Through sheer force and deterrence, Orochimaru believed that all nations could be compelled to compromise, creating an era of peace and prosperity. While this idea might sound far-fetched to some, it was a genuine belief for Orochimaru. He saw it as not just a possibility but a future he could bring into reality.
And, as he thought about it more, he realized there were three others in the original timeline who shared a similar vision.
The first was Danzo. His goal had been the same to bring order to the chaotic ninja world. However, his strength was insufficient to support his ambition. He hadn't even had the chance to start a concrete plan, let alone achieve success or failure.
The second was Nagato, also known as Pain. Nagato aimed to capture the tailed beasts and use them to create the ultimate weapon, the Ten-Tails, in order to intimidate the five great nations into submission. He had almost succeeded in his endeavor. Yet, in the end, his strength was still lacking, and he was defeated partly due to the protagonist's overwhelming influence and the infamous "Talk no Jutsu."
The third was Kaguya. She not only thought along these lines but also acted on them, successfully achieving her goal. Kaguya had subdued the entire world under her rule, and if not for the betrayal by her own children when she attempted to use humanity to cultivate the God Tree, the ninja world would still be under her dominion. War would never have broken out.
In his past life, Orochimaru had been an ordinary person on Earth, powerless to change his situation. He lived a life of mediocrity, often at the mercy of others, without the means to pursue grand ambitions. But now, things were different. Now, he was Orochimaru, armed with both a system and talent. His circumstances had changed dramatically, and with them, his aspirations had grown exponentially.
Of course, these ambitions were far off in the future. For now, they were plans he kept close to his chest, revealing them to no one not even to Uzumaki Mito. When he had briefly mentioned his vision of unifying the world to Tsunade, it had been more of a whim than a true disclosure.
Mito, meanwhile, listened to Orochimaru's words with a gentle smile and nodded approvingly. "Talented, hardworking, and with a clear sense of direction. You're a good child."
She chuckled softly. "That girl, Tsunade, was right about you."
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of Tsunade. Tsunade said something about me? he thought to himself. It seemed the butterfly effect was already starting to unfold. In the original timeline, Tsunade had a favorable opinion of him, but they were not close to the extent where she would speak of him to her family. But now…
Mito's gaze softened as she looked at Orochimaru, clearly becoming more and more satisfied with him. She continued their conversation for another ten minutes, asking about his studies and ambitions, before eventually excusing him, noting that it was late and further discussion could wait for another time.
As Orochimaru left, Mito watched him go and nodded slightly. "With talent, courage, and determination, Orochimaru… you will become a great ninja one day," she murmured to herself, though unbeknownst to her, she was misjudging the extent of his ambitions.
Under the pale moonlight, Orochimaru's mind raced with thoughts about the encounter. "It's said that Mito can sense the good and evil within people, just like in the canon. If that's the case, she should also be able to sense lies."
He paused in his steps, thinking back to the scene. However, Mito hadn't seemed to use her abilities at that time. After all, in order to perceive good and evil, she would need to enter the Nine-Tails' mode, and detecting lies would require intense focus and concentration.
Neither of those signs had been present during their conversation.
It seems she didn't expect that a boy, not even ten years old, would have the audacity to lie to her, Orochimaru mused, a small, confident smirk playing at the corners of his lips.
In his mind, the abilities of a ninja could broadly be divided into three categories: ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. But when it came to true strength, taijutsu was limited to techniques like the Eight Gates Formation. Most other physical skills were hardly worth mentioning. The real power came from mystical techniques, forbidden jutsu, and the abilities derived from bloodline limits.
Strength, speed, and the power of ninjutsu…
After returning home, Orochimaru lay on his bed, his thoughts spinning rapidly. While the meeting with Mito had been unexpected, it didn't impact his current plans much. What mattered now was increasing his strength. Though he wasn't weak by any means, he knew that his current abilities were still far from enough.
I'm half a scientist after all, Orochimaru thought to himself. I can't solely focus on physical strength. The path of raw power or the Eight Gates Formation isn't suitable for me.
Speed, however, was another matter.
What are the fastest techniques? he pondered. The Flying Thunder God Technique? The Eight Gates? Or perhaps the Lightning Release Armor used by the ninja of the Hidden Cloud Village?
The Lightning Release Armor, much like the Eight Gates, required immense physical strength to support it, so that was out of the question. That left the space-time technique, the Flying Thunder God.
Yes, that would be a good option. A space-time jump, teleportation… it's a miraculous technique for both offense and escape.
Orochimaru thought back to the Third Great Ninja War, where the Fourth Hokage had used the Flying Thunder God Technique to earn his legendary reputation.
However, in the original timeline, Orochimaru had studied this technique and ultimately decided against learning it. The reason for that decision had never been fully clear, even to him.
Could I learn it, though?
The bigger issue was that the Flying Thunder God Technique, along with many other forbidden jutsu, was locked away in the Scroll of Seals a record of forbidden techniques passed down in Konoha. The version contained in the scroll was still incomplete.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.
It seems that in addition to the Flying Thunder God Technique, the Scroll of Seals also contains the foundation for the Impure World Reincarnation technique that I need, doesn't it?
Though the techniques in the scroll were imperfect, they would provide more than enough material for him to study and refine on his own.
The real challenge, of course, was that with the Second Hokage dead, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen, would never allow Orochimaru access to the scroll. Forbidden techniques were strictly guarded.
So, how do I go about this? Orochimaru mused, deep in thought.
After a moment, he had the answer.
Danzo.
If the original Orochimaru had managed to gain access to these forbidden techniques by working with Danzo, then there was no reason he couldn't follow the same path.
The more he thought about it, the more it made sense.
All I have to do is manipulate Danzo into trusting me. Once I've gained his confidence, I can easily get my hands on the Scroll of Seals.
Not only that, but once he'd gained access to the scroll, he could also obtain the cells of the First Hokage for his experiments.
With a satisfied smile, Orochimaru nodded to himself, already planning his next steps.