"Teacher, you're going?"
Jiraiya suddenly felt a little awkward.
As the saying went, when there was work to be done, disciples served their masters.
It was only natural for juniors to help their elders, but once that was reversed...
Even someone as thick-skinned as Jiraiya felt rather uncomfortable.
When had he ever seriously called Sarutobi Hiruzen "Teacher" in the past?
Didn't he usually call him "old man" every other sentence?
Yet now, he was unusually embarrassed.
"Alright, you're already in your thirties or forties. Stop being so sentimental. Didn't I wipe your asses plenty of times when you were kids?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen waved a hand, then looked at Orochimaru. "So, what sort of plan should we draw up?"
Orochimaru pondered for a moment before asking Jiraiya a question. "You said you wanted to ransom the prisoners back from Kirigakure, but... have they agreed?"
"Huh?"
Jiraiya froze. "Well..."
How would he know?
He had already run off when he said it!
"So," Orochimaru said in a low, hoarse voice, "this isn't a negotiation agreed upon by both sides. For now, it's only our wishful thinking. We need to be especially careful about security."
"No way. If they refuse, what benefit would that bring them?"
Jiraiya's eyes widened.
"Didn't you say Sunagakure has an evil Puppetry Technique? Perhaps they could sell the bodies to them?"
Orochimaru casually guessed.
"Absolutely not!"
Jiraiya slapped the table and shot to his feet. Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō also frowned deeply.
One or two thousand ninja was no small number. If they all died, the number of ninja Konoha had lost in the Land of Water would amount to nearly one-third of the village's standing forces.
And if all those people came back to life in another form and became enemies...
At that thought, Orochimaru's gaze