Orochimaru looked at the golden warrior hundreds of meters tall before him, a deep obsession flickering in his golden vertical pupils. What immense power!
So the legends were true, there really were Rinnegan. If only he could research them...
Unlike Orochimaru's obsession with the power of the Rinnegan, Tsunade was different. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on the figure in the sky, a feeling in her mind that this was the person she was looking for, the one who could bring her brother Nawaki back.
She slowly walked to the foot of the golden warrior, took a deep breath, and for some reason, she didn't feel much fear towards the black-robed figure. Perhaps it was because the opponent hadn't massacred the Leaf ninja. Her red lips parted slightly, "Sir, uh, Mr. Black Robe, are those eyes of yours the legendary Rinnegan? If so, could you please do me a favor? I will pay any price, please bring my..."
Lin Yu glanced at Tsunade, who looked frail at his feet, and sighed inwardly. "I'm sorry, I can't help you yet, but soon!"
He extended his hand, and the golden figure rose into the sky, disappearing with Hanzo of the Salamander's corpse. This was a significant gain.
"Don't go! Stop! You stop for me!" Tsunade watched the figure fly into the sky and suddenly felt a wave of panic. Regardless of the opponent's strength, she bit her red lips and wanted to chase after him.
"Tsunade, calm down. The opponent is powerful, their identity and objective are unknown. If we anger them, none of us here might survive. Furthermore, since they appeared, there must be clues. With Konoha's intelligence, it shouldn't be too difficult to find some leads," Orochimaru blocked Tsunade's path and said to her in a deep voice.
He was also interested in the Rinnegan and wanted to investigate the black-robed figure, but his inner reason told him he couldn't; he might die!
Tsunade looked unwillingly in the direction the black-robed figure had disappeared, then turned back to the camp. As for the battlefield, what battlefield was there? It was merely the opponent's playground.
Nawaki, I'm sorry, your sister found someone who could resurrect you, but she doesn't even have the strength to face them.
However, Tsunade looked up again in the direction Lin Yu had disappeared, her eyes rekindling with fighting spirit. "The next time we meet, I will make you look me in the eye and impress you!"
At this time, Lin Yu had already dispelled Susano'o, frozen the Rinnegan, and was running towards the camp with the One-Tails Jinchuriki, Bunpuku.
He glanced at the text in his mind: Limited-time reward: Rinnegan usage permission without consumption (remaining 1 hour 39 minutes 59 seconds - frozen).
It took twenty minutes, with only five minutes spent fighting and the rest on travel. He couldn't help but worry about Tsunade's safety, so he flew there, coincidentally rescuing Jiraiya. It wasn't a total loss.
However, Lin Yu still felt a pang of pain. But he had done what needed to be done. A small part was for Tsunade, but a larger reason was for the Eternal Organization. Lin Yu harbored a grand ambition: immortality! Not just for himself, but for those important to him as well.
This required a massive organization as a foundation to support the research into the secret of eternal life. He already had an ideal candidate for this research – Orochimaru.
Coincidentally, Orochimaru also aimed for eternal life. In the original story, he created techniques like the Corpse Reincarnation, which were almost immortal arts, making him a prime research talent.
But now was not the time to reveal himself. The current Orochimaru still harbored some thoughts of becoming the Fourth Hokage, and his research faith was not yet deep enough. He had to wait for Orochimaru's complete transformation.
Moreover, Orochimaru had considerable ambition and was difficult to control. He needed someone specifically to restrain his abilities to supervise him, such as the Sharingan!
These thoughts flashed through Lin Yu's mind. He accelerated slightly, and the outline of the Leaf camp in the distance was becoming visible.
Carrying the unconscious Bunpuku, Lin Yu entered the main tent. Tsunade, Jiraiya, and most of the Jonin were there, but their faces lacked the joy of victory; most looked troubled.
Lin Yu silently observed the crowd, thinking, "Why do they look like they've lost even though they won?" He muttered to himself, then looked at Orochimaru. "Lord Orochimaru, I have fortunately captured Bunpuku, the One-Tails Jinchuriki."
