Allies

Orochimaru had read too much into it!

Qi hadn't meant that at all. From the moment he learned Orochimaru had started experimenting on Anko, he'd set his sights on Orochimaru's research.

The Cursed Seal.

In other words, a weakened version of Sage Mode.

Not everyone had the talent to learn Senjutsu. Even a genius like Orochimaru had failed!

But anyone could be given a Cursed Seal—as long as it didn't contain fragments of Orochimaru's soul and turn them into a vessel for his resurrection.

The moment Qi decided to strengthen himself, he'd set his sights on Orochimaru, the scientist. He'd even sent Fire Fly to "seduce" him! If Orochimaru were still the Cold Lord, Qi would have wasted his time. But if he'd turned into a cold-blooded snake, then Qi could handle him with ease.

His ultimate goal was the Cursed Seal. Any extra benefits would just be a pleasant surprise.

So Qi was sure Orochimaru would accept any terms he proposed.

After dealing with Orochimaru, Qi had realized that he wasn't afraid of death. Just look at the results of his research. How could someone who was constantly putting his life on the line be afraid to die? That made his pursuit of immortality seem illogical.

Or rather, there was more to it. He might have had another reason for tampering with the souls of the dead.

His fixation on the Uchiha bloodline was also suspicious. He'd gone to far too much trouble. First, make his target stronger, then take over their body?

What, would he suddenly be unable to train if he took over their body first?

If Orochimaru only coveted the Uchiha bloodline, then he'd had plenty of opportunities to obtain it through his past partnership with Danzo, whether eyes or bodies. Qi refused to believe Danzo hadn't kept any.

That old man even had Hashirama Cells, let alone Uchiha samples.

Suppose—just suppose—that Orochimaru's goal had always been to bring someone back to life. Then perhaps all of his actions made sense.

Maybe he wanted to resurrect Nawaki Senju, the true heir of Konoha who had died under his command.

Could Orochimaru not be cold on the outside but softhearted within?

After all, Nawaki's death had driven a deep wedge between him and Tsunade. Maybe he simply wanted to make amends.

And if that really was what he intended, Sarutobi wouldn't tolerate it, and neither would Danzo.

Otherwise, human experimentation was small potatoes. This was the Shinobi World, where worse things happened every day. Just take a look at the Intelligence Department's interrogation unit. For a celebrated shinobi like Orochimaru, that sort of thing was nothing.

Orochimaru had also joined the Akatsuki to pursue the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique. But the technique required the Rinnegan, and the prerequisite for the Rinnegan was the Sharingan.

That also explained another reason the Uchiha Clan had to be wiped out.

They had the potential to bring people back to life.

Qi had never understood why Impure World Reincarnation was considered a forbidden technique.

Making the living go off to die in battle versus having the dead continue fighting for the living—surely the latter was more in keeping with human nature. People were selfish, after all.

In a place as cruel as the Shinobi World, the compassionate didn't last long. If there were a way for the dead to fight in place of the living, no one alive would turn it down.

Tampering with the souls of the dead was considered a big deal? People were capable of far worse.

Perhaps that was why, when Orochimaru first used Impure World Reincarnation in earnest to summon the Second Hokage, the Second Hokage hadn't said anything about his reasons. He'd only killed the Third Hokage, and then the matter had been dropped.

It was like summoning the founding father of a nation. He probably wouldn't condemn the government as a bunch of capitalist-roaders. At most, he'd drag a few truly awful people down with him.

After Tsunade overcame her Hemophobia, Orochimaru started behaving himself and became Sasuke's teacher. That was strange too.

Otherwise, with the way Uchiha Sasuke acted, all you needed to mess with him was a brain.

Of course, those were all Qi's guesses. Only the people involved knew the truth.

But it didn't matter. Your perspective was shaped by whose side you were on. If he could become Orochimaru's ally, then he was willing to clear Orochimaru's name.

Fire Fly, who had been listening for a long while, finally came around. So that was it. The one before her wasn't a man, but a male snake!

Now it all made sense. Snake-snake loved her most.

The poor old man had failed at a ninjutsu experiment and ended up transformed into a snake—the very creature he loved most. Fire Fly finally let go of her wariness toward Orochimaru. All she felt now was pity.

Poor little thing. Still, being a snake wasn't so bad.

Orochimaru glanced at Fire Fly, who had relaxed, and continued in a cheerful voice.

"I understand. Konoha can no longer shelter you. I won't take Fire Fly with me. I'll leave her all my ninjutsu and experience as a shinobi. She's already an excellent shinobi. With my experience to guide her, I'm sure she'll go even further."

Qi accepted Orochimaru's kindness, but this wasn't what he wanted.

"Thank you, Lord Orochimaru. You mean to announce your acceptance of her as your student throughout Konoha, so everyone will know that a member of the Uchiha Clan became a disciple of the Hokage's faction."

Qi had to hand it to Orochimaru. He always managed to identify the key point, even when Qi hadn't thought of it himself.

Sarutobi needed people's support—he needed the people to stand with him against the Uchiha.

A disciple of Orochimaru would make those who had once followed Orochimaru into battle waver. That would ruin Sarutobi's plans.

It would also give Orochimaru a good enough excuse not to take part in the civil war: he couldn't help his own teacher, so naturally he couldn't help his own student either.

No one could argue with that reasoning.

"Lord Orochimaru, I appreciate your kindness. I'm willing to let Fire Fly become your student, but only because I respect you as an outstanding researcher. I hope you'll pass on everything you've learned to this girl, so she can become a scientist without having to go to war."

The favor Orochimaru offered wasn't what Qi wanted. Public support was too intangible. Qi wanted something concrete: the techniques Orochimaru had truly mastered.

Seeing Qi's response, Orochimaru understood that he'd overthought things. Perhaps whether he took part in the civil war didn't matter to Qi.

"Oh, you're still as frank as ever, Qi. It seems you aren't worried about your teacher being targeted. You must have a plan."

Qi didn't bother being modest.

"Yes."

After answering, he quickly changed the subject.

"Lord Orochimaru, I was wondering whether the seals are among the ninjutsu you'll leave to Fire Fly."

Hearing this, Orochimaru understood. So that was what Qi was after. Uchiha Qi's intelligence network really was impressive.

"They are. The technique is already mature. I've tested it on Anko, at least. Are you interested in it, Qi?"

Qi nodded.

"Of course. Who doesn't wish they could be excellent without working hard? The seals give people like me hope."