Orochimaru looked at the hundred-meter-tall golden samurai before him, deep fascination flickering in his golden vertical pupils. What incredible power!
So the legends were true; the Rinnegan truly existed. If only he could get his hands on it for research... Unlike Orochimaru's obsession with the power of the Rinnegan, Tsunade was different. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on the figure in the sky. She had a feeling in her mind: he was the person she was looking for, the one who could bring her younger brother Nawaki back to life.
Slowly walking to the foot of the golden samurai, Tsunade took a deep breath. For some reason, she didn't feel much fear toward the Man in Black Robes, perhaps because he hadn't slaughtered the Konoha Ninja. Her red lips parted slightly: "Sir, uh, Man in Black Robes, are those eyes of yours the legendary Rinnegan? If so, could I please ask you for a favor? I am willing to pay any price. I beg you to resurrect my..."
Lin Yu glanced down at the seemingly fragile Tsunade below, sighing internally. "I'm sorry, I can't help you yet, but soon!"
With a wave of his hand, the golden figure shot up into the sky, slowly disappearing. Hanzou's corpse vanished along with it; that was a great fortune.
"Don't go! Stop right there! Stop, I said!" Tsunade watched the figure fly into the sky, a sudden panic rising in her heart. Ignoring the disparity in their strength, she bit her red lip and tried to chase after him.
"Tsunade, calm down. The opponent is extremely powerful, and his identity and intentions are unknown. If we anger him, none of us here might survive. Furthermore, since he appeared, there must be clues. With Konoha's intelligence network, it will be easy to find some leads," Orochimaru said in a low voice, blocking her path.
He was also interested in the Rinnegan and wanted to investigate the Man in Black Robes, but his internal logic told him not to; it could mean death!
Tsunade reluctantly looked in the direction where the Man in Black Robes had disappeared, then turned back to the camp. As for the battlefield, there was no longer a battlefield; it had merely been the opponent's playground.
"Nawaki, I'm sorry. Your sister found the person who can revive you, but she doesn't even have the strength to face him directly."
However, Tsunade looked up again in the direction Lin Yu had vanished, determination rekindling in her eyes: "Next time we meet, I will definitely make you look at me properly! I will make you see me in a new light!"
At this moment, Lin Yu had deactivated his Susanoo, frozen the Rinnegan, and was running toward the camp, carrying the Ichibi Jinchuriki, Bunpuku.
He silently checked the text in his mind: Limited-Time Reward: Unlimited Rinnegan Usage Permission (Remaining 1 hour 39 minutes 59 seconds — Frozen).
He had used 20 minutes in total; the battle took 5 minutes, and the rest of the time was spent traveling. There was no helping it; he was worried about Tsunade's safety and had flown there, coincidentally saving Jiraiya. It wasn't a total loss.
However, Lin Yu still felt a pang of regret for the time used. But everything that needed to be done was done. A small part of his actions was for Tsunade, but a much larger reason was the Eternal Life Organization. Lin Yu had a grand ambition: Eternal Life! Not just for himself, but also for the important people around him.
This required a massive organization as a foundation to support the research into the secret of eternal life, and he already had the best scientific candidate in mind: Orochimaru.
Coincidentally, Orochimaru also aimed for eternal life and had created techniques like the Living Corpse Reincarnation, which was close to immortality, making him a perfect research talent.
However, now was not the time to reveal this. Currently, Orochimaru still harbored thoughts of becoming the Fourth Hokage, and his dedication to scientific research was not deep enough. He had to wait until Orochimaru completely transformed.
Moreover, Orochimaru's ambition was significant, making him difficult to control. He needed someone whose abilities could specifically counter him to supervise him—for example, the Sharingan!
These thoughts flashed through Lin Yu's mind. He slightly increased his speed, and the outline of the Konoha camp was generally visible in the distance.
Carrying the unconscious Bunpuku, Lin Yu walked into the main tent. Tsunade, the other two Sannin, and most of the Jonin were present, but there was no joy of victory on their faces; most looked gloomy.
Lin Yu gave the group a speechless look. *Why do they look like someone died, even after winning the battle?* he silently complained, then looked at Orochimaru: "Lord Orochimaru, I was fortunate enough to capture the Ichibi Jinchuriki, Bunpuku."
