Qingguang-kun, You Are Not Alone—I'm Just Like You

"I was through these two pairs of Sharingan that I discovered the remarkable reaction between Wood Release and the Sharingan."

Even now, Orochimaru clearly remembered the impulse he had felt when this bold hypothesis first surfaced, as well as the sight he had witnessed during his first hands-on experiment.

Wood Release Chakra, which would instantly spiral out of control inside an ordinary person's body, was injected into the Sharingan. Even after the eyes had been removed from their owner's body, they still radiated a striking blood-red glow. Such beauty was several times rarer than precious rubies—a sight he had never seen before.

Unfortunately, these two pairs of Sharingan ultimately failed to withstand the power of Wood Release. Their cells burst apart, Wood Release Chakra overflowed, and they eventually became like this.

Just as Orochimaru was still immersed in that beautiful memory, he suddenly sensed a cold, sinister Chakra emanating from Qingguang, along with bloody tears streaming down his cheeks.

"This is...!"

The spinning Sharingan grew increasingly crimson. Orochimaru could even clearly sense the Yin Release Chakra within Qingguang's eyes continuously increasing.

Orochimaru had fought countless battles and had carried out missions alongside Uchiha ninja before.

The tomoe in the Sharingan were spinning at high speed. This was clearly the sign of the Sharingan gaining tomoe and evolving.

But Qingguang already possessed the Three Tomoe Sharingan. His Sharingan had already evolved to its peak, so why was such a change still occurring?

Could it be that beyond the Three Tomoe Sharingan, there existed an even more powerful form of Sharingan?

The moment that thought arose, Orochimaru was startled by his own deduction.

The changes in Qingguang's eyes soon ceased. He restrained his emotions and said, "Even if these Sharingan really were removed from the corpses of those two clansmen, Lord Danzo only told me this well-intentioned lie for the sake of Wood Release and the village."

"Lord Hokage once said that sometimes, a well-intentioned lie can lessen another person's pain."

Qingguang was still searching for reasons and excuses for Danzo. Yet as he spoke, he lowered his head to wipe away his bloody tears, trying to conceal the uncertainty on his face. He did not dare meet Orochimaru's eyes again.

Seeing Qingguang like this, Orochimaru understood that the child's trust in Danzo was already on the verge of collapse. If not for Teacher Sarutobi's influence, he would probably have immediately thrown himself under Orochimaru's wing and become his loyal dog.

Still, this was not bad. He had a backup plan.

"Qingguang, you're right. Teacher Sarutobi did indeed say that."

"But what if someone exploited Teacher Sarutobi's trust and used the Hokage's name to satisfy his own selfish desires?"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"Lord Danzo could never do something like that!"

Qingguang's emotions surged again. One blow after another had left him deeply shaken. Even his originally bright black eyes had dimmed, becoming lifeless.

"Lord Danzo would absolutely never betray Lord Hokage. Absolutely never..."

By now, the seed of doubt had already begun to sprout. Even though Orochimaru had not explicitly named Danzo, Qingguang would still think of him.

This was enough for now. He only wanted to obtain this sapling, not destroy it.

Orochimaru stepped forward, placed a hand on Qingguang's shoulder, and shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Qingguang-kun, you must understand. I am Lord Hokage's disciple, and my feelings for him are no less than yours."

"From the very beginning, when I joined Root, it was an order personally assigned to me by Teacher Sarutobi. Just as you were sent back to the Uchiha, you are the second person to know this."

A trace of light returned to Qingguang's eyes. He looked up at Orochimaru in shock. "You too...?"

"That's right. Bearing everything alone is painful, but what we bear is Teacher Sarutobi's trust."

"For the village, no matter how many difficulties we encounter, we must persevere."

"I only want to tell you that you are not alone. I am just like you—we are both easing Teacher Sarutobi's burdens."

"Think back. Why was Teacher Sarutobi able to arrive so promptly at the place where you first underwent surgery?"

Qingguang suddenly came to his senses and blurted out the answer instinctively. "Could it have been you, Senior Orochimaru!?"

Orochimaru simply walked forward at an unhurried pace without answering. Instead, he raised another question that sent a chill down Qingguang's spine. "After all, I am a ninja Teacher Sarutobi assigned to Root. Danzo cannot possibly trust me completely. But you are different. He approached you of his own accord. Only you can uncover a conspiracy that even I failed to discover."

"Qingguang, everything is for Lord Hokage, for the village."

His words echoed beside Qingguang's ears, but Orochimaru had already vanished.

Through the information relayed by his Shadow Clone, he had received another new assignment.

Although he was intensely eager to discover whether a form beyond the Three Tomoe Sharingan existed, he would soon have his answer as Qingguang accepted repeated injections of Wood Release cells.

For now, he needed to focus all his attention on the Hyuga Clan.

After the wedding banquet ended, Mikoto looked around, hoping to find Qingguang, but she failed to spot him for a long time.

"Seriously, why did Senior disappear the moment the wedding ended?"

Mikoto lowered her head and looked at the bouquet in her hands. She had struggled to snatch it during the bouquet toss.

To win these flowers for Qingguang, she had even called Kushina and Nawaki over to help.

Unfortunately, she had gotten the flowers, but she could not find him anywhere.

Just as Mikoto stared at the fresh flowers in her arms, at a loss over what to do, Qingguang slowly emerged from the shrine. He had removed the cumbersome ceremonial attire and changed back into his original uniform bearing the Police Department insignia.

"Mikoto, the wedding is over. Aren't you going home with Uncle Shifang?"

The voice she had been hoping to hear sounded beside her. Mikoto looked up and saw the senior she had been thinking about walking toward her.

Without the slightest hesitation, Mikoto jogged over to Qingguang and looked up at his face, dampened by water stains.

"What did you just go off to do, Senior? I thought the moment the wedding ended, you—the officiant—would've run off."

"How could I? Those clothes were too thick and uncomfortable, so I went to change. I also washed my face while I was at it."

"Were you looking for me?"

Qingguang raised a hand and tucked the strands at Mikoto's temple, slightly tousled by the autumn breeze, behind her ear. A satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"Short hair looks nice too. Very spirited."

That intimate gesture made Mikoto's heart race wildly, thumping against her chest as her ears turned bright red.

"I have something for you..." Mikoto's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, too soft for Qingguang to hear clearly.

"What did you say?" Qingguang leaned forward slightly and turned an ear toward her.

At that moment, Mikoto knew not where she found the courage. Rising onto her tiptoes, she boldly leaned closer.

The brief contact between her soft pink lips and his cheek vanished in an instant.

She even forgot to give him the flowers. Using the bouquet to hide her face, Mikoto fled into the distance at top speed.

Qingguang was left standing there in utter confusion, still not quite understanding what had happened. He subconsciously touched his cheek, then scratched at it blankly with a finger.

Not far away, Tsunade suddenly stopped walking, her right eyebrow twitching twice.