Konoha.
An old, dilapidated residence.
Beneath the quiet night sky.
The bright moonlight spilled across the ground.
Orochimaru sat quietly on a cushion, wearing a white kimono that left his chest bare. His mind was immersed in the cultivation of his soul.
Ever since Ao had pointed out that Living Corpse Reincarnation damaged the soul, Orochimaru had made a habit of spending two hours every night cultivating his soul after splitting it.
He was healing the wounds left by the forbidden technique tearing his soul apart.
The results were clear.
At least the torn parts of his soul no longer throbbed faintly while he slept.
The soft, scattered noises around him did not disturb Orochimaru's cultivation.
He focused intently on every step.
As if he were conducting a study.
Suddenly.
There was a commotion at the courtyard gate.
Then Orochimaru heard more than a dozen people surrounding the entire courtyard.
Orochimaru slowly opened his eyes. His vertical pupils gave off a faint yellow glow in the darkness.
"Teacher... you've come, and with quite a crowd... Are you so old you can't walk anymore? Did you need this many people to escort you here...?"
Orochimaru chuckled softly. He picked up the two teacups in front of him and set them down, then raised the teapot and poured them each a cup.
"I don't have enough tea here for all of you..."
There was only one pot of tea.
Just enough for one guest.
"Orochimaru, come back with me!"
"If you leave with me, I can cover up everything you've done in the past. I'll let bygones be bygones!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen, dressed in a black combat uniform, pushed open the wooden door and walked up to Orochimaru, looking down at him.
"Teacher, do you think I'd go back with you? You know... I have no interest in the village's affairs. Otherwise... Namikaze Minato wouldn't have taken the Hokage Position back then."
Orochimaru pushed a cup of tea toward him and spoke from the heart.
He hoped his teacher would understand.
They were pursuing different things.
"Have some tea, Teacher... Perhaps this is the last time I'll call you that here in the village."
The tea had cooled a little.
Sarutobi Hiruzen paused, then bent down and picked up the cup from the tea table. He brought it to his lips and took a small sip.
The tea was strong.
Slightly bitter.
Not fragrant.
"How long has it been since you last made tea? You can't even get the water temperature right anymore."
Sarutobi Hiruzen commented.
His fingers tightened around the rim of the cup until his knuckles turned white.
Orochimaru picked up his own cup and examined it closely. His gaze turned distant as he said, "Teacher, you came too late. Besides, you know I don't like making tea..."
"I only learned to make this tea after one of my students brewed it for me."
"A student? Anko... She can't make tea."
"I took on another student recently. His name is Ao. He told me..."
"Tea only needs to keep you alert. Spending time learning how to make it is a waste of precious time."
"All these trivial matters can be left to him. I only need to focus on doing what I enjoy."
As he spoke, a smile spread across Orochimaru's face.
"You value this student of yours a lot!"
"Is he really worth all that attention?"
"Anko told me he was the one who led you into conducting those experiments..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen found Orochimaru strangely unfamiliar. It was as if, ever since Nawaki died, Orochimaru had never smiled again.
He had not seen a smile like that on his student's face in a long time.
He felt a flicker of curiosity about the student Orochimaru had mentioned.
"Teacher."
"That's what I wanted to do. It had nothing to do with anyone else."
"You still love meddling in other people's business, imposing your own will on their choices... You're nearly dead already. Stop worrying about so much and hand the Hokage Position over to the younger generation!"
"That way, you might live a few more years."
After speaking, Orochimaru paused. His gaze settled on his teacher's aged face and graying temples.
At some point, the years had quietly carved their marks into his face.
Though his teacher hid it well.
Orochimaru could still clearly tell that his teacher's presence had become unsteady.
His strength had also begun to decline.
His body was no longer responding as it once had.
His teacher.
He was getting old.
And death was not far off.
"Death isn't the end, Orochimaru! As long as what you do has meaning, there's nothing to fear, even in death."
"If you hurt the people who matter and endanger the village just to stay alive, you might as well die right now!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen set down his teacup, his tone full of menace.
He tried to stir up whatever remained of Orochimaru's loyalty to Konoha.
"Come with me! Stop your research and hand over all your results. The village will treat you with dignity."
