Orochimaru was excited.
He had found a new vessel: a Uchiha with Wood Release. Could there be a better vessel?
Faced with the obsessive mad scientist's questions, Yao changed the subject. "Senior Orochimaru, let's make a deal!"
"A deal?"
Orochimaru's slit pupils flickered. "What kind of deal?"
"About eternal life, about the truth of the ninja world... But now isn't the time to talk about it!"
Yao paused, then said meaningfully, "When these Chunin Ninja Exams are over... I'll come find you. Let's end today's fight here!"
Orochimaru's golden eyes narrowed slightly. Come find him?
Did this kid know where he was? What made him so sure?
Yao didn't explain. Earlier, during his first close-range attack, when Chidori pierced Orochimaru,
he had left a Flying Thunder God Formula mark on Orochimaru.
As long as Orochimaru didn't discover and completely remove the mark,
no matter what corner the crafty snake hid in, Yao could appear in front of him in an instant.
Yao paid no more attention to Orochimaru's shifting expression. With a flicker, he returned to Naruto, Sasuke, and Karin.
"Let's go!"
"Huh? We're just leaving?"
Naruto pointed at Orochimaru in the distance. "What... What about him?"
Sasuke kept his eyes fixed on Orochimaru, not daring to let his guard down.
"I can't kill him!"
Yao shook his head and admitted it frankly. "At least for now, I'm not strong enough to keep him here!"
Orochimaru had countless ways to stay alive and escape death.
He would have to be sealed with a technique like the Reaper Death Seal,
or completely erased by a Truth-Seeking Orb.
Otherwise, killing him would be difficult!
The fight had been more about showing his strength, establishing a deterrent, and... leaving himself a backup plan.
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance. Though they were reluctant,
they had to admit it.
This enemy really was as troublesome as a cockroach that wouldn't die. Continuing to fight him would only waste their effort.
"Let's go. Our goal is the scrolls and the tower!"
Yao headed forward.
Sasuke shot Orochimaru a cold glance, suppressed his wariness and desire to grow stronger, then followed Yao.
Naruto pulled Karin, whose legs were still a little shaky, along with him, and hurried after them.
The four quickly left the ravaged battlefield and disappeared into the dense forest.
Orochimaru watched the direction Yao had gone. The murderous intent had vanished from his slit pupils, leaving only curiosity and greed.
"Uchiha Yao... Wood Release... Flying Thunder God... And that strange variant of Lightning Release..."
Orochimaru murmured to himself:
"A deal? Heh... This Uchiha brat has some nerve, daring to make a deal with me!"
"But..."
"I'll be waiting for you!"
"One day, I'll make you my vessel!"
Orochimaru's body slowly melted into a pool of viscous liquid. It flowed down through the gaps between the wooden spikes, seeped into the earth, and disappeared completely.
Only a few bloodstained wooden spikes remained, standing alone.
The forest fell silent once more.
The dense Forest of Death was like an endless green web, swallowing Team 7 once again.
The thick layer of leaf litter beneath their feet was soft and springy, making almost no sound as they walked.
The air was filled with the damp smell of earth and the faint sourness of rotting vegetation.
Karin stayed close behind Yao, looking around anxiously, still shaken behind her glasses.
Naruto could no longer suppress his curiosity and confusion. He moved closer to Yao and asked in a hushed voice:
"Yao, who was that long-tongued guy just now? He seemed strong, but he was so gross!"
Remembering Orochimaru crawling out of a snake's mouth, Naruto couldn't help making a disgusted face.
Sasuke slowed his pace slightly, his ears perking up as well.
Yao kept walking as he explained, "The Third Hokage once had three students!"
"They later became famous throughout the ninja world and were known as... the Legendary Sannin!"
"The Legendary Sannin?"
Naruto blinked. He thought he'd heard Iruka mention that name, but he hadn't remembered it.
"That guy just now was Orochimaru, one of the Sannin!"
"W-what?"
Naruto stopped abruptly, his voice rising without meaning to. "A... the Third Hokage's student?"
"That means!"
"That guy was a Konoha ninja? But... I've never seen him before!"
That creepy, disgusting guy was actually the Hokage's direct student?
