Faced with his former genius student, now a pillar of the village, Hiruzen could not bring himself to be forceful. After all, even he did not agree with handing Ye Zi over.
The threats the Stone ninja used to force Konoha to hand over Ye Zi were largely bluster, because war had never been waged so recklessly. Yet most of Konoha's higher-ups did not want to take the risk.
Seeing the seriousness in Orochimaru's expression, Hiruzen's tone grew equally solemn. "I'll do my utmost to argue for it."
Orochimaru silently watched Hiruzen. From the moment Hiruzen had said he would "give it a try," he had stopped believing there was any room for maneuver. He could not understand when Konoha's leadership had become so cowardly—or rather, when the strongest Konoha had become so weak.
He said nothing more. With only disappointment toward Hiruzen in his heart, he nodded and turned away without a word.
Watching him leave, Hiruzen could not help sighing. No matter how beautifully he phrased it, the decision of whether to hand over Ye Zi still rested with the higher-ups. Unless he opposed them with the most uncompromising attitude, there was nothing he could do. But was it worth it?
Yes, Hiruzen did not think it was worth it. That was why he would do his utmost, but would not give Orochimaru a definite answer.
Ye Zi was not worth doing that much for. He had never sensed any feeling of belonging in Ye Zi.
He could let Ye Zi grow, and had always hoped that one day Ye Zi would become a pillar of Konoha. Unfortunately, even now, he had never seen any recognition of or sense of belonging to Konoha in Ye Zi.
That night, after dinner, Orochimaru stopped Ye Zi as he was about to get up and clear away the dishes. Only after Ye Zi sat back down did he say, "I imagine you've heard some rumors."
Ye Zi nodded when he heard that, knowing what Orochimaru meant. He said indifferently, "Isn't a demand like that rather laughable?"
"It is laughable." Orochimaru agreed, then looked at the empty plates and bowls on the table, all covered in grease, and fell silent.
Orochimaru's sudden silence made Ye Zi realize that the laughable demand seemed likely to be accepted.
"Even you can't do anything?" Ye Zi looked at Orochimaru. He was not afraid of being handed over by Konoha, but he did not want to leave Konoha so soon.
Indeed, Ye Zi felt no sense of belonging to Konoha. Hiruzen could tell that from the reports constantly sent to him.
Orochimaru's eyes flickered slightly. In his hoarse voice, he said, "I'll find a way."
Ye Zi smiled carelessly. Not wanting to put Orochimaru in a difficult position, he said, "I imagine that will be very difficult. This world is vast, and there will always be somewhere I can stay. It doesn't have to be Konoha."
Things were often relative. Hiruzen hoped that Ye Zi would develop a sense of belonging to Konoha and eventually become one of its protectors, but he did not know that Ye Zi had noticed the Anbu secretly watching him long ago. How could anyone develop a sense of belonging under such circumstances?
"You can only stay in Konoha," Orochimaru said decisively.
Ye Zi fell silent. After a moment, he said calmly, "I'm no longer the helpless child I was."
"You're not strong enough to ignore the assassination squads sent by the other ninja villages, either," Orochimaru said. "If you insist on leaving, rather than dying at someone else's hands, you might as well die in Konoha."
Ye Zi's eyes shifted slightly as he looked at Orochimaru. His tone grew heavy. "Orochimaru, are you serious?"
Orochimaru looked back at him, his face expressionless and his snake-like eyes filled with coldness. He said nothing.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned chilly.
Ye Zi suddenly sneered. "I never expected you to be the greatest obstacle to my leaving. You failed to kill me back then, and don't think you can kill me now."
Orochimaru only stared at him coldly. After a long while, he said, "I'll find a way."
"You don't have a way." Ye Zi rose expressionlessly and began clearing away the dishes.
Orochimaru watched him in silence as he cleared the table. It was true: he had no way to influence the decision of Konoha's higher-ups. He had accomplished great feats, possessed an enormous reputation, and was one of Konoha's Sannin, but he had no say whatsoever in Konoha's decisions.
After clearing away the dishes, Ye Zi went straight back to his room. Orochimaru remained sitting alone in the living room until the moonlight shone from the courtyard into the hall. Only then did he turn to look at the courtyard bathed in silver light. After a long while, he slowly stood and walked toward his room.
At that moment, he had already made up his mind. If there truly was no other way, he would kill Ye Zi.
Just as he had said, rather than let Ye Zi die at someone else's hands, it was better for him to die in Konoha. His corpse would still possess considerable research value.
From beginning to end, he had never believed that Ye Zi could survive after leaving Konoha.
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