The more Diarmuid learned about Tobirama, the more he admired him.
Orochimaru reached out and took the scroll, casting a slightly puzzled glance at Diarmuid. Previously, he had only caught a brief glimpse of the Scroll of Seals; before he could examine it in detail, Diarmuid had sent him off to Konoha to blackmail Danzo.
Consequently, he was unaware of the surprises hidden within.
Taking the scroll, Orochimaru sat on the sofa and unrolled it to begin reading.
"What is this? Something regarding the Spirit Transformation Jutsu? Is it recorded in here? It seems the old man did a bit of looting and pillaging himself... hmm?" Orochimaru started with a few casual remarks.
He had initially assumed that after becoming Hokage, Hiruzen had used some method to "acquire" the Spirit Transformation Jutsu and add it to the Scroll of Seals.
But upon opening it, he found himself staring at the handwriting of Tobirama.
Indeed, it was the handwriting. Orochimaru was, in fact, a total fanboy of the Second Hokage. He held immense admiration for Tobirama's ninjutsu development and innovation, having always believed that Tobirama was walking the "correct" path.
In reality, Tobirama had exerted a massive influence on him. Long ago, Orochimaru had stealthily investigated several of Tobirama's experimental bases and discovered various notes. Much like Diarmuid, the more he understood Tobirama, the more he realized the man's sheer brilliance.
Recognizing the handwriting at a single glance, Orochimaru's expression turned solemn. He stopped talking and began to read the scroll with rapt attention.
Diarmuid did not disturb him. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and looked toward the door. Standing there was a figure who seemed to possess almost no presence. Wearing round-framed glasses, he looked to be in his mid-teens, roughly the same age as Kakashi and the others.
Despite the youthfulness, Diarmuid recognized him instantly: Yakushi Kabuto.
This guy was a truly unique individual. In the original timeline, half the blame for the hardships of the Fourth Great Ninja War could be laid at Kabuto's feet. Furthermore, while Orochimaru had never managed to learn Sage Transformation at Ryuchi Cave, this fellow actually succeeded.
Generally speaking, Kabuto was a tragic figure. After his adoptive mother, Yakushi Nono, the director of the orphanage, died, Kabuto lost his sense of hope and became lost on the path of life. He eventually followed Orochimaru, treating him as his guide and the figure he sought to emulate.
The end result was that he turned into another "Orochimaru," a soulless version. One could even say he became more of a deviant than Orochimaru himself. Ultimately, lost in the maze of life, he was "re-educated" by the reanimated Itachi. Through the power of the Izanami, he finally found his true self. Then, in a moment of redemption, he returned to Konoha to open an orphanage, happily becoming a director himself.
Though his journey was arduous, his talent was undeniable. Many tasks Orochimaru assigned to him were completed perfectly, often with Kabuto identifying and fixing potential flaws before they arose. He was Orochimaru's most capable right-hand man.
At this moment, Kabuto felt a twinge of unease. His master's "Boss," the man known throughout the world for his fearsome reputation, Diarmuid, was watching him with genuine interest. He didn't know why Diarmuid was interested in him. Was it simply because Orochimaru had brought him along?
"Name?" Diarmuid asked suddenly.
Kabuto started for a moment before quickly replying, "Kabuto. Yakushi Kabuto."
"What are your specialties?" Diarmuid inquired further.
"I specialize in intelligence gathering, infiltration, assassination, theft, and espionage," Kabuto answered rapidly.
"It seems Orochimaru thinks highly of you, making a special trip to Konoha just to bring you back," Diarmuid said with a smile.
Kabuto didn't dare smile back and said quickly, "I am fortunate to have Orochimaru-sama's care."
"Speaking of which, do you know much about our Yorozuya?" Diarmuid asked.
Kabuto hesitated for a moment. During their journey, Orochimaru hadn't said much to him about the Yorozuya. He had assumed that since everyone in the Yorozuya was an international criminal and a rogue ninja, it must be a terrible place, a den of monsters. While he wasn't exactly a "good person" himself, he naturally hoped for a more normal environment.
However, he vaguely sensed that his assumptions might be skewed. Perhaps the Yorozuya wasn't like that at all. The reason for this feeling... was the change he saw in Orochimaru.
After a moment of thought, Kabuto shook his head. "I don't know much. Only surface-level impressions."
He felt it was better to tell the truth.
Diarmuid laughed and nodded. "You'll have time to learn in the future. Since you excel in intelligence work, I will arrange for you to join the Intelligence Division of Amegakure. You will be responsible for rebuilding this paralyzed organization. The Yorozuya will be in charge."
Kabuto knew why he was here. Orochimaru valued his intelligence capabilities. Having prepared himself mentally, he said quickly, "Yes, Diarmuid-sama."
"Once you've handled this task well, I can authorize your official induction into the Yorozuya as a true member among us," Diarmuid added.
Indeed, while Orochimaru had recommended Kabuto for the Yorozuya, it was merely a nomination. The final outcome would depend on Kabuto's performance. If he performed well and gained the recognition of Sasori, Kakuzu, and the others, he could truly join their ranks.
