Chapter 97: The Surprising Benefits of Negotiating with a Snake

Danzō continued to ask Orochimaru persistently, but Orochimaru suddenly fell silent.

"Are you planning to wait until after killing the Third Hokage to trade with me?" Danzō frowned but did not think too much about it. 

Orochimaru seemed to have no intention of speaking, so they could discuss it later. 

Besides, Danzō did not lack items to trade with Orochimaru. With Konoha's backing, he could obtain infinite resources, and Orochimaru's numerous research projects needed a large amount of them.

But what Danzō cared about the most was not the people who destroyed the Root Research Facility, but the position of Hokage!

So, after several failed attempts to get a response, Danzō simply left.

The next second, Natsuo appeared in front of Orochimaru. 

"Orochimaru, I always thought we were excellent trading partners." Natsuo sighed softly. "I never expected Orochimaru-sama to use my information as an item for trade with Danzō. This is truly..." 

Natsuo's face was filled with pain. "Doesn't your conscience hurt?"

'No, because I don't have a conscience at all.' Orochimaru had the urge to reply with this, but he did not dare to say it aloud. Because Natsuo was emanating a strong killing intent.

The unique Mangekyō Sharingan pattern in his eyes erupted with a chilling aura that seemed to come from hell. Chakra was unleashed from his body like a heavy hammer hitting him hard.

'His strength has increased again!' Orochimaru silently swallowed his saliva, his eyes filled with fear. 

Natsuo was already strong before, and now he was even more formidable! He was so strong that even though he was so close, he managed to hide his own figure with genjutsu. And Danzō, a veteran Kage-level expert, did not notice at all! 

"The pattern in his eyes has changed... Has his Sharingan evolved again?"

[Shun!] 

Suddenly, Natsuo's figure approached, Orochimaru's pupils contracted, and he instinctively prepared to react. But his body sank. 

The next second, the arm that had been raised half a centimeter was cut off in one fell swoop.

Genjutsu control, direct attack. 

Back then, Itachi responded to his ambush in the same way, but now Natsuo achieved all this more easily and simply! 

"He has improved so much compared to before... Wasn't this guy always obsessed with having children?"

When he met him before, although the pattern of defeating himself was like Uchiha Itachi's, various details showed that Natsuo was far from being on par with Uchiha Itachi, only taking advantage of his own weaknesses. But now it is different!

Orochimaru's face turned ugly, blood flowed from his wrist, quickly wetting the ground. 

"Orochimaru-sama, you have been ignoring me all this time. Does this mean that our transaction is completely over?" Natsuo sighed lightly. "Yakushi Kabuto will be sad. He probably didn't expect that when you betrayed me, you didn't remind him to leave the Uchiha clan early." 

"After all, if I had known about this, I might have killed him directly." 

Orochimaru took a deep breath and looked at the man in front of him. He completely ignored the pain in his wrist and revealed a smile. "I'm sorry, Natsuo-sama, but I also have my own difficulties here."

"After all, as you heard just now, I am preparing to lead my Shinobi Village to launch a surprise attack on Konoha. 

"I need a lot of power, and it is obvious that our trade with the Jōnin will suffer as a result."

"And after I attack Konoha, I will probably be targeted by an angry Konoha for a while, and I will urgently need financial and material support... Only the Root can provide me with these resources."

"I'm sorry about this, but I have no choice."

In short, the foundation of the trade between the two sides no longer exists.

Although Orochimaru's subordinates can cultivate female Jōnin steadily, the growth of a Jōnin cannot be completed in just a year or two.

The original combat power will probably be greatly lost in the surprise attack on Konoha, making it difficult for him to continue the trade with Natsuo.

And after completing the surprise attack on Konoha, he will definitely face the relentless retaliation from Konoha. No shinobi village can tolerate the fact that their own shadow is assassinated by others, especially the person who killed the Hokage, and there is no other ninja village to rely on.

Even if Konoha cannot produce shinobis who can defeat Orochimaru in a direct confrontation, using political and economic means to sanction him would be enough to make him suffer.

Unfortunately, Orochimaru, who has consumed most of his reserves due to the war, urgently needs sufficient material replenishment.

Apart from Danzō, he cannot find enough trading partners. And if he wants to trade with Danzō, he naturally needs to prepare enough bargaining chips, and Natsuo's existence is the most significant one among these chips.

