Chapter 23: Poneglyph  

Otogakure, Orochimaru's hideout. 

"That old hag really thinks she can get rid of me with just some basic Sage Mode? That's not what I want at all." 

Orochimaru wasn't stupid. 

If the White Snake Sage had come to him, it meant she needed something from him. 

Would something that required the White Snake Sage to personally ask for help be a small matter? No way. This could very well involve the Three Holy Land—maybe even the entire ninja world. 

And yet, that old hag didn't tell him anything useful, just a bunch of vague nonsense. 

Something about the New World, the Grand Line, Devil Fruits, and then things like Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki. 

He was Orochimaru, not the Sage of Six Paths. How could he possibly understand what any of that meant just from hearing a few names? 

More importantly, Orochimaru knew this was dangerous. If there wasn't enough benefit for him, he wouldn't touch it. 

The White Snake Sage's offer clearly wasn't good enough. 

What he wanted was Dragon Transformation Senjutsu, not the White Snake Senjutsu. Since they couldn't reach an agreement, their conversation had ended on bad terms. The White Snake Sage had a temper too. 

Besides, Dragon Transformation Senjutsu? Even the White Snake Sage hadn't mastered it. It was nothing more than a legendary secret art. How could she give him something she didn't even have? 

Still, Orochimaru was sure that Ryūchi Cave truly had something related to it. 

His research into Sage Mode was also focused on Dragon Transformation, not the traditional White Snake Sage Mode. 

"The Uzumaki Clan… how could they have this kind of ability? That old hag must have hidden a lot from me. Right now, I can't just show up in the ninja world. Otherwise, I could have gone straight to Shanks. That would've been much easier." 

Orochimaru thought to himself. 

Although the White Snake Sage hadn't told him much, at least she had given him a lead on where this information came from. 

Wouldn't it be more efficient to just go find Shanks directly and work with him? 

"But if this is really the case, then I need to take a closer look at Karin's power. Kagura's Mind Eye and Observation Haki are similar, but they're clearly not the same thing." 

Orochimaru was a practical man. 

Even though his deal with the White Snake Sage had fallen through, he had already begun his own research using the little information he had. 

At this time, Karin was still in Kusagakure. She hadn't even met Orochimaru yet. 

But over the past few months, her strength had been growing at an incredible rate. And the one pulling the strings behind the scenes was none other than Orochimaru. 

Still, it wasn't enough. Karin was progressing fast, but in the Uzumaki Clan, there was someone even more monstrous—Shanks. 

Months of life-and-death training for Karin didn't even compare to a single week of Shanks' growth. 

Sometimes, the gap between people was just that big. 

"Next year's Chunin Exams will be a good opportunity. If Shanks shows up in Konohagakure, Karin can meet him." 

Orochimaru had no choice but to delay his plans until next year. 

He knew what kind of situation he was in. If he went out now and got caught by the Akatsuki, that would be a disaster. 

Just thinking about the Akatsuki made Orochimaru's already gloomy expression even darker. 

His funds were running low, forcing him to keep his underground labs as simple as possible. 

Even electricity had to be used sparingly, only for critical experiments. 

On top of that, there was even more work to do now. 

Money wasn't his only concern—he also had to be careful that his transactions didn't expose him. 

After all, Kakuzu had a sharp nose for money. 

As Orochimaru was lost in his thoughts, complaining about everything that had happened recently, he suddenly sensed a familiar presence. 

A white snake appeared behind Orochimaru, followed by an old cat. 

"Oh? Does this mean the White Snake Sage has agreed to my previous deal?" 

Orochimaru's expression quickly returned to its usual calm and unreadable state, and he paid no attention to the ninja cat beside him. 

"We don't have the Dragon Transformation Secret Art, but the White Snake Sage has put some long-lost knowledge into this scroll. Also, it seems the Uchiha clan is involved in this matter as well. The Three Great Holy Lands have agreed to cooperate with them." 

As the white snake spoke, it handed the scroll to Orochimaru with its tail. It was merely here to deliver the message. 

After speaking, the white snake disappeared, returning to Ryūchi Cave through the Summoning Technique. 

"The Uchiha clan? You actually got the Three Holy Lands to agree to this?" 

Orochimaru's gaze deepened. Not only had the Uchiha clan gotten ahead of him, but aside from Sasuke and Itachi, there were still other Uchiha clan members alive. 

"Are there other Uchiha members? If a ninja cat was sent to deliver this message, those two kids wouldn't be qualified, would they?" 

"It's a high-ranking member of the Uchiha clan. You don't need to worry about that." 

The old cat replied. 

"We've already made contact with Shanks. We can share information about Haki training with you, as well as more details about Shanks himself." 

"That's not enough." 

Orochimaru shook his head. 

"What if I add information about the Divine Tree?" 

"The Divine Tree?" 

Orochimaru was confused. 

But as he followed the old cat's gaze, he looked down at the scroll the White Snake Sage had given him. 

He unrolled it. 

Inside were only a few lines of ancient text—words from a time long past. 

Yet, Orochimaru could understand them. 

It was history—history from the era of the Sage of Six Paths! 

The Divine Tree that descended from the heavens, the fruit it bore, the origins of ninjutsu. 

Only a few hundred words. 

But what was revealed in this short passage left Orochimaru speechless in shock. 

He replayed the information in his mind. 

His focus immediately locked onto the most important thing—the Divine Tree. 

The fruit of the Divine Tree and Devil Fruits? 

If he wanted to achieve everything, the Divine Tree was essential. 

"The Uchiha clan… so there's actually someone like this among them. Did that guy predict I would agree from the start?" 

Orochimaru felt like he had been played. 

No, he wasn't just feeling it—he had been played. 

And there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't refuse. 

"What's that person's name?" 

Orochimaru asked coldly. 

"Izuna. Uchiha Izuna." 

"Uchiha Izuna? The one rumored to be Uchiha Madara's younger brother? The one who supposedly died at the hands of Senju Tobirama?" 

Orochimaru froze. 

Uchiha Izuna? A name long buried in history. 

Almost no one remembered him because he had supposedly died ages ago. 

But thinking about it now—someone strong enough to lead the Uchiha clan in battle against the Senju—would he really have died so easily? 

Faking his death was the only explanation. 

And if he was the one who convinced these ninja cats to act, then his identity must be legitimate. 

"So, what does he want me to do?" 

"Investigate what happened between the Uchiha and Senju clans during the Warring States period. Izuna said that history was manipulated. His only request is the truth." 

Under the dim light, the old cat and Orochimaru sat across from each other, the air thick with tension. 

History. Once again, history. 

The secrets buried since the time of the Sage of Six Paths, and now he was being sent to uncover the truth of the Warring States period. 

"I understand. I'll investigate all the Poneglyphs." 

Orochimaru finally accepted the mission from Uchiha Izuna. 

The true records of history—the secrets that had been hidden away. He wanted to see just how many had been buried by time. 

Perhaps the Senjutsu of transforming into a dragon could be found in these lost records. 

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