Minato Namikaze and Orochimaru

Inside the Main God Space, Minato's bandaged figure appeared on the Main God Plaza.

As a warm white light enveloped him, the injuries within his body began to heal rapidly under the Main God's treatment.

Just as Minato was receiving the treatment, a pair of eyes watched everything in silence.

When Minato spent 500 points to fully recover, he opened his eyes to find a delicate-looking, blue-haired youth waiting respectfully to the side.

His skin was like snow, his pupils were like a snake's, and his temperament was indifferent. He walked up to Minato and said respectfully, "Lord Minato Namikaze, I am Mitsuki, a subordinate of Lord Orochimaru. Lord Orochimaru wishes to meet with you for a chat."

Minato looked the child up and down. Searching his memory, he realized he had never met this person before. He decided not to dwell on it and answered quickly.

"Orochimaru? So he really came here too. Heh, let's go."

Having learned the circumstances of Orochimaru's defection, Minato had been certain that Orochimaru had become a Reincarnator. Now that they were meeting in the Main God Space, it was the perfect opportunity to probe him.

Following Mitsuki into Orochimaru's private space, Minato was stunned by the scene inside the moment he stepped in.

The room looked like a laboratory filled with high-tech equipment, with various experimental tools neatly categorized and arranged. Many of the containers held what were clearly unidentified tissues and even eerie organs.

Minato estimated the space to be about 2,000 square meters; he guessed this was a customized room that had already been expanded once.

Just as Minato was observing closely, Orochimaru, who was wearing a white lab coat in front of an experimental bench, stopped fiddling with his test tubes, tidied his tools, and walked straight up to Minato.

"Minato, it's actually you~ Hahaha, you really fooled everyone in the Ninja World."

"I also didn't expect that the senior Orochimaru I once respected would defect from the village and become a Reincarnator just like me." Minato's expression was unreadable; he was not surprised to see Orochimaru.

Orochimaru smiled without a word, guiding Minato to a lounge area to sit down. Mitsuki served two cups of hot tea and then retreated to Orochimaru's side to stand by.

Orochimaru gently pushed a teacup forward. "Please, enjoy. This is tea gifted by an interesting peer; it has certain benefits for nourishing the soul."

In the Main God Space, Reincarnators could fight, but killing was forbidden. Moreover, a Reincarnator could request the Main God to heal their injuries with a single thought, so he did not suspect Orochimaru.

Taking a gentle sip of the tea, Minato felt a sense of clarity in his mind, followed by a feeling of pleasure and satisfaction in his soul. This satisfaction, coming from the depths of his soul, made him exclaim, "Truly good tea!"

Orochimaru smiled. "This is Spirit-Nourishing Tea. I obtained it from an interesting person in a previous mission world. Unfortunately, with my current technical means, I cannot cultivate it in large quantities."

Hearing the words "mission world," Minato's heart stirred slightly. He decided to stop beating around the bush and asked directly, "Mr. Orochimaru, let's get straight to the point. You invited me here, so it surely isn't just for something so simple."

Orochimaru sat up slightly and took a small sip of tea. Instead of answering directly, he said, "Minato, back in Konoha, you were the junior I admired most. You know, you almost became my disciple."

As a disciple of Jiraiya, Minato was Orochimaru's junior in terms of seniority, and he had indeed received guidance from Orochimaru more than once during his growth.

Back then, both Orochimaru and Jiraiya had discovered Minato's talent, but Jiraiya had taken Minato as a disciple first, causing Orochimaru to lose the chance to be the teacher of the Fourth Hokage. However, Orochimaru hadn't really cared about that.

Even though Orochimaru had defected from Konoha, Minato still held respect for him as a senior; it didn't necessarily mean they had become mortal enemies. The world was never black and white, and after serving as Hokage for several years, Minato saw this very clearly.

"I heard from the Third Hokage about your defection, Mr. Orochimaru, but the village currently has neither the ability nor the desire to pursue it," Minato said in a deep voice. "However, I cannot condone using people from the same village for experiments!"

Orochimaru sneered, his tone slightly mocking.

"Minato, I admit you are talented, but excessive kindness is your weakness. You treat everyone in the village as a comrade, but not everyone in the village thinks that way!"

Orochimaru continued to explain, "The so-called human experiments were actually known to the village high-ups long ago. They only pushed me out once they could no longer hide it."

"What?" Minato was shocked by this news, but he quickly calmed down and pressed, "Was it the Council of Elders?"

"As the Fourth Hokage, it's only natural you'd guess that. I didn't perform human experiments entirely for my own sake. That little thing on the arm of that guy, Danzo Shimura, is thanks to the fruits of my research!"

