"You're saying Orochimaru is coming?"
Keiko stared at the letter in his hand, his brows tightly furrowed.
"Yes. Nawaki was his disciple, so it's only natural for him to come and take a look. But the Research Institute's secrets..."
Tsunade hesitated. After all, this was Sunagakure's territory.
"Mm, taking a look... That's not necessarily... impossible. Heh. When exactly is he arriving?"
"Ah... Judging by the date on the letter, probably within the next couple of days?"
Tsunade had never expected Keiko to agree so readily.
"Oh, that soon?"
Keiko checked the date at the bottom of the letter. It had only been sent a few days ago.
"He's a man of action, just like you. The sort who does whatever comes to mind."
"Men of action are great. I admire them the most. I'll treat him to a meal when he gets here. He's your old classmate, after all."
Keiko pulled Tsunade into his arms.
"What about the test subjects in the Research Institute, the specimens, and..."
"Other than Bai Fei, everything can be shown to him."
Keiko waved his hand grandly.
"As for Madara, I might really not be able to handle him alone. Having an ally wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing."
"Mm, that's true."
Tsunade thought it over and found it reasonable.
"Get Subject No. 17 cleaned up later."
"What for?"
"Oh, come on. He's traveled all this way. We can't let him leave empty-handed, or people will say Sunagakure isn't hospitable."
Keiko smiled.
"Oh, right. Before we give it to him, cut out its tongue so it doesn't talk too much!"
Of course, Keiko was not being so kind-hearted. His plan to reveal the Research Institute's information to Orochimaru was not to win over an ally. Forming an alliance with Orochimaru? You wouldn't even know how