Naruto: The Information Broker from the Uchiha Clan.

Chapter 366 The Water Gate Standing on the Index Finger

The series of technical issues surrounding Orochimaru's development became much simpler after he accepted Minato's invitation.

Just as Orochimaru himself said, he was eager to see how far these things could take ninjas.

Both sides reached an agreement on the technical issues, and Orochimaru safely left the Hokage Building.

……

As one of the legendary Sannin who defected from Konoha, there were many prerequisites for Konoha to cooperate with him, among which Uzumaki Sora's involvement was the most important.

"Your accommodation will be arranged at the reception desk in the shopping street. Once you arrive, just give them your pseudonym and you can proceed with your long-term stay."

Jiraiya sighed and then smiled, "It's not what I expected, but you still came back in the end... Orochimaru."

Tanaka, who had been waiting outside the Hokage Building, walked over and silently followed behind Orochimaru.

"Sometimes fate's arrangements are truly wondrous, aren't they? Things we couldn't understand or obtain back then now seem to have an answer."

With that, Orochimaru led Tanaka toward the shopping street, with Jiraiya hurrying to follow behind.

"You haven't been back for so many years, are you going to take a stroll for a while?"

Jiraiya, who had followed, thought for a moment and then invited, "Want to have a drink tonight? Tsunade, you can join us too. It's been so many years since the three of us last saw each other."

Orochimaru replied, "Tsunade probably doesn't really want to sit with me, does she? She doesn't agree with some of the old man's actions, but she certainly doesn't agree with me."

Jiraiya shrugged. "It was just catching up. So many years have passed, what difference does it make whether you agree or not... Anyway, I think it's a miracle you didn't beat Minato back then, what do you think?"

"Hehe...Is that so?"

Orochimaru laughed, "Uchiha... If it were me, Konoha would probably have been destroyed by the Uchiha clan by now."

Jiraiya chuckled awkwardly, "It shouldn't be that serious..."

Is it really that serious?

Unlike Jiraiya, Orochimaru was one of the people who knew that secret.

Uzumaki Sora... is just an alternate clone of Uchiha Kumo.

The two people share the same will.

If I had been the Fourth Hokage back then, I might have dealt with the Uchiha clan more drastically than Danzo...

Especially after understanding the meaning behind the surname Uchiha...

Lost in their thoughts, the two had already arrived at the mountain flower shop in the commercial street.

"Buying flowers? Does someone like you even have anyone to give flowers to?"

Orochimaru glanced at Jiraiya: "Although there's a reason for this, I still need to inform him. The one who gave me the beginning of life is also the one whose life was taken by Konoha."

These words silenced Jiraiya.

This topic was taboo back then; Konoha at that time was completely different from what it is now.

"Hiss..."

With his long, snake-like tongue sticking out, Orochimaru laughed, "Sometimes emotions outweigh reason. It seems that it's not just people like me who can be accepted; this guy has actually come back too."

Jiraiya looked over upon hearing this and saw a man wearing a straw hat selecting a bunch of chrysanthemums and paying at the counter.

Uchiha Obito...

As the Hokage's teacher, he knew some confidential things.

Orochimaru and the other party were both members of Akatsuki, so they were naturally familiar with each other.

"call……"

After letting out a breath, Jiraiya said in a deep voice, "His actions are restricted to a certain area of ​​the village. It's best if the two of you don't have too much contact."

Orochimaru chuckled: "Don't worry... I'm just a little surprised. For him to appear in Konoha, the Hokage is really bold. The hatred he carries is no less than that of Uzumaki Sora."

After saying that, Orochimaru went into the store, selected two bunches of chrysanthemums, and then paid at the counter.

Ino, who was not on a mission at the moment, was chatting with Obito. After all, Obito was a regular customer, though he always wore a straw hat and seemed mysterious.

"Uncle, you always give me this much loose change. If your finances don't allow it, you can give it to me a little later. Your wife won't blame you."

"Well. I did something wrong before, so this is a way of begging for forgiveness, isn't it? Maybe I won't get beaten up when I go down to find her. Hahaha!"

Obito smiled and continued to reach into his pocket, placing another five or six coins on the table, but it was clear that he still didn't have enough money.

