There weren't many people close to him. The old man, Jiraiya, and Tsunade were the first three who came to mind.
Tsunade had left Konoha long ago. She probably didn't even know he had defected yet.
The old man couldn't let go of the power in his hands and would never leave Konoha.
As for Jiraiya, barring any surprises, he would be the one Konoha sent to hunt him down.
But Orochimaru knew his personality. Jiraiya might be furious over his defection, but at most, he would take him back to Konoha and make him repent and reflect on his actions. He would never think of killing him.
So, ruling out those three, he broadened his thinking and added two more conditions: he had met this person, and he had also seen something related to him.
Then Orochimaru arrived at a startling answer.
"Heh heh heh, Boss Chiba, don't tell me the person you're talking about is the Second, Tobirama Senju."
Tetsuya clapped his hands and congratulated him.
"Congratulations, you got it right. How did you figure it out? Doesn't it strike you as absurd? Tobirama Senju is dead, after all. Normally, nobody would even consider a dead person, would they?"
"Once you eliminate every wrong answer, whatever remains, however unbelievable, must be the correct answer."
Orochimaru added another point.
"Besides, haven't we already seen someone return from the dead? Madara Uchiha."
Back on the Land of Rain Battlefield, he had personally witnessed Madara Uchiha take down Hanzo of the Salamander in an instant.
Granted, that Madara Uchiha had concealed his identity, wearing a mask rather than showing his true face, which was somewhat suspicious.
But that godlike Susanoo, that power capable of reshaping the landscape with a single blow, matched everyone's image of Madara Uchiha perfectly.
Just as he