Naruto: We Agreed on a Simulation, But They Actually Came to Life?

Chapter 182: Chapter 182: Do You Desire Eternal Life?

Morning.

Outside Tsunade’s house.

As Kitahara Kaede arrived, the door opened from the inside. Tsunade stepped out.

"You’re early," she noted.

Kaede looked at her. "Just got here."

Tsunade wasn’t wearing her usual green coat today. Instead, she had changed into a dark, form-fitting combat suit with her blonde hair tied high, a ninja tool pouch fastened to her waist. The casual air she usually carried had vanished, replaced by a sharp, lethal edge.

Kaede lingered on the sight for a moment.

Tsunade arched an eyebrow. "What are you looking at?"

Kaede withdrew his gaze. "You look good."

Tsunade froze for a split second. Then, she quickly looked away.

"Cut that out. Let’s go."

Kaede followed her. The two made their way to the entrance of Konoha, where Jiraiya was already waiting.

Carrying a massive scroll on his back and with his arms crossed over his chest, Jiraiya’s eyes narrowed the moment he saw the two of them approaching side-by-side.

"Yo," Jiraiya said, his gaze scanning back and forth between them. "Why did you two come together?"

Tsunade didn’t slow her pace. "What? Do I need to report my every move to you now?"

Jiraiya gave a dry laugh. "I was just asking. Just asking."

He felt as though he had spoken too much.

Kaede remained calm and nodded to him. "Lord Jiraiya."

Jiraiya glanced at him, then back at Tsunade. "Alright, everyone’s here. Let’s move."

The three didn’t waste any more time. After a half-day of rapid travel, they reached the Iwa front line camp.

They headed straight for the central command tent. As the curtain was pushed aside, they found Orochimaru standing over a sand table, his hand hovering over a specific marker.

Hearing their footsteps, he looked up. His golden slitted pupils swept over Jiraiya, then Tsunade, and finally settled on Kitahara Kaede. He studied Kaede for a moment, an inscrutable smile playing on his lips.

"You’ve arrived."

Jiraiya stepped inside and set his scroll aside. "Still that same dead-fish face after all this time. What’s the situation?"

Orochimaru withdrew his hand. "Bad."

Tsunade stepped up to the sand table. "Casualties?"

"Increasing daily," Orochimaru replied, pointing to several locations on the map. "Iwa’s forces outnumber us, and their advance is steady. They aren’t rushing; they’re simply grinding down our defensive line, inch by inch."

Jiraiya frowned. "Any way around this?"

Orochimaru glanced at him with a hint of mockery. "A way? We lack manpower and supplies. If we keep trying to hold on by brute force, the line will eventually collapse."

He pointed toward a protruding outpost on the front line. "The most efficient method would be to let a portion of the front-line troops hold the main Iwa assault, exhausting them here. While they’re biting the bait, we deploy our elites to sever their rear supply lines."

Silence fell over the tent.

Jiraiya slammed his palm onto the table. "Those are our comrades, not chess pieces on your sand table!"

Orochimaru looked up at him. "No one on a battlefield is exempt from death."

The moment those words left his mouth, Jiraiya’s expression darkened completely. The two stared each other down across the map, neither willing to yield an inch.

Tsunade raised her fist and smashed it onto the table.

*Bang!*

"Enough!"

Jiraiya and Orochimaru both looked at her. Tsunade’s face was cold.

"If you want to argue, do it later. We don’t have time for this right now."

The two shifted their gazes away from each other. Ignoring them, Tsunade pointed to the rear of the sand table.

"Transfer the critically wounded to Camp Two, and treat the minor injuries on-site..."

For the next half hour, they re-verified the defensive lines, the evacuation routes for the wounded, and the logistics of the supply chain.

Once the strategic discussion ended, Jiraiya grabbed his scroll. "I’m heading to the front to check on Iwa’s movements."

As he reached the exit, Tsunade looked up at his retreating back. "Stay safe."

Jiraiya paused for a heartbeat. He didn’t turn around, but he gave a casual wave of his hand.

"Don’t worry about it. I am, after all, Lord Jiraiya."

His voice still carried that same unserious tone. Tsunade watched the curtain fall behind him before she withdrew her gaze.

