Confirmed!

"Does the Sage have any other instructions for me?" Orochimaru asked calmly.

"Don't interfere with certain predestined fates. It won't do you any good. Do you understand?" The White Snake Sage's words carried an unmistakable implication.

Orochimaru understood. The White Snake Sage was warning him!

"May I ask what you mean by a predestined fate, Sage?" A puzzled glint flashed in Orochimaru's eyes. Smiling faintly, he asked the White Snake Sage for an explanation.

But inside, boundless fury surged through him. Why?!

So they really were in cahoots!

"You'll find out." The White Snake Sage glanced at Orochimaru with a hint of pity, then closed her eyes and said no more.

Seeing that the White Snake Sage had fallen silent, Snake Princess gestured for Orochimaru to leave.

Though furious inside, Orochimaru's expression remained unchanged, cool as water. He had an exceptional temperament!

No wonder fans of the Hokage in his past life had called him the Cold-Blooded Orochimaru.

Using the fixed passage between Ryūchi Cave and the Shinobi World, Orochimaru returned to the Shinobi World in no time.

Now, Orochimaru no longer tried to hide his anger. His expression was grim!

The waters of this world ran deep! Had even the sages of the Three Great Sage Regions gotten involved?

For a moment, Orochimaru could barely control his emotions. He'd suspected as much before, but he'd still held on to some hope.

This trip to Ryūchi Cave had finally made him understand: in a Shinobi World already swallowed by darkness, no light remained!

Perhaps only that single Spark still stubbornly refused to go out!

At that moment, he wished more than anything that Hyuga Shin were by his side, so he could tell him about the anger, oppression, and helplessness in his heart.

The darkness of the Shinobi World was like an abyss, severing every path!

Thinking of Hyuga Shin, Orochimaru suddenly realized he could contact him remotely.

Before Hyuga Shin left, he had given Orochimaru a ring so they could get in touch at any time.

That way, they could deal with the fateful backlash that might come at any moment.

But this wasn't the right place. It was too close to Ryūchi Cave. He'd find somewhere more suitable first.

Orochimaru knew where he was. After calculating the distance, he figured Iwagakure's front line was still more than a thousand kilometers away. There was no way he could get back anytime soon.

So he didn't rush. He could take his time.

Besides, he'd lost interest in this war anyway. The script might already have been written.

He might as well take this opportunity to tell Hyuga Shin his suspicions and hear what he thought.

The next day, after traveling all day, Orochimaru stopped to rest at an inn on a busy street.

He decided to contact Hyuga Shin from here.

There were plenty of people around, which seemed unsafe, but with a barrier in place, it would actually be much safer.

He acted at once, creating four clones to set up a Four-Directional Barrier in the room.

It would only be active for a short time, so one person was enough.

Once the barrier was ready, Orochimaru activated the ring. He'd learned how to use it the very day Hyuga Shin gave it to him.

For a ninjutsu genius like Orochimaru, it was child's play.

The ring activated in an instant, projecting a figure from within.

"Orochimaru, is something urgent?"

"You've only been gone a few days. Why are you contacting me already?"

Hyuga Shin was a little puzzled, too.

Six Paths shouldn't have acted so quickly.

"Elder Shin, something happened, and it gave me an idea. I thought you should know, and I'd like to hear your opinion."

Orochimaru's expression was dark, his voice cold.

"Oh? It must have affected you deeply. Tell me what happened." Hyuga Shin could see the anger and frustration in Orochimaru.

"I was summoned by Ryūchi Cave. The White Snake Sage warned me to stay away from you, saying you were dangerous. She also stressed that fate must not be changed lightly!"

Orochimaru had to force down his anger as he said this.

"Looks like my guess was right. They're definitely in cahoots. What do you think?" Hyuga Shin wasn't surprised.

"Elder Shin, why do you think they're doing this? They already have immense power and long lives. Why isn't that enough for them? Why would they collude with the Sage of Six Paths?" Orochimaru asked through gritted teeth.

