Jiraiya had never approved of Orochimaru's methods.
Reaching out a hand to people in despair, making them believe they had found hope in life. Was that really hope?
No. It was nothing more than a fabricated illusion.
In the end, Orochimaru gave them nothing. Worse, he demanded their lives as payment for that tiny scrap of false hope.
That said, Jiraiya could tell that Kaede Kitahara truly despised Danzo. The joke that any unknown atrocity must have been Danzo's doing actually left him momentarily speechless, then amused.
But it was also clear that Kaede Kitahara's evaluation of Orochimaru was not low at all, especially when it came to his research talent.
That was something completely different from how most of the ninja world judged Orochimaru.
Up to now, the ninja world measured Orochimaru primarily by his combat strength.
One of the Legendary Sannin. That level of power was already considered the pinnacle of the entire ninja world.
But in Kaede Kitahara's eyes, it was not like that at all.
As far as raw combat strength went, Orochimaru did not even rank among the top villains.
Just among the Akatsuki experts during the Shippuden era, there were many who were not inferior to him. And that was not even counting the later powerhouses at strong Kage Level, above Kage Level, or even Six Paths tier, Bloodline Nets, and other absurd existences.
In that context, Orochimaru's combat power became the least noteworthy thing about him.
His research ability, on the other hand, stood out even across all of Naruto's eras.
Especially in biological research, he was practically unmatched in the ninja world.
That was his most precious asset.
Creating a budget version of Karma with a mortal body alone was already beyond belief.
Even Jiraiya could see that much.
What he did not understand was whether all that tinkering and research actually had any real value.
"So Orochimaru's real target is Sasuke's body."
A sharp glint flashed through Uchiha Itachi's eyes.
He had never known Orochimaru's true goal before. He had even thought Orochimaru simply wanted to recruit Uchiha Sasuke as a subordinate.
But now that it was clear Orochimaru was after Sasuke's body, that was completely unacceptable.
Seeing that the diary recorded Orochimaru's ultimate failure, even being killed by Sasuke instead, Itachi finally let out a quiet breath of relief.
Still, he had to prepare for this possibility.
What if history did not unfold the same way this time?
Body-snatching was no trivial matter. It was inherently dangerous.
Then his attention was drawn to something else.
The so-called original Otsutsuki version of Karma.
Otsutsuki.
Again, Otsutsuki.
"Otsutsuki. Suspected divine race."
Uchiha Itachi wrote his speculation down on a sheet of white paper.
He always prepared blank paper when reading the diary, using it to analyze and jot down thoughts. Once he finished, he would burn it.
Kaede Kitahara had repeatedly emphasized "using a mortal body" in his diary.
From the surrounding context, that meant the Otsutsuki Clan was clearly not a mortal race in Kaede Kitahara's definition.
Perhaps it could be understood this way.
Ordinary humans, or those without special Kekkei Genkai, were what Kaede Kitahara called pure native mortals.
Meanwhile, the Otsutsuki Clan, which Kaede Kitahara spoke of with thinly veiled wariness, was a so-called divine race. Or at least, something beyond mortals.
This line of reasoning was not baseless.
Orochimaru's ability to repeatedly reincarnate and seize other bodies relied on the Cursed Seal.
And something that powerful was only a budget version of Karma.
In other words, members of the Otsutsuki Clan could likely use Karma to reincarnate again and again, achieving true longevity.
Even if Karma had limits, even if it only allowed them to live a few hundred years, to mortals, that was no different from godhood.
Another clan that demanded attention.
But if this clan was truly that powerful, then why had they never appeared in the thousands of years of ninja world history?
A mystery.
"Hmph. Orochimaru."
Uchiha Sasuke let out a cold snort.
He finally understood that Orochimaru had been coveting his body all along.
Clearly, his future self had not waited helplessly. He had even killed Orochimaru instead.
Still, Orochimaru was a genuine Kage Level powerhouse.
How exactly had his future self pulled that off?
"This is a headache."
Hatake Kakashi felt his temples throb.
Uchiha Sasuke was his student.
Even though he had not made any final decisions yet, if Orochimaru set his sights on Sasuke, Kakashi would inevitably be forced to confront him.