Naruto couldn't connect the two of them. They didn't fit together at all!
Sasuke's pupils also contracted slightly. He was deeply shocked.
Yao wasn't surprised by Naruto's reaction. "Because he deserted the village!"
"D-deserted?"
Naruto froze.
The word felt distant to him, but it wasn't unfamiliar.
Desertion!
It meant betraying the village! It was one of the gravest crimes!
Yao's voice remained even. "That guy was obsessed with uncovering the secrets of life and forbidden powers. He especially liked conducting human experiments."
"He used living people for all kinds of cruel research, trying to gain greater power and even pursue immortality."
"The Uchiha's Sharingan and the First Hokage's Wood Release were both things he coveted and studied!"
"His experiments seriously violated the village's laws."
"Then his crimes were exposed, and the Third Hokage discovered what he was doing!"
"Orochimaru fled the village and became a wanted S-Class Rogue Ninja!"
Naruto's throat went dry.
The Third Hokage's student, pursuing power, betraying the village...
The information was so hard to believe that Naruto struggled to accept it. Could even a Hokage's student betray Konoha?
Why would he do that?
He was the Hokage's student!
"Why would that guy named Orochimaru show up here if he deserted the village?"
Sasuke asked what was on his mind.
Yao glanced at him with a faintly amused smile. "Who knows? Maybe he's after your Sharingan?"
"My Sharingan?!"
Sasuke stopped abruptly, his eyes full of wariness. "You mean... that guy came after me?"
"It's possible!"
Yao nodded. "In the entire ninja world, the Uchiha who are still alive and have the Sharingan are..."
"Just you and our older brother, Uchiha Itachi!"
Yao spread his hands and said in an almost teasing tone:
"With Orochimaru's strength, I doubt he could beat Itachi."
"So he could only come after you, his foolish little brother."
If Yao remembered correctly,
Orochimaru had become obsessed with the Sharingan after Uchiha Itachi had thoroughly beaten him with an Illusion Technique.
He wanted to take over a body with the Sharingan and use it as his new vessel.
In the original story, Orochimaru had also used power and the truth as bait, leading Sasuke step by step into darkness.
He had planned to transfer into Sasuke's body three years later, but the transfer failed, and Sasuke swallowed him instead.
All his knowledge, ninjutsu, experience, chakra...
They all ended up benefiting Sasuke!
"Damn it!"
Sasuke slammed his fist into the trunk of a nearby tree.
Uchiha Itachi!
Uchiha Itachi again!
Even this disgusting Rogue Ninja had turned his sights on Sasuke only because he couldn't beat that man?
Was Sasuke... just a second-best replacement?
Sasuke was furious.
Seeing his little brother's face twisted with rage and humiliation, Yao reached out and patted his shoulder.
"But don't worry too much. With me around, Orochimaru shouldn't come after you again so easily!"
The strength Yao had just displayed was enough to make Orochimaru wary.
Until he figured out what Yao was capable of, that crafty snake probably wouldn't target Sasuke again.
At least, not openly!
But then Yao's tone shifted, and a hint of mischievous amusement appeared on his face.
"Of course, if you secretly lose your mind and run off to Orochimaru for power..."
"I won't stop you either. You know me, little brother. I've always been the most open-minded big brother!"
Sasuke was so incensed by those words that he almost choked. He glared at Yao. "I'd never go to that disgusting guy!"
He spoke with absolute conviction, his voice thick with disgust.
Yes, Sasuke's mindset had changed greatly.
If Orochimaru had truly shown strength so overwhelming that it left him hopeless,
Sasuke really might have been tempted to seek power for revenge.
He would have been willing to take that risk.
But!
Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, had repeatedly come up short against Yao.
He hadn't been killed, but he had clearly been outmatched and left in a sorry state.
If he couldn't even beat Yao, Sasuke would have to be an idiot to join a loser like him.
Seeing the anger and disdain in Sasuke's eyes, Yao raised an eyebrow.
Had his foolish little brother really changed his mind already?
Hopefully, he'd still feel the same way after his next encounter with Uchiha Itachi, when he got beaten up again.
"All right, stop wasting time. Hurry up and find the Scroll of Earth. We need to get out of here!"
Before you continue