"There's still a lot about this world that I don't understand. I have some guesses about their motives, but no proof. Let's wait a little longer."

"Even the deepest secrets will eventually be dug up by someone."

"That goes for the Sage of Six Paths, too. And it goes for them!" Hyuga Shin's estimation of Orochimaru rose again.

Now that his reason had returned, Orochimaru saw things from a whole new perspective. He was no longer a frog in a well.

"But if they're involved, can our ideals still come true?" Orochimaru sounded dispirited.

"Nothing is guaranteed to succeed. The question is whether you dare to try!"

"We're the Shinobi World's only Spark beneath the darkness. As long as our will isn't corrupted and we don't lose ourselves, others will eventually follow in our footsteps!"

Hyuga Shin took the initiative to encourage Orochimaru. He couldn't let him lose faith in the world.

"Yes. Thank you for the encouragement, Elder Shin. I'll stay true to myself and hold fast to my beliefs! I'll devote my life to unifying the Shinobi World!"

Hyuga Shin's pep talk quickly helped Orochimaru recover.

"Elder Shin, I think the White Snake Sage may have noticed that the Will of the Six Paths was purged from me."

Orochimaru furrowed his brow, remembering the White Snake Sage's cryptic words.

"That's normal. It would be strange if she hadn't noticed!" Hyuga Shin wasn't surprised at all.

"But she stressed that fate must not be changed. Does that mean the Three Great Sage Regions might also interfere with our fate to help Six Paths put the Shinobi World back on course?"

Remembering the White Snake Sage's meaningful gaze, Orochimaru shared his suspicion with Hyuga Shin.

"That's possible!"

"Looks like I need to speed up my research. If I'm right, Six Paths may try to put your fates back on course before long!"

"An attack on your consciousness would be bad enough. I'm more worried that they'll completely erase your wills and turn you into their true puppets!"

Hyuga Shin immediately understood the implications. He couldn't underestimate those old bastards.

After all, they'd lived for over a thousand years. They had to have a few tricks up their sleeves.

"Orochimaru, stay alert until I finish my research. Remember to send me a message once every day."

"You don't need to project yourself to contact me. Just leave me a message through the ring. Remember, every day!"

"Of course, if anything urgent comes up, you can contact me by projection."

Hyuga Shin understood what mattered now and warned Orochimaru to be careful, just in case.

He was afraid that if he couldn't get results from his research in time, Six Paths might strike Orochimaru before he could save him.

"Understood, Elder Shin! I'll remember and do exactly as you say." Orochimaru understood what Hyuga Shin meant.

Smart people didn't need much explaining.

"Anything else? If not, let's leave it here for today. I need to speed up my research." Hyuga Shin suddenly felt pressed for time, too.

"I wonder if recruiting members for the organization is going smoothly." Orochimaru was concerned about the organization's growth, so he took the opportunity to ask.

"It's going well. Besides you, we have three members now: Kakuzu, Hidan, and Sasori. They're all promising sparks, and they'll give you all the support you need in the future!"

"Orochimaru, you're the ideal successor I chose. Never doubt yourself! Hold fast to your convictions!"

"I've always believed that you'll become the one light shining on the Shinobi World beneath the darkness!"

"At first, I fought for my own survival. Then I fought for my clan, and later for my village. After I saw through the darkness of the Shinobi World, I began fighting to bring peace and new life to it!"

"You're no different!"

"Only when you climb out of the well and see the vast sky can you set your sights on a great ideal!"

"Orochimaru, don't disappoint me!"

Hyuga Shin answered Orochimaru's question and seized the opportunity to give him another pep talk.

After Hyuga Shin's barrage of motivational words, Orochimaru was fired up again, no longer the least bit dispirited.

"That's all for today. Don't forget to message me once a day." With that, Hyuga Shin ended the call.

"A storm is brewing." Hyuga Shin gazed up at the sky from atop a large boulder where he'd stopped to rest and murmured to himself.

The three people accompanying him now knew about Orochimaru, too.

They hadn't expected Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, to be a member of the organization—and to have earned the leader's high regard.