After exchanging a few brief instructions with Orochimaru, she picked up the medical list and walked out. Kitahara Kaede followed her.

The camp was bustling with activity. Stretcher-bearers carried the wounded past them, and medical ninjas hurried by.

Tsunade glanced toward the medical tents. "I need to go organize the triage process."

Kaede nodded. "I’ll find you later. I have some private business to attend to."

Tsunade nodded and turned toward the medical tents. Kaede watched her disappear into the distance before turning his attention elsewhere.

He began to wander aimlessly around the camp. Once he was certain there were no Root spies in the vicinity, he doubled back to the main command tent.

The curtain was pushed aside once more. Orochimaru was still standing at the sand table. Without turning around, he spoke.

"Kitahara-kun, it’s been a while."

Kaede stepped inside and let the curtain fall. "I am honored that Lord Orochimaru still remembers me."

Only then did Orochimaru turn around. With his arms crossed, those golden slitted pupils locked onto Kaede.

"I am very interested in you."

Kaede didn’t respond.

"During the battle at Mount Kikyo, you frequently passed through the Sunagakure poison mist without showing a single sign of intoxication." Orochimaru took a half-step forward. "Why?"

Kaede’s expression remained unchanged. "A unique constitution. The vast majority of toxins are ineffective against me."

The tent fell silent.

The look in Orochimaru’s eyes shifted. He ran his tongue over his lips, his voice dropping to a low hiss. "A very precious body."

Kaede wasn’t surprised. This reaction was exactly what he had expected from Orochimaru. However, that wasn’t why he had come.

"Lord Orochimaru," Kaede said, meeting those slitted eyes. "The thing you truly seek... perhaps I can provide the answer."

The smile on Orochimaru’s face faded slightly.

Kaede continued, "The truth behind all the world’s jutsu, and the method to transcend the limits of one’s lifespan."

As the final words landed, Orochimaru’s gaze turned cold.

Eternal life.

The temperature in the tent seemed to plummet instantly. Orochimaru lowered his arms from his chest.

"How do you know about this?"

There was a palpable killing intent in his voice.

Kaede didn’t explain. He only needed Orochimaru to see his value. "I can give you a direction."

Orochimaru arched an eyebrow.

"The human body ages," Kaede continued. "It isn’t just about injury or the depletion of chakra. Cellular regeneration has a limit. Once those cycles are exhausted, the body enters an irreversible state of decay."

"But if the body is merely a vessel, and the soul is the core..."

He stopped there, leaving the thought unfinished.

Orochimaru’s expression finally changed, replaced by a far deeper level of curiosity. He whispered those words back to himself. Then, he smiled again.

"Kitahara-kun, are you trying to recruit me?"

Kaede shook his head. "An equal trade."

Orochimaru looked at him, his tone laced with mockery. "And what makes you think I would cooperate with you?"

"I will give you the theory first," Kaede replied. "You go and verify it. Once you are certain of my value, I will state my conditions."

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "You won’t state your conditions now?"

"The time is not yet right."

Orochimaru didn’t respond immediately. After a moment, he mentioned another name, his voice tinged with amusement.

"Danzo holds a deep grudge against you right now. Aren’t you afraid he’ll find out we’re meeting in secret?"

Kitahara Kaede gave a mocking laugh.

"Danzo? I couldn’t care less."

"Besides, isn’t your relationship with him purely transactional? All he can offer you are laboratories, funding, and materials."

Orochimaru didn’t argue.

Kitahara Kaede took a step forward.

"You aren’t lacking in those things."

He looked at Orochimaru and said, emphasizing every word, "What I can give you is what you *actually* need."

Orochimaru stared at him for a long moment. Interest, suspicion, and calculation flickered within those golden, slit-pupiled eyes.

Finally, he let out a low chuckle.

"An offer that is truly impossible to refuse."

Without another word, Kitahara Kaede turned and headed for the door.

"Lord Orochimaru, take your time to think it over."

The curtain was pushed aside. A sliver of light spilled inside before the curtain quickly dropped back into place.

Orochimaru stood alone before the sand table. He gazed toward the door, his eyes remaining fixed there for a long time.