10, Radiant Shadow

Orochimaru's facial features were somewhat cold and hard. With his pallid skin and long black hair hanging loose around his shoulders, he looked like a gloomy person at first glance, someone it was difficult to feel any fondness for.

"You bastard, why are you just like Rin?!" Anko snapped angrily.

"Orochimaru-sama, please don't be angry, Shin he..."

"Anko." Orochimaru interrupted Anko, who was scolding Shin while trying to explain for him.

"Yes?"

"Do you remember the things I had you pick up from the hospital yesterday?"

"Mm!"

"Go get some more for me today."

"Oh, okay!" Anko nodded reflexively, then realized something was wrong.

"Now?"

"Mm."

Anko shot Shin a suspicious look, her little face conflicted as she worried about what would happen if this guy made Orochimaru-sama angry again.

"Are you worried I might do something to your friend?"

"No! I'll go right away!"

Anko immediately ran out, thinking she only needed to hurry there and back.

Only Shin and Orochimaru remained in the room. The living room was sparsely furnished, and Orochimaru walked over and sat in a chair nearby.

The courtyard was somewhat old, with fallen leaves piled beneath the trees. A breeze drifted into the living room, but Shin did not find it pleasant. Instead, he felt a chill.

Shin knew what he was doing, but facing someone like this still put him under pressure.

"Who is behind you?"

"What are you talking about, Orochimaru-sama?"

"Someone gave me such a grand gift. What does he want from me?"

"I don't understand what Orochimaru-sama means."

Orochimaru scrutinized the boy before him and said, "I turn on people quickly. If you refuse to acknowledge it, I might refuse to acknowledge it the next second."

Shin still shook his head. "Orochimaru-sama may have misunderstood something."

At this, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. His soul-piercing gaze doubled the pressure.

He changed the subject. "You said Minato would be the next Hokage?"

"I didn't say that. Everyone in the village thinks so."

After saying that, he looked at Orochimaru in apparent surprise. "Don't tell me Orochimaru-sama wants to become Hokage too?"

Shin's repeated denials had made Orochimaru somewhat suspicious, but at this moment, he finally understood. This brat was putting on an act in front of him.

He did not immediately get angry. Someone dared to play such tricks before him; beyond surprising him, it amused him.

Shin continued, "The Hokage is someone who brings hope to the villagers, someone bathed in countless rays of light."

Orochimaru sneered. "You think I can't become Hokage?"

Shin did not answer his question. Instead, he launched into something completely unrelated. "I suddenly remembered a story. I wonder if Orochimaru-sama would be interested in hearing it."

Orochimaru's gaze shifted slightly. Was this brat sent by the Hyuga Clan to test me?

But which member of the Hyuga Clan could it be...?

"Tell it," he said.

Shin began slowly. "Once upon a time, there was a kingdom. The old king wished to pass his throne to one of his two sons."

"..."

"The eldest son was extraordinarily gifted and immensely powerful. He had inherited all of the king's strength, but he was arrogant and conceited, unpopular with the people, and thought only of how to become stronger every day."

"Though the younger son was weaker, he cared deeply about the lives of the people. He often helped them resolve all kinds of difficulties and held great prestige among them."

"Who does Orochimaru-sama think the king should pass the throne to?"

Orochimaru scoffed coldly. "If the eldest son was truly that powerful, he shouldn't stupidly wait for the throne to be handed to him."

He seemed to know that the younger son would receive the throne from the king, and he also understood that the two figures in the story represented himself and Minato, so he directly avoided Shin's question.

"But the old king is still alive, and he is no weakling himself. On top of that, so many nobles in the kingdom favor the younger son. In contrast, the eldest son has no one to rely on. His strength does not seem sufficient to make an enemy of everyone."

"The eldest son always believed that as long as he became strong enough, he could win the throne through his own power. Yet in the end, the younger son ascended the throne amid the people's support and drove the eldest son out of the kingdom. The eldest son wanted revenge, but all the people of the kingdom stood before their new king."

"Orochimaru-sama, what else can the eldest son do at that point?"

Orochimaru remained there with a cold expression, saying nothing.

"Of course, there is another way," Shin said then.

"The eldest son could kneel before his younger brother and support him in becoming the new king. Then, the powerful eldest son could become the kingdom's general. Wouldn't that make for a fine tale as well?"

"That is the end of the story, Orochimaru-sama."

Orochimaru stared fixedly at Shin. "Aren't you afraid of death?"

Shin looked astonished. "Orochimaru-sama, don't tell me you want to kill me?"

Orochimaru: "..."

A thought suddenly arose in his mind. Was this kid normally this brave?

Everyone else who saw him was both respectful and fearful. Yet this brat had treated the killing intent he had just released as though it were nothing.

Just what made him so fearless?

"But if you want to become Hokage, how can you kill a comrade from your own village?" Shin continued.

"If I don't kill you, I can become Hokage?" Orochimaru scoffed. That was taking things out of context.

Shin chuckled softly. "If Orochimaru-sama doesn't kill me, I can find a way to make you Hokage."

"You?" Orochimaru said disdainfully, but as he recalled the brat's earlier behavior, his thoughts raced.

This brat...

"Why do you want to do this?"

Shin paused, then looked calmly at Orochimaru. "Does Orochimaru-sama understand what happened to my eyes?"

Eyes...

Orochimaru had learned from Anko about this oddity from the Hyuga Clan. When he first heard of it, he had found it quite amusing. First, an outsider had gained an Uchiha Clan Sharingan; now, a member of the Hyuga Clan had replaced his eyes with ordinary human eyes.

"I am only a member of the Branch Family. If I have Byakugan transplanted back into me, it means the Main Branch will place the Caged Bird Seal on me again."

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru instantly understood everything, including the matter of using Anko to pass him information about the Byakugan.

There was no one behind this brat. It had been him all along. After going around in such a large circle, was it all for this?

A weak little thing had been jumping around wildly in front of him simply to draw his attention and seek his protection?

If he had revealed his identity from the start and pledged allegiance to him, Orochimaru would have considered the brat incomparably arrogant and foolish.

Now, it seemed this brat truly was arrogant!

"Why did you think I would accept those Byakugan?" Orochimaru suddenly asked.

Shin replied, "Because the eldest son is arrogant and conceited. There is nothing he would not dare to do."

Orochimaru said blandly, "You also told me how the eldest son ended up. Someone like me, who lacks the people's support, should just wait to support Minato's succession as Hokage."

"That was only a story. I made it up. A story needs logic to be somewhat convincing, but reality is far more fantastical than stories. It does not follow logic."

"Besides, aside from the position of Hokage, Orochimaru-sama probably has no way to get his hands on those Byakugan either."

Orochimaru's heart stirred. He wanted to become Hokage because the position would bring him many conveniences.

But things like the Byakugan were what he was truly passionate about.

Shin had indeed given him a reason that was difficult to refuse. The Hyuga Clan's strict control over the Byakugan had left Orochimaru curious about its power yet helpless to obtain it.

After hearing from Anko what Shin had said, even knowing it might be a trap, he had still acted.

Orochimaru deliberated for a long time before slowly saying, "First, tell me your method."

By saying this, he was acknowledging Shin.

"It is wartime. Why should Orochimaru-sama stay at home?"

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "You want me to compete with Minato over who kills more enemies?"

Shin said, "Orochimaru-sama only needs to demonstrate the ability to turn the tide, doesn't he?"