At that moment, a banknote was handed to Ino.

"I'll pay for him."

Ino scratched her head and said, "Actually, I was going to give it to the older man, but I was afraid my mom would scold me again when she got back... Hey? Do you two know each other?"

Orochimaru smiled and replied, "We were colleagues before, it's fate that we met in Konoha. We might run into each other often in the future."

"But... I really didn't expect you to end up like this."

Obito, standing to the side, curled his lip: "A fox once said that if you're doing well, you're called a 'smoker,' and if you're not doing well, you're called a scoundrel. We're a bit poor, but we're quite at ease now."

Without saying a word of politeness, Obito reached out and took back the coin he had just pulled out.

If we use this money sparingly, it can last for a while. I don't know what Kakashi has been busy with lately, he can't find anyone to scam anymore.

"Gurgle..."

A rumbling sound came from my stomach.

We still need to buy some food; just eating steamed buns and drinking water won't do the trick.

After paying their bills, Orochimaru took two bunches of chrysanthemums and walked down the same road with Jiraiya and Obito.

Watching the two gradually walk side by side, Jiraiya, who was following behind, frowned but couldn't say anything.

Since they both have the same destination, they can't deliberately take a detour, can they?

"Who would someone like you go to mourn?"

"Yes. It's been a long time. I'm going to visit my parents... and a disciple."

"They've really changed a lot..."

"You're the same."

It is the same?

Obito looked up at the azure sky.

When you realize that your past ten years or so have been a joke, things start to change.

That guy, in particular... someone who can see through everything is really annoying!

But true peace seems to be achievable in that guy's hands, with casualties minimized.

Looking at the guy next to him who had changed his appearance but still stuck out his tongue, Obito said in a deep voice, "If Jiraiya hadn't been there, I might have taken you to the Hokage Building to exchange you for money. You're still the same as always."

Orochimaru replied, "Actually, I never imagined that the true leader behind Akatsuki would be struggling to afford a bouquet of flowers at a flower shop."

Obito's eye twitched.

"If you mention this again, I'll punch you!"

……

Hokage Building.

At this moment, a large pile of things that Orochimaru had just taken out had been moved to the new research department, and Shikaku had just returned from there.

"One or two results have been preliminarily confirmed, and Kabuto is very interested in meeting Orochimaru. According to him, a clash of geniuses is more likely to spark something new."

Minato nodded: "There's no rush. Jiraiya-sensei must have had a lot to say to today. After all, it's the deepest bond, and we really need his skills right now."

After a pause, Minato pondered and said, "Since Orochimaru has already made preliminary confirmation, let's begin. Cooperation between the two sides means that if the opponent is an alien, their positions are already aligned."

Then, a ring was taken out of the sealed scroll.

Prior to this, it had been specially sealed in a series of ways.

Chakra injection.

……

In a certain place in the Land of Hot Water.

While traveling around with Xiao Nan and searching for Black Zetsu's whereabouts, Uzumaki Sora sensed the fluctuations in the ring on his hand.

Under the spell of the Illusionary Body Technique, the void's wave of thoughts manifested within the shrine of the Land of Rain.

Nagato looked at the sky: "Konoha is trying to contact us. Should we bring them in?"

Sora looked around and said, "Let's go somewhere else. I think the Ten-Tails' finger would be nice."

Without asking why, the illusory scenery around them changed.

Immediately, the thought waves of Sora, Nagato, and Minato appeared simultaneously on the finger of the Gedo Mazo.

Having just regained his sight, Minato was stunned when he saw the Ten-Tails' husk for the first time. He had already begun to memorize this scene and was preparing to go back and check the literature.

"There's no need to force yourself to remember what this thing looks like. It's the body of the Ten-Tails, and the source of everything."

Uzumaki Sora's voice rang out, and then he looked at Minato and said, "Konoha has already seen what Orochimaru is saying. How to proceed with the arrangements is Konoha's responsibility."

Minato nodded: "Konoha will handle it. The main reason for contacting you today wasn't that..."

He stopped halfway through his sentence, another test.

Kong said helplessly, "Don't always think that I can see any future at will... I've told you many times, the future has already changed by the time it's seen."