Kabuto felt a surge of excitement. Until now, he had always been a "nobody." While the Yorozuya didn't have the sheer scale of the Five Great Shinobi Villages or the Five Great Nations, in his eyes, it was undoubtedly a formidable organization. Furthermore, from what he knew, the membership was currently small; if he joined early, he could be considered a senior member later on. More importantly, becoming a member of the Yorozuya in the Land of Rain meant holding a "noble" status.
He currently lacked a life goal and was indeed lost, but that didn't stop him from wanting to climb higher. Thus, Kabuto said quickly, "Yes, Diarmuid-sama. I will prove my ability as soon as possible."
"Very good," Diarmuid nodded.
So far, he had a positive first impression of Kabuto. At this stage, the boy knew when to advance and when to retreat, and he possessed a sense of propriety. As for the rest, he would observe slowly over time; there was no rush.
Just then, Orochimaru seemed to finish a section. He looked up and asked, "Lord Second said that the end of the Spirit Transformation Jutsu is very likely 'True Spiritualization.' What does that mean?"
"Lord Second?" Diarmuid was slightly surprised. (Nidaime-sama)
In his memory, Orochimaru rarely called anyone "Lord." It seemed to be a very formal and respectful way of addressing someone for him. Of course, he occasionally called Danzo "Danzo-sama," but that was usually just to play along with Diarmuid; it was purely for show.
But Diarmuid could hear the genuine sincerity when Orochimaru called Tobirama "Lord Second."
"Is something wrong? Senju Tobirama is a senior worthy of my respect," Orochimaru stated calmly.
"Nothing's wrong," Diarmuid waved it off.
At that moment, Kabuto hesitated and said, "If the two of you are discussing secrets, should I excuse myself?"
Orochimaru seemed to remember Kabuto's presence and looked at Diarmuid, saying, "My intention was to have Kabuto take over Amegakure's internal intelligence agency first."
"Hmm? Didn't you hear me? I've already made the arrangements," Diarmuid said, sounding a bit confused.
Orochimaru paused, then shook his head. "I didn't notice. The contents of this scroll captured my full attention." After saying that, he looked at Kabuto. "You may go."
Once Kabuto had left, Diarmuid and Orochimaru returned to the main topic.
"Regarding your question, I'm curious as well. The end of the Spirit Transformation Jutsu is 'Spiritualization'... but what does 'Spiritualization' actually mean? I suspect it might be literal? Becoming a spiritual entity?" Diarmuid ventured.
"Becoming a spiritual entity..." Orochimaru stroked his chin, murmuring. "It's possible. But the Lord Second said that the dangers resulting from such a change are unpredictable. It's a bit unsettling."
"There's too much data here. These are likely the records from when he first started researching the Spirit Transformation Jutsu. There's much more still sealed in the Scroll of Seals. If we keep reading, we might see new developments," Diarmuid noted.
"True," Orochimaru nodded. "Starting today, I'll stay with you until we've finished reading all of this."
Diarmuid: "???"
But seeing Orochimaru so immersed in science that he was unable to extricate himself, Diarmuid didn't refuse.
"If you keep reading, you'll find that Tobirama used the Spirit Transformation Jutsu to allow his soul to cross the boundary between life and death, the border between the Pure Land and the living world. In other words, he visited the Pure Land while still alive. The Reanimation Jutsu was only developed after he returned from the Pure Land," Diarmuid added.
Orochimaru hadn't finished the scroll in his hand yet; he had only reached the deduction about "Spiritualization." Upon hearing Diarmuid's words, Orochimaru gasped. "He went to the Pure Land?"
"Indeed," Diarmuid nodded.
Orochimaru didn't doubt that Diarmuid was telling the truth, but he still found it incredible. "As far as I know, the so-called Pure Land has no concept of time. Entering it with a living soul is undoubtedly extremely dangerous. If you lose your sense of time within the Pure Land, your soul might feel as though only a moment has passed, while your physical body outside has already rotted away!"
The Pure Land indeed lacked a concept of time. A soul from decades ago might remain there without dissipating, but if it returned to the living world, the person might feel they had only slept for a moment. Conversely, if your soul entered the Pure Land and you inadvertently lost track of time, your physical body might die outside. By the time you snapped out of it and tried to return, you would be unable to, because you would be dead in a practical sense.
"Perhaps," Diarmuid said. He paused before continuing, "But Tobirama didn't die in the Pure Land because of that. On the contrary, the fact that he returned proves just how formidable he was."
Orochimaru didn't reply but continued reading the scroll, quickly finding the record of Tobirama's journey to the Pure Land via the Spirit Transformation Jutsu.
After a long silence, he frowned. "He didn't record anything about the Pure Land itself. Is it because he couldn't speak of it, or because he felt there was no need to record it?"
Indeed, while Tobirama clearly stated in his notes that he had returned from the Pure Land and subsequently developed the Reanimation Jutsu, he said almost nothing about the conditions inside the Pure Land. It remained shrouded in mystery.
"I don't know. Both are possible," Diarmuid pondered.
Perhaps constrained by some "rule" of this world, Tobirama couldn't bring knowledge of the Pure Land back to the living world. Or perhaps he simply felt it wasn't worth documenting. However, the one thing he explicitly confirmed was that within the Pure Land, one could examine their own soul much more clearly.
"Because it is mysterious, it is all the more captivating. I must say, I am very interested," Orochimaru said with some emotion.
Diarmuid smiled. "I'm very interested as well."