At the thought, Orochimaru couldn't help remembering an old friend, Hiruko.
His ideal was to fuse other people's Kekkei Genkai, and Naruto Uzumaki's current situation was just like the one he had described.
That made Orochimaru wonder: had Hiruko really developed a jutsu that could fuse other people's Kekkei Genkai?
Looks like I'll have to seek out my old friend when I get the chance. Whatever method Naruto had used, he had succeeded, which meant fusing Kekkei Genkai was possible.
Of course, no matter how much Orochimaru speculated, he would never guess that Naruto had used the abilities of the Six Thief Immortals.
But never underestimate Orochimaru's creativity. In the original timeline, Hiruko had managed it, and if Orochimaru set his mind to it, he could certainly do the same.
In the woods, beneath a large tree, Naruto leaned against the trunk. Hinata rested beside him, her head on his shoulder.
Naruto had placed Sasuke inside a hollow in the tree.
"You're awake." Though Naruto was thinking about other things, he was still keeping watch on his surroundings. This unfamiliar place left him unsure whether Orochimaru would send the Sound Four to test Sasuke again.
Hinata didn't move. Her mood was low, and her pale eyes looked somewhat dim.
"Naruto, am I completely useless?" Being knocked unconscious by the other man's killing intent had been a huge blow to Hinata.
In the original story, Hinata had been part of the reconnaissance team, so she rarely fought. Now she was on the same team as Naruto. Her first battle had been against a wild boar. They had won, but it hadn't been easy; she had only triumphed with Naruto's guidance, and she had even been injured. Still, she could tell herself that her opponent had been a beast. The second time, when they encountered Zabuza, she hadn't had any chance to act and could only watch Naruto fight. This time, she had been knocked unconscious by Orochimaru. Worse, it had happened in front of the person she liked. If she couldn't take part in any of their battles, could she still have the confidence to stand beside Naruto?
Naruto didn't know what Hinata was thinking. Neither Zabuza nor Orochimaru was an ordinary ninja, so it had never occurred to him to consider how Hinata felt. Besides, he liked Hinata's gentle, delicate nature; it had an almost classical beauty to it.
"Are you still upset about what just happened?" Naruto didn't turn to look at her.
"Do you know who he is?" Naruto asked softly.
Hinata didn't care who the man was. She was focused on how she couldn't fight the enemy or protect Naruto. Did she even deserve to stand by his side?
"He's Orochimaru, one of the Three Legendary Sannin. Even I'm no match for him. Luckily, he wasn't after us, so don't let it get you down." Naruto didn't know what was on Hinata's mind, but facing such a powerful enemy could easily shake anyone's confidence, so he told her who it was.
"Orochimaru?" Hinata was indeed surprised.
"Yeah. He's strong." Without revealing his true strength, Naruto wasn't a match for him. Even if he did reveal it, he still couldn't kill Orochimaru for good. Naruto had no idea how many people Orochimaru had branded with the Heavenly Cursed Seal.
"What did he come here for?" Even Hinata knew Orochimaru was a rogue ninja.
Hearing that it was Orochimaru, Hinata felt much more at ease.
"Maybe he came for Sasuke. He did something to Sasuke." Naruto naturally didn't want to tell Hinata what Orochimaru was really after.
Many people in Konoha had secretly agreed with Orochimaru killing the Third Hokage. It wasn't as if the Hokage's side lacked powerful ninja: Kakashi, Might Guy, Danzo, and the old Jonin of Ino-Shika-Cho.
If they had truly wanted to save the Third Hokage, how could they have failed? Everyone was simply tired of him and had tacitly agreed to let him meet his end that way.
There was no denying that the Third Hokage had done well in his early years; he had at least earned the title of Shinobi Hero. But after the Fourth Hokage's death, he changed. The Third Hokage knew the Dead Demon Consuming Seal too, so why couldn't he seal the Nine-Tails? Was he really unable to defeat the Nine-Tails? Hizashi's death, the Uchiha Clan Massacre, Hatake Sakumo's death—Danzo had ostensibly been behind them, but the great clans weren't stupid. By the time the Third Hokage died, only the Anbu were there. And Orochimaru killing him had at least given him a dignified death.
"How's Sasuke?" Only then did Hinata remember Sasuke. She quickly sat up and looked at Naruto.
"He's inside. Don't worry, he's fine. You should rest a little longer." Naruto wasn't worried about Sasuke. He knew Orochimaru had just handed him a power-up. The Cursed Seal wasn't a good thing, but at its core, it was still Senjutsu.
Thinking of Sasuke's situation, Naruto couldn't help sighing. Orochimaru gave him a power-up early on, Itachi Uchiha gave him eyes midway through, and the Sage of Six Paths gave him the Rinnegan later on. Just think how hard it had been for Madara Uchiha to awaken the Rinnegan: he fought Hashirama, was killed, and lost a Sharingan. He didn't awaken the Rinnegan until he was on the verge of death.
Hinata hadn't fought, but Orochimaru's killing intent had shaken her mentally. She was fine, but she was a little drained and needed to rest.
Hearing that Sasuke was fine, Hinata took a look and relaxed. She leaned back against the tree again. As for leaning on Naruto's shoulder, she didn't have the nerve to do that herself.
Naruto knew what Hinata was like, so he simply guided her head onto his shoulder with his hand.
Hinata didn't resist. She felt a little happy, and her spirits lifted.
Naruto didn't pay attention to Hinata. He kept thinking about Orochimaru. Orochimaru must have collected all sorts of valuable things, considering that his early ambition had been to learn every advanced jutsu.
After some time, Sasuke woke up unsteadily, his right hand clutching his shoulder.
"You're awake." Naruto turned to look at him.
"What happened to me?" Sasuke was a little dazed.
"You got bitten by a snake." Naruto thought for a moment, then said gravely.
Sasuke was bewildered, then remembered. He really had been bitten by a snake.
Especially when he remembered Orochimaru's head flying toward him, Sasuke couldn't help shuddering.
"How do you feel? If you're all right, we'll keep going."
"A little dizzy." Sasuke frowned. His neck still hurt a lot.
Naruto stood and walked over to Sasuke.
"I can seal it, but I can't get rid of it completely for now." After thinking it over, Naruto decided to help.
"What do you mean?" Sasuke didn't understand.
"That thing on your neck isn't anything good. I'm sure you can feel that yourself. I don't know the details either, but I can seal it temporarily." Naruto didn't explain further.
Sasuke trusted him.
Naruto raised his right hand, and chakra appeared on his five fingers.
He pressed one hand against Sasuke's neck.
[Five Elements Seal]
This was the Sealing Jutsu Naruto was most proficient with for now. It could perfectly seal a ninja's chakra.