As Yahiko finished speaking, two children immediately ran out of the darkness, grabbed the compressed biscuits from Jiraiya's hand, and wolfed them down.
"Red hair..."
Watching the two children devour their food, Tsunade stared in a daze. When she noticed Nagato's hair in particular, she couldn't help looking over at Uchiha Gen.
"Mm. Looks like he's one of the Uzumaki survivors."
Uchiha Gen calmly nodded at Tsunade, who was looking at him.
"Should we kill them?"
At that moment, Orochimaru, who had been silent until then, spoke coldly.
At Orochimaru's words, the three children froze mid-bite and nervously looked at Jiraiya, the man who had given them food.
They knew that all they could do now was hope the person who had given them food was a good man.
"I've seen plenty of orphans on the battlefield. They all met terrible ends, especially here in the Land of Rain, where food is scarce. So, should we just kill them? Honestly, that might be better for these children. Besides, that red-haired brat is quite hostile toward us."
Orochimaru continued, explaining what he thought. In his eyes, ending the three children's lives would be a form of salvation.
As soon as Orochimaru finished speaking, Yahiko immediately stepped in front of Nagato and Konan.
"Please spare us, sir. Nagato... His parents were killed by what he thought were Konoha shinobi, so... Please spare him."
Yahiko stared nervously at Orochimaru, as if afraid he might suddenly attack.
"Orochimaru, calm down. They have the right to choose for themselves."
Seeing how tense the three children were, Jiraiya immediately stood up and stepped in front of Yahiko, speaking in a firm voice.
"Tch."
Orochimaru clicked his tongue at Jiraiya, who was standing in front of the three brats, then sat down and continued staring into the