Those who are enlightened are always happy

Near midnight, most people in the vast village of Konoha were already deep in slumber.

Of course, there were still a handful who had no intention of wasting precious time on the same mundane pursuits as ordinary folk.

To Orochimaru, time was the most precious "treasure" in this world.

Though it was now late at night, and even the diligent Third Hokage had returned home to rest, Orochimaru remained in his laboratory.

As a disciple of the Third Hokage and a member of the "Legendary Sannin," Orochimaru's status and influence entitled him to an independent research facility—fully equipped, well-staffed, and even outfitted with the relatively rare "electric lighting."

In the laboratory, bright as daylight, Orochimaru, clad in a white kimono, quietly observed his "experimental results."

"O-Orochimaru-sama," stammered the research member tasked with recording the findings, wiping cold sweat from his brow and swallowing hard. "The experiment failed. The subject couldn't withstand that energy at all."

Inside the isolated room, visible through the glass, a person writhed and screamed in agony as their flesh gradually turned to wood.

In the blink of an eye, a living human was completely consumed by the wooden transformation, becoming a lifelike wooden sculpture, with tender green shoots sprouting from various parts of its body—an eerie sight.

Orochimaru's narrow eyes shifted, his cold, piercing gaze landing on the recorder.

"O-Orochimaru-sama," the recorder stammered, his whole body trembling as if stared down by a venomous snake. Fear erupted from deep within his heart, forcing him to step back instinctively.

After a moment of silence, Orochimaru did not press him. His hoarse voice, like a snake's hiss, vibrated through the air: "Go back. Report the results to the Third."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama."

The recorder sighed in relief, then fled in panic.

Too terrifying—absolutely horrifying!

Just being stared at by those pale-gold, slit pupils made him feel as if he were about to be swallowed whole by a python.

Watching the recorder flee as if for his life, Orochimaru's heart remained utterly still.

If anything, he cared little for others' opinions and had no interest in how they saw him. The only thing worth his attention was the true essence of life.

"Failed again." Orochimaru withdrew his thoughts, a flicker of coldness in his narrow eyes. He sneered, "The First Hokage's power really isn't so easy to control. It seems I'll disappoint my teacher once more. Hmm... and the number of test subjects is running low."

With that, he walked to his desk, sat down, and pulled out a scroll to record the experiments of this period one by one.

At the end of the scroll, after a moment's deliberation, Orochimaru wrote: "Wood Release research progressing slowly. At least one hundred more test subjects required."

Having done all this, even Orochimaru, who was close to Kage-level, couldn't help but feel some fatigue.

Days of sleepless thought, upon suddenly resting, coalesced into a heavy drowsiness, dragging him slowly into slumber.

"Mm... I'll rest for a bit."

Orochimaru thought, gradually relaxing, his narrow eyes slowly closing.

Just as he did so, a black, viscous fog swept in, laced with some low, murmuring chant, as if thousands were whispering, swallowing him in an instant.

"Am I under attack?!"

That was Orochimaru's last thought.

Then, he felt his consciousness seized by some force, plunging into an endless darkness.

The moment he regained awareness, Orochimaru snapped into a combat stance at lightning speed, his eyes quickly scanning his surroundings.

A towering, majestic Church of Bones—a dome built from the white bones of countless different creatures. Those hollow, empty sockets seemed to scrutinize the insignificant figure in the hall below.

Eerie. Sacred.

Two utterly opposing auras, yet perfectly fused within this church.

"It seems another has been chosen by the Lord."

The blurry figure standing beneath the enormous bone cross spoke calmly: "No need to be tense. At least here, no one can threaten your life."

"When did that person appear?" Orochimaru followed the voice, his pupils contracting sharply. "I didn't sense his presence at all!"

Though he wasn't a sensory-type ninja, having reached Kage-level strength meant he had no obvious weaknesses.

And this mysterious figure before him had evaded his perception entirely!

"Who exactly are you? Trespassing into Konoha—are you trying to start a war?" Orochimaru's mind raced, but his expression remained calm. He licked his dry lips and spoke in a threatening tone: "Just a mere genjutsu. Do you think you can trap me?"

A Church of Bones. A mysterious figure. Darkness after falling asleep.

Combine these factors, and the answer was clear—he had fallen into some kind of "genjutsu"!

Orochimaru formed hand seals, his chakra erupting: "Genjutsu, release!"

Boom!

A wave of air swept through the church hall.

As the air settled, Orochimaru found himself still inside the church, with no change around him. His expression darkened: "Such a strong genjutsu... Who are you?"

"I am the Master's Agent, the King of Angels beneath Him. You may call me: Adam."

Uchiha Sōgetsu descended the steps, his voice calm yet filled with authority, echoing through the hall like a hymn: "This is neither a genjutsu nor a dream. This is my Lord's Divine Kingdom. And you, Orochimaru, have been chosen as my Lord's messenger. Our meeting is fate—all to awaken the sleeping 'Primal Creator.'"

Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?

Orochimaru's head was full of question marks. He was sure he understood the words, but strung together, they made no sense at all.

"Do you believe in fate?"

Uchiha Sōgetsu said calmly.

Orochimaru frowned, suddenly struck by a bad premonition. "What do you mean?"

"My meaning is simple." Uchiha Sōgetsu said softly. "If you knew everything that would happen in the future, would the 'you' of the present still feel happiness?"

"Ridiculous!" Orochimaru sneered, crossing his arms. "Are you saying you can see my future?"

"If you knew the end of your fate, and all the suffering along the path leading to that end, could that be called 'enlightenment'?" Uchiha Sōgetsu asked himself, then answered, slowly walking toward Orochimaru and circling him, drawing a ring. "That is, those who are enlightened are always happy. What do you think, Orochimaru?"

"An interesting question."

This strange question actually piqued Orochimaru's interest. He licked his lips, letting out a sinister low laugh. "Knowing fate but being unable to change it—how could that be called happiness?"

"Everyone is a slave to fate. You can resist it, but you will never succeed."

Uchiha Sōgetsu said calmly. "Since that's the case, why not accept it peacefully? As long as you have enlightenment, even knowing the future fate, you can surely face it calmly. Isn't that also a kind of happiness?"

"It seems we cannot reach an agreement on the interpretation of fate."

Orochimaru snorted coldly, his pale purple eye shadow half-closed. "If there's nothing else, you'd best let me leave quickly, or else—"

He subtly formed a hand seal, and from within the wide sleeves of his kimono, several venomous snakes slithered out, tongues flicking.

"Stop it, Orochimaru."

In an instant, a figure appeared behind Orochimaru like a ghost.

Clang!

A chilling flash of white light streaked by.

Orochimaru felt a slight coolness on the skin of his neck. His eyes glanced downward—a short blade was pressed against his throat.

The sharp edge of the blade left no doubt: if he made even a single move, his head would bid farewell to his body.

"This blade..." Staring at the short sword at his neck, Orochimaru's pupils suddenly contracted, as if he had seen something terrifying. He turned his head to look at the one holding him hostage.

Silver-white hair tied in a ponytail, a middle-aged face, looking like an ordinary uncle.

This familiar face made Orochimaru's breath catch instantly, as if struck by lightning, frozen on the spot. "You are... White Fang? Hatake Sakumo?! You're not dead?!"