That was the greatest concession he could offer.
He was risking impeachment from the Hokage Position and condemnation from the village.
He still wanted to give his student a chance.
"It's too late, Teacher..."
Orochimaru downed the tea in his cup. A bitter taste crept down his throat.
He could not tell whether it was the tea or his heart that was bitter.
"I can't turn back anymore!"
This time, with Uchiha Ao's warning, he had made every possible preparation in advance.
Before he left.
He would say a proper farewell to his teacher!
Smack!
The Third's expression changed. He slammed a hand on the table. The warmth vanished from his face, replaced by a savage, cold look.
If they couldn't reach an agreement, he would have to use force to capture Orochimaru and take him back!
Crash!
The teacup shattered against the floor.
Before Sarutobi Hiruzen could make a move.
Orochimaru had already struck first. He abruptly raised both arms, his hands completing Hand Seals from inside his sleeves.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
In an instant, the tea table burst apart. More than a dozen poisonous snakes surged from Orochimaru's sleeves, rushing straight for Sarutobi Hiruzen's face.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen had been ready. The moment the snakes reached him, a wall of earth rose in front of him.
Then he beckoned.
"Summoning: Enma!"
White smoke erupted from the ground. A dark figure appeared from within it and instantly transformed into a black iron staff, which landed in Sarutobi Hiruzen's hand.
Sarutobi Hiruzen swept it casually.
The snakes surging in from every direction were crushed into a mass of pulp by the black staff in his hand.
Orochimaru's body was crushed along with them.
But the moment the shredded flesh scattered, it suddenly burst apart into pieces of thin snake skin.
A shed skin?
That was fast!
Sarutobi Hiruzen furrowed his brows as a sense of foreboding rose in him. He turned and rushed out of the room, spotting Orochimaru's newly emerged figure in a corner of the courtyard.
"Sarutobi... why are you attacking Orochimaru!?"
Enma hadn't figured out what was going on and asked in surprise.
"You and Orochimaru haven't sparred in more than ten years. You're both getting on in years, and you're still testing your student's fighting skills? Or have you finally decided to hand the Hokage Position over to Orochimaru...?"
Enma knew Orochimaru well. Before Sarutobi Hiruzen became Hokage, Enma had often fought Orochimaru and taught him how to fight.
In his early days, Orochimaru's fighting style had a lot in common with Sarutobi Hiruzen's.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen had stopped fighting as much later on.
After Orochimaru made a contract with Ryūchi Cave, his fighting style had taken on some snake-like qualities.
"Enma... Orochimaru has defected!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen could only give a brief explanation, urging Enma to take the situation seriously.
Before Enma could react,
A fresh commotion erupted in the courtyard!
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Orochimaru attacked again.
The fireball he spat from his mouth was more than ten meters across. It engulfed the entire building in an instant, flames covering the wooden walls and swallowing Sarutobi Hiruzen inside.
Boom!
A loud explosion rang out.
The Adamantine Staff in Sarutobi Hiruzen's hands suddenly extended, sweeping through the entire building and bringing it crashing down.
The next second.
A black figure burst from the rubble.
In an instant, he appeared right in front of Orochimaru.
Clang!
Orochimaru's right hand emerged from his long sleeve. A gleaming sword thrust forward.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was ready.
A pair of black hands suddenly appeared on the Adamantine Staff, gripping the blade of the Kusanagi Sword.
But Orochimaru's left hand transformed into a large black snake, which sank its teeth into Sarutobi Hiruzen's calf.
At the same time, the black Adamantine Staff grew several times longer, sending Orochimaru flying more than a hundred meters before he crashed into a stone wall and came to a stop.
As Enma released his grip, blood trickled down, and the Kusanagi Sword flew back with a whoosh.
Orochimaru pried himself out from beneath the wall. He raised his left hand, pinched his sleeve, and wiped the corner of his mouth. Pale red blood smeared across his white clothes.
Crack...
He gently twisted his right foot, setting the broken bones back into place.
"Teacher, your Taijutsu seems a little slower. Could it be that you really are getting old?"
Orochimaru spoke softly, a slight smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
Before you continue