Naruto: Uchiha's Harem

"Wait a minute, Orochimaru!", After finally finding Orochimaru's whereabouts, Aburame Ryoma was excited and wanted to step forward to talk, but he didn't expect Orochimaru to treat him as if he were invisible.

"What? I already gave you a way to survive just now, and you still want to come seeking death?", Orochimaru's cold vertical pupils seemed completely devoid of human emotion.

"Or do you think that just because we worked under Danzo in the past, I will show you mercy?"

"Orochimaru-sama, let me kill him," Kabuto, who was following beside Orochimaru, immediately took out a kunai.

Although this bug-using ninja's appearance was somewhat unexpected, Orochimaru had just killed the Fourth Kazekage. He was currently in a weakened state and could not let the people of Konoha see through his condition.

"No, Orochimaru-senpai, it's the Hokage... and Danzo-sama who sent me to contact you, but not to deal with you."

Feeling the killing intent that made his whole body turn cold, released by Orochimaru with just a flicker of his eyes, cold sweat involuntarily formed on Aburame Ryoma's back.

"Oh? Forget about Danzo, why would my 'mentor' want to contact me?", Temporarily signaling Kabuto beside him not to act, Orochimaru was curious to see what the other party would say.

"According to Danzo-sama... it seems that the Hokage wants you to return to Konoha," Aburame Ryoma spoke cautiously.

"What an amusing joke. That old man personally listed me as a rogue ninja and personally kicked me out of Konoha, and now he wants me back with just a single sentence? What does he take me for?"

"Orochimaru-sama..."

Orochimaru's rare display of anger made Kabuto somewhat worried.

Who knew if Danzo had stationed more people nearby in ambush?

If Orochimaru's current weakened state were exposed, it would be troublesome to deal with later.

Especially since he himself also had a connection to Danzo.

"Go back and tell your Hokage that the day I return to Konoha will be the day of his death."

Although his body was unbearably weak, Orochimaru appeared no different from before on the surface.

Still as gloomy, sinister, and terrifying as ever.

"Let's go, Kabuto."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama."

'Thankfully, as long as they don't start fighting,' Kabuto breathed a sigh of relief.

But before he could fully relax, the Orochimaru who had just said they were leaving suddenly used his Hidden Shadow Snake Hands to attack Aburame Ryoma, who was still standing there.

"Orochimaru, you're still as cunning as ever," Aburame Ryoma, standing there with a pale face, didn't get hit by Orochimaru's Hidden Shadow Snake Hands. Instead, a ninja with spiky hair like a hedgehog had blocked the attack.

"J-Jiraiya-sama," Aburame Ryoma never expected that one of the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya, had been following him all along.

But he was also relieved—if Jiraiya hadn't been by his side, he wasn't sure if he could have dodged Orochimaru's Hidden Shadow Snake Hands just now.

"You head back to Konoha. I'll handle things here," Retracting his hardened hair, Jiraiya spoke to Aburame Ryoma without looking back.

"Yes...", Knowing that he wouldn't be able to contribute to the upcoming battle, Aburame Ryoma immediately followed orders and disappeared into the forest.

"Orochimaru, you already knew I was here?", From the moment he appeared, Jiraiya's eyes were focused solely on Orochimaru.

"That clumsy ninjutsu of yours might fool incompetents like Aburame Ryoma, but how could it possibly fool me?"

'Even Jiraiya came?'

'What exactly is that 'mentor' planning?'

'It's impossible that he found out I assassinated the Fourth Kazekage so quickly, right?'

Although he appeared calm and was chatting idly with Jiraiya, a hint of panic flickered in Orochimaru's heart.

If worst comes to worst, he would have to abandon Kabuto here and escape on his own.

"Is that so?", Seeing his former friend become a rogue ninja of the village and showing an attitude that indicated he would never return, Jiraiya's eyes were full of disappointment.

"You've improved a bit since before, but just looking at your foolish face makes me sleepy," As he spoke, Orochimaru even pretended to yawn.

Although he was arrogant enough to believe he wouldn't lose to Jiraiya, Orochimaru knew that given his current weakened state, avoiding a fight would be best.

"You're still the same as before, never holding back with your words," Being mocked by Orochimaru wasn't new to Jiraiya, and instead of getting angry, he even found it nostalgic.

"The teacher sincerely wants you to return to the village, although I don't know what he's thinking."

"Sincere? Ridiculous, I've long since..."

'Haven't my crimes already been made public in Konoha?'

'If I return now, wouldn't I be hunted down by everyone?'

