Kabuto

Perhaps the most twisted relationship in the entire Hokage story is that between Orochimaru and Kabuto, the boss and subordinate.

Who is Dou?

On the surface, he was a spy planted by Sasori within Orochimaru's ranks.

In reality, he was a double agent who, under Orochimaru's orders, pretended to follow Sasori and become his subordinate, but in turn infiltrated Orochimaru's inner circle.

However, what makes things more complicated is that Orochimaru was originally Kabuto's executioner, and both Orochimaru and Kabuto had been Danzo's subordinates.

It all began when Kabuto suffered an amnesiac injury as a child and was taken in by the orphanage director Yakushi Nonō. Nonō was once Danzo's most talented spy, who established the orphanage after retiring to seek peace of mind. Danzo disliked her retirement and used the orphanage to blackmail Nonō. Kabuto stepped forward and volunteered to join Root for the sake of the director and the orphanage, thus beginning his life as a spy.

After that, Kabuto traveled to various countries as a spy, gradually losing sight of his true identity. The only person who could anchor his heart was the headmistress Nonō, who failed to recognize him because of Danzo's long-term deception. At this time, Danzo cruelly arranged for him and the headmistress to kill each other. In the end, Kabuto accidentally killed Nonō and completely lost the meaning of life.

Orochimaru was originally assigned by Danzo to eliminate Kabuto, but after seeing this bewildered young man, he changed his mind and ultimately took him in.

However, did Orochimaru truly trust Kabuto?

A person who has no desires and has lost the meaning of life is indeed the least likely to rebel.

Because nobody knows what kind of incentive it would take to bribe this kind of person.

Powerful strength? Mysterious Secret Technique? A lofty status?

No, none of those are true.

Dou seemed uninterested in any temptations or anything at all.

Conversely, managing such subordinates is also difficult.

Even someone as powerful as Orochimaru often couldn't understand what this extremely intelligent and capable subordinate was thinking. He could give Kimimaro the warmth of family, the temptation of power to Dosu and others, and he could use Sound Five loyal to him, but Kabuto was always the exception.

Orochimaru is a person with strong and clear desires and goals, completely different from Kabuto.

What exactly does Kabuto want from him? And what makes Orochimaru deserving of his loyalty?

Therefore, from the very beginning until now, Orochimaru has never trusted Kabuto.

However, he didn't believe Kabuto would betray him.

Even if... the Akatsuki was far more powerful than him.

No one knows what kind of conversation took place between Orochimaru and Kabuto at the end of that passageway, just as Sakura Uchiha and Sasuke were about to confront them.

No one knows what Kabuto Yakushi did to Orochimaru.

But in the end, Orochimaru chose to trust Kabuto.

Perhaps it was because Kabuto provided an impeccable reason. Or perhaps it was because Orochimaru understood Kabuto well enough to know that Akatsuki couldn't give him what he wanted.

Or perhaps... it's simply because Sakura Uchiha Chakra, as dazzling as the blazing sun, is already imminent.

In short, when the two Konoha members responsible for the frontal assault finally encountered Orochimaru and Kabuto, the boys were completely unaware that the two had just had a nearly confrontational conversation.

"We meet again, Sakura Haruno, and... Sasuke Uchiha."

Orochimaru didn't hide in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to strike like a snake; instead, he appeared openly in front of the two.

Dou followed behind him, a cold, fake smile on his face, his eyes hidden behind his glasses.

Sakura Uchiha and Sasuke stood high on another hilltop, a slight smile playing on their slightly impatient faces.

"You've finally come out... Orochimaru!"

She crossed her arms, the hem of her clothes fluttering slightly in the mountain breeze, her eyes lowered as she looked down at Orochimaru and his companion at her feet.

An astonishing aura of Chakra emanated from the girl without any concealment.

Standing where Orochimaru was and looking up, one could see the girl's clothes fluttering in the wind, her eyes sparkling with life, her graceful figure like a goddess descending to earth!

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly.

A ninja is ultimately not a goddess...

Orochimaru wouldn't be so easily impressed.

On the contrary, he felt that the girl's posture looked incredibly cool and beautiful, but if she were to fight, she would probably be overtaken by the enemy before she could even draw her hands to Hand Seals! Standing like that, she had no practical combat skills whatsoever, and instead was full of openings, which was not the behavior of a ninja with rich combat experience!

Is Sakura Haruno's confidence in facing him like this overly confident, a deliberate show of weakness, or something else...?

Orochimaru remained expressionless, but his left hand, which was behind his back, twitched slightly.

A glint of light flashed in the glasses of Kabuto Yakushi's eyes.

No further explanation was needed; years of tacit cooperation had already taught him what he should do.

"You've come all this way to find me, surely not to catch up on old times?" Orochimaru gave a wicked smile—a smile that was truly sinister—"Or are you finally settling scores with me for the attack on Konoha years ago?"

