Uchiha's personal opinion

Now he understands exactly what happened.

The only thing he found unbearable was the person who caused the incident.

Orochimaru raised his head and glanced at the little toad crouching in the corner, its mouth filled with a wooden plug bearing the character "seal".

"I think I don't need to explain, right?"

A familiar sound came from the little toad's mouth.

"Have you made up your mind? Come with me."

Jiraiya...you've changed!

Orochimaru slowly closed his eyes.

"You should know what kind of impact the disappearance of twelve ninjas in the village would have..."

Jiraiya's voice rang out again from the little toad's mouth, "Besides, they're lying in your house right now. What will they think if they find out?"

Do you really think you'll have a chance to explain yourself?

"Or to put it another way, even if you explain, will it make a difference? And will those red-eyed devils in the police department believe you?"

"Don't forget, the Uchiha clan is full of malice towards us so-called remnants of the Hokage these days!"

"So, Orochimaru..."

Jiraiya's voice chattered incessantly from the little toad's mouth.

"Are you too ashamed to face anyone now?"

Orochimaru coldly interrupted Jiraiya's rambling.

"Oh dear~ I was just afraid you'd hit me~"

Jiraiya's comical yet irritating voice rang out again.

Orochimaru, his face cold, continued to stare intently at the twelve unconscious Konoha ninjas lined up in the hall, rapidly calculating a countermeasure in his mind.

He had also heard about the disappearance of the village's ninjas.

At first, he thought his subordinates were just taking what they could find to cut corners when they were capturing "materials," so he even checked the "materials" that had recently been brought into the lab—they were all real monkeys, not any living people!

Orochimaru then simply assumed that the internal affairs department or the police department hadn't been thorough enough in their clandestine arrests within the village, and thus put the matter behind him to continue his chakra experiments. The reason for this laxity was that the Anbu or Root had done similar things before, which was quite common for the former Third Hokage, so Orochimaru was somewhat used to it.

But things often turn out far beyond his expectations.

When he walked out of the laboratory, feeling refreshed but still covered in the smell of blood, and returned home, he saw a small, bright red toad squatting in the corner of the living room, seemingly waiting for him for a long time.

Before he could even figure out how this strange toad had managed to get through the layers of barriers and traps into his living room, another creature resembling an appendix appeared in the hall with the light of a summoning jutsu, spitting out twelve unconscious Konoha ninjas!

Putting everything else aside, the Konoha ninjas that came out of the appendix were arranged in a rather neat manner!

A very strange idea suddenly popped into Orochimaru's mind.

Why don't you want to leave?

Jiraiya's voice rang out again.

Why are you afraid to face people?

Orochimaru said coldly.

At this moment, his heart was filled with rage. Although his face remained indifferent, the murderous impulse within him was almost uncontrollable.

But he couldn't act immediately.

Otherwise, if the chakra fluctuations attract the attention of the police or other ninja units, and it turns out that the twelve missing Konoha ninjas are in their own homes, then they'll really be in deep trouble!

Thinking of this, Orochimaru's killing intent surged once more!

Taking a deep breath, Orochimaru slowly opened his eyes and looked at the little toad in the corner.

"...Okay, okay, I'm out."

As the little toad's mouth opened wide, a hand emerged from it, stretching the mouth open further, and Jiraiya, covered in slime, struggled to crawl out of the toad's mouth.

"How's this move? How does it compare to your molting ninjutsu?"

Jiraiya jokingly tried to sound casual.

"Isn't it fun?"

Orochimaru asked coldly.

All of this gave him a sense of unreality.

Even with Jiraiya standing right in front of him, Orochimaru couldn't believe that such a clumsy yet effective trap was actually orchestrated by Jiraiya!

But that's the truth, and he had no choice but to believe it!

Are you blaming me?

Jiraiya immediately put on a stern face and asked in return.

"Surely I should thank you?"

