After speaking so much, Naruto couldn't help but feel his throat dry.
The explanation he had come up with on the spot was to avoid any logical inconsistencies. He had to elaborate on every detail, trying to cover all angles and prevent Sasuke from suspecting him.
As expected, Sasuke believed him without a doubt, "That's right, Lady Luck is on our side now!"
"In my opinion, there's no need to go out and check. They only sent those two for an ambush. Now that the ambush failed, they definitely won't stay to fight head-on. They've probably already run away."
Orochimaru waved his hand.
Orochimaru admired Naruto's explanation. However, there was still something lacking… what had happened to the two who were sent to ambush?
He added this point, essentially brushing the matter aside.
The good news of Naruto's rescue quickly spread. After all, in Otogakure, many people, including but not limited to the three Otogakure's Genins and Karin, were grateful to Naruto for his past help.
To celebrate Naruto's return, a grand welcoming ceremony and feast were held.
The others were thrilled, but Naruto, the protagonist, couldn't bring himself to smile.
'This... wasn't funny at all.'
Seeing Naruto's forced smile, Orochimaru couldn't help but feel helpless. He knew exactly what Naruto was thinking.
After all, a plan that had been carefully prepared for so long had suddenly fallen apart. No one could accept that.
Although this showed Sasuke's determination, it still didn't sit well with anyone.
Especially for someone like Naruto, who was meticulous in everything he did. How could he tolerate having made such a huge mistake?
"These bad guys really are arrogant, thinking they could win with an ambush. Honestly, they're evil, but they lack common sense."
Karin commented after hearing the full story from Sasuke about Naruto's kidnapping.
Sasuke was puzzled and asked, "Lack common sense? What do you mean?"
Although he wanted to kill Itachi, Sasuke had never thought Itachi lacked common sense. He actually thought Itachi was very smart, which made him seem invincible.
Karin explained, "Think about it. If these bad guys were really smart, even if they had to use the Flying Thunder God's mark for an ambush, they wouldn't have left Naruto unbound, right? Otherwise, how could you have taken him back so easily?"
"That's true."
Sasuke admitted that Itachi had indeed made a mistake.
Naruto, however, was growing increasingly nervous, 'If Sasuke came to his senses and thought carefully, he would probably find the clue soon.'
'With Itachi's intelligence, it is impossible for him to make such a low-level mistake as not tying someone up.'
Naruto's mind raced as he tried to come up with a way to cover up the flaw.
Soon, a brilliant idea flashed across his mind.
"Ugh!"
Naruto circulated his Chakra and forcibly coughed up a mouthful of blood, which splattered onto the table.
"Naruto, what's wrong with you?"
Sasuke rushed to Naruto's side.
Naruto's face turned pale as a sheet, and he trembled as he said, "Before I came here, Itachi forced me to eat... eat a black pill... I think... I think it was poison... I feel so sick... I... I…"
He struggled to form a coherent sentence, and then his eyes rolled back as he collapsed onto the table, his breath stopping completely.
"Naruto, wake up!"
Sasuke frantically checked Naruto's pulse but found that it had stopped.
'What was going on? Just a second ago, he was fine, and now he was... dead?'
"Orochimaru, please save Naruto!"
Sasuke was panicked, his voice desperate.
Orochimaru checked Naruto's breath and realized that Naruto was still alive. It was clear that he was pretending.
Orochimaru was speechless, 'Just moments ago, I had already been thrown into an impromptu situation. Did Naruto-kun really enjoy testing my ability to improvise?'
"You guys go out first. I need a quiet environment. I'll let you in when I'm done."
Orochimaru said in a deep voice.
Everyone hurried out of the room, not daring to delay. Sasuke was anxious and wanted to stay, but he was immediately glared at by Orochimaru and forced out as well.
Once the room was empty, only Orochimaru and Naruto remained. Orochimaru finally asked, "What's going on here?"
Naruto suddenly opened his eyes and chuckled, "It happened so suddenly, so I came up with this plan on the spot. To avoid raising suspicion with Sasuke, I had no choice but to do it this way."
"Tell me more specifically so I can cooperate with you." Orochimaru asked.
Naruto explained: "Here's the thing… Itachi not binding me doesn't make sense. So I thought I could say they forced me to eat a poison pill. That way, it makes sense as a way to prevent me from escaping. This should cover up Itachi's mistake and restore his image in Sasuke's eyes as the cunning, cold-blooded strategist he is."
"But why go so far as to fake your pulse stopping? What was the purpose of that?" Orochimaru was puzzled.
Naruto smiled knowingly and explained, "This is the key. As long as I fake my death, the plan that would have been ruined can continue. Sasuke will definitely be greatly stimulated when he thought that I was killed by Itachi."
Orochimaru was slightly exasperated, "You are really cruel, but I can't deny, it's a clever plan. However, what about the Servant Contract? If you're dead, the contract will also disappear. That would leave a flaw. Also, Itachi has a Servant Contract as well. If it's not dealt with properly, Sasuke and Itachi will eventually notice something's wrong when they confront each other."
"This…"
Naruto froze for a moment. He hadn't thought about the Servant Contract. However, he already told Orochimaru that the Servant Contract can't be removed. So if he removed it for Sasuke now, wouldn't it be another lie?
'Lying is really not a good thing. One lie needs to be covered up by more lies.'
Naruto realized that continuing to deceive Orochimaru would only make things worse, so he reluctantly said, "Actually, I've already found a way to break the contract. I can remove the Servant Contract. Of course, if you want to, I can remove it for you now too."
But what Naruto didn't expect was that Orochimaru actually waved his hand and said, "I don't need that. I've already told you, I'll figure out how to undo it myself through my research."
Orochimaru had been deeply fascinated by Naruto's various blessings and the kind of reverence they inspired. Even characters like Kisame, Kakuzu and Hidan, who clearly had no contract, wanted to stay by Naruto's side. This proved that Naruto's influence was growing stronger.
If Orochimaru were to take the opportunity to dissolve the contract, his image in Naruto's mind would undoubtedly suffer. This would be detrimental to him, possibly leading to Naruto excluding him.
Moreover, Orochimaru had realized that he couldn't surpass Naruto's strength. But if he could exceed him in research, he would at least fulfill the vow he made when they first met: to break the Servant Contract through his own research.
Only then would he have a higher standing in Naruto's heart, which was in line with Kisame's and the others' thinking.
" Alright, I believe that one day, you will be able to break the contract yourself!"
Naruto patted Orochimaru's shoulder. He was surprised but also delighted by Orochimaru's answer.
After all, the Servant Contract was something created by the system, and it couldn't be undone by human hands.
In other words, Orochimaru would never be able to break it in his lifetime.
Unless... his research surpassed the system itself. But even that seemed nearly impossible.