Chapter Seventy-Seven: Orochimaru’s Initiative

Sister Tsunade, Senior Orochimaru...”
Kushina’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and she paused in her task of massaging Karn’s legs. For the past two days, with no one supervising her, she had begun earning magical snacks by labor—starting with shoulder rubs, then back massages, and now leg massages.
But today, as she was diligently working for her treats, Tsunade and Orochimaru happened to walk in and catch her in the act. Kushina felt mortified; when alone, she could persuade herself, but being seen by acquaintances...
Tsunade snorted, saying, “You’re really making Kushina do this kind of thing...”
“Trading labor for reward is perfectly reasonable, Tsunade.”
Karn stroked Kushina’s red hair with a smile, then took a bag of magical snacks from the cabinet and handed it to her. “That’s enough for today.”
“Thank you, boss!”
Kushina accepted the bag, her face lighting up with joy. But she quickly realized Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Karn had business to discuss, so she stood, brushed off her black thigh-high socks, and excused herself.
As she left, a thought suddenly struck her—she had originally come to complain to the boss. Grandma Mito had passed away, and she herself had become a monster. Yet after arriving, she forgot her troubles, inexplicably took out her money, and ended up massaging the boss for a bite of food.
“Damn boss!”
Kushina giggled to herself, then hopped away like a little rabbit toward the Sealing Squad. She was now assigned there, the youngest among them, but her mastery of sealing jutsu ranked near the top.
Before Kushina left, Tsunade’s sharp eyes noticed the quantity of snacks in the bag, and she calculated that she’d have to claim at least half from Kushina later.
Her expenses had been outrageous lately; all the mission rewards she and Nawaki earned went toward paying off gambling debts, which still weren’t settled. Now, Tsunade had to mooch drinks and meals wherever she could.
For instance, she’d sent Nawaki off to train, and dragged Orochimaru along to see Karn, planning to have a drink after their business was finished.
The negotiations for Konoha’s medical supplies were nearly complete. They had no other options and had to accept the prices Karn set.
Unless Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo were confident they could take Karn down and, without leaking any information, force out all his secrets and those of his backers, Konoha was powerless for now.
Tsunade had come to deliver the list of supplies needed by Konoha, but since Karn had business with Orochimaru, she went along.
Karn’s tavern was just a short walk away.
Once seated, Tsunade drank a bottle as soon as the sake arrived.
Her boldness, combined with her beautiful face and striking figure, was completely at odds with typical feminine behavior.
As the three chatted over drinks, someone suddenly lifted the curtain and poked his head in. Upon seeing Tsunade and Orochimaru, he exclaimed with delight, “I thought I misheard, but it really is you two—Tsunade, Orochimaru.”
It was Jiraiya, the third Sannin.
Karn had met him on the battlefield in the Land of Rain, where Jiraiya had stayed to teach Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan. Unexpectedly, he had now returned.
“And that guy from before—was his name... Karn? Tsunade, let’s join tables. I’ve got three people here too.”
Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya and replied, “Whatever, as long as you pay.”
Besides Jiraiya, Karn recognized the other two: Konoha Jonin Dan Kato and Minato Namikaze.
Jiraiya had returned late and was unaware of what had transpired in the meantime, and no one was inclined to tell him; after all, Konoha’s actions had not been exactly honorable.

