"Mr. Orochimaru, I think you may have remembered incorrectly. I've never had any dealings with you before, so how could there be any talk of giving you something?"
Soji spoke in a bewildered tone.
Trying to make him slip up?
Absolutely impossible!
"Is that so? It seems I remembered incorrectly. My apologies, Mizukage-sama. Perhaps while researching some forbidden jutsu, my memories became slightly muddled."
Judging by Orochimaru's nonchalant appearance, he clearly had not completely dismissed his suspicions.
After all, if Orochimaru had truly dismissed them, he would not still be staring at Soji with that probing gaze.
It had to be said, Orochimaru truly was an old fox. Fooling him so easily was obviously no simple task.
As for Soji, when he heard Orochimaru use researching forbidden jutsu as an excuse, the corner of his mouth beneath the Ice Mask could not help twitching.
Was that really something he could just casually say?
Of course, when it came to Orochimaru, it was perfectly normal.
"Then, may I ask where Mr. Orochimaru obtained something related to me and used it to create the artificial human Shihō?"
Soji was asking while already knowing the answer.
But he had no choice. He had to make Orochimaru separate Mizuki Ember from Hyuga Soji!
"I knew Mizukage-sama would ask that. Do you know Hyuga Soji of Konoha? One of the three cores I used to create Shihō was a strange kind of Blood Crystal, and it came from him. I didn't know it at the time, but looking at it now, that Blood Crystal should originally have belonged to you, Mizukage-sama, shouldn't it?"
Orochimaru looked at Soji with a faint smile as he asked.
To prevent Soji from denying it, Orochimaru paused before speaking again. "Oh, right. I remember a girl named Chiyo from Kirigakure