Uchiha Yato spoke bluntly, leaving no room for compromise, and for a moment, Orochimaru did not know how to explain himself.
"I know Mr. Orochimaru is still thinking about sending word to Konoha, but my plan has already begun, and I will not allow that to happen."
After saying this, Uchiha Yato glanced at Orochimaru again before continuing.
"Mr. Orochimaru, why not consider what Hiruzen Sarutobi would do under these circumstances?"
Hearing Uchiha Yato's question, Orochimaru thought carefully before replying.
"Now that Tsunade has returned, he will probably find a way to have her treat Shimura Danzō."
"If circumstances permit, he will likely have Jiraiya find a way to contact me so that we can resist this Konoha Crush Plan together."
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Yato finally revealed a faint smile.
In the original story, Orochimaru had been quite fond of playing both sides.
Now, with almost no secrets left before Uchiha Yato, Orochimaru had voiced the thoughts that might have been in his heart. It could be considered a form of respect for Uchiha Yato.
So Uchiha Yato continued.
"Then, Lord Orochimaru, do you remember why you were driven out of Konoha in the first place?"
Uchiha Yato brought up this sensitive subject again, instantly reminding Orochimaru of how he had been expelled.
Although Orochimaru had repeatedly put on a composed facade, some emotion still leaked through as he spoke.
"I was driven out back then because of the vile accusation of conducting human experiments!"
"They never asked why I conducted those experiments or where the test subjects came from. They simply placed all the blame on me!"
Orochimaru's emotions grew agitated and excited as he continued.
"Yes, I used living human subjects."
"But where did those subjects come from? Did Hiruzen Sarutobi not know?"
"He forced every last