In fact, Orochimaru was already in Hot Spring Town. Haseo followed behind the snake for only a short distance before he found him.
"There's no blood here, no endless cries of pain echoing about; instead, there's just a quiet night and dimly flickering lights," Orochimaru said. "Konoha seems, as always, like a charming place—but compared to the Front Line..."
He shook his head before continuing with his sentence: "Even though we're under the same beautiful sky, it feels like we're living in two entirely different worlds."
Haseo looked up slightly. Tonight's sky appeared unusually clear, with bright stars shining low above. Combined with the streetlights on both sides of the road, even the Hot Spring River shimmered softly in the night.
"You're really not suited to speak like this or make sentimental remarks. Your voice is too raspy, lacking that deep, rich tone... Although you've always been quiet, I remember when you were young your voice used to be quite clear. When did you ruin your voice during puberty?"
One thing about Haseo was that if he didn't want to talk properly, he simply wouldn't. Which meant he was feeling pretty laid-back at the moment.
When he felt like messing around, his mood was usually loose.
Orochimaru: "..."
He thought to himself, I'm not performing an emotional reading assignment—why're you critiquing my voice? It was merely a spontaneous reflection, yet still deserves criticism?
Actually, it wasn't even real criticism—it was more like personal mockery.
"Also, your perspective is somewhat flawed. During wartime, Konoha does change a little from usual times. Take this town for example—at normal times, at this hour, the entire town should already be filled with agonized moans. Sometimes the situation here was worse than at the Front Line. Definitely not as peaceful as it is now... So stop staying cooped up indoors all the time. Go out, take walks, broaden your horizons. In that regard, you're way behind Jiraiya."
Orochimaru remained silent, continuing forward along the riverbank.
Indeed, snakes were cold-blooded creatures by nature, but even snakes cared about reproduction. Yet what could one do? Just like some people naturally become interested in things—for instance, Jiraiya—while others simply don't care.
So perhaps that explained why Orochimaru never got along well with Jiraiya?
Orochimaru was someone who had transcended base interests, whereas Jiraiya spent so much time immersed in vulgar and pointless matters. Naturally, one might expect that Orochimaru would look down upon such behavior.
"Hey, Haseo, you seem particularly familiar with this town."
"Well, considering how long I've lived here, it's practically impossible not to become familiar."
Orochimaru wasn't known for enjoying small talk. Still, despite knowing Tsunade was around, he specifically called Haseo over—it seemed he truly just wanted to chat casually.
Haseo was more than happy to keep chatting, since no matter what Orochimaru intended to do, he would eventually reveal it anyway.
"That's true. Time is the most magical thing of all. It can turn all strangeness into familiarity. A person with learning ability could, given enough time, accumulate nearly infinite knowledge. However... time is endless, yet everyone's time is extremely limited."
"So what?"
Orochimaru's train of thought was interrupted by Haseo's counterquestion. "What I mean is, just like how you've become familiar with this street, after being a ninja for so many years, I've also become familiar with 'ninja' themselves.
I seem to have seen where my limits lie. It's unsettling because... normally, someone capable and ambitious would certainly refuse to be bound by anything. Yet breaking through such limits is practically impossible."
"But that's perfectly natural. If you keep walking down any path long enough, eventually you'll reach its end," Haseo said. Whether these words were meant to console Orochimaru or merely stating a fact, no one could tell.
Everyone has their limits. Some just reach them later than others.
Orochimaru didn't respond and kept going on the same topic. "Haseo, I should be able to see and guess your limitations too. But in reality, I can't see them at all because I simply can't grasp your thinking. You... seem to know something we don't.
Of course, it must just be an illusion.
But regardless, take what happened in Mist, for instance. Before it occurred, I never could've imagined you possessed such capabilities."
"That makes sense too. After all, I'm just an ordinary ninja—lacking real talent. Sometimes my actions might surprise people, but those are nothing more than petty tricks—not worthy of any real admiration. I don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as truly powerful individuals."
Petty tricks... I wonder what the folks in Mist would think if they heard Haseo talk about himself like that.
And when Haseo referred to "truly powerful individuals," he must have meant people like Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. Compared to "the strongest in the world," Haseo indeed falls short. Yet his very attempt at comparison seems to imply something.
