"He really is strong!" Orochimaru licked his lips. Once the war ended, he would have a proper talk with Uchiha Yi about Sage Mode. He also needed to investigate Ryūchi Cave.
The great snakes of Ryūchi Cave were difficult to deal with, and its so-called sages were even harder to approach. Though Orochimaru could be considered a disciple of Ryūchi Cave, he had never set foot inside. That would have to wait until he was strong enough to protect himself.
"Let's help too. We can't let Uchiha Yi steal all the glory." After a moment's thought, Jiraiya invited Orochimaru to join him.
"Mm." Orochimaru did not refuse.
The stronger Uchiha Yi became, the better it was for them. After all, he was Tsunade's disciple—one of their own. As for the future, they could deal with it when it came. If Uchiha Yi truly proved more suited to becoming Hokage than Orochimaru one day, Orochimaru would sincerely congratulate him.
Now that's a true genius!
Ultimately, Uchiha Yi was different from the future Minato Namikaze. Orochimaru would never believe he was truly inferior to Minato. Back then, Orochimaru had been the better candidate by any measure, yet Hiruzen Sarutobi had chosen Minato over him. How could someone as proud as Orochimaru accept that?
To Orochimaru, Hiruzen Sarutobi was no different from a father. How could Orochimaru, who had already begun to change, accept that his father did not acknowledge him?
It was much like Indra. Many people knew how exceptional he was. Of Hagoromo Otsutsuki's two sons, Indra was clearly the more outstanding, and he thought so himself.
Had Hagoromo Otsutsuki not made that choice, Indra and Asura would surely have remained devoted brothers. That would have been good for Ninshu.
But Hagoromo Otsutsuki had not chosen Indra. It was an act