Inside the grand and majestic hall of the Church of Bones, three people sat around a long bronze table.
Sōgetsu occupied the seat of honor. That bronze chair was exceptionally tall, as if it had not been made for humans at all, but specially crafted for a giant.
Enshrouded in mysterious mist, Sōgetsu resembled a lofty deity overlooking every seat at the bronze table. Orochimaru and White Fang, under his gaze, could both feel a profound intimidation rising from the depths of their souls, as though they faced a vast ocean tossing up towering waves that could crush them beneath its raging tide at any moment.
Almost instinctively, or perhaps driven by their biological instincts, Orochimaru and White Fang lowered their heads.
He could not be looked upon directly.
White Fang and Orochimaru obediently lowered their heads, and the latter concealed the arrogance and pride in his eyes.
Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Sōgetsu relaxed slightly.
With the intimidation afforded by the status of Sequence 6, he had barely managed to make Orochimaru rein in some of his little schemes.
Tap. Tap.
Sōgetsu lightly tapped the bronze table twice with his index finger and said in a gentle, even tone, "Here, you may speak freely."
As the oppressive aura faded, Orochimaru secretly let out a breath of relief. However, he no longer dared to look directly at him. Instead, he turned his gaze to the person opposite him, cleared his dry throat, and rasped, "If you do not mind, could you tell me about yourself? I am very interested in what happened to you, Hatake Sakumo."
Hatake Sakumo frowned slightly and silently glanced at the seat of honor, seemingly seeking that person's approval.
"It is fine. Tell him, White Fang."
Sōgetsu smiled faintly and raised his right hand slightly. "The Twilight Hermit Society does not have many tedious rules. You may speak your mind freely here."
Only after receiving permission did Hatake Sakumo slowly begin to speak. His gaze was somewhat lost, and his expression was pained and conflicted. "I suddenly came here a month ago. Like you, I did not believe him at first. But soon... he revealed fate to me."
Revealed... fate?!
The key word in that sentence was not fate, but "revealed." Having keenly seized upon the point, Orochimaru's eyes filled with shock.
"He said that a month later, I would commit suicide." Hatake Sakumo looked bitter as he let out an astringent sigh. "The facts proved that I did indeed walk down that path. As for why I killed myself... as a disciple of the Third Hokage, I imagine you know better than anyone, don't you?"
"Yes, of course I know." Orochimaru gave a mocking sneer. "At the critical juncture before the election of the next Hokage, every destabilizing factor had to be removed."
He paused slightly before sneering in an icy tone, "And you, Hatake Sakumo, Konoha's White Fang—a man who was not directly affiliated with the Hokage's faction, yet possessed immense prestige in Konoha, even surpassing the Legendary Sannin and overshadowing every contender—would naturally become the greatest 'destabilizing factor.'"
"So, I had to die."
Hatake Sakumo lowered his head in pain. He had never imagined that the village he had fought for would ultimately become the blade that claimed his life.
"That is right. You had to die, and your death could not be directly linked to the Hokage." Leaning against his chair, Orochimaru folded his hands and licked his lips. "According to my investigation, the teammate you saved was actually one of Root's people. The source of the public outcry was those people as well."
Root was the Anbu controlled by Danzo. They answered to only one person; even the Hokage could not command them.
As for whether the Third Hokage had anything to do with this matter, that was open to interpretation.
"Yes, driven to a dead end, I could only choose suicide." Hatake Sakumo said bitterly, "I had planned to use my death to end the grievances of this generation, but... he told me that decades from now, Kakashi would die in battle in Konoha."
He could reveal not only the fate of those involved, but even the fates of others?!
Orochimaru's pupils contracted. With White Fang's example before him, although reason told him this might be false, he still could not suppress the tremor in his heart. He stiffly turned his neck, not daring to look into that person's eyes. His gaze rested on the index finger atop the bronze table, and an instinctive trace of reverence entered his voice. "May I ask... what is my fate in the future?"
No one could refuse the temptation of having the future revealed before their eyes.
At that moment, Orochimaru's urge to know the future even surpassed his former desire for immortality.
"The future you..."
Sōgetsu deliberately paused for several seconds, thoroughly whetting Orochimaru's appetite. Meeting the other man's yearning gaze, he said teasingly, "You lost everything."
Boom!
Those calm words were like a bolt of lightning striking from a clear sky.
Orochimaru's mind went blank. He seemed to have crashed completely, utterly stunned.
What did losing everything mean?
"Please tell me, what exactly did I lose?!" Faced with that terrifying future, even Orochimaru could not remain calm. Cold sweat poured down his pale face, and his pair of Pale Gold vertical pupils trembled, leaking wisps of fear.
"Exactly what it sounds like."
Sōgetsu scrutinized Orochimaru's spiritual body. An aura colored by fear rose from it, and he was deeply satisfied. He continued, "You lost the position of Fourth Hokage. You lost your respected Teacher. You lost sincere friendship. You lost the dream you pursued. Until there was nothing left to lose. But the good news is, you were still alive."
"Tch."
White Fang, seated across from him, could not help twitching at the corner of his lips as he looked at Orochimaru with pity.
He might as well have died!
As for Orochimaru, after having his future fate revealed, he slumped in his chair as if drained, his eyes vacant.
His first reaction was that it was impossible.
But then reason told him that, with White Fang's example before him, even if there was only a one-percent chance, he could not face such a future.
Snake Uncle, Snake Uncle. I did not lie to you.
At most, I left out a couple of lines.
Sōgetsu admired the rare sight of Orochimaru's mentality completely collapsing and laughed inwardly.
A moment later, seeming to have finally calmed down, Orochimaru returned to his expressionless state. He let out a long breath, glanced at White Fang across from him, and said thoughtfully, "Since he appeared here, that means his fate has already been changed by you, correct?"
"In a sense, yes."
Sōgetsu leaned forward slightly, resting his right hand beneath his chin. "But do you possess the courage and will to defy fate, Orochimaru?"
He would not make promises for no reason.
Every Gift of Fate had long since had its price marked in secret.
Orochimaru understood the meaning behind his words. He slowly rose from his chair and, like an obedient lamb, lowered his proud head before the shepherd. "I am willing to offer my loyalty and my life, to carry out the Lord's will and submit to the Lord's command. I ask only to break free from fate's shackles!"
"Very good."
A curve rose at the corner of the lips of Uchiha Sōgetsu, and amusement glimmered in his eyes.
At last, after fifteen years, having gathered every necessary condition, he could officially take the first step.
Before you continue