Orochimaru!

Of course, that was only one possibility.

He stood in the shadows of the forest, thoughts churning through his mind, prepared for the possibility that he would fail to find Orochimaru.

Though the power of the Cursed Seal was tempting, it was not indispensable to him.

Besides, a knowing curve formed at the corner of Minamoto Takuya's mouth. He knew Orochimaru's ultimate destination like the back of his hand.

The Land of Rice Fields—although his arrival had stirred ripples in the river of fate, Orochimaru's final choice would almost certainly remain unchanged.

The Land of Rice Fields was not some place chosen on a whim. It was a lair that snake had carefully selected after weighing the pros and cons.

Unless conditions there changed drastically, or a more perfect refuge suddenly appeared... Orochimaru's path of escape would ultimately lead to that land.

But this time, would Orochimaru still betray the Akatsuki Organization and flee in disgrace, just as in his memories, after coveting Uchiha Itachi's Sharingan?

It was an ironic memory.

The most direct trigger for Orochimaru's betrayal of Akatsuki was his crushing defeat before Itachi, one so swift it had nearly made him a laughingstock.

Of course, the deeper driving force was the irreconcilable clash between their ambitions.

Akatsuki's goal was worlds apart from Orochimaru's ultimate pursuit of immortality and supreme ninjutsu.

Loyalty? What a joke.

For someone like Orochimaru, betrayal was the inevitable ending. The only question was when.

Minamoto Takuya gave a slight shake of his head and cast those stray thoughts aside.

"Orochimaru... Uchiha Itachi..."

Minamoto Takuya silently repeated the two names, his gaze dark and solemn.

Then, a detail struck him like lightning.

According to the records, Uchiha Itachi had only awakened his Sharingan at the age of eight.

That was nearly two years after