Orochimaru's previously downcast eyes lit up slightly, but not because of the Ichibi Jinchuriki. Although the capture was a major bargaining chip for signing the peace treaty, he didn't care much; the Third Hokage handled such matters.
What interested him was Uzumaki Lin Yu. Uzumaki Lin Yu's figure hadn't appeared on the battlefield. Although Tsunade claimed Uzumaki Lin Yu was dealing with the Ichibi Shukaku, Orochimaru had a faint intuition that Lin Yu was intricately connected to the sudden appearance of the Man in Black Robes. After all, he had just mentioned seeing someone with the Rinnegan yesterday, and the Man in Black Robes appeared today. How could things be so coincidental?
Coincidences were often deliberately manufactured. Even if Uzumaki Lin Yu wasn't the Man in Black Robes, he was definitely connected to the Eternal Life Organization mentioned by the Man in Black Robes.
So, did he ask the Man in Black Robes to appear for Tsunade's sake? Or was Hanzou simply the target of their organization? Did Uzumaki Lin Yu truly have the power to mobilize such a powerful Man in Black Robes just for Tsunade?
No! There was also me. I was present at the time. Uzumaki Lin Yu is not a careless person. He could have completely avoided me and spoken with Tsunade alone, yet he didn't. He was clearly stating that Orochimaru was also one of his targets. Heh heh, how interesting.
Lin Yu stood below for a while without hearing a response from Orochimaru. He glanced up and happened to meet Orochimaru's gaze, which seemed to say, *I've figured you out.* Lin Yu's heart immediately tightened. *Could I have been seen through? That shouldn't be possible.*
If Lin Yu knew Orochimaru's thoughts, he would have raised his guard against him even higher. Orochimaru had guessed almost everything correctly. If Lin Yu weren't so young and his perceived strength didn't contradict the reality, Orochimaru would have suspected that he was the Man in Black Robes.
"No, Uchiha Shisui alone isn't enough. I need to add Uchiha Itachi! Or perhaps I could add Brother Tuzi."
Orochimaru didn't know that a single glance had caused Lin Yu to slightly increase the difficulty of his life for the latter half of his existence, leading to Orochimaru later shouting internally upon realizing it: "That wasn't a slight increase! That was a massive increase!"
Jiraiya, whose entire body was bandaged and whose left arm was in a sling, watched the two of them remain silent for a moment. To break the awkward atmosphere, his only uninjured mouth opened: "Ah, it's the Ichibi Jinchuriki! Kid Lin Yu, you truly have skill. You possess a bit of the Toad Sage's flair."
*Isn't that embarrassing? If I had a bit of your flair, wouldn't I also need at least half my body wrapped in bandages?* Lin Yu felt utterly speechless.
Orochimaru realized that many Ninja were still present and finally snapped out of his thoughts. "Well done, Lin Yu-kun. I will credit you with a great achievement."
After thanking him, Lin Yu sat down next to Tsunade and quietly asked, "Why does everyone look so gloomy? Did we lose the battle?"
With a complicated expression, Tsunade replied, "We won, but the process was unexpected..." She then slowly recounted the incident where the Man in Black Robes slaughtered everyone, and also mentioned how she had been ignored by him.
Lin Yu gave an awkward internal chuckle, maintaining a calm facade. "Oh? Then why do you look so determined? Aren't you feeling discouraged?"
"Hmph! As the esteemed Lady Tsunade, the Princess of Konoha, how could I give up like this? Once my training is complete, I will tie up that damned Man in Black Robes, beat him up every day, and make him beg me to revive Nawaki!" Tsunade glanced haughtily at Lin Yu.
Cough, cough... Lin Yu suddenly coughed a few times upon hearing that. It seemed Tsunade still held considerable resentment toward the Man in Black Robes. *Forgive me, Nawaki. It looks like your resurrection will have to be postponed a little longer.*
Lin Yu was quite happy to see Tsunade's renewed fighting spirit. He suddenly felt like he didn't want to resurrect Nawaki anymore; perhaps Tsunade could use this motivation to grow beyond her original level.