Sasuke frowned, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes. He was about to speak when Sakura Uchiha stopped him, offering a slight smile, though her eyes held no real mirth.

"Even on the verge of death, you still have the nerve to talk back..." Her smile was icy, her eyes filled with murderous intent. "Are you tired of living, Orochimaru!"

Just as Sakura Uchiha finished speaking, a sudden change occurred!

Puff--!

Sand and stones flew everywhere, rocks shattered, and the ground beneath the girl's feet suddenly exploded. A figure shot out, a blinding blue light flashing in his hand, transforming his palm into a blade, and slashed fiercely at Sakura's leg!

It was Kabuto Yakushi, while the two were talking, secretly manipulated the corpse to launch a surprise attack!

The girl reacted extremely quickly, raising her foot to dodge, but she still couldn't avoid the sudden attack. With a snap, the blade, radiating blue light, struck the girl's delicate ankle!

Chakra Scalpel, hit.

Perhaps because Sakura's reaction was extremely fast, the strike did not deliver the full force of the slash, only producing a crisp "snap" sound. However, the Chakra Scalpel itself is not Nintaijutsu that relies on brute force. On the contrary, the deep blue light attached to the palm blade is where the destructive power lies. With just a light "snap," it can easily sever the opponent's tendons!

This also means that Sakura's left leg is temporarily broken.

In an instant, everyone's eyes were on Dou.

"Heh heh, got it!" The white-haired youth pushed up his glasses and strolled out from behind Orochimaru.

Among all the big shots present, he had the lowest profile. And it was precisely because of this, coupled with his flawless Earth Release Earth Release, his cunning and swift attacks, and the sharp lethality of his Chakra Scalpel, that Kabuto was able to deliver the final blow.

Dou laughed.

This time, it wasn't a forced smile, but a genuine, slightly smug one—the pride of outmaneuvering a stronger opponent. "Don't look at me, Sakura Haruno!" he sneered.

Somewhat to Orochimaru and Kabuto's surprise, the female ninja did not fly into a rage at being ambushed by Kabuto. She remained calm and composed, and her gaze towards Kabuto held little anger, but rather a kind of... pity.

"Dou, you're still as cunning as ever..." she paused, "But utterly useless."

The white-haired youth's face suddenly turned cold.

"Back then, you were so confident that you'd reached Kakashi-sensei's level..." Sakura Uchiha said coldly, "But now Kakashi has already crossed the Kage Level, while you're still repeating the same old tricks. You haven't improved at all!"

In an instant, Dou's face turned ashen!

Even Orochimaru's expression changed slightly. For Kabuto to be described like that was a disgrace to him!

"A poisonous insect on the ground might threaten a fallen eagle for a moment, but if it thinks it can rival the eagle, it's truly laughable! The eagle will one day soar high, while the poisonous insect can only watch helplessly as it is left further and further behind!" Sakura Uchiha mocked mercilessly, while her raised left foot slammed down hard on the ground with a steady and fierce movement, showing no sign that Kabuto had severed her ankle!

"Monstrous Strength Technique: Guarding Foot!"

Boom!

It was as if a powerful earthquake had occurred; in an instant, the earth shook violently, rocks crumbled, and the ground cracked open, revealing several deep fissures!

At the epicenter, where the girl stomped her foot, radiating cracks spread wildly across the earth, centered on a deep footprint, extending dozens of meters away; as for the corpse manipulated by Kabuto, it had long since turned into minced meat and dissipated deep within the earth!

"Kabuto's attack," Orochimaru said with a smirk, taking a few steps forward to block Kabuto behind him again, "So, it didn't hurt you after all..."

The girl scoffed disdainfully, "Orochimaru, you don't actually think that an attack of this level can do anything to me, do you?"

That seemingly sophisticated Earth Release technique might fool ordinary people, but how could it possibly fool Sakura Uchiha is extremely sensitive to Chakra? Even if it could, attacking from underground is ultimately too invasive, so how could it possibly hit a girl whose reaction speed has accelerated to the extreme after activating "Cherry Blossom Impact"?

To put it bluntly, this kind of tactic might work against ordinary ninjas, but using it on a battlefield of Kage Level or higher is just Kabuto being incredibly reckless! [Note]

Only...

Although Kabuto's sneak attack was a complete failure, his probing allowed Orochimaru to glean a great deal of interesting information.

"I didn't really expect Kabuto to hurt you anyway. And..." Orochimaru stared intently at the girl, voicing his conjecture.

"You're not Sakura Haruno, right?"

[We ate some unsanitary fruit, possibly pomegranates with residual chemicals, and as a result, the whole family got sick and had diarrhea four or five times... I was the worst off. At first, I couldn't eat anything and had to go to the toilet more than ten times a day. I spent the rest of the time lying in bed like a corpse. I was afraid to go to the hospital, and I only got better after taking some medicine.]