'Besides, not becoming Hokage has always been a thorn in my heart.'

Though in reality, whether he became Hokage or not didn't matter that much to him.

It wasn't about wanting it—it was about not being given the chance. Not being given the chance was one thing, but to then see a younger shinobi trained by Jiraiya be chosen instead… that was simply an insult.

In Orochimaru's heart, it was always Sarutobi Hiruzen who had betrayed him first, not the other way around.

"Don't be in such a hurry to refuse, Orochimaru," Jiraiya interrupted Orochimaru's words and tossed over a scroll sealed with text.

"The teacher said that after reading this letter, you might change your mind."

"A letter?", Orochimaru didn't think Jiraiya would have tampered with it, so he quickly opened the scroll.

His expression flickered with shock.

Jiraiya carefully observed Orochimaru's expression.

He started getting curious about what Sarutobi Hiruzen had written in the letter.

But the scroll had a seal that would cause it to self-destruct once opened, and trusting his teacher, he hadn't thought to read it in advance.

"Heh… HAHAHA…", After reading the contents, Orochimaru first chuckled lowly, then burst into maniacal laughter.

He even laughed until tears came out. His reaction startled not only Jiraiya but also the usually composed Kabuto.

"Making White Fang commit suicide, watching the Fourth Hokage die, and exterminating the Uchiha clan—now that there's no one left to use, he finally comes looking for me?", After laughing, Orochimaru wiped the nonexistent tears from the corner of his eyes.

The scroll he had discarded vanished into a puff of white smoke.

"Orochimaru…", Jiraiya felt that many of Orochimaru's accusations were conspiracy theories, and at least some of them shouldn't be blamed on Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"If this had been ten years ago, maybe I would've been moved, but now I no longer need such things," Having defected from Konoha and established the Hidden Sound Village in the Land of Rice Fields, after ten years of killing experimental subjects, Orochimaru's heart had long become as cold as iron.

Thinking about the scroll's words, 'I plan to deal with Sunagakure… If you return to Konoha, not only will everything be forgiven, but I will also restore your reputation within the village', Orochimaru had a momentary flicker of interest but quickly dismissed the idea of returning.

A belated gesture of kindness was worth less than grass.

Moreover, this wasn't kindness—it was just another attempt to use him.

'Still, why did the old man suddenly set his sights on Sunagakure?'

This was also the reason why Orochimaru was so shocked after opening the scroll.

He had just killed the Fourth Kazekage, and the body hadn't even been buried yet. How could Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been sitting in the Hokage's office in Konoha all this time, just happen to know that he could take advantage of Sunagakure's vulnerability?

'No, maybe it is just a coincidence.'

'The old man can't find a successor, and he has ambitions to annex Sunagakure, so he came looking for me,' Orochimaru thought of many things in an instant, but the only thing he did not consider was accepting Sarutobi Hiruzen's so-called "kindness."

"Same words as before, tell the old man to wash his neck and wait for me in Konoha," Orochimaru gave Kabuto a glance, and the perceptive Kabuto immediately began preparing an escape jutsu.

"Orochimaru, this might be your last chance, can't you just..."

'Can't you just agree to return to the village for the sake of the past?' Jiraiya reached out unwillingly, but only grasped at the air.

The Orochimaru standing before him had already turned into a whirlwind and disappeared from the spot.

———

"Oh? He refused?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood by the window with his hands behind his back, looking at the sturdy tree outside and the fallen leaves blown down by the wind.

"Mm," Jiraiya seemed a bit disappointed.

He originally thought there was a chance to reunite the Three Legendary Sannin in Konoha once more—

If Orochimaru had agreed to return, he would have set off immediately to find Tsunade.

But unfortunately, no matter what, Orochimaru still couldn't be brought back.

"That's fine too. Tell me, how did he react at the time?"

"He..."

"I see."

After listening to Jiraiya's account, a sharp gleam flashed in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes.

"Hokage-sama, urgent intelligence!", Suddenly, an assistant's urgent voice came from outside the office door.

Shortly after, a classified letter retrieved from a carrier pigeon was delivered to his hands.

"Part of the Fourth Kazekage's corpse has been found."

After reading the contents of the letter, if Jiraiya had not been in the office, Sarutobi Hiruzen, in his excitement, would have said "Good!" on the spot.

'It matched, it really matched!'

Orochimaru's reaction, the Fourth Kazekage's corpse, everything confirmed what was recorded in that notebook about the "future".

═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═

patreon.com/ZenonTL

🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.