Uchiha Gate: From Konoha to One Piece

Chapter 96: Orochimaru's future plans



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"Looks like the Third Hokage is completely out of ideas! Coming up with something like this..."

Kaito chuckled and shook his head.

Anyone under his contract couldn't betray him. If they tried, the contract would break instantly, erasing all memories related to it. Not to mention, Kaito would know right away.

"Who wouldn't agree with that?"

Orochimaru licked his lips, flashing a sly smile. "My dear teacher has truly been cornered by your three clans teaming up against him."

"But, knowing him, he's bound to have more tricks up his sleeve. My guess is that his next big move will be waiting for your clan's shinobi on the battlefield."

"So, it'd be wise to warn your elite forces heading out to the front lines. My teacher and Danzo aren't people to underestimate."

"That's all I have to say!"

At that moment, Orochimaru shamelessly spilled all of the Third Hokage and Danzo's secrets, practically aligning himself with Kaito and his allies.

His actions left Kaito, Tsunade, and the others speechless as they exchanged incredulous looks.

"Although we anticipated something like this, we still appreciate your warning, Orochimaru," Kaito said, masking his surprise.

Checking Orochimaru's affinity toward him, Kaito noticed it was still only 45 points. He frowned.

"I thought his sudden betrayal of the Third meant he'd warmed up to me."

"Guess not. He's just hedging his bets, trying to cozy up to us as a backup plan."

Realizing this, Kaito smiled faintly and asked, "So, what are you hoping to gain from us in return?"

"Heh, you're as sharp as ever!" Orochimaru laughed, his eyes glinting. "I don't want much, just to purchase a batch of nutritional pills from you."

"Plus, I'd like the option to buy more in the future. If possible, access to some higher-grade pills would be ideal."

"Sure, I can refine the essence from ordinary pills to create advanced ones myself, but it's time-consuming, and the results aren't as effective as your top-tier versions."

Currently, Orochimaru only had the 30 million ryo he squeezed out of the Third. It would barely buy one batch of pills.

But with the war starting, he knew it wouldn't be long before he could secure more funds.

To him, chaos was a ladder. He never hesitated to climb it, using any means necessary.

Wealthy nobles and merchants? To Orochimaru, they were just fat sheep waiting to be fleeced.

If it weren't for the risks of exposure, he would have bled them dry already.

In times of peace, such actions would quickly draw attention. But during wartime?

A few dead merchants or nobles here and there wouldn't raise suspicion, as long as he covered his tracks and forged an alibi.

"Interesting," Kaito mused. "You've been refining high-grade pills from ordinary ones? Do you have any samples? Let me take a look."

Orochimaru nodded eagerly. "Of course! I've been meaning to get your opinion. As the son of Naori-sama, you must've tried plenty of advanced pills yourself."

What Orochimaru didn't realize was that Kaito himself had invented these pills.

After all, who would believe that a six-year-old could create something so advanced back then?

This required mastery of medicine and pharmaceutical techniques beyond what most could comprehend.

While Tsunade had often praised Kaito's brilliance in medical ninjutsu, only a few truly grasped the extent of his talent—and Orochimaru wasn't one of them.

Orochimaru quickly retrieved a porcelain bottle from his pouch, shaking out a single pill. He handed it to Kaito. "Here, take a look!"

Kaito took the pill, wrapping it in his chakra and analyzing it carefully. After a moment, he handed it back.

"You've done well to create this method for making high-grade pills," Kaito praised.

"Though it doesn't quite match the ones produced by my clan, it's still about 70% as effective. Not bad at all!"

"No wonder your vitality, physique, and strength have improved so much in recent years. This must've played a big role!"

"I'll sell you a batch of 100% effective pills, and in the future, I can provide you with a small share as well," Kaito continued.

"But these are for personal use only. You can't resell them or share them with others. Do you agree?"

While Kaito wasn't worried about anyone reverse-engineering his pills, as most of the ingredients came from the One Piece world and were impossible to replicate in the ninja world, he didn't want to hand over anything that might boost the Third's power.

"Of course! That's completely reasonable. Thank you!" Orochimaru beamed, visibly relieved.

He pulled out a box of money, placing it in front of Kaito. "Here you go—30 million ryo. I'd like to use it all to buy advanced pills. How many can I get?"

"Hmm, I'll give you 500 pills as a goodwill gesture," Kaito decided.

Taking the box, he placed his hand on it, causing intricate sealing patterns to appear and engulf the box.

A moment later, the box vanished in a puff of smoke, replaced by a sealed scroll.