Just like in that earlier video, where he had faced Orochimaru head-on with Chidori.
The only good news was that Orochimaru seemed absurdly confident in his own charm.
That meant he likely would not abduct Sasuke by force. Instead, he would try to lure Sasuke into following him willingly.
At least it would not come to an immediate war with Orochimaru.
Otherwise, Kakashi truly had no idea what he would do.
That sense of powerlessness was something he had not felt in years.
And now, it was resurfacing, dragging old memories with it.
Obito's death.
Rin's death.
His teacher and his teacher's wife.
His father.
Every one of those losses had left him helpless.
It had been so long that he had almost forgotten that feeling.
After all, he was now known as Konoha's Number One Technician.
Yet now that sense of helplessness was back, making him hate how much he had squandered over the years.
Compared to his strength a decade ago, he had not improved significantly.
That was the root of this frustration.
If he had inherited his father's legacy and possessed Kage Level strength, would Orochimaru dare act so arrogantly?
At that point, Orochimaru would probably avoid him entirely.
He certainly would not be smirking so confidently while Kakashi used Chidori, clearly not taking him seriously at all.
Just as Kakashi was lost in these thoughts, a new video suddenly appeared below.
He quickly opened it.
The scene showed a dim underground training chamber.
Sasuke sat cross-legged, seemingly meditating or refining chakra.
"White Robe Sasuke era."
Kakashi recognized the outfit immediately.
Kaede Kitahara clearly had his own way of dividing Sasuke's different phases.
Then the scene shifted.
Young Sasuke was secretly watching his older brother, Uchiha Itachi, practicing shuriken techniques.
By colliding shuriken in midair, Itachi could strike every target at once.
Sasuke recalled seeing this as a child, then practiced the same technique himself, throwing shuriken into the air and mimicking his brother's movements.
"Uchiha Style Shurikenjutsu. It really is a flashy technique."
Jiraiya watched as both Itachi and Sasuke executed it with ease.
He remembered how clumsy he had been with that lesson as a child.
This really was a technique only the Uchiha Clan could pull off.
Only the Sharingan's microscopic perception allowed one to track every shuriken in midair and precisely predict their trajectories.
Even the Hyuga Clan could not manage that.
The Byakugan excelled at reconnaissance, capable of seeing kilometers away, but at close-range observation, it could not match the Sharingan.
Each had its own strengths and weaknesses.
Jiraiya had studied this before.
No wonder Orochimaru was obsessed with obtaining an Uchiha body.
This clan was truly blessed.
After all, strength was temporary.
Style was forever.
Uchiha Itachi watched Sasuke perform Uchiha Style Shurikenjutsu at this level, his expression filled with quiet pride.
He had taught Sasuke some shuriken basics when he was young, but not techniques of this caliber.
This could only be something Sasuke had figured out on his own using the Sharingan.
Sasuke's talent really did surpass his.
That was good.
Then Sasuke unleashed Chidori Current, shattering everything in front of him.
An illusion of Uchiha Itachi appeared.
The moment Sasuke saw him, he struck without hesitation, slicing the illusion in half before finally opening the door.
The scene changed again.
On a sickbed, Orochimaru sneered while enduring intense pain.
He believed the moment was finally approaching.
He would soon reincarnate into Uchiha Sasuke's body.
At last, he would shed this frail, diseased shell.
"This pain is the price of reincarnation. But compared to what I'm about to gain, it's nothing. Hahahahaha!"
As he spoke, Orochimaru began coughing violently, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
Then, in the next instant, he sensed something.
Lightning chakra condensed into a beam, sharp as a blade, shooting straight toward him.
At the critical moment, Orochimaru raised both hands and blocked the chakra blade.
"This chakra nature is… but this kind of shape transformation, I've never seen it before. Who is it?"
Shock rippled through him.
At that moment, sword-like flashes of light cleaved the door apart.
Standing beyond it was none other than Uchiha Sasuke.
"So you came this way after all."
Orochimaru was not surprised.
Both he and Sasuke had long anticipated this day.
Sasuke had seen through Orochimaru's intentions long ago.
He had endured everything until now for one reason only.
To gain enough power.