Treating Me Like His Own Child

"Hehehe..."

Orochimaru chuckled, a hint of mockery on his pale face.

If he hadn't been the one to kill Hyuga Tianyun and steal the scroll, he might almost have believed this airtight line of reasoning.

What a fine "the Hyuga Clan's greed brought disaster upon them" argument.

Danzo would pour any kind of filth into the mix if it meant suppressing the Hyuga Clan.

Still, this saved him quite a bit of trouble.

"Teacher Sarutobi... The point now isn't to argue over who stole whose things."

Orochimaru walked to the door and turned his head. "The Hyuga Clan has suffered such a calamity and been severely weakened. They'll surely keep a lower profile from now on."

"The front against Iwagakure is deadlocked. We have to make sure nothing else goes wrong within the village."

"Teacher, I understand what you're doing. And since the other party has already 'taken back' what they wanted, they probably won't show up again in the short term."

"What we should be worrying about now is the front line..."

With that, Orochimaru inclined his head slightly, opened the door, and left.

"..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen watched Orochimaru disappear, his feelings unusually conflicted.

In the past, Orochimaru had only been interested in power and experiments. He would never have said anything so politically minded, so full of "Hokage thinking."

He might even have made a tactless, sarcastic remark.

But now...

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

Sarutobi Hiruzen turned his gaze to Tsunade, who stood before his desk with an irritated look on her face.

"Hmph. Since you've come up with a solution, what happens next has nothing to do with me."

Tsunade snorted.

Though she still felt wary of the man named Ao, when she thought it over, Teacher Sarutobi was still powerful, and besides Orochimaru, Danzo was also in the village.

And that golden beam Ao had unleashed last night had clearly come at a tremendous cost.

Having figured that out, she naturally held out her hand in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen, palm up, with complete confidence.

"Pay up. This is my overtime fee for staying up all night saving people."

"..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's mouth twitched slightly. Tsunade's shameless demand for money had eased the tense atmosphere somewhat.

"If only Tsunade could be a little more 'mature,' like Orochimaru..."

--

Meanwhile, inside Konoha Hospital.

Sunlight poured over the long, narrow corridor, enveloping Hyuga Qinglan as he leaned against the railing, his abdomen wrapped in thick bandages.

Thanks to the medical team's desperate efforts, he had "miraculously" survived.

He opened his eyes and gazed out at Konoha's streets, but his thoughts had already drifted to Ao.

The dazzling golden light last night had been his masterpiece, created by gathering most of the chakra inside the Puppet Core.

Though the puppet's material limited its power to less than one percent of the real Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, it had still made for a near-perfect debut.

"Transmitting chakra directly through the body really puts too much strain on it..."

Feeling the puppet's weakness, Hyuga Qinglan raised his arm and saw several fine cracks.

"But the price was worth it."

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

Three pairs of pure Main Branch Byakugan lay quietly submerged in nutrient fluid, gleaming with an enchanting light.

Those old schemers outside must be scrambling around by now...

"Greed, prejudice, suspicion..."

"These are Konoha's strongest barriers, and my finest disguise."

Hyuga Qinglan drew his thoughts back, and weakness immediately swept through his body.

But he didn't care.

Because next...

It was time for Hyuga Qinglan, the family's loyal victim, to rise from the ruins.

"Why did you get out of bed?"

A woman's gentle voice, tinged with reproach, came from down the corridor.

Yakushi Nonō was holding a stack of medical records. She stared in surprise at the boy leaning against the railing, lost in thought.

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

When he was brought in, his chakra had been almost completely depleted, and even his Byakugan had been pushed far beyond its limits.

Surviving an explosion like that was nothing short of a miracle.

"Get back to bed at once... Your body can't take this kind of strain."

Yakushi Nonō hurried over, reaching out to support him.

"It's all right, Lady Nonō..." Hyuga Qinglan turned around, his pale face breaking into a gentle smile that tugged at the heart.

"I just feel a little sad thinking about the Great Elder's death. It leaves me feeling empty."

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

Hearing this, Yakushi Nonō's heart gave a sudden pang.

After years of holding the orphanage together on her own, Nonō had seen children left jumpy and frightened by war, and orphans whose hearts had turned to ash after losing their loved ones.

Yet whenever that sense of brokenness appeared right before her eyes, her heart—hardened by years as a spy—would still stir with waves of emotion she could scarcely calm.

"That really is a pity..." A hoarse, resonant voice broke in without warning.

Yakushi Nonō shuddered, then turned around stiffly.

"Lord Orochimaru..."

"It's been a long time, 'Shrine Maiden.'"

Orochimaru approached slowly, though there wasn't the slightest hint of warmth in his expression, as if he were seeing an old friend.

"Lord Orochimaru... I've already left Root."

Yakushi Nonō's expression was complicated, but she spoke with resolve. "I'm now just the director of Konoha Orphanage and a medical ninja at the hospital. I'm Yakushi Nonō."

"Hehehehe... Nonō, there's no need to be so guarded. I'm not here for you today."

Orochimaru paid no mind to her hostility. His gaze passed over Nonō and settled on the expressionless Hyuga Qinglan.

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

"But his condition still requires rest..."

Yakushi Nonō instinctively stepped in front of Qinglan, her voice full of wariness.

She clearly remembered how Orochimaru often came to the orphanage with Danzo and Aburame Ryoma to select talented children for Root.

And now...

Had he set his sights on the children of a powerful clan as well?

"Nonō, when it comes to understanding the body, my medical skills... may not be inferior to yours."

Orochimaru folded his arms and stated the facts in a perfectly even tone. "Besides, Lord Qinglan has considerable insight into medicine himself..."

"Come with me, Lord Qinglan."

Then he gave Hyuga Qinglan a long look before turning and walking away.

"Lady Nonō, please excuse me."

Hyuga Qinglan bowed slightly. No emotion showed on his pale face as he followed Orochimaru without looking back.

Yakushi Nonō stood frozen, watching their figures disappear at the end of the dim corridor, her heart a tangle of emotions.

She worried about Hyuga Qinglan's fate, but she also despised the darkness within herself.

That morning, Danzo had issued an order she could not refuse:

Monitor the movements of every Hyuga in the hospital in exchange for a year's worth of funding for the orphanage.

In the end, her desire to keep those children alive had overcome the small trace of pity in her heart.

She bit her lower lip hard, then turned and slipped into a dark corner.