A Little Show-Off

Genkawa Uchiha did not answer the question directly, instead asking, "Did Lord Orochimaru come here just to ask me that?"

Orochimaru licked his lips, his long tongue looking rather bizarre.

"Of course not, I simply came to see how you are doing, Genkawa-kun."

Genkawa Uchiha remained silent, watching Orochimaru quietly.

Orochimaru wore a smile, meeting his gaze.

Neither of them spoke further, and the atmosphere shifted from silent to heavy.

Genkawa Uchiha's expression remained unchanged; he stood there in a relaxed, casual posture.

After all, he had only just arrived at the training ground, and his previous practice hadn't even counted as a warm-up.

Orochimaru, meanwhile, kept his smile.

Time ticked away, second by second...

"Heh."

Finally, it was Orochimaru who lost his patience first, letting out a soft chuckle.

"It seems Genkawa-kun is not at all surprised by my arrival."

Genkawa Uchiha's expression remained indifferent, and at these words, he let out a scoff: "Did you come here just to tease me?"

"How could that be?"

Orochimaru's smile did not falter, his long tongue darting out once more to lick his chin.

"I saw your actions that night, Genkawa-kun. As expected of a natural Sage Body—to actually suppress the Nine-Tails, it was truly impressive."

Faced with Orochimaru's praise, Genkawa Uchiha merely raised an eyebrow.

As expected, a person like this could never remain indifferent to the appearance of the Nine-Tails.

Genkawa Uchiha even suspected that this guy had been lurking in the shadows that night; had the Nine-Tails appeared anywhere else, he might have already made his move.

After all, for someone like Orochimaru, how could he possibly miss out on a research subject like a Tailed Beast?

"So, Lord Orochimaru, what is it you want from me?" Genkawa Uchiha countered.

"Hehehe, naturally, I am here to extend an invitation to you, Genkawa-kun."

Genkawa Uchiha tilted his head slightly, offering no response, signaling for him to continue.

Orochimaru didn't mind his attitude; instead, he stepped forward while speaking.

"What does Genkawa-kun think of Konoha as it stands today?"

Genkawa Uchiha thought for a moment before giving an objective assessment: "Not bad. The situation is stable, and the villagers' quality of life is significantly better than in other villages."

Orochimaru's footsteps faltered, as if he hadn't expected such an answer.

"Is that truly what you think, Genkawa-kun?"

Genkawa Uchiha nodded; this was his genuine opinion. "I do think so. After all, this is a world of choosing the lesser of evils. Compared to other shinobi villages, Konoha is indeed quite a bit better."

He paused, then added, "I cannot say the village is bad just because I am an Uchiha and the village leadership targets us in the shadows. Compared to the amateur operations of other villages, Konoha can certainly be called decent."

This left Orochimaru at a loss.

No.

If you say it like that, what am I supposed to say?

My script isn't exactly easy to follow now.

Seeing him like this, Genkawa Uchiha laughed instead.

"What, does Lord Orochimaru not think so?"

He turned to face Orochimaru, resting his chin on one hand, tapping his fingers in a thoughtful manner.

"Let me think... could it be that Lord Orochimaru feels targeted by the village? No, no, that can't be it. During the Third Shinobi World War a few years ago, Lord Orochimaru was the commander of the western front, but ever since the Fourth Hokage began to shine, you seem to have withdrawn from the front lines."

Genkawa Uchiha paced slightly, as if talking to himself.

"That's right. Ever since then, Namikaze Minato-senpai truly came into his own, earning the title of Yellow Flash and driving back Iwagakure and Kumogakure, cementing his fame. Once the war ended, it was only natural that he became the Fourth Hokage. But I recall that before that, Lord Orochimaru had the highest support to become the Fourth Hokage."

Genkawa Uchiha nodded, confirming this point: "It seems Lord Orochimaru must have seen the potential in his junior, Namikaze Minato, and stepped aside on purpose. How... magnanimous."

Orochimaru stopped in his tracks, standing where he was. Although he still wore a smile, it looked somewhat stiff.

At this moment, Genkawa Uchiha looked up, staring directly at Orochimaru, and asked in an inquisitive tone: "Lord Orochimaru, is my guess accurate?"

"Hehehehe..."

Orochimaru's laughter sounded hoarse. The mask of a smile he had been wearing shattered, replaced by an inexplicably eerie sensation.

"You are truly something else, Genkawa-kun. Are you trying to provoke me with this method?"

Genkawa Uchiha shook his head, his smile unchanged: "How could that be? You are one of the Sannin, renowned throughout the shinobi world. I am merely an ordinary Uchiha; how would I dare to provoke you?"

With that, his smile grew even brighter: "I am simply curious—why didn't Lord Orochimaru become the Fourth Hokage? Was it not to your liking?"

Orochimaru's smile faded.

"Genkawa-kun seems to harbor quite a bit of hostility toward me?"

Genkawa Uchiha shook his head: "Hostility is a strong word, it's just that Lord Orochimaru seems to have some ill intentions toward me."

As for why Orochimaru was here, Genkawa Uchiha might not be able to guess the specific reason, but even with his eyes closed, he could deduce it had to do with his innate Sage Body.

After all, in the original plot, this guy had developed the Cursed Seal based on the Sage Body; there was no way he wouldn't be tempted upon learning the village possessed a natural Sage Body.

The only reason Orochimaru hadn't made a move yet was likely because he hadn't defected from the village yet, and the village still provided him with convenience.

Now that Shimura Danzō would likely face punishment, the support the village leadership could provide to Orochimaru would inevitably decrease, which was certainly not good news for his research.

"So, are you planning to defect from the village?"

Genkawa Uchiha didn't give Orochimaru a chance to spout more nonsense, asking directly what was on his mind; he was quite curious about this point.

At this, Orochimaru could no longer force a smile.

His narrow, slightly squinted eyes widened involuntarily.

"It seems I guessed correctly."

Genkawa Uchiha nodded to himself, speaking as if to himself.

"Although I don't know why you came here at this time, I know a thing or two about you. As far as I know, you seem to be afraid of death and want to pursue eternity, is that right?"

Orochimaru stuck out his tongue again, this time even further, looking rather repulsive.

"Genkawa-kun really does understand me well."

Sticking to the standard answer, Genkawa Uchiha naturally knew Orochimaru's mindset, so he said: "In other words, you have your eyes on me."

Orochimaru didn't seem to intend to keep up the act anymore, taking another step forward to close the distance to Genkawa Uchiha.

"So, aren't you afraid, Genkawa-kun?"

Genkawa Uchiha didn't respond directly, appearing indifferent to Orochimaru's approach.

"Afraid is a bit of an exaggeration; it's just that being targeted by you is rather disgusting. So, have you taken a liking to my body?"

"Hehehe..."

Orochimaru didn't answer directly, but the implication was self-evident.

"Understood."

Genkawa Uchiha sighed: "What a headache. I just wanted to live a peaceful life, so why does trouble always find me?"

His response was a snake that lunged suddenly from the shadows beside him, aiming for his neck.

At that same moment, Orochimaru's figure vanished.

Genkawa Uchiha's eyes turned scarlet in an instant, and his figure vanished as well, dodging the viper's fangs and reappearing on a tree more than ten meters away.

Where he had been standing, Orochimaru had just landed.

"Genkawa-kun has a very fast Body Flicker Technique."

Orochimaru didn't seem surprised that his sneak attack had failed, looking up at Genkawa Uchiha.