Decision

Amid the seemingly endless downpour, Ye Zi stared fixedly at the two people before him, his eyes filled with deep vigilance.

Smack...

Without hesitation, he threw the hard-won food at his feet. Clutching a bloodstained stone tightly, he slowly took a step back.

Though he was starving and desperately needed to eat, Yellow Dog's corpse would only become a burden if he had to flee now.

"Who... are you?"

Unless absolutely necessary, Ye Zi did not want to give up the food he had just acquired. Yet the question he blurted out made him freeze. It was not a language he recognized, but he had spoken it naturally—and understood its meaning as well.

"Black hair, black eyes..."

Orochimaru looked at Ye Zi, who had turned around, but did not immediately answer his question. Black hair and black eyes easily brought the Uchiha Clan to mind, though those were not traits unique to them. He glanced at Yellow Dog, whom Ye Zi had decisively discarded, and the corner of his mouth curled slightly as the interest in his eyes deepened.

"Tsunade, this brat is quite interesting..."

"Hm?"

Tsunade shot him a glance and asked, "What do you plan to do?"

"Bring him back to the village," Orochimaru said flatly.

Tsunade froze, then firmly said, "That's impossible."

"Impossible? Heh... It may be difficult, but I still want to try."

"Orochimaru, you..." Tsunade stared intently at Orochimaru with a probing gaze. If it had been Jiraiya, she might not have found it so strange, but the one saying this was Orochimaru.

Tsunade, I'm not Jiraiya. He stayed behind to care for those children out of guilt and a desire to make amends. But I want to bring this child back to the village simply because I believe he is a sapling that may grow into a towering tree. If that were not the case, I would kill him without hesitation.

Orochimaru thought silently. At first, he had not believed he could bring Ye Zi back to the village either, but his increasingly strong interest in Ye Zi made him want to try.

Ye Zi had heard their conversation as well. He immediately turned and ran, having taken Tsunade and Orochimaru for human traffickers. If he did not run now, when would he?

Naturally, the commotion of Ye Zi's escape caught their attention. Orochimaru immediately snorted coldly and rapidly formed hand seals.

"Shadow Snake Hands!"

Several brown-patterned pythons as thick as arms shot swiftly from his sleeves. Within a few breaths, they

caught up to Ye Zi and coiled around him. Fortunately, Orochimaru was rather careful and deliberately controlled the snakes' strength; otherwise, they might truly have crushed Ye Zi to death.

Even so, Ye Zi cried out in pain several times, cold sweat streaming down his body.

"Snakes?!"

Looking at the tongue flicking its forked tongue at him, Ye Zi's heart instantly raced as fear rose within him.

Tap, tap...

Orochimaru slowly walked toward Ye Zi, who lay bound in the rainwater.

Tsunade remained where she was, silently studying Orochimaru's back. For some reason, she felt uneasy for a brief moment...

Why was Orochimaru so determined to bring this child back to the village...

She could understand why Jiraiya had stayed behind to care for those children, but she could not understand Orochimaru's decision now.

"Brat."

Orochimaru stopped before Ye Zi and lowered his head, looking down at those eyes that seemed utterly unwilling to yield.

"If you want to survive, come with me... This is your only choice."

Ye Zi struggled to raise his head and looked into those cold, serpentine eyes. At that moment, he finally realized that the world he was in was anything but ordinary. And indeed, he had no other choice.

Using every last ounce of strength he had, he nodded once. Then he lost consciousness and fell into a coma.

Watching Ye Zi lose consciousness, Orochimaru suddenly smiled. What was the reason? Why did he feel excited at this moment, however subtly...

Bending down, Orochimaru picked Ye Zi up and slung him over his shoulder before turning toward Tsunade.

"Let's go."

Tsunade glanced at Ye Zi's pale little face. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Are you really planning to bring him back to the village?"

"Of course." Orochimaru kept his gaze forward, his tone resolute.

Tsunade pressed her lips together and said, "Then at least give him some basic treatment first. I don't think he can make it back to the village alive in his condition."

"Heh heh..."

Orochimaru merely gave a cold laugh.

"No need. Treatment or food—he can ask for those himself once he wakes up. If he does not wake up, just find somewhere to throw him away."

Tsunade gave Orochimaru, whose expression remained indifferent, a deep look and said nothing more.

The heavy rain continued to fall, on and on, as though it would never stop.