After leaving the Ten Rings' secret base, Senju Haruto didn't return to Kamar-Taj. Instead, he headed straight for the Hidden Leaf Village.
"Itachi and Sasuke's surgeries went very smoothly."
When Orochimaru saw Haruto again, he was no longer as surprised by his ability to open portals. The corner of Orochimaru's mouth curved into a faint smile as he began explaining the process of transplanting the Sharingan.
"To be honest, this time it was all thanks to Tsunade. I was merely assisting on the side."
For once, Orochimaru sounded a little humble. Among the Legendary Sannin, Tsunade's medical ninjutsu and skills were without question the most outstanding. Even Orochimaru himself admitted he couldn't surpass her in that field.
Still, when it came to operating on Itachi, Tsunade had shown hesitation. Although she'd been away from the village for years, she had always kept an eye on Konoha's affairs. She knew about Itachi's betrayal and the coup.
To persuade her, Orochimaru had revealed the truth:
Living in the shadows, protecting Konoha's light.
That had been Itachi's true reason for defecting.
Once she understood, Tsunade's attitude toward him changed. The surgery went smoothly. Both Itachi and Sasuke only needed some time to rest before they could see the light again. Itachi's body, however, would still require more treatment.
"By the way, Tsunade has been wanting to meet you," Orochimaru suddenly added, revealing her curiosity about Haruto.
Firstly, Haruto was now the Fifth Hokage, and more than that, the man who had united the entire shinobi world—a dream even the First Hokage, Tsunade's grandfather, had failed to achieve.
Secondly, Haruto carried Senju blood. That made them, in some sense, family.
And since Orochimaru himself had been brought back into the village under Haruto's hand, Tsunade had asked him to let her know if Haruto ever returned. She wanted to meet this boy from her own clan.
"Another time," Haruto rejected without a second thought.
Among all the kunoichi, Tsunade was certainly a striking presence. Despite being called "Granny" by Naruto and the younger generation, she maintained her youthful looks with the Strength of a Hundred Seal, appearing no older than twenty-seven or twenty-eight.
But when Haruto thought of her true age—and her lineage—he decided it was better not to meet.
"I see." Orochimaru nodded. He knew where he stood now, and if Haruto had no interest, there was no point pressing the matter. He dropped the subject immediately.
"Let's get to business."
Haruto shifted the topic, pulling a strange weapon out from his dimensional ring—the firearm he had seized earlier—and handed it to Orochimaru.
"What is this?"
Orochimaru frowned slightly, clearly baffled. He had devoted himself to research for decades, but he had never seen such a peculiar shinobi tool.
It was black and heavy, with a metallic feel, yet its shape was utterly strange.
If it was meant for slashing, it had no blade.
If it was meant for stabbing, it had no point.
For the moment, he couldn't make sense of it.
Still, Orochimaru wouldn't refuse Haruto's request. He raised both hands, accepting the submachine gun, and examined it carefully.
Before long, his eyes focused on the weapon's magazine.
"I understand now."
Suddenly enlightened, he grabbed the barrel with one hand and the magazine with the other, pulling it back like a bowstring.
Haruto: "???"
…Was this guy a complete beginner?
For a moment, Haruto was speechless. He couldn't help but recall a meme he'd once seen on the internet before crossing worlds. Watching Orochimaru now, he almost laughed.
This was Orochimaru—the genius of the Hidden Leaf, hailed as a scientist in the shinobi world. And yet, in front of modern firearms, he was utterly clueless.
To be honest, it was almost… cute.
"No elasticity at all," Orochimaru muttered, his tone disappointed. In his mind, this had to be some sort of exotic bow unique to this strange world.
But how could such a thing be practical? Even a lowly genin throwing a kunai would produce more destructive power than whatever arrow this "bow" could shoot.
Completely useless.
Orochimaru felt genuinely puzzled. Why would someone as sharp as Haruto take an interest in such a worthless object? Unless… Haruto wanted him to improve it somehow?
"To be frank, this weapon has no real value. In battle, its destructive power would be weaker than a genin's kunai," Orochimaru said seriously, his expression grave. "I don't know why the people of that world rely on such things to fight, but their craftsmanship…"
He shook his head. "It's far too primitive."
He explained in earnest, hoping Haruto wouldn't waste time bringing back more odd trinkets.
But Haruto's face darkened with exasperation. He had expected Orochimaru to at least notice the trigger design. Instead, Orochimaru had dismissed the weapon entirely, thinking it nothing more than a defective bow.
Haruto sighed, shaking his head with a small laugh. Taking the gun back, he adjusted it into the proper firing stance—or at least what he considered the proper stance.
He deliberately aimed at a bottle sitting some distance away.
Thanks to his Sharingan, even without training, Haruto could aim with deadly precision. And as he thought about it, inspiration struck him.
In Root, I command an entire force of Sharingan-wielding shinobi. If they were equipped with weapons like this… their combat strength would skyrocket.
Now it was time to show Orochimaru what it meant when the times changed.
After locking onto his target, Haruto squeezed the trigger.
With the physique of someone stronger than even the Sage of Six Paths, Haruto ignored the recoil completely, unloading the entire magazine in one burst.
Every single object he aimed at shattered into pieces.
Orochimaru's eyes went wide. At first confused, his expression quickly shifted into raw shock.
What had Haruto just done?
He hadn't sensed a trace of chakra. This wasn't ninjutsu. Something had been fired—tiny projectiles, propelled at a speed and power beyond his comprehension.
"This… this is the power of that world?" Orochimaru asked hoarsely, his throat tightening.
In that instant, he understood why Haruto had come to him. Weapons like this were truly formidable.
But Haruto's next words shook him even more.
"This is nothing more than the most basic, low-grade weapon," Haruto said lightly. "Its destructive power is average at best."