"Natsuo-sama, now you understand." Orochimaru said, covering his severed hand with one hand, his voice hoarse. "The end of our trade is inevitable."

"I understand." Natsuo nodded and sighed lightly. "It's a pity, I always thought you were a good trading partner."

Orochimaru has been a great help to him. After Yakushi Kabuto brought in a group of kunoichi, the two sides held three rounds of exchange.

In total, more than ten Jōnin educated by Orochimaru married into the Uchiha clan.

And these Jōnin, on average, gave birth to two children, and more than half of them had children with potential exceeding one hundred points, bringing considerable gains to Natsuo.

Now Natsuo can easily suppress Orochimaru, and one of the reasons is the trade with Orochimaru.

However, since reality has already become like this, then...

"Orochimaru, when you betrayed me, you probably prepared yourself to be killed by me." Natsuo sighed softly. "I understand your difficulties, but you also need to understand mine, right?"

Although Natsuo sighed, he wasn't angry.

Orochimaru naturally had his own difficulties and the freedom to break agreements. He also respected Orochimaru's freedom. But at the same time, Natsuo also had his own difficulties and the freedom to kill Orochimaru.

"I respect your freedom, so you should respect mine, right?"

I hope that we can respect and understand each other.

"Don't worry, out of our friendship, I won't let you suffer too much..." Natsuo sighed softly and said: "I will diligently kill the souls within the various seals you left behind."

"Please rest assured."

Orochimaru's forehead was covered in cold sweat. He could tell that Natsuo was serious!

Although he didn't know how this guy found out the secret of his seals, the increasingly dense killing intent around him had already told him that this guy really intended to kill him!

"Wait!" He couldn't help but say, his pale face seemingly becoming even paler. "Natsuo-kun, can't you let me go?"

Natsuo softly said: "No, Orochimaru-sama, please respect the feelings of someone you betrayed."

"But Natsuo-kun, even if I betrayed you, with Danzō's strength, he won't be able to defeat you. You won't suffer much loss..."

"It's okay, even if I kill you, with Orochimaru-sama's strength, there might still be some resurrection method that I don't know about. I won't pursue you after you come back to life. That way, you won't suffer any loss either."

"Natsuo-kun, this is Konoha. If we fight, it will definitely cause a big commotion. Won't that affect your goals?"

"It's okay, I'm actually getting a bit bored of hiding. Let's expose our strengths. If it really doesn't work, I'll just kill Danzō and the Third Hokage together. It's not a big problem."

'Not a big problem, my foot! Are you trying to challenge a whole village of shinobi?'

Orochimaru couldn't help but think, but he had to admit that Natsuo had the strength for it!

Because his eyes were the same as Uchiha Madara's eyes back then!

Uchiha Madara was able to make the Iwagakure Shinobi bow down with his own power, so why couldn't Natsuo overturn the entire Konoha with his own power?

The current Konoha is far from being as powerful as it was back then...

And this man, who has been lurking for so long, seems to have prepared himself to expose himself. Or maybe he's just playing around. He can expose himself at any time, but he can also choose not to.

Perhaps one day, when some ignorant people come looking for trouble, he will truly reveal his strength.

Natsuo smiled and walked slowly towards him. His steps were slow, but every step he took felt like a blow to Orochimaru's heart.

"Wait! I can pay a price to save my life!" Orochimaru reluctantly spoke up.

"Oh? Tell me about it." Natsuo rubbed his chin, with a playful look on his face.

"I have a kunoichi with a special bloodline here, her strength is at the level of an Elite Jōnin, and she could even become a quasi-Kage-level at any time." Orochimaru sighed lightly. "She is my capable subordinate, both in terms of strength and management ability, she is unparalleled."

"She possesses a unique ninja art: the Crystal Release, although it is not as powerful as Uchiha or Senju bloodlines, it is still quite formidable."

The person Orochimaru was talking about was Guren.

She was the first backup for Orochimaru's reincarnation vessel. Apart from Kimimaro, who was already ill, and Sasuke, who had not yet met Orochimaru at this time, she was the most suitable candidate.

In the future, Orochimaru would also command her to recapture the Three Tails. Although she didn't succeed, she didn't suffer too serious injuries.

This shows her strength!