Minato replied, "But you should see something like this, something that concerns the survival of the world, right? About the Otsutsuki clan."

A clan?

Nagato frowned.

The concept of a clan should not appear in this surname.

If such beings existed as a race...

No! Just two more would be enough to leave the entire ninja world with no chance of resistance.

Thinking of this, Nagato immediately looked at Uzumaki Sora as well.

Under their gazes, Uzumaki Sora replied helplessly, "Because of my existence, the future has been changed far too much. Every transaction itself is changing the future."

"I do have some information about the Otsutsuki who came from the future to this point in time. But the fact that Akatsuki is cooperating with Konoha doesn't mean that I'll give you that information for free."

Minato: "The deal with Lady Tsunade can proceed, but it's not an exchange. It's because we share the same stance on the human side."

Hearing this, Kong shook his head slightly.

"The future has changed. I won't need Tsunade for the transaction a month from now, but..."

Minato's previously calmed heart tightened again as he looked at Sora Uzumaki: "No matter what, humanity should stand united. The true peace that Akatsuki longs for is about to arrive, and you probably don't want that peace, which hasn't even been formed yet, to be destroyed, right?"

Kong replied, "You're actually right. From a human perspective, I can't really argue with moral blackmail. But similarly, I'm also being blackmailed here."

"Of the nine tailed beasts, the Three-Tails will soon revive. That means that apart from the Four-Tails, Five-Tails, and Six-Tails in Black Zetsu's hands, five of the six tailed beasts are in the Five Great Shinobi Villages."

"On the positive side, I need Konoha to communicate with the Jinchuriki of the five great ninja villages, using pressure from both sides to get them to agree to my subsequent deal."

Before he could finish speaking, Minato asked, "You want the chakra of a tailed beast?"

Sora nodded: "That's right. There's also a Nine-Tails that's been traded once, and I need to trade it again after that."

Minato fell silent...

The other party stated their purpose frankly, and he understood the meaning behind it.

In the context of foreign invasion, one should request intelligence from the other party in order to prioritize the overall situation.

However, the other party also demanded, based on this broader context, that he agree to all subsequent transactions with the Tailed Beasts.

Nine-tailed Fox...

Another transaction...

Chakra...

After connecting many things, Minato asked, "Chakra... this power that forms the foundation of a ninja, there must be a great secret within it, right?"

Sora chuckled: "It seems that the Nara family member is quite intelligent. To guess this as an ordinary person is quite impressive."

After receiving an affirmative answer, Minato asked again, "The balance between the two sides is also the foundation of world peace. If your power exceeds the positive side by too much, we will not feel at ease."

"The collective will is sometimes not swayed by individuals, and when the balance is broken, it may also be the time when peace is broken."

Sora replied, "Uchiha Yun's power has not reached its limit. Sometimes even I have to admit that perhaps his existence was for the sake of good."

At this point, Vortex Kong paused.

"Your guess is not wrong. The surname Otsutsuki has never been just Otsutsuki Kaguya. It represents a race in the universe, a race whose goal is to plunder the energy of planets."

"I'm telling you this because you need to understand that neither Konoha nor I had a choice. Without uniting... perhaps this world will ultimately face only destruction."

"Uchiha Kumo, who came from the future, has reached another level of power. Why do you think he didn't kill me immediately?"

Minato replied, "We don't know how long we can stay between the future and the present, but you have the ability to revive."

Kong smiled and said, "Being able to revive doesn't mean you're invincible. Your power hasn't reached that level, so I don't understand. But what I can tell you is that the cooperation in his future will continue, and I will also exist."

So... he won't come looking for me.

Once again, the wave of thoughts under the illusionary lamp technique fell silent.

Nagato, who was maintaining the technique, was also experiencing a mix of emotions.

His Rinnegan came from Madara Uchiha, but Madara Uchiha seemed to be nothing compared to the Otsutsuki.

For a moment, Nagato's gaze turned to the sky.

Does the fate of the entire world depend on him alone?

Uchiha Kumo and Uzumaki Sora, on both sides, are just one person...

"I see."

……

(End of this chapter)