Orochimaru told Minato about how Danzo Shimura, one of Konoha's high-ranking elders, had transplanted Sharingan into his arm.

Minato knew Orochimaru had no reason to lie to him about this, as the truth could be verified simply by confronting the Third Hokage and Danzo.

"Are you trying to sow discord between me and Konoha?" Minato asked calmly.

"Hahahaha, I'm just sharing a bit of intelligence with a junior out of old sentiment. Besides, there is another piece of information I think you'd be very interested in—it's about the mastermind behind the incident that led to the deaths of you and Kushina." Orochimaru licked his lips excitedly and revealed a piece of news that shocked Minato.

Minato stared intently at Orochimaru, a flurry of thoughts racing through his mind. He hated the mysterious person who had destroyed his family to the bone, but no matter how urgent his desire for revenge, he could not lose his composure. Minato calmed himself down. "What are your terms?"

Orochimaru nodded in satisfaction at Minato's words and directed the topic toward the child behind him.

"This child is named Mitsuki. He is an artificial human I created using the Main God's creation authority. His potential is no less than that of the so-called elites of Konoha. Interestingly, in my last mission world, I encountered a world related to artificial humans and soul modification. They are a group of beings who call themselves [Soul Reapers]. I obtained a smattering of knowledge about them, and I need you to help me go to their base and obtain their technical reserves."

Minato looked Mitsuki over carefully and said, "His potential is indeed good, but how do we get to your mission world?"

Orochimaru smiled. "The Main God updates certain items from time to time, and there are corresponding announcements. You just returned from a mission world, so you probably haven't had time to check."

Orochimaru projected his Reincarnator Assistant panel and shared his reading permissions with Minato. On the projected interface, he pointed to a redemption option for Minato.

"[World Training Card]: After use, you will return to a previously experienced mission world for 30 days. Cost: 1 D-rank side quest + 500 points. You can spend more points to extend the duration."

The corners of Orochimaru's mouth curled up slightly. "This item allows you to go to a designated world, and there is no limit on the number of people. Do you know what this means? There are no main missions; whatever you do depends entirely on yourself."

Seeing this item, Minato had to admit that Orochimaru might indeed be better at adapting to this mysterious Main God Space than he was. "Fine, I agree to help you obtain the data within my capabilities before the next mission."

Having recruited a Kage-level fighter, Orochimaru was very satisfied. He calmed his mood and slowly revealed the intelligence he had just exchanged with Hoshigaki Kisame.

"The person who released the Nine-Tails and caused the deaths of you and Kushina calls himself Madara Uchiha."

Orochimaru recalled the shock on Kisame's face when they exchanged information.

"This intelligence came from Hoshigaki Kisame. He and I are in the same batch of Reincarnators, and not long ago, he received a hidden mission—to join the Akatsuki organization. This mysterious Akatsuki was founded by this person who calls himself Madara Uchiha. He told Hoshigaki Kisame about the plan for the night of the Nine-Tails. As for his purpose in founding Akatsuki, he claims it is for the peace of the Ninja World. Heh..."

"Madara Uchiha!" Minato recited this name, which was like thunder to the ears of the Ninja World, word by word.

"He is likely a fake Madara Uchiha. I have crossed blades with the person behind the scenes; he is unworthy of the title 'Asura of the Ninja World,' yet he must be someone from the Uchiha Clan." Minato recounted the details of his battle with the masked man that night to Orochimaru.

Orochimaru pondered for a moment before saying, "In that case, this person claiming to be Madara Uchiha must be an Uchiha Clan member living in exile. The Mangekyo Sharingan evolved from the Sharingan is truly powerful~"

Orochimaru sighed with emotion, a gleam of excitement in his eyes. He continued, "Regardless of who he is, according to Kisame's intelligence, the headquarters of this organization is currently in Amegakure. It is highly probable that he is there!"

Minato silently noted this information, and the two exchanged intelligence regarding their respective missions. After some discussion, Orochimaru proposed a hypothesis.

"In your previous mission, the hints provided by the Main God indicated a different trajectory. Is it possible that this was the original history? If not for you, that child named Luffy would have viewed Shanks as his life mentor. Clearly, you replaced him!"

"Do you think the purpose of the Reincarnator missions is to force us to change the fates of characters?" Minato thought of his teacher, Jiraiya, who constantly spoke of the 'Child of Prophecy' destined to change the ninja world and, believing him to be that person, had taken him as a disciple.

"Fate?" Orochimaru licked his lips with a hint of excitement. "I don't like that word. But if you look at the timeline on a certain scale, ignoring the influence of the Main God, hasn't the death of you, Minato Namikaze, already become history? Yet here you are, alive and well, even interfering in the fates of others in another world. Your own fate, in a sense, has already been changed."

