Orochimaru Sets His Sights on Me

"Damn it!"

Although White Fang had long suspected that the Eight-Tails had escaped, he couldn't help cursing when he saw the writhing octopus tentacle in the crater.

The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki had been near Konoha's border and alone at that. It was a rare chance, unlikely to come again. Konoha's White Fang had personally led the team, accompanied by more than ten Anbu Jonin and Orochimaru. It was the greatest force Konoha could muster, all for the sake of the Eight-Tails.

Of course, Konoha's strength was not limited to that. But because of the border war with the Kumo Ninja, many of its experts had been sent to fight there, and Jiraiya and Tsunade were holding the border.

With Orochimaru and White Fang deployed from Konoha, only the Third Hokage remained. Unfortunately, the Third Hokage had to hold the village and could not leave unless absolutely necessary.

"How could the Eight-Tails be so easy to capture? Those people in High Command were too greedy. It isn't necessarily a bad thing that Blue B escaped. If we'd pushed him too far and he'd opened the seal, unleashing the rampaging Eight-Tails, things would have been even more troublesome than we imagined," Orochimaru said, with little regret. He saw things clearly: if the Eight-Tails were truly so easy to seize, Tailed Beasts would not be so terrifying.

After hearing Orochimaru, much of White Fang's frustration faded. Indeed, trying to acquire a Tailed Beast was incredibly difficult.

Suddenly, White Fang's gaze fell on Yemo, and he asked curiously, "Orochimaru, why did you bring a kid along to fight the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki?"

Yemo couldn't help rolling his eyes at being called a kid. Ever since coming to the world of Naruto, he had hated being called that more than anything. A twenty-year-old being called a kid-although his body was only a few years old now, it still annoyed him greatly.

Holding Yemo up, Orochimaru chuckled. "I didn't bring this kid. I found him while I was fighting the Eight-Tails. He was hiding in the shadows the whole time, watching our fight. If the shockwave from the battle hadn't caught him, I still wouldn't have noticed him there."

"Is this kid really that impressive?"

White Fang took a long look at Yemo. To be honest, his first reaction to Orochimaru's words was disbelief. Even a Jonin hiding their tracks couldn't have escaped Orochimaru's notice, yet Orochimaru hadn't noticed this kid.

But hearing the surprise Orochimaru couldn't keep out of his voice, White Fang was certain he wasn't lying. That meant the kid really was as Orochimaru had described.

But how was that possible? A kid like this probably hadn't even become a ninja. To be able to hide from Orochimaru, he must have some secret. At that thought, White Fang looked at Yemo differently.

Sensing the change in White Fang's gaze, Yemo had a bad feeling. He pulled his clothes tighter and asked warily, "What are you trying to do to me?"

Seeing Yemo's reaction, even Orochimaru couldn't help being taken aback, then chuckled. White Fang's expression, meanwhile, turned sour. It was the first time he, Konoha's White Fang, had been mocked by a kid.

"Ahem..."

After clearing his throat twice, White Fang changed the subject. "Kid, where did you come from?"

"Konoha's the only village around here. Do you even have to ask? Of course I came from Konoha," Yemo replied irritably. Orochimaru was still holding him up like a little kid, after all.

After struggling for a while, Yemo looked up and shouted, "Uncle Orochimaru, could you let me go?"

It was the first time anyone had called him uncle. Orochimaru froze for a moment, then a smile flickered across his lips. This kid interested him more and more. He let go and put Yemo down.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, Yemo felt an intense ache in his legs. It wasn't just his legs; his whole body ached. Still, he felt very lucky to have escaped the Eight-Tails with his life.

"Konoha? Is there a kid like you in any of Konoha's clans?" White Fang rested a hand on his chin, recalling the clans he knew. None of them seemed to have a kid like this.

Hearing White Fang, Yemo replied, "I'm not from a Konoha clan, so of course you wouldn't know me."

"You're not from a Konoha clan? Then where are you from, kid?" White Fang asked, looking down at him.

Before Yemo could answer, Orochimaru suddenly spoke. "The Ninjutsu you just used was the Sealing Jutsu, Adamantine Sealing Chains. It's a secret technique exclusive to the Uzumaki Clan, never taught to outsiders. If I'm not mistaken, you should be Yemo Uzumaki of the Uzumaki Clan, who came to Konoha a few days ago."

As soon as Orochimaru mentioned the Adamantine Sealing Chains, White Fang had guessed Yemo's identity. He too had heard a little about Yemo Uzumaki of the Uzumaki Clan. After all, his older sister, Kushina Uzumaki, was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Ordinary people in Konoha didn't know, but it was hardly a secret among Konoha High Command.

Yemo was inwardly shocked. As expected of Orochimaru: after that brief clash with the Eight-Tails, he had deduced Yemo's identity completely.

At that moment, White Fang pointed at Yemo's head and said in disbelief, "Orochimaru, no way. This kid can actually use the Sealing Jutsu, Adamantine Sealing Chains!"

White Fang knew of the Adamantine Sealing Chains. It was an A-rank Ninjutsu, but because it could even suppress Tailed Beasts, it was sometimes no less useful than an S-rank Ninjutsu. However, it was a secret technique of the Uzumaki Clan, never taught to outsiders, and only members of the clan could use it.

But the Adamantine Sealing Chains were an A-rank Ninjutsu, after all. This kid could actually use an A-rank Ninjutsu? To be honest, White Fang didn't believe it. A-rank Ninjutsu were already very powerful, and training in them was no simple matter.

"It may be surprising, but this kid really can use the Adamantine Sealing Chains. His Chakra is also very special and can suppress Tailed Beasts," Orochimaru said.

Hearing Orochimaru confirm it, White Fang's expression immediately turned serious. "Going by what you said, doesn't that make this kid a genius? He can use an A-rank Ninjutsu at such a young age."

"He is indeed a genius!" Orochimaru replied without hesitation. There was one more thing he hadn't told White Fang: earlier, he had used Wood Release.

Yemo heard their conversation clearly. He would have been lying if he said he wasn't pleased to be called a genius by the renowned Orochimaru and White Fang.

But when he saw the interest in Orochimaru's eyes, Yemo's heart suddenly sank. Having Orochimaru set his sights on him was no good thing. He didn't want to become one of Orochimaru's test subjects.

All of a sudden, Yemo felt that coming here today had been a mistake. Having an experiment-crazed madman like Orochimaru set his sights on him was even more frightening than facing the Eight-Tails.

Inside the crater, several Anbu Jonin were carefully sealing the tentacle the Eight-Tails had left behind in a scroll. The tentacle was part of the Eight-Tails' body; if they took it back, they might be able to learn something from studying it.