Outside the cave, on a rock at the edge of the woods, Diarmuid sat with his legs crossed. In his hands was the "gift" Orochimaru had brought from afar, a ninjutsu scroll.
To his slight disappointment, there were no Konoha secret techniques inside. Instead, it was entirely the "Orochimaru Style." It seemed the man still harbored some lingering attachment to the village, as he hadn't leaked any of the village's unique jutsu.
"Sigh, I wonder if the Third has finished refining the Scroll of Seals yet? If I can steal or seize that thing someday, I'll have all the common five-element ninjutsu, along with a mountain of Hiden and Kinjutsu," Diarmuid muttered while skimming through Hidden Shadow Snake Hands.
The Scroll of Seals was originally created by the Second Hokage, Tobirama. It compiled common ninjutsu from various Konoha clans and integrated his life's wisdom. However, it was Hiruzen, the "Professor," who truly expanded its contents to an incredible depth.
I have to get my hands on it eventually, Diarmuid thought.
As for the scroll Orochimaru provided, it recorded his original techniques. Diarmuid wasn't sure if he should call the man generous or cautious. Handing these over essentially exposed his own weaknesses to a degree. It contained the Orochimaru-Style Substitution Jutsu, Soft Physique Modification, Snake Mouth Bind, Binding Snake Glare, Dual Snake Destroyer, and Hidden Shadow Snake Hands.
However, higher-level secret techniques like the Eight-Headed Serpent were nowhere to be found. It made sense; no matter how bold Orochimaru was, he wouldn't hand over his ultimate trump cards for Diarmuid to study. Or perhaps, he hadn't fully perfected them yet.
Generally speaking, Diarmuid had little interest in practicing these himself. They were too bizarre and the prerequisites were harsh, either modifying one's body or using snakes. Most required a summoning contract with Ryūchi Cave to be effective.
Orochimaru likely gave him the scroll for this very reason. Without the contract scroll, which Orochimaru held, these jutsu were useless. If Diarmuid wanted to use them, he'd have to offer Orochimaru something in exchange.
Furthermore, exposing the weaknesses of these early-career techniques didn't bother Orochimaru. He had a disciple in Konoha, Anko Mitarashi, who knew many of these moves, yet she was still powerless against him.
While Diarmuid had no desire to modify his body to learn these "snake" arts, the creative logic and novel concepts behind them were eye-opening, further expanding his knowledge of ninjutsu mechanics.
As Diarmuid was lost in thought, Kakuzu emerged from the dense forest. "Waiting for me specifically?" Kakuzu asked, slightly surprised.
"No," Diarmuid replied without looking up. "It's stuffy inside. Just getting some air."
"I see." Kakuzu nodded. "Has Orochimaru succeeded yet?"
About a week had passed. Diarmuid and Sasori had stayed put. Though Sasori initially found Orochimaru distasteful, their conflict hadn't hit a clash of ideologies yet. After a week of contact, Sasori had grown to respect Orochimaru's talent. They were currently working together on the Third Raikage's corpse.
Diarmuid joined them occasionally, picking up new knowledge, but spent most of his time analyzing the scroll. Kakuzu, however, couldn't sit still. Even a week was long enough for him to go out and see if there was money to be made. He had only returned now because he was anxious to see the Raikage's techniques.
"Almost. Only the final layer of the seal remains. Barring any accidents, it'll be broken today," Diarmuid said with a smile.
Kakuzu's face lit up. "Professional indeed. It was worth the effort to track him down."
"Any interesting news from outside?" Diarmuid asked suddenly.
Kakuzu thought for a moment. "The situation has shifted drastically. Kumogakure has moved entirely to the defensive. They've elected the Third Raikage's son to succeed him as the Fourth Raikage."
Kakuzu was calm, and so was Diarmuid. The succession of the Fourth Raikage had been preordained long before the war. If the Third Kazekage hadn't gone missing, the Third Raikage likely would have abdicated to his son peacefully. The Fourth already held immense prestige and power in the village. During this war, the "A-B Combo" had been sweeping through everything in their path.
"What else?" Diarmuid prompted.
"I heard the Fourth Raikage wanted to launch one last offensive against the Land of Fire to bolster morale before shifting to defense. But during the engagement, they ran into a Konoha ninja named Namikaze Minato. The A-B Combo fought him in a fierce battle; neither side could gain the upper hand, and it ended in a draw. However, the Fourth's plan failed. They've begun retreating from the Land of Hot Water, ceding strategic territory to Konoha," Kakuzu explained.
Diarmuid's eyes brightened. Minato hadn't been famous until now. Diarmuid had wondered when he would make his mark on this war. Now he knew. Minato had used the Fourth Raikage as a stepping stone.
Even though it was a "draw," Minato had faced the new Raikage and his partner two-on-one and held his ground. To the world, this meant he was arguably stronger than the Raikage. The name of the Yellow Flash was about to shake the shinobi world.
Minato's performance earned him deeper trust and expectations from Konoha's leadership. Consequently, he would be tasked with the most difficult missions, accumulating the massive merit needed for his future promotion.
The Third Shinobi World War had been raging for over a year. Diarmuid recalled it ending within the next two or three years. By then, a young Itachi would be at home caring for his infant brother, Sasuke.
During this window, Minato would have Naruto, the Nine-Tails incident would occur, and the Fourth Hokage would die shortly after taking office. Then Hiruzen would reclaim power for another decade. It was an absurd sequence of events.
"The Land of Fire is truly formidable. Konoha is indeed the strongest village," Kakuzu remarked with a sigh.
"Why say that? Beating the Cloud isn't that shocking, considering their leader just died," Diarmuid noted.
"No, it's not just that. News came from the coast. Kirigakure organized a decapitation strike against Konoha to support the Cloud. They even deployed the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. But shortly after landing in a forest on the southeast coast of the Land of Fire, they were nearly wiped out... Only Fuguki Suikazan, Jūzō Biwa, and Raiga Kurosuki managed to escape. The other four are dead," Kakuzu said, finding it somewhat amusing.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were legendary, the vanguard of the Mist. Yet they were decimated within days of landing. The "Seven" were now the "Three."
"And word is, the person who did it was an unknown Konoha Genin named Might Duy. A guy who spent his whole life failing the Chūnin exams."
Absolutely ridiculous, Diarmuid thought. A Genin wiped out the Seven Ninja Swordsmen!?
This blow shattered the morale of the Land of Water. Kirigakure slunk back, contributing little else to the war. This period of silence would lead to a new conspiracy involving Tailed Beasts, the tragedy where Kakashi would "put his hand through Rin's heart." Obito would witness this, fall into darkness under Madara's guidance, and dedicate himself to the Eye of the Moon Plan.
'I refuse to acknowledge a world without Rin!'
Thinking of this, Diarmuid felt a pang of pity. After his descent into darkness, Obito was no hero as he even attacked his mentor's wife, Kushina. But looking at the tragedy he endured, it was hard not to feel some sympathy for such a pathetic, hateful figure.
Obito was a man of extremes. His love was absolute, and his hatred could destroy the world. He just wasn't particularly bright. If he had the power to start the Eye of the Moon and resurrect Madara, why didn't he just arrange to resurrect Rin?
Diarmuid calculated the timeline. The Battle of Kannabi Bridge would likely erupt soon. With the Cloud and Mist out of the picture, and Suna being a non-factor, the only powers left to clash were Konoha and Iwagakure.
The winner would take all. The Battle of Kannabi Bridge was the inevitable climax. The beginning of all tragedies was approaching.