A Sage's Pursuit of Power

It had been some time since Aoba's last encounter with Orochimaru. Given Orochimaru's efficiency, it wasn't surprising to hear back from him.

As soon as Aoba returned, the white snake spat out a scroll before disappearing into the yard.

This time, Orochimaru hadn't come in person. After all, Aoba had recently overseen the repair and upgrade of Konoha's surrounding defensive barrier, specifically addressing the vulnerabilities Orochimaru had previously exploited. While Orochimaru could still infiltrate, it was now significantly more challenging.

More importantly, with Aoba in Konoha and Kakashi significantly stronger, the village posed a much greater threat to Orochimaru.

Opening the scroll, Aoba found an address with instructions for an immediate meeting.

Sighing, he glanced at Yumi, who was glaring at him, and gestured helplessly.

Annoyed, Yumi turned and stormed back into the house, ignoring him.

At the same familiar forest clearing, Aoba met Orochimaru, who was accompanied by Kabuto.

Since losing the use of his arms, Orochimaru had relied on Kabuto for ninjutsu, making them inseparable.

"Aoba-kun, you've kept me waiting," Orochimaru greeted, his voice tinged with curiosity rather than annoyance at Aoba's tardiness.

Orochimaru found Aoba intriguing. In his eyes, they were alike, both cold and indifferent to some things, but meticulous when it came to important matters.

"My apologies, Orochimaru-sama. Konoha had an intruder tonight. I needed time to handle the situation."

"An intruder? Someone capable of keeping you occupied without causing a commotion? That's not an ordinary person."

Orochimaru wasn't far from Konoha. If there had been large-scale combat, he would have sensed it.

"Indeed, a very troublesome foe. And Orochimaru-sama, you might know of him, a certain mysterious individual who orchestrated the Nine-Tails attack years ago. Or, more accurately, the enigmatic Uchiha."

Aoba made no effort to hide Obito's involvement, hoping to pique Orochimaru's interest and have him cause trouble for Obito.

"That man?"

While not everyone knew the details of the Nine-Tails incident, someone of Orochimaru's stature certainly did. At the time, he had been interested in this mysterious figure but had failed to gather useful clues. Over the years, his curiosity had waned.

Hearing of the man again today reignited his interest.

"According to our intelligence, this same individual was involved on the night of the Uchiha massacre."

"Oh, a vengeful spirit, perhaps? How interesting. Such an important piece of information, and you're just giving it to me?"

"This isn't a trade, Orochimaru-sama. I simply wish to inform you that there's a highly dangerous and uncontrollable individual lurking in the shadows of the ninja world.

This man possesses a Mangekyō Sharingan with a unique space-time ninjutsu. Konoha's defenses or any ninja village's defenses, for that matter are meaningless against him."

At this point, Orochimaru fully understood Aoba's intentions. He was clearly being baited into targeting this man. Still, he couldn't deny that his curiosity had been piqued. If the opportunity arose, he would certainly act against him.

"I see. Well then, let's get to the matter at hand, shall we? Aoba-kun, I've gathered the Uzumaki clan's research on the Shinigami and found a technique that can restore my arms.

However, the technique has very strict requirements and needs a special tool. I wonder, by chance, if you have it?"

Without hesitation, Aoba pulled out the Shinigami Mask.

"Indeed, I do."

"Excellent. Aoba-kun, name your price."

"I want all the research data you collected from the Uzumaki clan, as well as all the information on the Edo Tensei technique."

"That's too much! This isn't fair, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto protested, feeling that Aoba was demanding too much for a single mask. He couldn't help but speak out.

But neither Orochimaru nor Aoba paid him any attention.

"Deal."

Prepared in advance, Orochimaru tossed two scrolls over. Both understood that their exchanges were never about fairness but about mutual necessity.

Fairness was irrelevant. What mattered was that both parties got what they wanted.

The Edo Tensei technique had always struck Aoba as problematic. He could have obtained it much earlier but had refrained until now.

However, with Obito's recent appearance, Aoba knew he needed to prepare for the worst.

After all, Obito wasn't alone, he had a vast army of 100,000 White Zetsu at his disposal.

Not all White Zetsu were reconnaissance-oriented weaklings like the one Aoba had captured earlier. Many were elite combatants with top-tier capabilities.

In addition, there was Black Zetsu, lurking by Obito's side, and the lingering influence of Uchiha Madara, whose presence, though posthumous, still loomed large. These opposing forces forced Aoba to accelerate his plans.

Impatient to regain the use of his arms, Orochimaru had no interest in prolonging the discussion. Aoba had considered warning him about certain risks but decided against it.

Orochimaru's arms were sealed in the Shinigami's stomach, along with the entirety of the Fourth Hokage's soul.

Aoba had initially planned to warn Orochimaru not to meddle with those souls and that it wasn't the right time.

But on second thought, Aoba realized that any such warning might only heighten Orochimaru's curiosity. For now, Orochimaru was singularly focused on restoring his arms, and leaving the matter unmentioned might actually keep him from acting recklessly.

Retrieving the sealed souls required summoning the Shinigami to possess one's body temporarily. The ritual involved slitting open the stomach to release the trapped souls.

The unsealing method, like the Reaper Death Seal itself, demanded a life in exchange. Only two people in the ninja world could perform this technique: Orochimaru, who could use his Living Corpse Reincarnation to evade death, and Hidan, who was immortal and secretly lurking within the Akatsuki.

When Aoba had recruited Hidan, he had already considered this possibility.

But now wasn't the time to release the Four Hokage's souls. Aoba didn't need four Hokage, he needed four combatants.

Check out the patreon and get 43 chapters in advance -> SaintXI

Currently on Chapter 182 - The Beginning of Turmoil, Black Zetsu Acts