Yet Jiraiya had a knack for lightening the mood, and even Karn chatted with him about Yahiko, Konan, and the others. Karn had no wish to get entangled with Nagato’s trio, especially since Nagato, with the transplanted Rinnegan, had at least two White Zetsu monitoring him.
As the drinks flowed, Jiraiya grew more talkative. After a cup, he sighed, “The ninja world isn’t settling down again. The quest for the Child of Destiny is going to be delayed yet again.”
Jiraiya didn’t hide the prophecy of the Great Toad Sage, and even planned to write a book about finding the Child of Destiny who would change the ninja world. Many in Konoha were aware of his beliefs, though few agreed with him.
Even Tsunade and Orochimaru scoffed at the idea of the Child of Destiny, finding Jiraiya’s notions more naïve than a first-year student’s self-introduction at the ninja academy.
Jiraiya stubbornly insisted that his vision for the world would come true, and soon began arguing with Tsunade.
“Karn! Do you think Jiraiya’s dream is possible?”
Tsunade, her cheeks rosy with drink, drew Karn into the debate. She and Jiraiya were both strong-willed and she detested his lecherous ways, so she opposed nearly everything he said.
After Tsunade spoke, all eyes turned to Karn, as if awaiting his verdict. Minato and Dan’s gazes were particularly curious, as if assessing him.
“A period of peace isn’t hard to achieve, but eradicating war entirely is impossible. Without war, there is no peace; the two are opposites, like light and darkness...”
He hadn’t finished before the slightly drunk Jiraiya interrupted, “So you’re siding with Tsunade? Just wait, I, Jiraiya, will find the Child of Destiny and let him change this ninja world!”
Karn laughed, unwilling to debate the matter further. The idea of ninja shouting about eradicating war was a betrayal of their very profession.
Ninja derive their value from war and missions. The ninja regulations, mission commissions, and contracts between villages and the Land of Fire—all point to one thing: ninja are weapons of war.
To abolish war, one must first abolish the ninja themselves.
But none of this concerned Karn; whether in war or peace, he had ways to profit.
...
Afterwards, Karn returned home, and a short while later, Orochimaru entered.
“Karn, is there something you want from me?”
Despite drinking quite a bit, Orochimaru could evaporate the alcohol with chakra—a skill every formidable ninja must master.
Orochimaru had already noticed Karn wanted something, so he made a detour to follow Karn home after the gathering.
“I’d like to ask a favor, if you’re willing to accept.”
Karn set out two cups of tea, saw Orochimaru’s expression signaling him to continue, and said, “I want to commission you to develop a curse seal technique that uses chakra to influence or control someone. Is that feasible?”
“To influence or control someone? That kind of curse seal isn’t difficult; there are many similar techniques in the ninja world. If you just want to influence someone, a few modifications are enough.”
Orochimaru spoke easily; such curse seals were basic. More advanced ones, like Root’s Tongue Curse Seal, could prevent the cursed from revealing the caster’s secrets.
For Karn’s request, only minor adjustments were needed, since chakra inherently involves spiritual energy.
“Karn, I think we can deepen our cooperation...”
Orochimaru smiled at Karn. Danzo had come to him as well, but Danzo was too petty—always probing about the new virus serum and offering only money and test subjects.
As the Hokage’s student, Orochimaru was entitled to access forbidden techniques; what Danzo could provide, Karn could too, and what Karn could provide, Danzo might not be able to. To Orochimaru, Karn was the ideal partner.

Danzo only sought to exploit him, while Karn had what he really wanted.
“Of course, Orochimaru. If only the Konoha higher-ups were as agreeable as you.”
Karn had always intended a long-term partnership with Orochimaru. However, now he was targeted by Konoha’s leaders, and if this came to light, both he and Orochimaru would be in trouble.
“But we’ll need to keep our collaboration secret. If it’s exposed, even as the Hokage’s student, you’d face difficulties—unless you become the Fourth Hokage. If that happens, our cooperation would expand; you’d have status and power, I’d have technology and resources...”
The mention of the Fourth Hokage gave Orochimaru pause. Among Konoha’s current ninja, only a handful qualified for the role: Sakumo Hatake, the Sannin, the Uchiha clan chief, and so on.
The rest either fell short in age, strength, or reputation.
“The Fourth Hokage... That won’t be possible for years yet. But keeping things hidden from the ANBU isn’t easy, especially since your position is precarious, Karn... My summoning snakes are a good option—they can deliver messages and items, and even warn you proactively. As long as you’re not afraid of snakes...”
Karn was briefly taken aback, then considered it. He had originally planned to give Orochimaru a remote communication device, but with no signal towers in the ninja world, the snakes from Ryuchi Cave were indeed a good option, albeit a little unpleasant.
However, this meant Orochimaru could track Karn’s movements, at least within the ninja world. Ryuchi Cave also held considerable potential for Karn.
Snake plus dragon genes—who knew what might result? Perhaps Karn could open a magical creature theme park in the Marvel world!
“Alright, Orochimaru.”
...
In the days that followed, Karn enjoyed himself. Aside from Kushina’s massages, he also gave Nonoyu the pharmacist a set of communication devices and a small signal unit, enough to cover all of Konoha. This allowed Nonoyu to secretly contact others, and Karn could reach her without anyone discovering.
Danzo also made progress; he handed Tobirama’s data to the Barrier Team and recruited many from the Sealing Squad, finally perfecting a barrier that could suppress space-time ninjutsu.
Within this barrier, even summoning techniques failed. Danzo personally tested it, then took the news to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
“Hiruzen, it worked. When do we act?”
Hiruzen exhaled a puff of smoke, replying slowly, “Tomorrow night. I’ll assign Tsunade a task, and send three ANBU squads.”
“I’ll send two Root squads. That guarantees success.”
After speaking, Danzo thought to himself: once Karn was captured, he could heal his injuries.
He could almost see himself injecting the new virus serum, mastering Wood Release, and becoming the Fourth Hokage.
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Chapter 77: Orochimaru’s Initiative – Free to Read.