Treating Me Like Their Own Child

"Hehehe..."

Orochimaru chuckled, a trace of mockery hanging on his pale face.

If he hadn't been the one who killed Hyuga Tianyun and stolen the scroll himself, he would have almost believed this airtight deduction.

What a wonderful "Hyuga Greed Theory" this was.

In order to suppress the Hyuga Clan, Danzo really would pour any kind of filth onto them.

However, this actually saved him quite a bit of trouble.

"Sarutobi-sensei... the key now is not to argue about who stole whose things."

Orochimaru walked to the door and turned his head, "The Hyuga Clan has suffered such a disaster and their vitality has been greatly damaged; they will surely be much more obedient from now on."

"The front line against Iwagakure is at a stalemate, and we must ensure that there is no more chaos within the village."

"Sensei, I can understand your current approach, and since the other party has already 'retrieved' the item, they shouldn't appear again in the short term."

"What we should be worrying about now is the situation on the front lines..."

After saying this, Orochimaru bowed slightly, pulled the door open, and walked out.

"..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen watched Orochimaru's disappearing figure, his mood exceptionally complex.

The Orochimaru of the past was only interested in power and experiments, and would never have said such things filled with political considerations and "Hokage-like thinking."

In the past, he might even have made inappropriate, snide remarks.

Nowadays...

"Has he already started learning how to be a mature leader for the sake of that position?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen withdrew his gaze and looked at Tsunade, who was standing in front of the desk with an irritable expression.

"Hmph, since you guys have a solution, then this has nothing to do with me anymore."

Tsunade snorted coldly.

Although she still harbored wariness toward the man named "Qing," she thought about it again: Sarutobi-sensei's strength was still there, and besides Orochimaru, Danzo was also in the village.

Moreover, that golden beam of light from "Qing" last night had clearly come at a great cost.

After figuring this out, she naturally reached out her hand and held it out in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen with a righteous air.

"Pay up. This is my overtime pay for saving lives all night long."

"..."

The corners of Sarutobi Hiruzen's mouth twitched slightly; the originally heavy atmosphere was diluted quite a bit by Tsunade's brazen demand for money.

"If only Tsunade could be as 'mature' as Orochimaru, how good that would be..."

At this moment, inside Konoha Hospital.

Sunlight spilled onto the long, narrow corridor, enveloping Hyuga Qinglan, who was leaning against the railing with his abdomen wrapped in thick bandages.

Under the desperate efforts of the medical team, he had also "miraculously" survived.

He opened his eyes and looked at the streets of Konoha outside the railing, but his thoughts had long since drifted to "Qing."

The brilliant golden light from last night was a masterpiece he had created by condensing most of his own chakra within the Puppet Core.

Although limited by the material of the puppet itself, its power was less than one percent of the true Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, but it was still enough to count as a perfect debut.

"Relying solely on my own chakra transmission, the burden on the body is indeed too great..."

Hyuga Qinglan felt the weakness of the puppet and raised his arm, discovering some fine cracks.

"However, the price is worth it."

He looked not far away at the three jars standing alone.

Three pairs of pure Main Branch Byakugan were quietly soaking in the nutrient solution jars, emitting a charming, eerie glow.

The infighting among those old fogies outside must be running wild right now...

"Greed, prejudice, suspicion..."

"These are the sturdiest barriers of Konoha, and also my best disguise."

Hyuga Qinglan withdrew his thoughts, and a sense of weakness immediately surged from all parts of his body.

However, he didn't care.

Because next...

It would be time for "Hyuga Qinglan," the loyal and devoted victim of the clan, to stand up from the ruins once again.

"Why did you come out?"

A gentle yet reproachful female voice came from the distance.

Yakushi Nono was holding a stack of medical records, looking in surprise at the young man leaning against the railing and staring blankly ahead.

As the medical ninja in charge of this area, she had a deep impression of Hyuga Qinglan.

When he was brought in, his chakra was nearly exhausted, and even his own Byakugan had been pushed far beyond its limits.

To have survived such an explosion was nothing short of a miracle.

"Hurry back to your hospital bed... your body cannot withstand such strain."

Yakushi Nono walked forward urgently, wanting to support him.

"It is alright, Lady Nono..." Hyuga Qinglan turned his head, a heart-wrenching, gentle smile appearing on his pale face.

"It is just that thinking about the Great Elder passing away leaves me feeling empty and a bit sad."

"After all, the Great Elder has treated me like his own son all these years..."

Hearing these words, Yakushi Nono's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Having held down the fort at the Konoha Orphanage alone for many years, Nono had seen many children who were like frightened birds after the fires of war, and she had seen many orphans whose hearts had turned to ash after losing their loved ones.

Yet, whenever this sense of brokenness was presented so intuitively before her, her heart—which had long been tempered into coldness by her career as a spy—would always ripple with waves that were difficult to calm.

"That is truly a pity..." A hoarse and magnetic voice rang out abruptly.

Yakushi Nono's body shuddered violently, and she turned her head with stiff movements.

"Lord Orochimaru..."

"Long time no see, 'Wandering Ninja'."

Orochimaru walked over slowly, though the expression on his face was not at all like someone seeing an old friend.

"Lord Orochimaru... I have already withdrawn from Root."

Yakushi Nono's expression was somewhat complex, but she still said firmly, "The person standing before you now is merely the director of the Konoha Orphanage and a medical ninja of the hospital, Yakushi Nono."

"Hehehehe... Nono, there is no need to be so guarded. I did not come for you today."

Orochimaru did not care about her hostility at all; his gaze moved past Nono and landed on the expressionless Hyuga Qinglan.

"I am here on behalf of my student to visit Lord Qinglan. After all... that child Anko is very worried about her captain."

"But his physical condition still requires quiet rest..."

Yakushi Nono subconsciously stepped to the side, blocking the path in front of Qinglan, her tone filled with defensiveness.

She remembered clearly that Orochimaru often came to the orphanage together with Danzo and Aburame Ryoma to select talented children to join Root.

And now...

Was he actually reaching his hands toward a child of a great clan?

"Nono, when it comes to understanding the human body, my medical expertise... is not necessarily inferior to yours."

Orochimaru crossed his arms, stating the fact in an extremely flat tone, "Besides, Lord Qinglan also has quite remarkable insights into medical matters..."

"Come with me, Lord Qinglan."

Immediately, he took a deep look at Hyuga Qinglan, then turned and walked away.

"Lady Nono, please excuse me."

Hyuga Qinglan bowed slightly in salute, no emotional fluctuations visible on his pale face, and followed in Orochimaru's footsteps without looking back.

Yakushi Nono stood frozen in place, watching the two figures disappear into the end of the dim corridor, her heart filled with a complex mix of emotions.

It was a worry for Hyuga Qinglan's fate, and even more so, a self-loathing for the dark side of her own heart.

Because just this morning, Danzo had issued a secret order that could not be refused.

She was to monitor the movements of all Hyuga clansmen in the hospital in exchange for the orphanage's operating funds for the coming year.

In the end, the desire for those children to survive had triumphed over that sliver of pity in her heart.

She bit her lower lip hard, turned, and vanished into the dark corner.