"I'll take your word for it—for now!"
Orochimaru sighed. What a foolish mindset, to be tethered by the affairs of n and won, of family. He didn't detect any lie in Tonbo's tone. But then again, sotis one doesn't need to lie to achieve their goal.
"So, why did you seek out? You didn't co to surrender and defect back to Konoha, did you?" Tonbo quipped. He was genuinely curious about what Orochimaru wanted. The last ti they t, Orochimaru was just after intelligence.
Recalling the "collaboration" Orochimaru ntioned back in the valley, Tonbo wondered if the Sannin had set his sights on his ninjutsu. It was possible; Orochimaru could use Tonbo's research to bypass his inability to weave signs.
Orochimaru smiled. "I ca to confirm what you were becoming stronger for. I accept your answer. Even if I find your ideology detestable, I can sense the sincerity behind it."
"Oh? To confirm if I'm a threat like the Akatsuki? To see if I'm after the Tailed Beasts?" Tonbo asked.
Orochimaru replied, "Since I've determined you aren't a threat to my interests, we can cooperate."
Collaboration was his true goal.
"Cooperate? Do you really think we have any common ground? I'm not lacking for anything right now."
"Of course we do. Since I sought you out, I have naturally confird your capabilities. Furthermore, your behavior makes you a suitable partner. I believe you will agree."
Orochimaru's voice was dripping with confidence, leaving Tonbo stunned. He ntally reviewed his life since arriving in the ninja world; currently, he had everything he needed. Where did Orochimaru get this confidence?
Tonbo challenged him, "Go on then. I'd like to know what exactly could sway ."
"As a high-ranking official of Konoha, you must have heard of it, right? Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, has been wandering the world for years searching for the Child of Prophecy who will bring peace to the world?" Orochimaru said aningfully.
"I've heard of it. But what does that have to do with our cooperation?" Tonbo was baffled. Why drag Jiraiya into this? Jiraiya needed a legitimate excuse to stay abroad, and searching for the Child of Prophecy was that excuse. Of course, he had been doing exactly that the whole ti.
"It has everything to do with it. We must go back to the Second Great Ninja War. Back then, when Tsunade, Jiraiya, and I were teammates supporting each other on the battlefield, Jiraiya emphasized more than once that in the future of the ninja world, his disciple would beco the savior of the world.
"These prophecies all ca from the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku. If they fail, the entire world will face a cold silence. As one who seeks immortality and the mastery of the world's truths, that is an outco I cannot accept."
Orochimaru spoke with eerie calm. Tonbo listened quietly. "You believe in prophecies?"
He was skeptical. No matter how he looked at it, it was laughable that Orochimaru would believe in destiny. Is this 'collaboration' just a way to manipulate ? First the setup, now cos the big pitch from the master deceiver himself.
"I don't believe in them, but I cannot ignore a prophecy about the destruction of the world."
Orochimaru smiled thinly. "At that ti, I was still a 'normal' ninja and hadn't defected from Konoha, so I didn't care. But as the people around continued to die in war, I beca obsessed with immortality and truth. At that point, I believed about half of it. So, I consulted various ancient texts, folklore, and legends scattered across the ninja world. Guess what incredible thing I discovered?"
Orochimaru paused for dramatic effect. Seeing Tonbo's calm expression, he felt a bit bored and continued.
"Starting from the ti the Sage of Six Paths founded Ninshu and returned to the Pure Land, there has been an invisible hand in the ninja world tampering with history. Even the legends left by the Sage of Six Paths are incredibly scarce. But... I still managed to find traces."
Hearing this, Tonbo was internally shaken. Though what Orochimaru was saying didn't seem related to their cooperation yet, he was stunned by the man's intellect. You actually figured out that history was being tampered with?
"A fascinating viewpoint. But what does this have to do with the bridge of cooperation between us?"
"Don't be impatient. I will make it worth your while. Despite history being altered, I found fragnts of the truth and made several deductions.
"A millennium ago, the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku—one of the Three Great Sage Regions—prophesied a world-ending event. He left the mountain and found the Child of Prophecy intended to stop that destruction: the Sage of Six Paths. He assisted the Sage in defeating an unknown, terrifying enemy, allowing the world to return to peace."
Tonbo's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. How is it that I'm the transmigrator, yet the native is the one doing the 'spoilers'? Was this information really available in the ninja world? He had sent out so many clones and established such a vast intelligence network, yet he hadn't found this. How had Orochimaru deduced it?
"So, is that why you believe the prophecy?" Tonbo was still confused. Ninjas are suspicious by nature; you can't just take a story at face value. And why tell him all this? Was Orochimaru trying to recruit him? If Tonbo refused to cooperate, wouldn't Orochimaru be compromising the legendary Sannin reputation by leaking such high-level intel? How could he trust Tonbo?
Ten thousand "what the hells" galloped through Tonbo's mind.
"Wait... are you saying that the goal of our cooperation is to prevent the world from being destroyed?"
Tonbo suddenly realized the point. Orochimaru was emphasizing this prophecy because his goal was to protect world peace?
"Exactly. If the world is destroyed, I, you, your family, and Konoha—everything will vanish. I want immortality, and you want to protect your family. There is no conflict of interest."
Orochimaru confird his theory.
"You're right. If what you say is true, I should indeed cooperate with you. But how are you so sure I'd believe in so prophecy?"
Tonbo was shocked by the depth of Orochimaru's information. As expected of an old fox, every bit of intel he dropped hit like a hamr. He had perfectly analyzed Tonbo's psychology—or perhaps he was just testing him by emphasizing his family.
Orochimaru continued, "The Three Great Sage Regions are the forces that maintain the balance of natural energy in this world. To verify the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, I personally visited Ryuchi Cave to seek confirmation from the White Snake Sage. Although that old snake has no interest in the toad, she did not refute his prophecy. Clearly, she acknowledges it.
"Of course, that's not the only reason I believe it. Better to believe it might be true than to assu it's false, wouldn't you say? Even if my plan fails, it doesn't matter. I still won't die."
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