Subduing Orochimaru

"How about it, Lord Orochimaru, are you willing to pursue truth with me?"

Uchiha Kei extended his hand towards Orochimaru.

That's right.

Whether it was having Shisui pursue Orochimaru or the words just spoken.

The goal was to win Orochimaru over!

The Naruto World was less a world of constant conflict.

And more a world where ideals clashed with ideals.

No one was right, and no one was wrong.

In the Naruto World, evil did not exist.

Yet Orochimaru was out of step with the people of this world.

In his past life, Orochimaru's character was very similar to another tragic figure.

"They beat me when I said the Earth was round..."

"And they wanted to 'save' me with love..."

Getting back to the point, the reason Orochimaru was not tolerated by Konoha.

The reason was actually very simple.

The first point was that Orochimaru secretly conducted human experiments to understand the human body.

How could Sarutobi Hiruzen, who always prided himself on "benevolence and kindness," tolerate this?

The second point was that his pursued ninja way was unbearable to Konoha.

Orochimaru sought to learn all the ninjutsu in the Shinobi World and understand the secret of eternal life from it.

In his understanding, ninjutsu was the key to unlocking the door to immortality, and for that, he would stop at nothing.

Was such a person truly evil?

Not necessarily!

Were people like Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo righteous?

Even less so!

Therefore, whether for his future plans or for the obsession of his past life.

Uchiha Kei had decided to win Orochimaru over.

Orochimaru looked up, his eyes sparkling.

"I am a rogue ninja of Konoha, and I have killed many people from Konoha."

To be honest, Orochimaru was very moved by this young boy's interpretation of truth.

He had experienced the cruelty of war.

His current twisted mindset and biased actions also stemmed from the damage of war.

In his aversion to war, Orochimaru surpassed most others.

But he also had his concerns.

Was this young boy in front of him truly worth assisting?

"A rogue ninja doesn't mean you've truly abandoned the village."

Uchiha Kei's expression remained unchanged.

"I plan to destroy Konoha."

Orochimaru scrutinized the young boy before him.

"Heh heh, Lord Orochimaru, do you really have a plan to destroy Konoha?"

During the Chunin Exams, Orochimaru had indeed gone to Konoha and taken Sarutobi Hiruzen with him at the cost of his hands.

But that didn't mean Orochimaru wanted to destroy Konoha.

That Chunin Exam farce had ended somewhat anticlimactically.

With Orochimaru's strength and intellect, if he had truly wanted to destroy Konoha, how could he have only killed Sarutobi Hiruzen?

Half of Konoha's top forces would likely have been buried there.

Even the twelve rookies would have suffered heavy casualties!

Therefore, Uchiha Kei didn't believe Orochimaru's words at all.

"Why do you say that?"

Orochimaru showed a look of curiosity.

His plan was merely a rough outline, something he hadn't told anyone.

How could this young boy be so sure?

"It's because Lord Orochimaru only dislikes the Third Hokage's governing philosophy, not Konoha."

Orochimaru's snake pupils contracted sharply, and he stared at Uchiha Kei in disbelief.

How could he know his thoughts?

A thought he had never spoken to anyone.

This brat could actually grasp his objective so clearly!

Was it because he understood him too well, or was he talking nonsense?

Orochimaru looked at Uchiha Kei's confident smile, feeling a sense of frustration.

It was unlikely to be nonsense...

That meant he had seen through him completely.

For a moment, Orochimaru actually felt a slight sense of fear towards this young fellow.

Nothing was more terrifying than someone being able to see through you.

"Can I hear your plan?"

Uchiha Kei nodded without hesitation.

"Of course, Lord Orochimaru, after all, we will be partners in the future."

A flicker of surprise flashed in Orochimaru's eyes.

Partners?

Partners...

Such a distant word.

Two figures immediately surfaced in Orochimaru's mind.

One was a glib-tongued white-haired man.

One was a flat-chested, violent woman.

