Lord Orochimaru, Long Time No See

Drip—

Drip—

The sound of dripping water echoed continuously through the dim underground laboratory. Shihara Hidezawa, dressed in Anbu attire, cautiously followed a female Anbu with purple hair deeper inside.

The pitch-black passage seemed to lead straight to hell. Anyone witnessing it would likely feel a chill in their heart.

"Be careful. This is suspected to be the laboratory of the rogue ninja Orochimaru."

The purple-haired girl glanced ahead, then spoke softly to Hidezawa behind her.

"Also, we've been separated from the others. A fight could break out at any moment, so stay focused."

"I understand, Yugao-senpai."

Hidezawa nodded, but his words made Uzuki Yugao pause.

"Wasn't your Anbu evaluation rated excellent? Why don't you know to use code names while on duty? And take this seriously—we're facing Orochimaru!"

"Yes, yes, I understand, senpai."

Uzuki Yugao was clearly somewhat dissatisfied with Hidezawa, especially since, as Anbu, they represented the Hokage and Konohagakure!

And in recent years, Konohagakure's situation had been terrible.

Five years ago, in the 47th Year of Konoha, the Nine-Tailed Fox Incident had cost Konohagakure its Fourth Hokage.

Then, in the 50th Year of Konoha, Orochimaru, one of Konoha's Sannin, had defected from Konohagakure!

And last year, Cloud Village had nearly gone to war with Konohagakure. It could be said that Konohagakure was currently weathering a storm.

As Anbu, they naturally had to work for Konohagakure's honor, especially now that they had finally obtained information on Orochimaru.

"Something's wrong. Watch out."

Just as Uzuki Yugao was about to say more, Hidezawa suddenly spoke and grabbed her, shoving her aside.

Whoosh—

Whoosh—

Whoosh—

Several kunai came flying at them with piercing whistles, while the faint sounds of fighting seemed to rise from elsewhere within the laboratory.

They had clearly walked into an ambush!

"Damn it!"

Uzuki Yugao steadied herself, cursed under her breath, then swiftly drew the ninja blade from her back and turned to Hidezawa.

"Prepare for battle, we—"

Before she could finish, the Exploding Tags tied to the kunai detonated. Flames and smoke instantly enveloped the area, while several figures charged toward them through the smoke!

At that critical moment, Hidezawa suddenly formed hand seals, and the ground trembled faintly.

"His chakra is that strong?"

Uzuki Yugao was somewhat stunned. Although she was only thirteen, the fact that she had entered the Anbu already proved that she was highly talented.

But she had seen Hidezawa's report. This boy who had just joined the Anbu was even younger than her.

"No wonder his evaluation report was excellent across the board..."

As she marveled, the ground suddenly split open, and countless Earth Spikes erupted from below, instantly sweeping through the attacking figures.

With smoke filling the area, Hidezawa suddenly leaped up and plunged straight into it, making Uzuki Yugao's expression change again.

"That's too risky. Orochimaru's lackeys definitely won't be easy to deal with. How could he be so reckless...?"

Although Uzuki Yugao was somewhat unhappy with Hidezawa's earlier attitude, she still cared about him as a fellow Anbu.

The Anbu were the Hokage's direct forces, and its members were also those most deeply influenced by the Will of Fire.

If someone did not measure up to the Will of Fire, it would be difficult for them to enter the Anbu, let alone earn the Hokage's trust.

Though the Anbu could be somewhat extreme and would stop at nothing for a mission, they were still far better than Root, which did not care whether its comrades lived or died.

"I have to give him a hand!"

Uzuki Yugao's ninja blade glinted coldly as she searched for an opportunity to enter the smoke and help this newcomer, Hidezawa.

But soon, she realized that her thoughts seemed to have been horribly wrong.

Even with the smoke obscuring everything, she could still make out Hidezawa's figure—after all, he was noticeably shorter than everyone else.

