Naruto: The Primal Hyuga Pierces the Shinobi World

Jiraiya always felt that there was still room for reconciliation between Orochimaru and the village. However, in reality, whether it was the Third Hokage or the Fourth Hokage, as long as they were still in the position of Hokage, they would never allow Orochimaru to continue to stay in the village.

Otherwise, how can they explain this to the families of the victims? How can they maintain their positions as Hokage?

This is completely different from Uchiha Sasuke, who came later. Sasuke defected from the village in his youth, but the people he killed were either Orochimaru, a Konoha traitor, or Danzo, who usurped the throne. Even Itachi, whom he killed, was also considered a Konoha traitor in everyone's mind.

Sasuke might return to the village, but Orochimaru, who attacked innocent comrades in the village, is not.

Jiraiya ultimately failed to recognize this, while Orochimaru, on the other hand, was very clear about what he had done. His resolute stance towards Jiraiya stemmed from his desire to prevent his comrade from being tainted by his "stigma."

At the same time, Jiraiya also wanted to protect Orochimaru, so when he saw Shinichi and the others, he was somewhat wary of them.

In this world, besides Shinichi himself, the people who understand him best are probably his adoptive teacher Kushina and Jiraiya in front of him.

Since Orochimaru's defection, Jiraiya has devoted most of his energy to tracking Orochimaru, but he still keeps track of Kushina's training through the toads.

As Kushina successfully mastered Sage Mode and "emerged from seclusion," Jiraiya also learned who had been fighting alongside Kushina all along.

In Jiraiya's eyes, Shinichi Hyuga was not just a simple Hyuga kid, but a terrifying guy whose taijutsu was so strong that it could rival Kushina in Sage Mode.

Such a powerful figure bringing the Uchiha clan and the village's elite here is most likely a setup for hunting down Orochimaru.

Shinichi Hyuga sensed Jiraiya's defensiveness, and after a brief moment of thought, he knew how he should answer Jiraiya:

"Our team's target isn't Orochimaru. He's one of the legendary Sannin. Asking a few young guys like us to chase after him is giving us far too much credit."

"We are investigating a mysterious organization, and we thought that Jiraiya-sama, who has a wide range of intelligence sources, might have information about that organization, so we came here specifically to ask for your advice."

"As for Orochimaru... whether he has anything to do with our mission is another matter."

Upon hearing Shinichi's words, Jiraiya roughly understood the other party's intentions. However, Jiraiya did not completely trust Shinichi's words, even though Shinichi was his grand-disciple and a fellow Konoha ninja.

Even to Jiraiya, Shinichi's words implied that Orochimaru was the person he was looking for.

"A mysterious organization?!"

Thinking about Shinichi and his team's goal, and considering Orochimaru, Jiraiya suddenly remembered that when he last met and fought Orochimaru, Orochimaru's attire was a bit strange, and Orochimaru, who never wore accessories, was wearing a ring.

At the time, Jiraiya didn't notice anything unusual and even teased Orochimaru for his flamboyant style of dress after becoming a rogue ninja. Now, thinking back on it carefully, that strange outfit and that mysterious ring engraved with the character "空" (empty) are quite remarkable.

All of this seems to confirm that Orochimaru has joined some organization?!

Thinking of this, Jiraiya couldn't help but frown slightly.

Shinichi had been watching Jiraiya's expression closely, and he naturally noticed these subtle changes. However, Shinichi didn't intend to press the matter further, but instead continued speaking:

"Yes, we are investigating a mysterious organization."

"This mysterious organization is raising a huge amount of money after attacking many underground gold exchange offices in the Land of Fire."

“During my investigation, I fought against members of this organization. The enemy was very arrogant, with conspicuous auspicious cloud patterns embroidered on their black robes.”

"I killed a Sand Village rogue ninja named Sasori, and escaped a Takigakure rogue ninja named Kakuzu. Helping him cover his retreat was a mysterious person dressed entirely in white."

"That person also attacked the village when Kushina-sensei was giving birth."

Shinichi Hyuga was selective in revealing the information he possessed, taking into account Kakashi's presence.

Don't be fooled by Kakashi's calm and composed personality; that's just on the surface. His heart is actually as fiery as Jiraiya's. If he knew that Obito Uchiha was still alive and had even attacked Konoha and posed a threat to the village, it's hard to imagine what he would do.

Shinichi Hyuga's words were vague, but Jiraiya, who knew the truth about the incident, understood what Shinichi was talking about. When he heard Shinichi mention the characteristics of the mysterious organization's clothing, his expression clearly froze.

It's done...

Orochimaru's attire was exactly the same as that of the mysterious organization mentioned by Hyuga Shinichi, with red auspicious cloud patterns... This kind of "strange clothing" was so easy to identify that it was almost impossible for them to "wear the same clothes".

Without a doubt, Orochimaru must have joined that organization.

Moreover, according to Shinichi, the members of that organization were either rogue ninja from Sunagakure or rogue ninja from Takigakure. Considering Orochimaru's current status as a rogue ninja, Jiraiya was now quite certain that Orochimaru had a close connection with the organization that Shinichi and the others were investigating.

Jiraiya's original intention was to protect Orochimaru, and he did not want to reveal information about Orochimaru to the powerful Shinichi Hyuga.

But now... Jiraiya has changed his mind.

The mysterious organization that Shinichi mentioned was actually involved in the Nine-Tails' rampage back then, which meant that Jiraiya had crossed his bottom line.

