The Thirty-Eighth Chapter

Facing his former genius student, now a pillar of the village, Hiruzen couldn't be forceful. After all, even he didn't agree with handing Ye Zi over.

The Stone ninja's threat to Konoha, demanding Ye Zi, was largely bluster. Wars were never waged so carelessly. Yet, a significant portion of Konoha's higher-ups were unwilling to take the risk.

Hiruzen looked at Orochimaru's serious expression and his own tone grew more earnest. "I will do my utmost to fight for him."

Orochimaru silently watched Hiruzen. From the moment Hiruzen said he'd try, Orochimaru had no faith that there was any room for negotiation. He couldn't understand when Konoha's leadership had become so weak-willed, or rather, when the strongest Konoha had become so vulnerable.

He said nothing more, only disappointment for Hiruzen in his heart. He nodded and turned to leave without a word.

Hiruzen watched his retreating figure and couldn't help but sigh. No matter how pretty the words, the decision to hand Ye Zi over or not ultimately rested with the higher-ups. Unless he took the strongest stance and defied them, but was it worth it?

Yes, Hiruzen thought it wasn't worth it. That's why he would only do his best, but not respond to Orochimaru with certainty.

Ye Zi wasn't worth that. Because he had never seen a sense of belonging from Ye Zi.

He could let Ye Zi grow and always hoped Ye Zi would one day become a pillar of Konoha, but regrettably, to this day, he still hadn't seen any recognition or belonging to Konoha in Ye Zi.

That night, after dinner, Orochimaru stopped Ye Zi, who was about to get up and clear the dishes. After Ye Zi sat down again, he said, "You've probably heard some rumors."

Ye Zi nodded, knowing what Orochimaru was referring to. He said calmly, "Isn't that kind of request ridiculous?"

"It is ridiculous," Orochimaru replied, then fell silent, looking at the empty plates and dishes stained with oil on the table.

Orochimaru's sudden silence made Ye Zi realize that the ridiculous request was likely to be granted.

"Even you can't do anything?" Ye Zi looked at Orochimaru. He wasn't afraid of being handed over by Konoha, but he didn't want to leave Konoha so soon.

Indeed, Ye Zi felt no sense of belonging to Konoha. Hiruzen could see this from the reports he received constantly.

Orochimaru's eyes flickered slightly, and he said in a hoarse voice, "I will find a way."

Ye Zi smiled indifferently, not wanting to make things difficult for Orochimaru. He said, "That must be very difficult. This world is vast, and there will always be a place for me. It doesn't have to be in Konoha."

Things were often relative. Hiruzen hoped Ye Zi would develop a sense of belonging to Konoha and become a protector of the village in the future. But he didn't know that Ye Zi had long ago noticed the Anbu lurking in the shadows, watching him. How could anyone feel a sense of belonging in such a situation?

"You can only stay in Konoha," Orochimaru stated, leaving no room for argument.

Ye Zi fell silent. After a moment, he said calmly, "I am no longer the helpless child I once was."

Orochimaru said, "You aren't strong enough to ignore the pursuit squads sent by other ninja villages. If you insist on leaving, it would be better to die by Konoha's hand than by theirs."

Ye Zi's expression changed slightly. He looked at Orochimaru, his tone becoming heavy. "Orochimaru, are you serious?"

Orochimaru looked back at him, his expressionless face and snake-like eyes filled with coldness. He said nothing.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned a bit cold.

Ye Zi suddenly let out a cold laugh. "I didn't expect the biggest obstacle to my leaving would be you. You didn't kill me back then, and you won't kill me now."

Orochimaru just watched him coldly. After a long while, he said, "I will find a way."

"You can't," Ye Zi said expressionlessly and got up to start clearing the dishes.

Orochimaru watched him silently as he cleared the dishes. Indeed, he had no way to influence the decisions of Konoha's higher-ups. He had achieved great merit, possessed a renowned reputation, and was one of Konoha's Sannin, yet he had no say in Konoha's decisions.

After Ye Zi finished clearing the dishes, he went straight back to his room. Orochimaru sat alone in the living room until the moonlight shone into the hall from the courtyard. He then turned to look at the moonlit courtyard. After a long time, he slowly stood up and walked towards his room.

At this moment, he had decided. If there was truly no other way, he would kill Ye Zi.

As he had said, it would be better for Ye Zi to die by Konoha's hand than by others. His corpse would also have considerable research value.

From beginning to end, he did not believe Ye Zi could survive if he left Konoha.