"The Shinobi World appears calm on the surface, but in reality, it's turbulent."

Uchiha Kei cut straight to the point without any preamble.

"On the surface, the five great Ninja Villages have just experienced the Third Great Ninja War and ushered in a rare period of peace."

"But in reality, they are still fighting each other in secret."

"But this is not the most serious issue."

Uchiha Kei looked at Orochimaru earnestly.

"Lord Orochimaru should know of an organization called Akatsuki, right?"

A hint of dread flashed and disappeared in Orochimaru's eyes.

He certainly knew of this organization.

Even...

He had considered joining the Akatsuki Organization.

It was just that he hadn't acted on it yet.

The Akatsuki Organization was one of the few existences that made him feel wary.

"Then does Lord Orochimaru know of another organization called Yang?"

"Yang Organization?"

Orochimaru was taken aback.

Uchiha Kei nodded with understanding.

It seemed Orochimaru also didn't know about this Yang Organization.

"The objective of my mission when I left the village this time is this Yang Organization."

"It's just a small organization, what does that have to do with your plan?"

"It has everything to do with it."

Uchiha Kei took a step forward.

"This Yang Organization is no small organization. According to my intelligence, the members of the Yang Organization..."

"All possess the strength of a Jonin."

Orochimaru frowned slightly, looking at him without understanding.

Jonin strength might be considered strong by others.

But in his eyes, it was just so-so.

Could such an organization be compared to the Akatsuki Organization?

"Lord Orochimaru seems somewhat dismissive?"

Uchiha Kei smiled, his eyes full of mirth.

"It's not that I dismiss them, but while such organizations might be quite strong, they're simply not on the same level as the Akatsuki Organization," Orochimaru explained.

"I actually think the Yang Organization might be stronger than the Akatsuki Organization!"

Orochimaru licked his lips with his tongue.

"Stronger than the Akatsuki Organization? Perhaps you don't understand the Akatsuki Organization quite yet..."

"Regarding the Akatsuki Organization, I might understand it better than you, Lord Orochimaru."

Orochimaru scoffed.

Understand it better than him?

Did this brat not even blush when he bragged?

"The Akatsuki Organization's individual strength might be immense."

"But the Yang Organization could be an entire village."

"Within this village, every single ninja possesses the strength of a Jonin!"

"What!"

Orochimaru's body trembled, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Every ninja possessed the strength of a Jonin?

Was he joking?

Even in Konoha, the strongest of the Five Great Ninja Villages, Jonin were considered top-tier combatants!

Although there were Kage-level ninja above Jonin, how many Kage-level ninja could there be?

And how many Jonin?

A village full of Jonin...

The mere thought sent shivers down his spine!

"There are too many hidden powers in the Shinobi World," Uchiha Kei sighed.

Not just the Akatsuki Organization and the Yang Organization, but also many deeper, more cunning old foxes.

Like Black Zetsu Baby, who was solely focused on saving his mother.

Like the Peeping Toms on the Moon.

And like Otsutsuki Isshiki, who was currently posing as a monk.

"My plan is to make Konoha stronger, to make it stronger by any means necessary!"

"Strong enough to fear no danger!"

"And the first step is to have our own force."

Orochimaru understood.

He smiled playfully at this, "You're not trying to make Uchiha Itachi the Fifth Hokage, are you?"

"Having your own force, that's like me, it's an act of a rogue ninja."

Uchiha Kei let out a bright laugh.

"Having my own force doesn't conflict with my desire to make Uchiha Itachi the Fifth Hokage."

Orochimaru looked at him, puzzled.

In their mindset, a ninja should dedicate themselves entirely to their village, obeying the Hokage's commands without question.

What was the difference between having one's own force and being a rogue ninja?

"What the Shinobi World is facing cannot be overcome by the strength of a single person or a single village alone."

Uchiha Kei turned to look out the window, where a patch of sky was reflected.