For a long while, they kept their heads down and said nothing.
In the end, Nagato was the first to speak.
"I know our circumstances are different, but I believe we'll still live to see that kind of peace!"
He turned to Yahiko with a broad smile. It should have been a beautiful sight.
But for some reason, Yahiko felt a painful twist in his chest. All he could do was smile back.
Orochimaru watched their expressions from above, his own face filled with complicated emotions.
Then a small snake slipped from Orochimaru's hand.
After sending Manda away, Orochimaru landed in front of them. "I've done what I promised you!"
With that, he turned and went back to his room. He had no desire to keep watching the two of them wrestle with their feelings.
From that day on, Yahiko was almost never away from Nagato's side.
Nagato's question had left him constantly afraid of what might happen.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Yin, who was enjoying a rare rest at home, received a message from Orochimaru.
The news Orochimaru sent was not necessarily urgent.
But the fact that Orochimaru's defection was a pretense was a closely guarded secret.
So the moment he received the message, Uchiha Yin set up a Barrier around himself. No one outside could see or hear a thing.
After a quick read, Uchiha Yin had a fair grasp of what was happening there.
Everything was unfolding as he had expected, and the message left Uchiha Yin even more certain of success.
Once he had read it, he planned to check on Kurotsuchi. She had only just arrived in Konoha, after all.
He still needed to make sure she was settling in.
But the instant Uchiha Yin removed the Barrier and stepped out of his room, he saw a