The Nine-Tails—no, Kurama—finally admitted, obediently, where its remaining half had gone. Back when the Nine-Tails attacked, only the Fourth Hokage and the beast itself knew about splitting the seal. Unfortunately, the Fourth used the Reaper Death Seal to seal the remaining half of Kurama along with himself inside the Shinigami's stomach. To retrieve that half, one would first need to revive the Fourth Hokage—and to revive him, the Reaper Death Seal must be undone. Apart from Orochimaru, few even dared to attempt this.
When Jiraiya grovelled before Orochimaru, the infamous rogue displayed utter delight. The forbidden technique of Edo Tensei, now sought by this self-righteous fool needing a living sacrifice, was pure ecstasy for him.
"Use this little Nine-Tails brat here as the living sacrifice. After all, without Kurama, he's useless anyway."
Orochimaru crossed his arms, addressing his former comrade with smug pride. Above them, a chibi Kurama version of Naruto glared in horror and hatred at the very man responsible for killing his grandfather, the Third Hokage.
"Perverted Sage! That stinky snake killed Grandpa Hokage! Why do we have to beg him? What the hell is this world?!! And you, Itachi, and that guy too—why do we have to fight alongside such villains?!"
Fifteen-year-old Naruto saw the world in stark black and white, his sense of justice clear-cut.
For such questions, Jiraiya had no answer. Just as Orochimaru killed his teacher, Jiraiya could not avenge him in that moment. Even knowing how much Konoha suffered due to Orochimaru's whims, neither Jiraiya nor Tsunade had the heart to act. When Naruto demanded an explanation for cooperating with such people, Jiraiya could only stare helplessly.
"Jahaha, Jiraiya, your judgment hasn't improved a bit."
Orochimaru mocked, and Jiraiya's face darkened.
"Cut the crap—can you die now?"
It was more teasing than scolding, the kind shared between long-time rivals. Even after Jiraiya and Tsunade nearly killed Orochimaru last time, next meeting they'd still manage to greet him with, "Oh, long time no see."
"You two are done with pleasantries? Hurry up, Orochimaru, Naruto's waiting!"
Obito said impatiently. Reviving his teacher was a last resort. From his perspective, calling forth Minato meant confronting his own past mistakes—releasing the Nine-Tails and acknowledging he was the worst of the worst.
"What about him?"
Orochimaru, having shelved his teasing toward Jiraiya, walked toward the deep chamber while asking Obito. Obito stiffened, muttering, "Upstairs."
Orochimaru nodded. "Better settle this sooner than later."
Orochimaru's enthusiasm baffled Naruto, who couldn't understand their words. Jiraiya, however, frowned, as though witnessing snakes and slugs in some grotesque domestic harmony.
"I never thought you'd actually do this," Jiraiya muttered quietly, evaluating Orochimaru's character and deeds. Orochimaru glanced at his former comrade and sneered.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm just bored."
The intricate summoning circles, the prepped White Zetsu sacrifice—they hardly needed Naruto as a Nine-Tails host. Orochimaru had no interest in the father-son reunion or master-student reunion. In the rest area were only Orochimaru in his loose robe and Jiraiya, who didn't wish to intrude.
"That guy… you've met him already, right?" Orochimaru spoke first. Jiraiya sipped his tea, initially relieved, but furrowed his brow at Orochimaru's words. Being saved by a non-human was one thing, but Orochimaru did it with casual ease.
"Ah."
"Konoha owes her a debt. Aren't you going to repay it?"
Orochimaru's tone was sharp, but Jiraiya knew him well. Morals didn't matter to him; only strength did. Accepting a non-human? For Orochimaru, it was no trouble at all.
"This doesn't concern you, Orochimaru."
Indeed, it didn't.
Orochimaru poured himself tea and tied his long hair into a simple ponytail. The youthful motions gave him a faintly feminine elegance.
"Two years ago, I asked Tsunade to help create a resurrection just to prolong that person's life."
Orochimaru finally admitted what he'd been reluctant to speak of, sneering at Jiraiya. "In the end, neither you nor Tsunade understood me." He shifted the blame for his lies onto others, as was natural for him.
But Jiraiya saw through his "scheme" instantly.
"Life is no trivial thing to joke about, Orochimaru. You never change."
Orochimaru laughed.
"In your eyes, does that person's life even count as life?"
After a pause, Jiraiya said solemnly:
"She protected the world."
"And if she hadn't?"
Orochimaru pressed. Jiraiya's gaze sharpened, cutting like blades.
"You don't need to test me, Orochimaru."
"Test? Test what?"
Jiraiya said nothing, returning to his tea. The room fell silent; every breath was audible. Neither spoke again.
Long after, the door opened. First in was Obito, eyes slightly red, followed by two golden figures.
"Long time no see, Sensei Jiraiya, Orochimaru-sama." The Edo Fourth Hokage greeted warmly, his smile as robust as ever, though he was technically dead. Orochimaru smirked, ambiguous whether in praise or mockery.
"Impressive, Fourth Hokage, sealing the Nine-Tails in two halves."
"Flattery, Orochimaru-sama. I'm more surprised that you could undo the Reaper Death Seal."
After brief greetings, Obito, Jiraiya, the Fourth, and Naruto prepared to complete the final sealing in Amegakure. Orochimaru departed alone for the moon.