Naruto: Mikoto, Tsunade won't let anyone go.

A deserted place in Konoha Village

Orochimaru emerged from the shadows like a white snake, carefully surveyed his surroundings, and finally nodded, speaking in a low, hoarse voice:

"That's right, this place is the former Namen Hall of the Uzumaki clan, and the Grim Reaper Mask should be hidden here."

After saying that, Orochimaru pointed to a shadowy spot nearby and said:

"Honglian, you've come too."

As soon as Orochimaru finished speaking, Guren, dressed in red, emerged from there and respectfully addressed Orochimaru:

"Lord Orochimaru, I rushed here immediately after receiving your message."

Hearing Guren's words, Orochimaru nodded with satisfaction, then asked:

"How's the task I assigned you going?"

Before coming here, Orochimaru gave Guren a task.

Upon hearing Orochimaru's words, Guren quickly replied:

"My lord, my identity has been exposed at some point, and I am now on Konoha Village's wanted list."

Therefore, even with my strength, I cannot easily meet Uchiha Kakuzan or the Fifth Hokage.

However, I still managed to relay Madara Uchiha's message to Konoha through a Jonin from Konoha. I believe the Fifth Hokage should have received it by now.

Hearing Guren's words, Orochimaru nodded in satisfaction.

"That's good. After all, you're my subordinate, and you'll be of great use in the future. It would be a waste if you were to die in Konoha."

Honglian, who had been somewhat apprehensive, immediately became excited after hearing Orochimaru's words and said gratefully:

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."

Orochimaru was quite satisfied with Guren's reaction. After calming her down, he looked up at Namendo in front of him again and said:

"Alright, come with me inside. I have a feeling that what I'm looking for is hidden here."

Guren, naturally, would not disobey Orochimaru's words and respectfully agreed.

Upon entering the somewhat dimly lit Namendo, Orochimaru's gaze was quickly drawn to the entire wall of masks. After careful observation, he finally fixed his eyes on one particular mask.

However, just as Orochimaru stuck out his tongue to remove the mask, he suddenly shuddered and quickly retracted his tongue. Completely disregarding the mask so close to his face, he looked towards a dark corner, his eyes filled with wariness.

"who is it?"

Guren reacted quickly as well, arriving in front of Orochimaru in the next instant. A ninja tool made of red crystal automatically appeared in her hand, and her eyes were fixed on that spot.

Thump, thump, thump~~~

As soon as Orochimaru finished speaking, unhurried footsteps came from that corner, and with these footsteps, Uchiha Kakuyama appeared out of nowhere, suddenly appearing in front of them.

"Orochimaru, it seems you have improved over the years. Although I did not deliberately conceal my presence, it is still quite good that you were able to detect it."

Orochimaru's forehead was now covered in cold sweat.

After countless modifications, Orochimaru unknowingly developed the keen sixth sense of a cold-blooded animal, which is why he was able to detect Uchiha Kakuyama's whereabouts.

In his perception, the sense of danger emanating from the man before him far surpassed that of Madara Uchiha back then.

He was unable to resist Uchiha Madara, so how could he possibly fight against Uchiha Okayama in front of him?

However, Orochimaru, true to his name, managed to calm himself after swallowing, though his voice was still somewhat strained as he spoke.

"So it's Lord Qiushan. It's been so many years since I last saw you. I never expected Lord Qiushan to be so much more powerful than before."

Uchiha Kakuzan was unmoved by Orochimaru's praise. After glancing at Orochimaru and his henchmen, he asked:

"Orochimaru, you should know that you are already a rogue ninja of Konoha. The reason I haven't captured you is because of Tsunade."

I never expected you to walk right into my trap.

Upon hearing Uchiha Kakuzan's words, Orochimaru forced a smile and continued:

"Kiu-san, you're joking. After all, I'm from Konoha Village. The reason I became a rogue ninja was because of that old geezer, the Third Hokage."

Furthermore, with Madara Uchiha's return, the ninja world is already in chaos. I believe Konoha wouldn't refuse my return.

Uchiha Kakuzan's original purpose in coming here was simply to tease Orochimaru, but he was quite surprised that Orochimaru would say such a thing. He let out a surprised "oh" and then carefully examined Orochimaru in front of him.

"Oh, Orochimaru, you want to come back?"

At this point, a playful smile appeared on Uchiha Kakuzan's face.

"Orochimaru, don't think I don't know. You were the one who released Madara Uchiha. What? After causing trouble, you're incapable of cleaning up the mess?"

Upon hearing Uchiha Kagami's words, Orochimaru's face also showed a helpless expression.

"I didn't expect that Madara Uchiha would be so strong. The techniques I studied couldn't affect him at all."

If I hadn't run fast, I would be his prisoner by now.

Orochimaru didn't believe that Madara Uchiha, who had made a name for himself during the ninja wars, could be a kind person.

It's just that he has more ways to save his life; otherwise, he might not have been able to save his own life.

Upon hearing Orochimaru's words, Uchiha Kakuzan chuckled, but he didn't believe Orochimaru's words. Instead, he raised his hand and gently beckoned with his finger, directly summoning the Grim Reaper mask from the wall into his hand.

"Orochimaru, don't think I don't know that the only reason you came to Konoha was to get this mask, right?"

Upon witnessing Uchiha Kakuzan's actions, Orochimaru knew that something terrible was about to happen.

He never expected that such a secret as the Death Mask had already been discovered by Uchiha Kakuyama.

However, Orochimaru glanced at Uchiha Kakuzan, then at the mask in his hand, his fingers twitching slightly. Ultimately, he wisely abandoned his impulse to snatch it, a wry smile appearing on his face.

"As expected of Lord Qiushan, it seems you already knew the purpose of my trip."

Uchiha Kakuzan, who had been carefully examining the Shinigami mask in his hand, smiled with interest after hearing Orochimaru's words. He waved the mask at Orochimaru and teased him:

"Orochimaru, you could actually try to steal it. What if you succeed?"