"So that's it. I didn't notice that he was mourning his fallen comrades," Orochimaru said with a smile.
"So, Orochimaru-sama, why did you seek me out?
If I recall correctly, you are currently a Konoha rogue Ninja.
Although I am not part of the pursuit squad, I am obligated to bring Konoha's traitors back or eliminate them,
especially someone like you who possesses so much intelligence about Konoha."
Satoru pulled out a small knife from his Ninja tool pouch, enlarged it using Pupil Setting Hand) and looked at Orochimaru with sharp eyes.
Even though he didn't want to fight Orochimaru, and knew Orochimaru didn't like to fight either, he still had to put on a show.
He was a successor to the Will of Fire.
"Don't be so tense. I'm just here to make a deal with you," Orochimaru said, seeing this and smiling.
"A deal? We're not close. What could we possibly deal with?"
Satoru asked.
"I want information about the Rinnegan." Orochimaru got straight to the point, stating his objective directly.
He had coveted the Rinnegan for a long time.
However, the opponent's ability was too troublesome, and without more information, it would be difficult to act.
After learning that Satoru could make Pain suffer, he wanted to know what method the other party used.
It was just that the development of his Jutsu was at a critical stage before, so he hadn't taken action.
Satoru said in a deep voice, "A rogue Ninja, asking me to make a deal with you? Are you trying to make me betray Konoha?
You should focus on how to deal with Konoha's pursuit squad instead."
"I can give you eternal life. I have already created a Jutsu for eternal life.
Having experienced war, you should understand the fragility of life,
and how precious such a Jutsu is." Orochimaru threw out the bait.
The Satoru in front of him was unlike any child he had encountered before. With elders above and children below, he was full of hope for the future.
So he used his highest bargaining chip.
"Or perhaps you need other Ninjutsu? I can teach them all to you.
I know most of the Ninjutsu in the sealing scroll."
Satoru was not tempted at all. He could obtain them through legitimate channels anyway, and he didn't want to change Orochimaru's fate.
Sasuke still needed Orochimaru for his power-up.
Before actually facing every enemy the protagonist group encountered, all his assumptions were just assumptions.
What if the protagonist group's power-up went wrong, and his assumptions didn't reach the predetermined goal? Wouldn't he be dead then?!
So, he held the knife in his right hand and formed a hand seal with his left: "These are all meaningless things. They cannot change the beliefs in my heart.
So, Senior Orochimaru, you should come back to Konoha with me."
Whoosh!
Pfft!
He appeared in front of Orochimaru using the Instantaneous Body Technique, and the long knife pierced his body.
"What a powerful Genjutsu, what firm beliefs.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, that old man, transmitting the Will of Fire was truly the right decision.
However,
Yesterday's sun does not shine on today's leaves.
Such a will will eventually be twisted in the face of fragile life."
Orochimaru chuckled, indifferent to the knife plunged into his body.
He opened his mouth wide, and another Orochimaru emerged, breaking the Genjutsu Satoru had just used.
Seeing this, Satoru retracted his long knife: "As expected of one of the Legendary Sannin. But don't die out here,
otherwise, it will cause Konoha a lot of trouble."
Whoosh!
He glanced at Orochimaru and then disappeared using the Instantaneous Body Technique.
Orochimaru didn't say much either, just smiled: "Thank you for your concern. It seems I won't get any information from him."
They were both intelligent people.
They understood that neither could truly defeat the other, so there was no entanglement.
As for that last remark, Orochimaru also understood his meaning.
Because he carried many of Konoha's secrets, even his corpse would reveal a lot of information about Konoha.
It would indeed cause Konoha trouble.
…
Whoosh!
Satoru caught up with the team, safe and sound.
The enemy's signal just now was probably too far away, and they hadn't caught up yet.
There was no need for them to catch up either.
After seeing the battle scene, the team members also had no information, probably understanding that the Ninja who attacked them earlier were all dead.
Indeed,
They later returned to Konoha safely, bringing back the remaining eleven members of the Hogoromo Clan.
They handed them over to Hiruzen Sarutobi for handling.
They were temporarily placed under Anbu supervision to prevent them from being a scheme by some enemy nation.
…
Hokage Office.
"You all did very well. I will elevate this mission to S-rank."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the report of the incident, a smile on his face.
"And Satoru, your objective hasn't been completed yet, has it? I approve you to rest for some time."
It was clear that Hiruzen Sarutobi was very happy with this mission.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
Satoru thought, 'As expected.'
Why didn't he dwell on whether Hogoromo Ken could afford the S-rank mission's reward? Naturally, it wasn't because he believed they had a backup plan.
That was uncertain.
But he was quite certain about the information he gathered from the enemy's mind.
Since the enemy was well-prepared, their high-ranking officials who were going to trade with Gato would probably also be targeted.
In other words, apart from these remaining people, the other party was practically annihilated.
Throughout the Land of Fire, only Konoha was the safest, and they would most likely stay in Konoha, or rather, Hiruzen Sarutobi would keep them in Konoha.
This was once a top Ninja clan of the Land of Fire.
Their bloodline was still intact, naturally giving them an advantage in Ninja talent.
This way, Konoha would gain another bloodline, which was a sure profit.
So, Satoru didn't get tangled up in the issue of mission rewards at all, and he brought them back safely.
Hiruzen Sarutobi also didn't disappoint him. The reward would certainly not be small, and he probably scored a lot of points in his mind.
Anyway, their team wouldn't suffer any losses.
And they also got time to rest, killing multiple birds with one stone.
Otherwise, he wouldn't fight so many people for some strangers.
After reporting the mission, they disappeared from the office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled.
"Next is to convince the Hogoromo Clan members."
Satoru's quick decision this time made him very happy.
Konoha was about to add another great clan.
The future would become stronger and stronger.
…
The four who completed the mission parted ways.
They were all Chunin who could at least stand on their own, so they naturally had their teams.
This time, they were just a temporary team.
So, while chatting and laughing, they each went to deal with their matters.
But Satoru didn't go home. Instead, he took a stroll and continued towards Wind Breath Valley.
It had only been a few days, so there was no rush to go back.
Otherwise, he would have to deal with a lot of things again, delaying the critical time for his current Ninjutsu research.
…
Iruka's house.
"Tenyu, Maki, you two bastards, how could you hide this from me for so long?!"
Naruto roared, looking at the photo Iruka-sensei pulled out of the cabinet, showing several people, and that familiar person.
He roared in anger at Tenyu and Maki, who were hiding behind Iruka.
Meanwhile, Choji was eating potato chips nearby, feeling so smart for the first time.