Karot and Orochimaru's Goal

Should I call you White Tiger or Angel?

Orochimaru spoke to Konan, who had followed Jiraiya in.

Konan was taken aback by Orochimaru's words for a moment, then replied in a self-deprecating tone.

"Right now, I'm just a stray dog. You can just call me Konan, like Jiraiya- sensei."

Konan knows that her only support right now is Jiraiya. She hopes that Orochimaru will spare her life for Jiraiya's sake, as Konan carries a deep-seated hatred and wants to avenge Nagato.

"Oh."

Orochimaru gave a meaningful "oh," at the same time changing his mind about how to deal with Konan.

"Jiraiya said you have information about the Akatsuki Organization to tell me?"

Orochimaru cut straight to the point; he had no time to waste on trivial matters. If it weren't for his "good buddy" Jiraiya, he wouldn't have even met this woman. Once handed over to the Yamanaka Clan, they could find out everything about her, no matter what secrets she held in her mind.

Then Konan told Orochimaru all the information about her betrayal by the Akatsuki Organization and the "monster" who was impossible to kill.

"How is this possible?"

Jiraiya was utterly incredulous Jiraiya heard what Konan said. This was Jiraiya, since no one had used the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu developed by Second Hokage since he mastered it. Of course, now that there were two more people involved, it was only natural that Jiraiya hadn't seen it before.

Konan wouldn't have believed such a thing if she hadn't experienced it firsthand. It has to be said, the Second Hokage's mind was truly a treasure trove! If he hadn't died young, the Ninja World would likely have been dominated by one Super Saiyan 4.

"The Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu"

Orochimaru couldn't help but speak up when he saw Jiraiya making a fool of himself.

"You're married now. Can't you be a little more mature? You're still as impulsive as before."

Orochimaru thought to Jiraiya, "What does Tsunade see in Jiraiya? Is it his lack of bathing or his age?"

"This isn't a forbidden technique developed by the Second Hokage. How did he come to have it? And even master it?"

The difficulty of mastering the forbidden techniques developed by the Second Hokage was Jiraiya too clear to them. There were countless ninjas in Konoha, and many had attempted to master the powerful forbidden techniques developed by the Second Hokage, all of whom failed. The only one to succeed was Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God.

"Don't forget, the current leader of Akatsuki Organization has Sharingan. That means he's a member of the Uchiha clan. Getting the Second Hokage's forbidden techniques is a piece of cake for him."

Ultimately, it's always hard to guard against a thief within your own ranks! Orochimaru secretly held the current Akatsuki Organization leader in higher regard. After all, he was one of only two people to have mastered the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, so he naturally understood the difficulty of mastering this jutsu.

Is that all?

Orochimaru then asked Konan. If this was all the information he had, Orochimaru would have to look down on Konan. This was because all of this information had already been relayed back by Orochimaru's trusted undercover agents.

Konan was somewhat puzzled by Orochimaru's reaction. This was top-secret information! Outsiders shouldn't know it at all. But Orochimaru acted as if he already knew it all along.

"Black Zetsu trained tens of thousands of ninjas."

Konan revealed a bombshell. Konan and Nagato had always been wary of Black Zetsu. Nagato had only turned evil, not become stupid, so he had always paid close attention to Black Zetsu. Their efforts paid off when Nagato discovered Black Zetsu's secret underlings.

"Um?"

This was the first time Konan's expression changed upon seeing Orochimaru since she entered the room.

"Zabuza is terrible. He actually needs someone else to tell me this kind of information."

Orochimaru mentally gave Zabuza's abilities a big X.

In the Akatsuki Organization's stronghold, far away on the horizon, Zabuza suddenly felt a chill, as if something strange was watching him.

"Lord Zabuza, are you alright?"

Seeing Zabuza's Zabuza face, Shiro asked worriedly.

"It's alright, Lord Zabuza is in good health."

Zabuza didn't forget to show off his physique.

Orochimaru had actually misunderstood Zabuza the others. They had only recently infiltrated the organization; how could they possibly know the secret of the old fox, Black Zetsu?

"You heard that. What are your thoughts?"

After Konan Jiraiya left, Orochimaru spoke. Suddenly, Karot appeared in the room, which had previously been empty except for Orochimaru. Jiraiya and Konan were completely unaware that there was a fourth person in the room.

"As long as you have absolute strength, none of this will be a problem."

Karot's way of dealing with conspiracies is to shatter them with absolute power. One force can overcome all methods; this is Karot's ultimate solution. After discussing the schemes and tricks Karot admits he is no match for these people, but Karot possesses the strength to overturn the table, so Karot can be a chess player like Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru- senpai, it seems you've shown leniency towards Konan?"

Karot knew exactly what Orochimaru planned to do with Konan. However, Orochimaru changed his mind after meeting Konan, which surprised Karot. It's known that Orochimaru, once he made up his mind, rarely changed it.

"All I saw in her eyes was deathly stillness, not a trace of life."

"Her life now revolves solely around revenge against the Akatsuki Organization. That's why she's willing to exchange information about the Akatsuki Organization with us."

"I don't need another test subject like her, but having a powerful assassin can reduce some of Konoha's losses, so it's a way of making use of waste."

Orochimaru wasn't so kind. Unlike Konan, he wouldn't forgive Jiraiya for the harm she had caused Konoha. He wanted Konan to pay for it with her life.

"This is the Orochimaru!"

Karot felt apologetic for thinking Orochimaru had softened his stance earlier. Orochimaru hadn't changed at all.

"Now that it's over, there's nothing more for me to do."

Karot wanted to leave once the matter was resolved.

"Karot, do you think we'll succeed?"

Upon hearing Orochimaru's words, Karot paused in his tracks.

"Meeting."

Karot replied decisively.

"I will help you clear away all obstacles; no one can stop you from becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki."

We will succeed.

This has always been Orochimaru's goal: to become the next Sage of Six Paths and escape the fragility of life. Now, as this goal draws ever closer, Orochimaru has lost his usual composure. However, after Karot's words, Orochimaru snapped out of his anxiety. The two exchanged a smile, everything understood without a word.