Nagato and Konan immediately drank the nutrient supplements in their hands. As they felt their bodies gradually warming up, Konan's eyes lit up. She glanced timidly at Uchiha Gen, then carefully put away the glass bottle in her hand.
Elsewhere, Orochimaru sat silently by the fire. When he saw the glass bottles in the three children's hands, his eyes narrowed. He raised a hand, and a long snake slithered out of his sleeve and swallowed the bottle in Yahiko's hand in one gulp.
It happened so quickly that Yahiko jumped in fright.
Uchiha Gen didn't seem to care. He merely shot Orochimaru a cold glance, then turned to Yahiko.
"Do you have any luggage?"
"No... I don't. They took everything."
Yahiko spoke quietly. He still hadn't recovered from the fright caused by the snake just now. But when he looked at Uchiha Gen, perhaps because Gen had given him and the others nutrient supplements, Yahiko didn't seem very afraid of this fierce-looking boy his own age.
"Okay."
Uchiha Gen nodded slightly, then turned back to the fire and paid the three children no further attention.
He had marked all three of them with Flying Thunder God Marks. Even if they tried to leave, he could bring them back at any time.
He wouldn't casually throw away a gift that had been delivered right to his door.
"Taking orphans who bear hostility toward you back to Konoha. Heh, should I say this is just what your Uchiha do?"
After Uchiha Gen sat down, Orochimaru spoke in a quiet, eerie voice.
"No, that's not it. Nagato... Lord Ninja, our relatives died because of the war, not because of any one side! So please believe me, believe Nagato. He... he just can't accept it yet."
As Orochimaru spoke, Yahiko immediately responded anxiously and