Orochimaru's face was full of regret. Guren is a great vessel for reincarnation. If possible, he really doesn't want to hand her over... But there's no other way.

If he doesn't produce some genuine goods, Natsuo will really start killing people!

Natsuo squinted his eyes, and he at once thought of who Orochimaru was talking about.

It has to be said that this is indeed a generous gift.

Even among the talented members of Natsuo's harem, Guren's strength is second only to Ringo Ameyuri and can be ranked second.

"It's not enough." Natsuo said coldly.

"I heard that Yakushi Kabuto is helping you develop secret medicine." Orochimaru sighed softly. "I have some information here that I can give you."

"It's still not enough."

"I don't currently have a use for Yakushi Kabuto. I can lend him to you temporarily, but when the Konoha Collapse Plan is implemented, I will need his help."

"It's still not enough."

"I have another talented kunoichi with a Kekkei Genkai under my command. Although her strength is only at the Jonin level, her talent is very high. She is also one of my potential vessels for reincarnation. With a little training, he should be able to advance to Elite Jōnin, or even stronger."

Orochimaru's face was full of reluctance, which was very rare for someone accustomed to a cold expression like him.

"But I can't give her to you now. She is still young and not yet at the age of childbirth. I also need her help in the upcoming Konoha Collapse. After the plan is over, I can send her to you."

"This is already the final price I'm willing to offer. If you still want more, then I can only gamble with you to see if you can kill all the shinobis, I've placed under the curse seal."

"I have cut off my path to resurrection." Orochimaru shrugged helplessly and said: "To fight or not to fight, it's up to you, Natsuo."

"I won't add any more ransom." This is already the last ransom he can offer, and it has made him heartbroken.

If he continues to be extorted, he might as well take a gamble with Natsuo and see if he can be completely killed.

Orochimaru has been seducing children and deceiving those with special bloodlines. The candidates for reincarnation that he has accumulated over the years are so few, and now Natsuo has taken away two of them. It's really painful!

"Add one more condition." Natsuo finally said. "I want to participate in the plan to destroy Konoha this time."

As he said that, he revealed a gentle smile. "Recently, the Third Hokage really made an effort to suppress us Uchiha."

'All because you acted too much like him. Otherwise, why would the Third Hokage pay attention to such a trivial matter out of jealousy?'

Orochimaru secretly mocked, but still said: "I agree."

...

"I originally just wanted to see who would participate in the plan to destroy Konoha, but unexpectedly, I ended up gaining a lot from Orochimaru." Natsuo sighed softly. "This time can be considered a great harvest."

The most talented kunoichi on Orochimaru's side have been given to Natsuo.

Originally, he only paid attention to the village's surroundings because of the plan to destroy Konoha, thinking that Orochimaru might come over. That's how he discovered the transaction between the two recently.

Unexpectedly, this gain is quite satisfying.

Although the extortion was a bit harsh, since Orochimaru won't be able to continue sending kunoichi to him for a while, Natsuo doesn't mind taking advantage of the situation.

Furthermore, the plot of the Naruto Series can no longer keep up with the pace of changes.

Neji has only recently graduated, and the plan for the collapse of Konoha is about to be executed.

Who knows how the future will unfold...

"Well, I should be able to defeat the plot enemies in a fight." Natsuo said with a light laugh.

As a transmigrator, should I still trust Naruto and Sasuke to save the world? Isn't that undervaluing yourself?

He walked lightly towards the Uchiha residence, clearly walking openly on the street without covering his face, but it was as if everyone ignored him.

It's the genjutsu of the Sharingan, reducing his own presence.

Natsuo also used this method to get closer to Danzō and not be discovered. Danzō himself actually has no resistance to genjutsu, and the Sharingan on his body has only become a consumable, serving no purpose.

Natsuo just hid not too far away, it wasn't that difficult.

But as soon as he entered the Uchiha residence, his eyebrows suddenly furrowed.

In Natsuo's eyes, the pattern of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan suddenly appeared, and his cold gaze looked towards the ground.

There was a strange and vigorous chakra coming from there, and this chakra was still moving around, running everywhere in the Uchiha territory...

Although he hasn't caught his true form yet, Natsuo can guess what this strange thing is.

"White Zetsu... Has Obito started looking for me?"

---

I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar

---