Orochimaru felt that Uchiha Kai's way of speaking had too much of an Eastern flavor and needed to be toned down.
However, since this was about his comrade Tsunade, Orochimaru didn't dwell on Kai's speech style. Instead, he frowned deeply and asked what had happened to her.
At this point in time, the Three Sannin were not yet the enemies who fought on sight. They were still comrades who supported each other, shared a deep bond, and could entrust their backs to one another.
Orochimaru had always cared about Tsunade. Although not as much as his close friend Jiraiya, his concern for her far surpassed that for anyone else.
So, upon learning that something had happened to Tsunade, Orochimaru naturally became anxious.
He actually knew about her hemophobia. But like the Third Hokage, he believed that Tsunade would eventually overcome it on her own.
After all, she was his trusted comrade—there was no way she could be defeated by something as trivial as a fear of blood.
It could be said that in the shinobi world, certain beliefs were passed down without question.
Perhaps, just like in the original story, Orochimaru would only feel regret and remorse after Tsunade truly became a "cripple."
Only then would he start honing his persuasion skills, eventually becoming a master manipulator who could easily deceive his subordinates.
After hearing Uchiha Kai's explanation of Tsunade's hemophobia, Orochimaru furrowed his brows even deeper. His first instinct was to think that she had been defeated by her own fears—after all, how could his strong comrade be so fragile?
But soon, something occurred to him. His gaze unconsciously shifted toward a bookshelf in the grand library.
That section contained medical books. Although Orochimaru had never studied them in depth, he had skimmed through a few, some of which covered psychological disorders.
"So, this is what those books describe as psychological illness? Something that can turn a strong-willed person weak, and make a brave warrior as timid as a mouse..."
He paused for a moment, then shook his head and sneered.
"The shinobi world is truly backward to the extreme. From the Warring States period until now, there has been some progress, yet so many flaws remain. Even now, people don't recognize the existence of post-traumatic stress disorder. They simply assume that those who suffer psychological problems due to war are just weak-willed."
"Clearly, it was something that could have been treated with proper psychological therapy, yet it was ultimately deemed as a lack of conviction in the ninja way. How ridiculous."
After mercilessly mocking the ignorance of the entire ninja world, Orochimaru fell silent for a moment before turning to Uchiha Kai.
"Kai-kun, tell me… what do you need me to do? As long as it can help treat Tsunade's psychological condition, I am more than willing to cooperate."
Uchiha Kai said, "From what I know, Tsunade-san's psychological trauma stems from the Second Ninja War, when her younger brother, Nawaki, and her boyfriend, Dan Katō, both died in battle, correct?"
Hearing those words, a flash of pain and regret appeared in Orochimaru's eyes.
It wasn't because of Dan Katō. It was because of Nawaki—Tsunade's younger brother and Orochimaru's disciple. The one he valued most and had invested the most emotion in.
Orochimaru had placed high hopes in Nawaki, treating him with the affection one would give to family.
However, the cruelty of war was far beyond imagination. At that time, Orochimaru had been too naïve and not strong enough.
On the eve of the Second Shinobi World War, Orochimaru, who had not yet earned the title of "Sannin," believed himself to be strong enough.
Thinking the war wouldn't be too intense, he brought Nawaki to a location closer to the front lines and personally acted as his guardian.
His goal was to protect Nawaki and help him grow rapidly.
Unfortunately, Orochimaru had overestimated himself and underestimated the Earth Release techniques of the Iwagakure ninjas.
A carefully set-up Earth Release trap, combined with a cluster of explosive tags, detonated right before Orochimaru's eyes—killing Nawaki instantly.
It became Orochimaru's greatest nightmare and deepest regret.
That blow left him with an unhealthy obsession with survival, eventually making him the hardest person in the ninja world to kill—no matter how many times he was struck down, he always found a way to stay alive.
Now, hearing Uchiha Kai mention Nawaki, Orochimaru felt an unbearable pain in his heart. Had it been someone else, his expression would have turned dark in an instant.
But since it was Uchiha Kai, Orochimaru could only suppress his emotions and respond in a low voice, "Yes, Kai-kun. Nawaki's and Dan Katō's deaths caused Tsunade to develop hemophobia. At first, it wasn't severe, and everyone thought she would overcome it on her own. But now, it has reached a point where it's nearly impossible to resolve."
Uchiha Kai nodded. "So, if Tsunade could see Nawaki again, do you think her hemophobia might improve?"
Orochimaru froze, his expression shifting rapidly. Finally, he suppressed the surge of irritation in his heart and said to Uchiha Kai, "If Tsunade really could see Nawaki again, it's possible. But Kai-kun, Nawaki is dead. He's been dead for many years."
The implication was clear—do not joke about Nawaki. This was Orochimaru's sore spot.
If Kai kept pushing, even though they currently had a good relationship, Orochimaru wouldn't hesitate to turn against him.
Uchiha Kai noticed Orochimaru's growing anger and immediately shook his head.
"You're misunderstanding me, Orochimaru-san. I'm not joking about Nawaki, nor do I intend to create a fake version of him. I have a way to summon his soul back from the Pure Land."
Orochimaru was stunned. His mind raced, quickly thinking of a possible method that could achieve what Uchiha Kai was suggesting.
"Did Hiruzen-sensei teach you the Impure World Reincarnation?"
There was even a hint of envy and longing in his voice.
At this point in time, Orochimaru had yet to master Impure World Reincarnation—a jutsu deemed an absolute forbidden technique by the overly conservative Third Hokage.
In the future, he would only acquire it after joining Root and stealing it from Danzo Shimura.
However, Uchiha Kai shook his head.
"No, it's not Impure World Reincarnation. There's no way the Third Hokage would teach me that forbidden technique. After all, Orochimaru-san, you should understand better than I do just how conservative our Hokage-sama is."
"...I won't argue with that." Orochimaru had to admit that Kai was right.
Uchiha Kai continued, "The method I use to summon the souls of the dead is actually an ability that comes with this special genjutsu domain. It's a power I only recently mastered."
"If everything goes as expected, Orochimaru-san, the summoned souls wouldn't have to return to Pure Land as unconscious, slumbering spirits. They could remain here, within this Genjutsu world, indefinitely."
"I think you understand what that means, right, Orochimaru-san?"
Yes, this was the loophole Uchiha Kai had discovered in the 'Soul Summoning' ability.
Instead of summoning the dead into the real world, he could bring them into the vast mental network, bypassing the usual limitations.
Then, by using the special nature of the mental network, the soul can be transformed into a mental entity, allowing it to be preserved and exist forever in the world of the mental network, rather than returning to the Pure Land of the Shinobi World.
Orochimaru's snake-like eyes widened instantly, his mind feeling as if it were about to explode. He then stared intently at Uchiha Kai.
"Kai-kun, does the power you possess allow you to enslave the souls of the dead?"
Uchiha Kai immediately shook his head.
**********
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