snake-based ninjutsu he excelled at most.
Relying on other techniques like Earth Release and Wind Release, his current strength was really only at the elite Jonin level.
He might not even be able to take down an Uchiha Fugaku in a short time.
Orochimaru had truly never expected Ryūchi Cave to unilaterally cut off contact with him.
The two sides had signed a contract, after all.
Nothing like this had ever been heard of in the Shinobi World since ancient times.
It made him wary of Ryūchi Cave, and even of all the Holy Lands.
He had even begun to harbor some caution toward the Sage Modes that came from those Holy Lands. It would be best to develop an independent Sage Mode of his own.
Of course.
From Orochimaru's observations, even if he could summon the snakes of Ryūchi Cave, they probably would not be a match for Aramaki.
The same went for Jiraiya.
What good would summoning all sorts of giant toads do?
They would probably be like his teacher's Enma, unable to withstand even one of the enemy's heavy punches.
Still, he had noticed Aramaki's slight wariness toward Senjutsu, which confirmed that intelligence.
But apart