"How about it, Lord Orochimaru? Would you be willing to join me in pursuing the truth?"
Uchiha Kei held out his hand to Orochimaru.
That was right.
Whether it was sending Shisui to hunt down Orochimaru or what he had just said,
it had all been to recruit Orochimaru!
The Naruto World wasn't so much a place of endless conflict
as a place where ideals collided.
No one was right, and no one was wrong.
There was no evil in the Naruto World.
And yet Orochimaru was at odds with everyone else in it.
In his previous life, Orochimaru's character had reminded him of another equally tragic figure.
"I said the Earth was round, and they beat me..."
"They even tried to change me with love..."
But back to the point. The reason Orochimaru was rejected by Konoha
was actually very simple.
First, Orochimaru had secretly conducted human experiments to understand the human body.
How could Sarutobi Hiruzen, who always touted "benevolence," tolerate that?
Second, the path Orochimaru pursued was something Konoha couldn't accept.
Orochimaru wanted to learn every jutsu in the Shinobi World and uncover the secret of immortality through ninjutsu.
In his eyes, ninjutsu was the key to unlocking the door to eternal life, and he was willing to do whatever it took.
Did that really make him evil?
Not necessarily!
Were people like Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo righteous?
Even less so!
So whether it was for his plans going forward or because of an old obsession from his previous life,
Uchiha Kei had decided to recruit Orochimaru.
Orochimaru raised his head, his eyes gleaming.
"I'm a rogue ninja from Konoha. I've killed many people from the village."
To be honest, Orochimaru was deeply moved by the little brat's interpretation of truth.
He had experienced the brutality of war.
His twisted mindset and obsessive behavior stemmed from the wounds war had inflicted on him.
Orochimaru hated war more than most.
But he also had reservations.
Was the little brat standing before him really someone worth serving?
"Being a rogue ninja doesn't mean you've truly abandoned the village."
Uchiha Kei's expression didn't change.
"I plan to destroy Konoha."
Orochimaru studied the little brat in front of him.
"Heh. Lord Orochimaru, do you really have a plan to destroy Konoha?"
Orochimaru had indeed gone to Konoha during the Chunin Ninja Exams, and at the cost of both his arms, had taken Sarutobi Hiruzen down with him.
But that didn't mean Orochimaru wanted to destroy Konoha.
That Chunin Exam farce had ended rather anticlimactically.
Given Orochimaru's strength and intelligence, if he had truly wanted to destroy Konoha, could only Sarutobi Hiruzen have died?
Half the village's top fighters would likely have been lost.
Even the Konoha 12 would have suffered heavy casualties!
So Uchiha Kei didn't believe Orochimaru at all.
"Why do you say that?"
Orochimaru looked curious.
His plan was only a rough outline, and he hadn't told anyone about it.
What made this little brat so certain?
"Because Lord Orochimaru only hates the Third Hokage's way of governing, not Konoha itself."
Orochimaru's snake-like pupils contracted sharply as he stared at Uchiha Kei in disbelief.
How did he know what Orochimaru was thinking?
It was just a thought he'd never shared with anyone.
And yet this little brat had seen straight through his intentions!
Was he that familiar with Orochimaru, or was he just making things up?
Orochimaru looked at Uchiha Kei's confident smile and felt a little defeated.
It was unlikely that he was just making things up...
Which meant he'd figured Orochimaru out completely.
For a moment, Orochimaru felt a faint fear of the little fellow.
Nothing was more terrifying than someone seeing right through you.
"Can I hear your plan?"
Uchiha Kei nodded without hesitation.
"Of course, Lord Orochimaru. We'll be partners, after all."
A strange glint flashed in Orochimaru's eyes.
Partners?
Partners...
What a distant word.
Two figures immediately came to mind.
One was a silver-haired smooth-talker.
The other was a flat-chested violent woman.
"The Shinobi World looks peaceful now, but under the surface, currents are running deep."
Uchiha Kei didn't waste time and got straight to the point.
"On the surface, the Five Great Shinobi Villages have just come through the Third Shinobi World War and entered a rare period of peace."
"But in reality, they're still fighting one another behind the scenes."
"But that's not the worst of it."
Uchiha Kei looked at Orochimaru seriously.
"Lord Orochimaru, you should know of an organization called Akatsuki, right?"
A flicker of wariness crossed Orochimaru's eyes.
Of course he knew about that organization.
In fact...
he'd even considered joining the Akatsuki Organization.
He just hadn't acted on it yet.
Akatsuki was one of the few forces that made him wary.
"Then, Lord Orochimaru, do you know about another organization called the Yang Organization?"
"The Yang Organization?"
Orochimaru froze.
Uchiha Kei nodded, understanding.
It seemed Orochimaru didn't know about the Yang Organization either.
"My mission when I left the village was to investigate the Yang Organization."
"It's just a small group. What does that have to do with your plan?"
"Everything."
Uchiha Kei stepped forward.
"The Yang Organization isn't a small group. According to my intelligence, its members..."
"are all as strong as jonin."
Orochimaru frowned slightly and looked at him, unsure what he meant.
Being as strong as a jonin might be impressive to others.
But to him, it was nothing special.
Could an organization like that really compare to Akatsuki?
"Lord Orochimaru doesn't seem impressed."
"It's not that. An organization like that is certainly powerful, but it's nowhere near Akatsuki's level."
Orochimaru explained.
"I think the Yang Organization may be stronger than Akatsuki!"
Orochimaru ran his tongue over his lips.
"Stronger than Akatsuki? Maybe you don't know much about Akatsuki..."
"I may know more about Akatsuki than you do, Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru scoffed.
He knew more than Orochimaru?
How could this brat boast without even blushing?
"Akatsuki's individual members may be strong."
"But the Yang Organization could be an entire village."
"In that village, every single ninja is as strong as a jonin!"
"What!"
Orochimaru's body shuddered, disbelief in his eyes.
Every ninja was as strong as a jonin?
Was he joking?
Even in Konoha, the strongest of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, jonin were considered top-tier fighters!
There were Kage Level shinobi above them, sure, but how many could there be?
And how many jonin?
An entire village full of jonin...
Just imagining it made his scalp crawl!
"There are too many forces hidden in the shadows of the Shinobi World."
Uchiha Kei sighed.
Not just Akatsuki and the Yang Organization, but plenty of other schemers lurking even deeper.
Like Black Zetsu Baby, who was devoted to saving his mother.
Like the Peeping Toms on the Moon.
And Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, who was still posing as a monk.
"My plan is to make Konoha stronger, using every means necessary!"
"Strong enough to fear no danger!"
"And the first step is to build a power of our own."
Orochimaru understood.
He smiled playfully. "I thought you wanted Uchiha Itachi to become the Fifth Hokage?"
"Building a power of your own is the same as what I did: a rogue ninja's betrayal."
Uchiha Kei smiled freely.
"Building a power of my own doesn't conflict with wanting Uchiha Itachi to become the Fifth Hokage."
Orochimaru looked at him in confusion.
By their way of thinking, a ninja had to devote himself entirely to the village and obey the Hokage without question.
How was having a power of your own any different from being a rogue ninja?
"The threats the Shinobi World faces are too great for the strength of a single person or a single village."
Uchiha Kei turned to the window, where a patch of sky was reflected.
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