"Yuan, this was the first formal meeting between us. I've been watching you this whole time. You've given me far too many surprises—far too many pleasant ones."
Orochimaru stood atop a treetop, his eyes filled with admiration as he looked at Uchiha Yuan.
Uchiha Yuan continued gazing at the moon in the night sky. "You flatter me, Lord Orochimaru. I merely did my utmost to kill the enemy."
Orochimaru chuckled. "Yuan, I've been observing you since the day you arrived. You're very special. I can sense that you're different from the other genin who have just graduated from the academy. Heh heh, Fierce Tiger—being bestowed a title by the enemy isn't treatment an ordinary ninja receives."
At that, a flicker of surprise arose in Uchiha Yuan's heart. He knew his performance on the battlefield would draw Orochimaru's attention, but he had never expected to catch his eye on the very first day he arrived.
Uchiha Yuan spoke up. "Lord Orochimaru, are you paying such close attention to me because I'm an Uchiha?"
Orochimaru turned around, his serpentine eyes studying Uchiha Yuan with interest. A sinister smile appeared on his face. "No. It's because of the scent you left behind in the Death Forest."
Uchiha Yuan immediately recalled his encounter with Orochimaru in the Death Forest. He could not help but reveal a helpless smile. "Those snakes, then? They must all be your eyes, sir."
Orochimaru merely smiled. Then he extended his snake-like tongue to lick his lips, his face displaying the excitement of a predator that had spotted prey. "Yuan, the more I observe you, the more interested I become. I'm almost unable to restrain myself. I truly want to put you on a dissecting table and study you properly right away!"
As his words fell, an incomparably fierce killing