Orochimaru's lips twitched, revealing a sinister, fake smile.

"Have you forgotten the teacher's death?"

Jiraiya still had a stern face.

"What if I forget? What if I don't forget?"

Orochimaru's face was full of sarcasm. "So you mean I should be like you, betray the village and then be hunted down like a stray dog ​​by the anti-terrorist forces, hiding and running around the ninja world?"

"Resisting the tyranny of the shogunate is the responsibility of our generation!"

Jiraiya said solemnly, "Konoha has been led astray by Uchiha Tokumitsu and Hatake Sakumo. We should stand up and set things right!"

"...What a wonderful act of restoring order!"

Orochimaru was so angry he laughed.

It means that if you don't want to become a rogue ninja, you'll become a sinner who submits to the shogunate!

"What do you have to fight against the village with!"

Orochimaru sneered, "A mere anti-terrorist unit wiped out almost your rabble. What makes you think you can fight against an entire village?"

"Do you think that the village is now dominated by the Uchiha clan or Sakumo Hatake's reform movement?"

Do you think that everyone in the village today is full of complaints and longs to go back to the past?

"Do you really think that the combined forces of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the Fire Gate Shogunate, the Uchiha clan, the United Company, Kirigakure, Amegakure, Kusagakure, and the Sakumo clan can be overthrown by an arrogant person like you who doesn't know the immensity of the world?"

"Do you think that those outcasts who support you—including Ryuchi-dong—have gone into hiding simply because they are noble and unwilling to be tainted by worldly affairs?"

"Those outcasts simply know they can't win!"

"The ninja world today belongs to ninjas! Even the daimyo and nobles have been completely sidelined!"

Orochimaru felt increasingly desperate as he spoke.

This is also why he has been staying in Konoha all this time.

Even if we are suspected and constantly monitored, so what?

The ninja world is vast, but where could he possibly hide?

"Jiraiya... Times have changed!"

After saying this, Orochimaru sighed and closed his eyes.

"...I know it's difficult."

"But is it really that easy to give up on avenging our teacher?"

Jiraiya lowered his head, his voice choked with emotion: "Our teacher is dead... The Sarutobi clan is gone, and even Shinnosuke has been captured and his fate is unknown..."

"But! The world shouldn't be like this, and people shouldn't be like this!"

"It was Uchiha Tokumitsu and Hatake Sakumo who betrayed the village! They are the ones in the wrong!"

"The Will of Fire will always be in my heart! The glorious deeds of the Hokage of Konoha have always inspired me to keep going!"

Jiraiya raised his head again, his expression utterly cold, his eyes slightly red. "No matter what you say, I will not change my resolve! This is my ninja way!"

So, this is the reason for shameless framing?

Orochimaru suddenly felt no anger, only deep exhaustion.

What's wrong with this world?

He used to be the one framing others, but when did he become the one being framed?

And by such despicable means, he was completely betrayed by his former friend...

The purpose, however, is for a "vision" that is fundamentally impossible to achieve...

How ridiculous!

Thinking of this, Orochimaru's fingers twitched slightly.

Do you want to fight me?

Jiraiya noticed Orochimaru's subtle actions. "Aren't you afraid of attracting the police?"

Orochimaru seemed not to hear, his fingers stopped flicking, but the fluctuations of chakra around his body became more and more intense.

This is almost obviously a sign that they're preparing to make a move...

Jiraiya sighed with some distress.

He thought that by capturing a group of people to trap Orochimaru, he could easily bring his old friend, who already harbored ill intentions, out of Konoha.

But... it seems Orochimaru doesn't appreciate it!

"Do you really think you can escape?"

Orochimaru's expression was extremely cold.

Regardless of whether he wanted to escape Konoha or not, and regardless of whether he stayed or left in the future, his pride would not allow him to be forced to defect in this way!

"Ding dong!"

Suddenly, the doorbell rang outside Orochimaru's residence.