By now, Haseo understood what Orochimaru had subtly revealed: First, Orochimaru was fascinated by long life—even immortality. Second, he was interested in "kekkei genkai"—more specifically, Six Paths' bloodline.
Haseo didn't know whether Orochimaru had already started studying the Six Paths Sage and the Ninja Sect. But if he ever did pursue such studies, one simple truth would soon emerge—truly powerful ninjas in the entire Ninjutsu World were all descendants of the Six Paths Sage.
Of course, the second point was only subtly implied. It's possible Orochimaru still saw the Six Paths Sage as nothing more than a legend or myth at this point.
"Haseo, your 'humility' always sends chills down my spine," Orochimaru chuckled softly.
Haseo thought to himself, *You're the one who looks downright chilling when you smile...* This younger Orochimaru now wore that same familiar smirk from later years.
"These past years," Orochimaru began, "I've done some research on chakra. I believe certain types of chakra actually represent its 'primal form,' something much closer to its true essence. So, I need your help..." He suddenly shifted tone and stated his purpose directly: "I want to obtain the Nine-Tails."
Haseo blinked. Back then, he might have casually dropped a hint to Orochimaru without really meaning it—and apparently Orochimaru had taken it seriously.
"It seems you already figured out why Tsunade came back to Konoha. Then again, why would you think I have any say in this matter?"
"Your connection with the Uzumaki clan speaks for itself. Otherwise, why would you stay inactive during these times of war, remaining inside the village?" Orochimaru was clever—he simply connected the dots, quickly figuring out Haseo's role regarding the transfer of the Nine-Tails and its jinchuriki.
He even boldly suspected Haseo might be orchestrating the whole thing.
Considering the power of the Uzumaki clan and Mito Uzumaki being Konoha's first Nine-Tails jinchuriki (tailed beast host), the organization "Kagenami" probably existed specifically to facilitate the Nine-Tails' transition.
Only recently had Orochimaru begun to grasp the depth and length of Haseo's long-term scheming.
"This is exactly why I hate smart people," Haseo muttered while shaking his head.
Yet, there was no way Orochimaru could ever guess the deepest truth.
"You know the risks of becoming a jinchuriki, right? Do you really believe you can control the Nine-Tails? Even if you successfully become its container, you might regret your choice within ten years."
Haseo was just messing with him. After splitting the Nine-Tails' chakra, the risks of becoming its jinchuriki had greatly decreased—at least the danger of losing control over it was minimal.
"My future self might indeed regret this decision, but if my future self were standing here now, I believe he'd still make the same choice.
Opportunities to interact with the Nine-Tails are fleeting—this is possible only during the transition between jinchuriki."
The allure of limitless chakra—the very secrets of chakra itself—was exactly what Orochimaru longed to unravel. Thus, he made up his mind.
Ten or twenty years later, perhaps Orochimaru would eventually discard the Nine-Tails carelessly, but right now, he was deeply fascinated by it. This obsession, undoubtedly, revealed an irrationality in his thinking.
This was a decision that demanded immense resolve—precisely the kind that fell under the phrase "curiosity killed the cat." Once someone became a jinchuriki and fused with the tailed beast, they could never separate again… Although this rule didn't strictly apply to Orochimaru, because that was his future self.
Unless...
Orochimaru had already begun conceiving of the Living Corpse Reincarnation technique.
Smiling slightly, Haseo said, "I admire your determination—I'll support your decision. As long as the Third has no objections, handing over the Nine-Tails to you shouldn't be a problem."
Haseo anticipated Orochimaru's upcoming exploration into the Nine-Tails' secrets.
"Just like that? You agreed that easily?"
Orochimaru was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Haseo to agree so readily.
"It's really not that complicated. Ever wonder what makes a merchant truly successful?"
"What is it?"
Orochimaru didn't get where Haseo was going with this, but played along regardless.
"Don't tie up your cash in stock."
"...Come again?"
There are many Nine-Tails.
But of course, Orochimaru had no idea about any of that.
The time lag and information asymmetry made Orochimaru feel like nothing more than a plaything in Haseo's hands.
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