Chapter 143:
Orochimaru suddenly felt he was in over his head.
In the original series, Orochimaru hadn't yet built his own village or even begun serious research when he encountered the three war orphans. Back then, he hadn't realized just how powerful Nagato's Rinnegan would become. His thoughts of killing them came simply from a sense of twisted mercy—the cold, practical mercy of a ninja.
But now? Things were different.
He had been conducting research for a while now, and he'd already secretly established his own hidden village. If he could take in someone like Chana (Karin's Mother), then why not these kids? He could study the Rinnegan in depth while also undermining Uchiha Madara's plans, all without having to kill them.
Why waste such a valuable opportunity?
Thinking of this, Orochimaru's lips curled into a slight smile. His voice took on a hoarse, almost mocking tone as he said, "Jiraiya, don't be so tense. I was only joking with them."
"Joking…?" Jiraiya was dumbfounded, his face a mix of confusion and disbelief.
Orochimaru chuckled. "Look at the kid with the long red hair. He's probably from the Uzumaki clan. Since he may have Uzumaki blood, why would I harm him?"
Hearing this, Jiraiya turned and took a closer look, noticing Nagato's red hair for the first time. It hadn't occurred to him before, but now that Orochimaru mentioned it… If Nagato was an Uzumaki, then he was likely a distant relative of Tsunade, a descendant of the Senju clan.