At this moment, Orochimaru felt utterly dejected.
Yes.
Thinking that New Konoha could conduct research openly, without the slightest discrimination Senju Tsunade even carrying out studies in broad daylight he had to admit, he was jealous!
Although he had made immortality his lifelong goal and, seemingly, had severed every tie to Konoha the moment he defected,
in reality
that had been a choice forced by circumstance.
After all, humans are social creatures; if everyone had understood his pursuit, would he have fled so decisively?
He used to think it didn't matter.
So long as he could chase immortality, losing friends and cutting bonds was acceptable.
But now, seeing New Konoha, his heart immediately lost its balance.
Therefore,
right now he felt life was pointless, even idly wondering: if only, back then, someone like Uchiha Jin had been Hokage.
Meanwhile,
Uchiha Jin still used Fire Release to dry the slime on the scroll before casually tossing it to Senju Tsunade beside him.
Then,
seeing the downcast Orochimaru, he pondered a moment and seemed to grasp the Sannin's thoughts.
After a brief reflection he spoke up: "Orochimaru, how about joining New Konoha?"
"I join?" Orochimaru blinked. "I'm a Rogue Ninja!"
"You'd allow a Rogue Ninja to join?"
At present, Orochimaru found it hard to comprehend.
Yes!
Had Hiruzen Sarutobi still ruled Konoha, he could have returned under some classified-mission pretext.
But back then he had simply looked down on that decrepit windmill of a Village.
Of course,
if Jiraiya or Senju Tsunade had taken power, returning would still be possible.
But Uchiha Jin?
That left him bewildered; he and Jin had no friendship whatsoever.
To that,
Uchiha Jin replied calmly,
"Why not?"
"Orochimaru, get one thing straight: I didn't seize power inside Konoha, I simply started from scratch."
"I built New Konoha; everyone else joined later."
"You're a Rogue Ninja of Old Konoha what does that have to do with my New Konoha?"
Gasp!
Those words stunned Orochimaru instantly.
He was clever and grasped it at once.
Exactly!
Uchiha Jin hadn't inherited the title through rebellion or succession; he wasn't the Fifth Hokage of the old Village. He had founded an entirely new Village he was its creator, its First Hokage!
Nominally a Rogue Ninja of Old Konoha, he had no connection to New Konoha; thus he could remain a Rogue Ninja of the old while freely entering the new.
In an instant,
fully understanding this, Orochimaru admired Uchiha Jin immensely.
Though the personnel looked the same, the framework was entirely new; the Old Konoha trappings no longer applied.
The thought made his heart stir.
After all, starting from scratch was hard. His Otogakure was small-scale,
unable to match a great Village in resources or manpower.
Underground labs had to relocate constantly; a single tough mission could destroy a research base.
High-end equipment cost a fortune every time.
Conversely,
with a great Village backing him, he could forget those worries and focus solely on research honestly, he was sorely tempted!
New Konoha, unlike the old, placed no restrictions on his work.
However,
after careful thought, Orochimaru shook his head wryly.
"I sorry!"
"The offer enthralls me, but I've already joined a mysterious organization."
"So I'll have to think it over."
Yes,
though tempted, after weighing things he reluctantly declined.
To that,
Uchiha Jin only smiled faintly.
"The Akatsuki Organization, right?"
Gasp!
Orochimaru froze. "Lord Jin, you know?"
"Of course," Jin said. "I'm well informed."
"If you fear Akatsuki's Pain, there's no need."
"The Rinnegan is formidable, yet I can protect you. If Pain disagrees, let him come to me."
"Oh, and "
"I know what you're thinking: you want to study the Rinnegan, correct?"
"There's no need."
"Let me tell you: Pain is merely a decoy onstage; behind Akatsuki lies a mastermind, and behind that mastermind an even deeper hidden hand."
"You won't succeed."
Uchiha Jin's tone remained calm, yet carried unmistakable dominance.
Indeed!
He acknowledged Nagato's strength, but the man was only his equal.
At bottom, both were beyond Kage level.
The Rinnegan wasn't truly Nagato's; drained by the Gedo Statue and the eyes themselves, the Uzumaki was nearly a husk.
The current Nagato was a crippled version.
He could wield the Rinnegan's might but not for prolonged battles.
Jin himself was different.
Even with only the Eternal Mangekyō, he had no fear of Nagato.
"Akatsuki?"
Senju Tsunade blurted, bewildered.
The others also showed surprise and confusion.
To that,
Uchiha Jin merely smiled. "No rush; we'll discuss it later."
"All right," Senju Tsunade nodded.
Meanwhile,
unlike the ignorant Konoha group, Orochimaru who knew Akatsuki well was truly dumbfounded.
Yes!
He couldn't fathom it.
Since the end of the Third Great Ninja War, Uchiha Jin had barely left Konoha
so how could he know so much about Akatsuki?
It made no sense!