Yet although Hidezawa was shorter than Orochimaru's lackeys, it did not affect his combat ability in the slightest.

Uzuki Yugao could see rather clearly that Hidezawa moved through the smoke like a ghost, darting around the attackers and launching relentless assaults.

Clang—

Clang—

Clang—

The sound of metal clashing echoed endlessly through the area, accompanied by the repeated sound of steel piercing flesh!

His sharp speed and his use of ninjutsu left Uzuki Yugao completely dumbfounded.

Before long, the smoke slowly dispersed.

Hidezawa's figure landed with it. He stood there calmly, while the ambushing ninja around him had already fallen in heaps.

Looking at his back, Uzuki Yugao was momentarily dazed. It seemed she had done nothing at all.

"Are... are you okay?"

Though she felt somewhat frustrated, Uzuki Yugao still asked with concern.

But when Hidezawa turned around, he grabbed her hand and pulled her directly behind him.

Uzuki Yugao wanted to say something at that gesture, but the next moment, she froze. She could hear unhurried footsteps approaching.

And as those footsteps drew closer, an invisible pressure came with them!

Before long, a man in white clothes appeared vaguely ahead. His face was pale, and his orange-yellow eyes resembled those of a snake. The moment Uzuki Yugao saw him, her face beneath the mask turned deathly pale.

"Orochimaru..."

Her grip on the ninja blade tightened involuntarily. Though Orochimaru was their target this time, he was still one of the Legendary Sannin!

Countless ninja had grown up listening to his stories. Naturally, Uzuki Yugao found it difficult to suppress her fear when facing him.

"Yugao-senpai, don't worry. I'm here."

At that moment, Hidezawa suddenly spoke softly, and his voice unexpectedly calmed Uzuki Yugao.

"I lost my composure."

"No. Anyone would be nervous when facing Orochimaru."

Hidezawa shook his head lightly before speaking seriously.

"Yugao-senpai, leave this place first. Go find the others and regroup, then bring reinforcements here as quickly as possible. I'll do my best to hold Orochimaru back."

"No!"

Before Hidezawa could finish, Uzuki Yugao cut him off.

"How could I possibly leave something this dangerous to you? I—"

"Yugao-senpai, this isn't the time to argue."

Watching Orochimaru draw ever closer, Hidezawa spoke quickly in a low voice.

"Yugao-senpai is better at swordsmanship, but swordsmanship will have difficulty producing any real effect against someone like Orochimaru.

But I'm different. Senpai has seen my abilities. Please trust me."

Uzuki Yugao looked at Hidezawa before her and listened to the steadily approaching footsteps. She knew she did not have much time!

After a moment, she finally gritted her teeth, nodded, and said in a deep voice.

"Don't you dare get hurt. You have to wait for me to come back!"

With that, she gave Hidezawa a deep look before gritting her teeth and turning to leave.

At that moment, Orochimaru had already slowly walked to within about three meters of Hidezawa.

Clap, clap, clap—

As applause rang out, both Hidezawa and Yugao, who was turning away, inexplicably felt the cold, eerie sensation of being watched by a venomous snake!

"Commendable courage. So, how long can you stop me?"

A hoarse voice rang out. Orochimaru's face held equal parts approval and amusement.

Hearing that voice, Uzuki Yugao felt the pressure grow even stronger, forcing her to accelerate further.

Yet Hidezawa, who remained behind, appeared remarkably calm. Only after confirming that Uzuki Yugao had gone far enough did he slowly remove his mask.

His black short hair and handsome face easily inspired goodwill. Facing the cold and sinister Orochimaru, he gave a slight bow.

"Lord Orochimaru, long time no see."

Side quest completed: Meet Orochimaru

Quest Rating: A

Reward obtained: 1 Free Point

Because the person encountered is Orochimaru, and the quest completion rating reached A, special reward obtained

Unowned Cursed Seal

New author, new book. Please keep reading and add it to your collection.