Chapter 119:
"Orochimaru, when did you start carrying that scroll around?"
Deep in the forest, Jiraiya, running beside Orochimaru, finally voiced his curiosity. The large scroll strapped to Orochimaru's back was nearly identical in size to Jiraiya's own, and it had been bothering him since Orochimaru returned to the village.
Tsunade, running ahead of them, also chimed in, "Yeah, I've never seen you with a scroll that big before. What's in it?"
Orochimaru glanced back, a faint smile on his lips. "This scroll contains strategic materials that will help us turn the tide of the war."
"Strategic materials?" Jiraiya frowned, confused. "What do you mean, 'strategic materials'? And don't tell me this was part of your whole 'medicinal herb' search. You've been lying, haven't you?"
Orochimaru chuckled. "Not a lie, Jiraiya. Just a little misdirection. I happened to come across some very useful technology during my time away, and I've been refining it."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you just come back to the village to work on it?"
"There wasn't enough time," Orochimaru replied. "Plus, this technology belongs to another party. I've been working on improving it from its original form, so I didn't want to return until I'd made significant progress."
Jiraiya let out a long whistle. "Man, you're always into something crazy. So, what is it this time? Another experimental potion? That gene-enhancing fluid you came up with last time helped a lot of people, me included."