Perfect Vessel

Orochimaru hadn't been gravely wounded during his defection, so in theory, he'd had much more time to prepare for his first reincarnation.

Ao hadn't expected him to have made plans so quickly.

He followed Orochimaru into his temporary residence.

The place had been transformed beyond recognition. All the belongings and books that had been stored there temporarily were gone.

Nothing had been left on the bookshelves.

The room had become empty.

It looked like he'd moved out some time ago.

"Ao, I've found a new place to stay. Do you want to move there with me?"

Orochimaru asked.

He hadn't spent his time in Ryūchi Cave doing nothing. He'd already arranged for several trusted subordinates outside to scout out places for them to stay.

Although he had a good relationship with Ryūchi Cave,

Orochimaru didn't like staying on someone else's turf for too long—especially when the owner, the White Snake Sage, was a partner with ulterior motives.

"When are we leaving?"

Ao asked, looking toward the two children not far away. Jugo's honest, guileless nature had already helped him grow close to Kimimaro.

Jugo held a small roasted potato in his hands. He took a little bite first, then offered it to Kimimaro.

Considering how young the children were, living in Ryūchi Cave, a place without sunlight, wasn't good for their development. The damp, gloomy environment would do them no favors.

Kimimaro in particular was already very frail.

And after two years of abuse, his body was severely malnourished.

No wonder Kimimaro would die young of a Kekkei Genkai disease in the future.

"Now."

Orochimaru followed Ao's gaze and noticed the two little children.

"Are these the two children you brought back? Which one belongs to the clan with Ice Release?"

Ao shook his head. "Neither. The taller one is the younger brother, Jugo. The White Snake Sage sent him over. The other is a member of the Kaguya Clan, with the Shikotsumyaku bodily Kekkei Genkai you once told me about, Sensei."

Orochimaru fell silent for a moment. Had this kid never been on a mission?

How had he forgotten everything he'd been told?

He needed a member of the Yuki Clan!

Why had Ao brought back two completely unrelated children?

If he'd done this on a mission in Konoha, he'd have had to commit seppuku on the spot!

At first, Orochimaru had thought Ao was a little scatterbrained, suited to intellectual work—as a competent source of inspiration and research assistant.

He hadn't thought Ao was suited to fieldwork.

But he hadn't expected the kid to stray so far off course on his mission.

"What about the Yuki Clan member?"

Orochimaru asked, instinctively pinching his chin as his brow furrowed slightly.

"She's on her way. Those children are all older, and I'm worried they won't make it past the White Snake Sage's test..."

Ao replied. Everyone who entered Ryūchi Cave had to pass three trials, and he didn't have nearly as much clout with the White Snake Sage as Orochimaru did.

Kimimaro had been allowed to come along because he was so young and posed no threat.

With Jugo there as well, the White Snake Sage had ultimately decided not to hold it against him.

But if they were talking about the other Yuki Clan children, who were around ten years old, they probably wouldn't get off so easily.

"Will they be able to find us?"

Orochimaru looked at Ao suspiciously. The Yuki Clan had been targeted by Kirigakure. Would those children be able to escape the Kirigakure Ninja pursuing them?

"I left your Cursed Seal on one of the key people. It carries your soul's chakra signature, so no matter where she hides, we'll be able to find her easily."

Ao replied.

"So that's why you asked me for a Cursed Seal forbidden technique before setting out—you wanted to leave a tracking mark!"

"Fine. Once I've settled in, I'll send someone to bring them to the new base."

Orochimaru nodded. He suddenly remembered Ao's trip to Kirigakure. After they'd eaten together, Ao had asked for a Cursed Seal scroll before leaving.

He rarely used that thing, preferring to preserve formulas inside living snakes.

So Orochimaru had given Ao a summoned snake instead.

"What are these two children called?"

Orochimaru walked over to Kimimaro and examined his frail body. Judging by his bone age alone, he was at least two years old.

But he was smaller than a one-year-old child.

His white hair had no shine, like strands of pale, withered grass—dry and coarse.

His face was filthy, making his features hard to see.

Only the two red dots around his eyes were faintly visible.

"A Kaguya Clan appearance, no doubt..."

Orochimaru nodded thoughtfully.