Orochimaru's somewhat somber eyes lit up slightly, but not for the One-Tails Jinchuriki. Although it was a significant bargaining chip for signing a peace treaty, he didn't care much. Such matters were for the Third Hokage to handle.
What concerned him was Uzumaki Lin Yu. Uzumaki Lin Yu had not appeared on the battlefield. Although Tsunade said Uzumaki Lin Yu was dealing with Shukaku, the One-Tails, Orochimaru had a vague intuition that Lin Yu had an inseparable connection with the mysterious black-robed figure. After all, he had just mentioned seeing someone with Rinnegan yesterday, and today one appeared. Could it be such a coincidence?
Coincidences were often deliberately orchestrated. Even if Uzumaki Lin Yu wasn't the black-robed figure, he was definitely connected to the Eternal Organization the black-robed figure spoke of.
So, was it for Tsunade that he asked the black-robed figure to appear? Or was it just that their organization's target happened to be Hanzo of the Salamander? And only for Tsunade? Did Uzumaki Lin Yu have the ability to mobilize such a powerful black-robed figure?
No! There was also me. I was also present at the time. Uzumaki Lin Yu was not the careless type. He could have avoided me and Tsunade and spoken alone, but he didn't. He was explicitly stating that I, Orochimaru, was also one of his targets. Heh, how interesting.
Lin Yu stood below for a while, and seeing no response from Orochimaru, he happened to meet Orochimaru's gaze, which seemed to say, "I've seen through you." Lin Yu's heart tightened. Could it be that he had seen through me? It shouldn't be possible.
If Lin Yu knew Orochimaru's thoughts, he would have increased his vigilance towards Orochimaru even further. Orochimaru's guess was already close to the truth. If not for his young age and disproportionate strength, Orochimaru would have suspected him of being the black-robed figure.
No, one Uchiha Shisui isn't enough. Let's add Uchiha Itachi! Or perhaps we could add a Tsuchikage.
Orochimaru didn't realize that a mere glance from him had added a bit of difficulty to Lin Yu's life, leading Orochimaru to exclaim later in life, "This isn't a bit! It's an immense amount!"
The masked Jiraiya, his body wrapped in bandages and his left arm in a sling, looked at the two who had been silent for a while. To break the awkward atmosphere, he opened his only intact mouth and said, "Ah, it's a One-Tails Jinchuriki. Young Lin Yu, you truly have talent. You've got some of my Toad Sage's demeanor."
Awkward, isn't it? If I had your demeanor, wouldn't I also have to be wrapped in bandages from head to toe? Lin Yu felt speechless.
Orochimaru realized that there were still many ninjas present and finally came to his senses. "Well done, Lin Yu-kun. I will give you great credit."
After thanking him, Lin Yu sat next to Tsunade and asked in a low voice, "Why does everyone look so gloomy? Did we lose?"
Tsunade's expression was somewhat complex. "We won, it's just that the process was a bit unexpected..." She then slowly recounted the black-robed figure's rampage and how she had been ignored.
Lin Yu smiled awkwardly inwardly, maintaining a calm expression outwardly. "Oh? Then why do you look so full of fighting spirit? Aren't you feeling dejected?"
"Hmph, how could I, the great Princess Tsunade of the Leaf, give up like this? When I achieve sufficient training in the future, I will capture that damned black-robed figure and beat him every day, making him beg me to revive Nawaki!" Tsunade retorted to Lin Yu with a proud toss of her head.
Cough, cough... Lin Yu coughed violently upon hearing this. It seemed Tsunade still harbored considerable resentment towards the black-robed figure. Forgive me, Nawaki, it seems your resurrection will have to be postponed further.
Lin Yu was quite pleased with Tsunade's spirited demeanor. He suddenly felt less inclined to revive Nawaki. Perhaps Tsunade could grow beyond the original story's level because of this.