Orochimaru's words enlightened Minato, who instinctively retorted, "Perhaps my death and resurrection were also a part of fate?"

He immediately shook his head. "The theory of fate is hard to prove, but I do feel that the Reincarnator missions are the Main God guiding us to interfere with the fates of characters in other worlds!"

Minato recalled the mission hint he had purchased with points from the Main God during the second main mission. He remembered the story of Red-Haired and Luffy in the hint's projection—Red-Haired losing his arm, and how he himself had eventually severed Red-Haired's arm, influenced by that very hint.

Could the Main God truly manipulate fate? Minato felt an increasing sense of awe toward the mystery of the Main God Space.

Meanwhile, in the One Piece World, Red-Haired Shanks was adjusting to the arm provided by the Main God when he suddenly sneezed. He muttered to himself, "Why do I feel like someone is thinking of me?" He then shook his head and continued to test his newly grown arm.

The scene cut back to the Main God Space.

Orochimaru laughed and said, "Being a Reincarnator, while largely controlled by the Main God, means in a sense that we have also taken hold of our own destiny, doesn't it? It's truly exciting!"

Orochimaru thought carefully, feeling more and more that the Main God Space possessed unfathomable power. He solidified his resolve to make a name for himself on the path of a Reincarnator, and a new perspective sprouted in his mind.

"It seems that the characters who appear in Reincarnator missions are no ordinary people; at the very least, they have enough value in the eyes of the Main God to warrant interference in their fates!"

Subsequently, Orochimaru tried to invite Minato to join his temporary team. As expected, Minato refused, but Orochimaru did not mind and made an agreement with Minato to complete a task together with his temporary team before the next mission.

Speaking of which, Orochimaru's temporary team currently consisted of three people: Orochimaru, Kisame, and Pakura.

All three were rogue ninjas. After the last Dressrosa mission, Kisame had killed Fuguki Suikazan, one of the former Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist, and defected. He then accidentally triggered a hidden mission to join the Akatsuki, so he joined them accordingly.

Pakura had defected after being plotted against by a joint effort of the Hidden Mist and Sunagakure. The three happened to meet during the last Reincarnator mission and simply exchanged for the Main God's new mission item to form a Small Team.

[Small Team Contract]: After use, with the consent of all parties, a small team of up to 5 people can be formed. The next three Reincarnator world missions will be mandatory team missions, mission rewards will be shared among members, and mission gains will increase by 10%. During the contract's duration, team members cannot commit any malicious acts against each other. The contract automatically dissolves after three Reincarnator world missions. Price: 1 D-rank side plot, 500 points.

Therefore, not counting the second Reincarnator mission for the three of them, the next three missions would be completed as a team. In addition to the Small Team Contract, there were also Medium and Large Team Contracts, all of which could increase rewards to a certain extent. Clearly, the Main God encouraged team-based mission completion.

Although Minato did indeed want to earn points, Orochimaru was a rogue ninja from Konoha, and their stances differed, so he let it go.

Moreover, mission rewards were not the only way to earn points. Minato had also tried asking the system about the Gum-Gum Fruit in the previous world and learned that uploading Devil Fruits could indeed earn a large number of points. Therefore, he would definitely go to the One Piece World again in the future!

After finishing his conversation with Orochimaru, Minato left the Main God Space and returned to Konoha Village.

In Minato Namikaze's residence in Konoha Village.

Minato returned home, changed out of his combat gear, and walked to the balcony, where he happened to see little Naruto in Haruna's arms.

The two were quietly sunbathing in the courtyard, and Haruna was humming a little tune:

"Not afraid of falling rain, Not afraid of falling snow, Even if the cold blizzard falls, I can see him, ...

No matter how big the blizzard, I'm not afraid, I want, I want to find my daddy, No matter where I go, I must find my daddy, ..."

Hearing Haruna's singing, little Naruto showed a happy smile on his small face. His little mouth tried to imitate Haruna's sounds, and he unconsciously called out the first word of his life:

"Daddy!"

Minato, his face full of emotion, suddenly appeared beside little Naruto.

"Here, Daddy is here!"

Minato took little Naruto from Haruna's arms. Looking at the cute, angel-like face of the little kitten, the joy and excitement in his heart, along with an indescribable bitterness, surged up like a tide, washing over him. Tears of joy welled up in his eyes before he even realized it...

Seeing this, Haruna Sarutobi quietly stepped back, letting Minato enjoy this joyful moment in peace.

A long while later, Minato held Naruto and said with a firm expression, "Naruto, give Daddy a little more time, and Mommy will be back very soon!"

Following this, Minato quietly enjoyed a period of father-son bonding. He exchanged some intelligence with the Third Hokage and then impatiently set off toward Amegakure.