This looked like a display of sealing or summoning jutsu, but in reality, it was just a clever cover.

Kaito had actually used the storage function of the space-time gate.

He then handed the scroll to Orochimaru.

"Here you go! There are exactly 500 advanced nutritional pills inside. Check it and keep it safe."

"Thank you!"

Orochimaru eagerly accepted the scroll and expressed his gratitude.

After unsealing it and inspecting the contents, he confirmed everything was in order and thanked Kaito again.

He resealed most of the pills into another storage scroll, leaving only a small bottle with ten pills.

Taking one out, he sniffed it, examined it carefully, and then popped it into his mouth.

Almost immediately, the effects kicked in.

Orochimaru's analytical mind quickly assessed the results, his face lighting up with joy. "As expected, these are over 30% more effective than the ones I refined!"

"Not only that, but they're also much easier to absorb. This is a huge win!"

Absorption might seem like a minor detail, but it was critical.

After all, everyone has a limit to how much they can absorb and digest each day.

This limitation greatly affects how quickly one's strength can grow.

And with a higher absorption rate and better effectiveness, Orochimaru was confident he could significantly improve his strength within a few months.

"Still," he muttered to himself, "even with these advanced pills, the training methods I currently know, along with my techniques for absorption, only allow for limited improvement."

"It's nothing like what the Uchiha or Tsunade have. Their strength skyrockets without any clear limit in sight."

"It's obvious they have superior training methods—ways to better absorb nutrients, enhance vitality, and maybe even improve their innate talent..."

Orochimaru couldn't help but feel regretful.

How else could he explain the rapid growth of the entire Uchiha clan?

Even within the Uchiha, not everyone was a born genius.

Unfortunately, this wasn't the right time for him to dig deeper into their training secrets.

He wasn't close enough to them yet.

He needed to be patient.

He saw this mission, along with the goodwill he was building, as a great opportunity.

For that reason, Orochimaru decided not to brainwash Nawaki, Uchiha Aota, or Uzumaki Reiko. Instead, he would teach them to the best of his ability.

They could become important bridges, helping him further his connections with the Uchiha and their allied clans in the future.

Orochimaru also admired the Uchiha's ability to keep their secrets.

It wasn't like people hadn't suspected the Uchiha of having superior training techniques. Many smart individuals in both Konoha and the ninja world had their theories.

But so far, no one had successfully uncovered these secrets.

Some who tried to target and capture Uchiha members mysteriously vanished, their bodies never found.

It was strange.

These Uchiha members also never resurfaced in Konoha either, as if they had vanished into thin air with the attackers.

What Orochimaru didn't know was that Kaito had relocated these individuals to the One Piece world.

There, they were tasked with establishing and expanding their forces.

As long as they stayed out of sight in the ninja world, people would simply assume they were dead.

Once Kaito gained full control of Konoha and eventually the ninja world, these individuals could openly return.

"Heh, don't mention it!"

Kaito smiled, waving off Orochimaru's thanks. "If you're willing to align with us, there's no reason for us to push you away."

"In fact, we should interact and collaborate more in the future."

"I recognize your talent for research. Who knows? We might have opportunities for deeper cooperation down the line."

Of course, any potential cooperation would hinge on Orochimaru entering into a contract with Kaito.

After all, an uncontrolled Orochimaru was not someone Kaito wanted knowing too many secrets.

That would make things far too unpredictable.

Orochimaru, oblivious to Kaito's true thoughts, brightened up at his words. "Absolutely! I look forward to working together more in the future!"

Nearby, Tsunade observed their conversation, barely suppressing her amusement.

"Orochimaru, oh, Orochimaru! No matter how cunning you think you are, you're willingly turning yourself into a fish caught on Kaito's hook."

She couldn't wait for the day Orochimaru realized the truth.

It was bound to be entertaining.

After a hearty barbecue feast that left everyone satisfied, the night ended.

— — — 

The next morning, outside the Hokage Tower's announcement board,

Tsunade, for once, arrived early and waited until Kaito and his team joined her.

She then led the group to the Hokage's office to receive their mission.

This had been the Third Hokage's specific request.

He wanted an opportunity to interact with Kaito and his group, hoping to sway them to his side.

Tsunade and the others knew his intentions but didn't care.

The Third was wasting his efforts; his attempts were as futile as winking at a blind person.

To maintain the image in front of her students, Tsunade surprisingly refrained from kicking the office doors today.

Instead, she calmly opened the door and took Kaito and his team inside.

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