For some reason, the name Kimimaro seemed to suit him perfectly.

"Su... Su-su... Snake... Un..."

Kimimaro, who usually showed fear around strangers, didn't resist when Orochimaru approached. Instead, as if he'd met a relative, he shakily reached out and grabbed Orochimaru's pant leg, calling softly to him.

Ao's lips twitched when he heard it.

Snake Uncle?

Kimimaro really was fated to meet Orochimaru!

"Uncle?"

Orochimaru froze. It was the first time anyone had addressed him that way.

Something stirred within him.

It felt pretty good.

He reached out and gently stroked Kimimaro's head. "This child is too weak. If you want him to become a capable assistant someday, he'll need proper care."

"Sensei, he awakened the Shikotsumyaku at birth. He's a highly valued child in the Kaguya Clan, and once he grows up, he could become your perfect reincarnation vessel."

Ao explained. There was no doubt about Kimimaro's talent. If he didn't develop a Kekkei Genkai disease, he was certain to become a Kage Level powerhouse.

The Shikotsumyaku gave him exceptional talent in Taijutsu.

"Born with the Shikotsumyaku? That's interesting."

Orochimaru nodded slightly. His hand paused, and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

"Was this the White Snake Sage's doing?"

As he spoke, he looked over at Jugo, who stood dumbfounded nearby. The boy gazed timidly at Kimimaro, his face full of wariness and fear toward Orochimaru. He didn't dare come closer.

But he didn't leave, either. He watched his new friend Kimimaro with concern.

He was worried Orochimaru might hurt him.

Jugo was only two, but he was already capable of thought.

He was a sensitive, loyal boy who valued friendship.

"That's right, Sensei. This guy was born with a Sage Body. He can absorb Natural Energy on his own and condense Senjutsu Chakra. If he learns how to draw in Natural Energy, his growth potential will be considerable."

Ao picked Jugo up from the ground and brought him over to Orochimaru.

"He can naturally resonate with the most violent kind of Natural Energy, the kind most closely connected to Ryūchi Cave. I suspect he has something to do with the White Snake Sage."

Orochimaru replied at once:

"There's no need to suspect anything. He's one of the White Snake Sage's experiments—just an unsuccessful product."

"Because of the White Snake Sage, that clan gained an affinity for Natural Energy, but they didn't inherit snake genes, so they couldn't control its violent power. Once the Natural Energy inside them reached a certain level, they went berserk, lost their minds, and began destroying everything around them without even realizing it."

It was clear he knew the origins of Jugo's clan. He might even have investigated them specifically.

After confirming it,

he'd sentenced the entire clan to death.

They could never become his vessels because of the White Snake Sage.

"Ao, one of my men in the Land of Rice Fields has found a perfect vessel. That's why I'm in such a hurry to get there—I don't want the White Snake Sage to discover it."

Orochimaru lowered his voice as well.

He had his own little plans.

He wasn't on the White Snake Sage's side. Ever since he'd refused to take Jugo in and rejected him as a substitute vessel, he'd probably already guessed some of the White Snake Sage's intentions.

"The child is about your age."

Perfect vessel...

Ao paused when he heard that, but a name soon came to mind.

Itachi Uchiha!

Wasn't he still young? Besides, Orochimaru had no real connection to Itachi.

So Itachi Uchiha was out.

Could it be him!?

Ao thought of another name.

Shin Uchiha!

One of the minor villains of the future.

An experimental subject of Orochimaru's, he had Sharingan implanted all over his body without suffering any rejection.

A fool whose mind was full of extreme ideas.

He fanatically worshipped Itachi Uchiha, a disgrace who'd slaughtered his own clan.

He even treated him as his spiritual idol.

Utterly ridiculous.

Shin had probably been taken in by Orochimaru around this time.

But he was just an ordinary person with no Kekkei Genkai, so Orochimaru probably wouldn't have valued him much at first.

Orochimaru had treated Shin as nothing more than an ordinary subordinate.

Later, Shin had willingly sacrificed his body to become one of Orochimaru's test subjects, and only then had he earned Orochimaru's attention.

Ao had originally thought Orochimaru meant Shin when he mentioned the perfect vessel. But when he followed Orochimaru to the base, he realized it was someone else entirely.