After achieving his goal, Naruto said his goodbyes to Tsunade and Jiraiya and left the Hokage's Office.
Tsunade turned to Jiraiya. "So, what brings you here?"
Jiraiya wiped the blood from his nose, looking uncharacteristically serious.
"I need to tell you something. A few days ago, I stayed behind in Otogakure—not because I was drawn in by the food, like you probably think. I was gathering intelligence. Important intelligence."
Tsunade rolled her eyes, thinking he was just trying to salvage his reputation.
"And what kind of intel would be worth you making a personal trip?" she asked, crossing her arms and eyeing him suspiciously.
Jiraiya's face darkened. "While I was in one of the Federation's underground labs, someone slipped me a note. I read it in the restroom to avoid drawing attention."
"It said: Lord Orochimaru has been a puppet of Chiba Mokushū for the past eight years. Mokushū has a far greater scheme. Be careful."
Tsunade didn't even hesitate. "That's ridiculous. Sounds like some ploy by the Akatsuki to sow discord. Besides, what leader doesn't have a plan? I'm the Hokage, and even I want to take Konoha to new heights."
Jiraiya's expression turned even more grave.
"That's what I thought too—at first. But the person who handed me the note... they had Orochimaru's chakra. So I stayed in Otogakure under the pretense of sightseeing and dug deeper. Sure enough, I found several red flags."
"From what I uncovered, Orochimaru had a hand in founding Otogakure. But how did Chiba Mokushū end up as its leader?"
"And here's the thing—Chiba Mokushū basically appeared out of nowhere. Two years before the invasion of Konoha, he suddenly emerged, and not even the citizens of Otogakure know anything about his past."
Everything Jiraiya pointed out was carefully orchestrated by Hyuga Gakuya to plant doubt in Jiraiya's mind.
Tsunade frowned. She didn't want to believe there was something wrong with Chiba Mokushū.
"No way. Didn't Sasuke kill Orochimaru? How could he be someone else's puppet?"
"And even if Mokushū came from some secret program in the Land of Fields, he was connected to Orochimaru before the Konoha invasion. You know this—none of your suspicions hold water."
Jiraiya nodded, then shook his head.
"I'm not sure either. That's why I came back to Konoha—to confirm the truth."
Tsunade sat back in her chair, her expression solemn. "If this is true, then it's a serious problem. So how do you plan to verify it?"
"We'll use the curse mark on Anko to resurrect Orochimaru. If Orochimaru comes back, then Mokushū is likely in the clear."
"But if he doesn't... then it means his soul has been bound, and we'll need to investigate the underground of Otogakure."
Tsunade's brows furrowed.
"Absolutely not. You know how dangerous Orochimaru is. If he comes back, it won't be easy to kill him again."
As fellow members of the Legendary Sannin, they both knew better than anyone how slippery Orochimaru could be.
Jiraiya said, "If we set up a sealing formation in advance, it should be fine. Even someone like Orochimaru can't escape from a properly prepared seal."
"This is worth the risk. If Orochimaru really was controlled by Mokushū, then that means the invasion of Konoha and Sasuke's defection were all part of his grand design."
Tsunade hesitated, weighing the pros and cons, then gave a reluctant nod.
"Fine. It's worth trying. But we keep this quiet—the fewer who know, the better."
"Shizune, go fetch Shikaku, Kakashi, Asuma, and Anko."
Shizune nodded. "Understood."
"Let's go set up the seals in the basement."
...
Soon, the group assembled, and Jiraiya once again laid out his theory.
Everyone exchanged looks, but none voiced any objections.
"Anko, this may hurt a bit," Jiraiya said as he turned to her. "You need to endure it."
"I understand, Lord Jiraiya." Anko nodded firmly.
Jiraiya summoned the Two Great Toad Sages and temporarily entered Sage Mode. He undid the seal.
Then he placed a hand on Anko's shoulder, channeling Sage Chakra into her body to activate the curse mark Orochimaru had left behind.
Immediately, everyone snapped into battle readiness, waiting for Orochimaru to appear.
...
Meanwhile, in Otogakure, inside the morgue where reanimated bodies were stored, one of the coffins began to shake violently.
Inside, Orochimaru's consciousness stirred. He felt the curse mark calling to him, urging him to break free from the binds of the Reanimation Jutsu.
Outside the coffin, Hyuga Gakuya and Kabuto watched silently, fully aware that their plan was unfolding as intended.
Kabuto casually took out a sealing talisman and pressed it onto the coffin. In an instant, the shaking stopped, and Orochimaru's consciousness was extinguished once more.
...
Back in Konoha, under the watchful gaze of the group, a white snake emerged from Anko's shoulder. The snake opened its mouth and spit out a body.
It landed limply on the floor, unmoving. Its eyes were lifeless, like a corpse.
Tsunade knelt down and picked up Orochimaru's body. It felt like nothing more than shed snakeskin in her hands.
She examined it. There was no soul within.
"There's no soul. This is just a body," Tsunade said, tossing it aside.
"Toad Sages, thank you for your help."
"Little Jiraiya, no problem. We'll be on our way now."
After seeing them off, Jiraiya walked over to Orochimaru's limp body and checked it again.
"Orochimaru's soul definitely isn't in the Pure Land. If it were, he would've revived. That means..." Jiraiya trailed off.
Kakashi offered a possibility. "Maybe he's already been resurrected."
...
Jiraiya came to a firm conclusion.
"No. This kind of curse mark requires coordination from the caster. Without that, it can't be triggered. The fact that the body emerged but the soul didn't—means Orochimaru tried to come back but was stopped."
Shikaku thought for a moment.
"Which means... that note you got is probably accurate. Orochimaru really is being controlled. Most likely by Chiba Mokushū."
Asuma exhaled a puff of smoke. "So what now? Do we issue a formal condemnation of the Federation?"
"No," Jiraiya said immediately. "We don't have solid proof. That would only make the Federation suspicious."
Tsunade asked, "Then what are you planning?"
A confident smile spread across Jiraiya's face.
"I'm going to sneak into the Federation's underground base and get the evidence myself."
For a moment, everyone in the basement stared in shock.
Sneak into the Federation's underground lab? That place was a death trap.
Tsunade and Shikamaru had seen the place with their own eyes. Even just walking to the meeting room, they'd witnessed layer upon layer of security—guards every ten steps, sentries every five, multiple ID checks...
If it hadn't been for the emergency last time, with Chiba Mokushū personally leading the way, they never would've known that facility even existed.
"No way. You've seen their security. I won't let you go," Tsunade said firmly.
"I know. But it's the only way," Jiraiya replied seriously. "Besides, I've already contacted someone on the inside—one of Orochimaru's former subordinates. He's a researcher there now. We've established a secure line of communication. I trust him."
"But—" Tsunade started, only to be interrupted.
"Don't worry. I'll be careful." Jiraiya gave her shoulder a pat and flashed a thumbs-up. "Don't forget—I'm the Toad Sage, after all."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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