News that Sasuke Uchiha had killed Orochimaru spread quickly, because Kabuto Yakushi kept fanning the flames behind the scenes.
However, Kabuto Yakushi's actions were something he had discussed with Orochimaru beforehand.
Orochimaru had already noticed the upheaval beginning to sweep through the Shinobi World. To avoid attention and plan before making his move, he decided to hide for now, while the situation remained unclear.
Although word that Orochimaru could resurrect had long since spread throughout the Shinobi World.
Everyone believed that whenever Orochimaru died, he needed some time to resurrect, just like a Tailed Beast.
That also fit with everyone's understanding. It was only natural for something as heaven-defying as returning from the dead to have limitations.
This way, Orochimaru could quietly hide behind the scenes, then emerge to reap the final rewards of victory when the Akatsuki and the major Ninja villages fought one another to the death.
Of course, Orochimaru's vision was a rosy one. Whether he could achieve it depended on whether his schemes proceeded smoothly.
The Land of Iron.
The Five Kage Summit had ended, and Tsunade's party was on the road, preparing to return to the village.
To ensure the Five Kage left the Land of Iron safely and encountered no danger on their territory, the Land of Iron's samurai escorted Tsunade and the others all the way out.
The same arrangements had been made for the other villages' Kage.
As they neared the Land of Iron's border, the samurai informed Tsunade's party that Orochimaru had died at Sasuke Uchiha's hands, before Konoha's intelligence reached them.
"He died again?"
Tsunade pursed her lips and exchanged a glance with Jiraiya.
It really left her speechless. She could no longer remember how many times she had heard news of Orochimaru's death.
"Do you believe this intelligence?"