Naruto: Reborn as Orochimaru-Chapter 348

The people of Konoha, especially the women around Orochimaru shared a common trait.

They were too kind.

Uzumaki Kushina was no exception.

According to her, if Orochimaru had to obtain the Tailed Beasts, she would rather die than see him turn into a monster who abused forbidden techniques and killed without hesitation.

Because now, she wasn't just a kind-hearted woman.

She was a mother.

She wanted Orochimaru to remain a positive figure in her daughter's eyes.

If this had been the old Orochimaru, he would have scoffed at such naive thinking.

In this chaotic era, what was the difference between killing a man and slaughtering livestock?

Good and evil, righteousness and wickedness, were they anything more than illusions?

The Third Hokage had been known as a kind leader, yet on the battlefield, he had killed countless people.

And behind closed doors, hadn't he also conducted his own secret experiments on living subjects?

But as time passed, Orochimaru's perspective had shifted.

He had grown weary of constant bloodshed.

Life without personal connections held no meaning.

So he had started exploring new avenues of study, learning to consider other people's opinions.

That was why he had agreed to Kushina's request.

He would find another way to ensure her survival.

Until now, his focus had been on the concept of life force transfer.

But he had overlooked a simpler solution, the Nine-Tails' chakra could be split into Yin and Yang.

One part Yin, one part Yang.

As long as a portion remained within her, Kushina would not die.

Moreover, if extracting a Tailed Beast killed the Jinchūriki, but immediately sealing another one inside allowed them to survive.

Then didn't that mean a synthetic chakra entity, created with Yin-Yang Release, could serve the same purpose?

Or perhaps, could a massive infusion of life force sustain a Jinchūriki even after their Tailed Beast was removed?

Similar to how Naruto had saved Might Guy?

After listening to Orochimaru's theory, Kushina finally felt some relief.

"Splitting it in two? That… that actually makes sense! When do you need it?"

"We'll talk about it later. I have some unfinished business to take care of first."

"By the way, Kushina…" Orochimaru suddenly smirked, tilting her chin up with his fingers. "Why do you keep calling me 'Lord'? Do we really need to be so formal?"

"I… I think it's fine the way it is."

Kushina smiled as she cradled her daughter in her arms.

Back when she first met Orochimaru, she had little romantic attachment to him.

But feelings could change over time.

She wasn't immune to that.

"What's so good about it?"

"Anyway, I think it's best this way! This way, other people won't suspect our relationship. And when we're… doing things, it feels… um… better..."

Orochimaru blinked.

"…"

Huh.

Had she always been this sly?

---

With Orochimaru in Akatsuki, the organization's progress had accelerated significantly.

Just two months after sealing the Three-Tails, they had pinpointed the locations of the other Tailed Beasts.

Inside a cavern, the Akatsuki meeting commenced once again, their spirits projected onto the fingers of the Gedo Statue.

But this time, only eight figures were present.

"Kakuzu, where's your partner?" Jūzō Biwa asked curiously.

"Dead," Kakuzu replied flatly.

"…Did you do it on purpose?"

"He should've dodged."

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Kakuzu's tone was so indifferent that he might as well have been talking about the weather.

Well, it was only natural.

Akatsuki was made up of highly capable shinobi. If a weaker recruit couldn't keep up, their death was inevitable.

"Whatever. If he's dead, he's dead."

Pain's voice carried no emotion.

Most of Akatsuki's recruits were criminals. He wasn't going to waste time mourning them.

"However, with only eight of us, it'll be difficult to capture and seal all the Tailed Beasts efficiently."

"We'll just go one at a time," Orochimaru said.

Right now, Uchiha Itachi and Deidara were still brats, and Hidan was even younger than Kabuto.

Recruiting them was out of the question.

So for now, they had no choice but to proceed methodically.

"…That's our only option for now," Pain agreed. "We'll divide into teams.

"Konan and I will head to Kirigakure to capture the Six-Tails.

"Kisame and Jūzō, you'll go to the Land of Earth and retrieve the Four-Tails and Five-Tails.

"Orochimaru and Kakuzu, you'll be responsible for the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails.

"Sasori, return to the Land of Wind and prepare. Once Konan and I capture the Nine-Tails, we'll join you.

"As for Zetsu, you're not a combatant, so you'll focus on gathering intel."

"Understood."

"No problem."

"Let's move."

One by one, the projections faded from the cave.

"Orochimaru."

Kakuzu remained a moment longer, turning to face him.

"Where should we meet?"

"Where are you now?" Orochimaru asked.

"Land of Fire. Short Book Street."

"Hm? That's close." Orochimaru smirked. "Wait for me there."

"Fine." Kakuzu's eyes gleamed faintly. "I hope you're as interesting as your reputation suggests."

Orochimaru gave no response.

Instead, his projection disappeared in an instant, and his consciousness returned to his body.

This time, he was not in the Land of Sound.

He was in Konoha.

More specifically, Tsunade's bedroom.

The moment he opened his eyes, he found Tsunade sitting cross-legged in front of him, her elbows resting on her knees, chin propped up in her palms, watching him intently.

Their faces were close. No more than twenty centimeters apart.

"…Tsunade, why are you staring at me like that?"

"I wanted to see what you were up to."

Tsunade sighed, shaking her head.

"We were having a nice conversation, and then you just—bam. Meditation. What's with that?"

"This is my job."

"Your job?" She raised an eyebrow. "What, plotting world destruction?"

"I'll explain later."

"Fine, whatever." She leaned back, dropping the subject.

"Now, back to what we were talking about. You said you're capturing Tailed Beasts… and your reason is to reduce casualties?"

"What do you mean by that?"

Orochimaru shrugged.

"It's not hard to understand, is it?"

"We've all seen firsthand the destructive power of Tailed Beasts."

"If our forces overwhelm the enemy, and they're backed into a corner, what do you think will happen? A single Tailed Beast Bomb could wipe out thousands."

"Even though I can subdue a Jinchūriki with ease, the safest course of action is to capture the Tailed Beasts beforehand."

Tsunade exhaled sharply.

"…How long will this take?"

"Six months at most."

"So in six months, war will break out?"

Orochimaru's golden eyes gleamed.

"…It might not even take that long."

***

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