Even his old comrade-in-arms Orochimaru was not as important as the safety of the village.

As a disciple of the Third Hokage, it's clear that Jiraiya is also someone who possesses the "Will of Fire."

What? You're saying the Will of Fire is to protect the village's future, to protect those children called "Jade"?!

No, you're wrong. The Will of Fire is about protecting the village; the village is above everything else!

Otherwise, there wouldn't have been so many "childhood" ninjas on the battlefield during the Third Shinobi World War.

This is both a desperate measure taken when the village is running out of resources, and a manifestation of the "Will of Fire."

"Orochimaru... is probably a member of that mysterious organization you mentioned."

After pondering for a long time, Jiraiya poured some wine into his cup and said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Shisui, Guy, Kakashi, and the others all focused their attention on Jiraiya. Shinichi Hyuga, on the other hand, was not surprised. He placed his hands flat on the rocks by the pool, waiting for Jiraiya to continue.

"Two months ago, I tracked down Orochimaru's secret base in the Land of Grass, and it was there that I fought him."

"Orochimaru's outfit was strange back then, different from his usual style. I thought it was just a temporary change in his look..."

"A long black robe embroidered with red auspicious cloud patterns; this must be the uniform of that organization..."

"After the defeat, I returned to the Land of Hot Springs, and I haven't seen Orochimaru since."

Jiraiya spoke in a deep tone, and when he mentioned his defeat, his face showed not shame, but regret.

"Two months ago..."

"His experimental base shouldn't be abandoned so easily. Even though you found it, given Orochimaru's pride, he probably won't just give up his secret base like that."

"After all, the base is in the Land of Grass, not in the Land of Fire, so there's no need to worry too much about an ambush by Konoha."

The Land of Grass is Orochimaru's stronghold, which is why Shinichi made this guess.

Furthermore... to put it bluntly, Orochimaru probably didn't even consider Jiraiya a threat...

Orochimaru wasn't too worried about this underdog partner who could be easily defeated. Or rather, Orochimaru had grasped Jiraiya's personality and knew what kind of person Jiraiya was.

"Take us to Orochimaru."

"Lord Jiraiya, this is very important to us and to the village."

Shinichi felt that approaching the Akatsuki organization from Orochimaru's perspective would be a better choice, since given Orochimaru's personality, it was only a matter of time before he left Akatsuki.

He was an experimental fanatic, and Xiao was a war machine; in essence, they were two completely different people.

Orochimaru joined Akatsuki simply because he lacked a sense of security after becoming a rogue ninja, and he used Akatsuki to accumulate funds to build an experimental base.

Once he has cultivated enough trusted subordinates and established the Sound Ninja to firmly control the Land of Grass, Akatsuki will naturally be kicked aside by him.

At that time, Akatsuki would actually be a problem for Orochimaru, and he probably wouldn't mind letting Konoha and Akatsuki fight each other.

Shinichi was able to somewhat understand Orochimaru's intentions, and it was precisely because of this that Shinichi felt Orochimaru was worth cooperating with.

From a macro perspective, Orochimaru will not affect the survival of the Hyuga clan, but the Akatsuki will.

It's already quite obvious who to target first.

If Shinichi really doesn't want to "eat rice," getting rid of Akatsuki is his top priority!

Unfortunately, he came into this world far too late. By the time he grew strong enough to change things, some things were already beyond redemption.

After Yahiko's death, Akatsuki's direction was completely swayed by Obito Uchiha, and Shinichi was not Naruto; he didn't think his talk-no-jutsu could change Nagato's mind.

Only Shinichi's fist can change the outcome!

"You must have just arrived in the Land of Hot Springs too, right?"

"Rest for two days. Once you've rested, I'll take you there."

"I need to be in top condition before facing Orochimaru, right?"

................

Chapter 139 The Toad Sage, A Small Test of His Skills! (Please Subscribe)

Jiraiya's decision to let Shinichi and the others, who had rushed to the Land of Hot Springs, rest for a few days to adjust their condition was heartfelt. No one understood Orochimaru better than him. Even Konoha elites like Shinichi and his group had to be careful when facing Orochimaru.

When the village's safety was threatened, Jiraiya undoubtedly stood firmly on the village's side, and he genuinely intended to help Shinichi and the others find Orochimaru.

After a short two-day rest, Shinichi and the others, full of energy, found Jiraiya again. This time, Jiraiya didn't say anything and took the initiative to lead Shinichi and the others towards the Land of Grass.

Unlike the low spirits Jiraiya displayed when they first met a few days ago, he clearly regained his original personality and became cheerful again during the journey to the Land of Grass with Shinichi and the others.

"Hey kid, what are you planning to do after you find Orochimaru?"

"Capture alive? To extract information?"

"Don't blame me for looking down on you. Even with me included, our squad probably couldn't capture Orochimaru alive."

"Killing him...that's somewhat possible."

Dark clouds filled the sky, threatening a storm. After several days of travel, Jiraiya and Shinichi successfully entered the Land of Grass.

They were currently traveling swiftly across a vast grassland, perhaps getting closer to Orochimaru's secret base. Jiraiya also wanted to find out Shinichi Hyuga's true intentions.

After spending just a few days together, Jiraiya had already figured out who the real leader of this team was. Although he was surprised that Shinichi was assigned such an important mission by Minato at such a young age, he understood why when he thought about Shinichi's strength.

That's how the world of ninjas is; there will always be some exceptional talents who can disregard age and experience.