It was May, and a hint of warmth had already crept into the air.
Akashi habitually woke early and made his way to the forest downstream from the Konoha River.
Today, he was honing his Fire Style and Sharingan. He chose to train alone and didn't invite Hyuga Shingetsu. Even though she was becoming more and more trustworthy, he couldn't reveal all his trump cards.
He prepared two Shadow Clones, and training began.
Thanks to the chakra supplied by the Seedling inside him, he could just barely sustain the Shadow Clones. They were struck down again and again, and he kept casting the technique anew. Even so, after an hour, he was gradually running out of stamina.
"As expected, there's a reason the Multi Shadow Clone Technique is classified as a forbidden jutsu."
Akashi sighed deeply and swallowed a Military Ration Pill.
He found a rock to sit on and rested for a while. The rice balls Hiromi Uchiha had made sat beside him, and he planned to have lunch right there.
After a while, Akashi got to his feet again.
He was just about to resume training when he suddenly sensed that something was off.
Wasn't the forest a little too quiet?
He hadn't noticed while training, but now that he'd stopped to rest, it struck him as strange. The birds that usually chirped away and the insects that normally buzzed seemed to have been driven off by some kind of pressure.
A chill ran over his scalp. His keen instincts told him—
There was danger nearby!
Just then, several Shuriken came whistling toward him. They pierced the dense foliage as a dark figure closed in along an eerie, unpredictable path.
So fast!
Akashi spun around, activating his Sharingan at the same time. A fierce aura burst from his body.
Several thoughts flashed through his mind.
Konoha's defenses consisted of the Police Force, the Barrier Team, the Patrol Unit, Anbu, and other groups. Though the forest downstream was relatively secluded, it was still within the village's borders. Sneaking in wouldn't be easy.
And his opponent was trying to kill someone inside the village!
The nerve of him. Who did he think he was, Orochimaru or Pain?
The Sharingan sharpened Akashi's vision. The approaching shadow came into clear view, its movements seeming to slow. He could see the trajectory of every action.
Every Shuriken flying through the air was headed exactly where he expected.
He immediately drew his Kunai and deflected each attack with precise strikes.
"The Sharingan really is useful."
Akashi marveled as he flung a Kunai at the charging shadow. At the same time, he deftly formed Hand Seals. He was already faster than an ordinary Chunin, and in this moment of crisis, his hands moved even faster!
Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!
A merciful ball of fire from the Uchiha Clan burst from his mouth, engulfing his opponent in blazing heat.
Substitution Technique?
No, those were snakes!
In the flames, the black clothing burned away, revealing a swarm of gray snakes. They thrashed and rolled across the ground, hissing as they fled.
A freezing chill crawled up Akashi's spine and into his skull.
Sweat suddenly broke out across his forehead.
An attack several times faster than before came from behind him, accompanied by a low, sinister voice that sent a shiver through him.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands."
At present, Orochimaru was the only person in all of Konoha who knew this signature jutsu.
Almost instinctively, Akashi pulled every throwable object from his ninja pouch and hurled them behind him in a wide spread. Drawing on the Uchiha Clan's exceptional dynamic vision and reflexes, he made sure every incoming snake was caught in the barrage.
Four long snakes collapsed to the ground, bleeding profusely.
"Heh. Not bad." A hoarse voice sounded as Orochimaru, dressed in a shinobi uniform, approached at an unhurried pace.
His Tomoe earrings swayed. His pale face was utterly bloodless, and his golden, vertically slit pupils gave off a dangerous glint, like a snake's eyes.
He was still wearing Konoha's Forehead Protector.
As one of the Sannin, he already stood at the pinnacle in both strength and reputation.
His Hidden Shadow Snake Hands had failed, and he had lost several gray snakes, but he paid it no mind. Instead, a satisfied smile curled his lips, and there was a hint of admiration in his eyes.
"Orochimaru... sir."
Akashi did his best to steady himself and found a suitable way to address him.
At this point in time, Orochimaru shouldn't have set his sights on the power of the Sharingan yet.
At most, he would have learned a little about the Uchiha Clan and developed some interest in Kekkei Genkai and the Sharingan. His human experiments should still have focused on bodily modification.
He wasn't going to drag me to an operating table and dissect me for research, was he?
Akashi's whole body was taut. He didn't dare make a move.
Orochimaru stopped and regarded him with a hint of puzzlement. "You seem a little nervous."
"I didn't expect to run into you."
"Is that so?"
Orochimaru looked him up and down, thoughtful. "I do miss my former subordinates."
Akashi froze. A sheen of sweat appeared on his skin.
"Yesterday, when I went to the library, I came across several books you'd borrowed. I didn't expect you to be interested in this kind of knowledge, too." Orochimaru had hit the nail on the head again.
As he spoke, he took a bundle of battered draft paper from his pocket.
"These are your notes, right? The writing is quite strange, but I've managed to decipher part of it. You seem to have some interesting ideas."
The moment he saw the drafts, Akashi's pupils contracted.
Several torn sheets had been pieced together, the seams so neatly joined that they looked almost as good as new. They were covered in densely packed writing, with numbers and symbols scattered haphazardly throughout.
Ordinary people wouldn't give them a second glance, or understand the strange writing. They would just assume it was a child's scribbles.
But in Orochimaru's hands, they had been painstakingly restored.
Not only that, he had deciphered around thirty percent of them.
What could he say except, "As expected of you"?
At this point, Akashi had nothing to argue. He simply admitted it, spreading his hands. "That's right."
Orochimaru pressed him. "Can you tell me what exactly you're researching?"
Akashi's mind raced. He recalled a line that seemed appropriate and replied, "Developing ninjutsu is like being the first person in the world to mix yellow and blue, then name the color they see green. I'm just doing the same thing..."
Huh?
Wasn't that the analogy I came up with a few days ago?
How did he know...?
Orochimaru was stunned, his eyes shining.
"Akashi, you're fascinating. I'm looking for an assistant. Would you like to come with me?"
His voice was rich and magnetic, his tone deeply enticing.
Akashi scratched his head. "Well... I've been pretty busy lately."
He turned me down?
Orochimaru found it hard to believe. He understood shinobi, and he understood people. No one had ever turned him down, especially not with his status and reputation in Konoha. A mere Chunin should have been easy to win over.
Was it the Uchiha Clan's pride getting in the way?
This child was even more interesting than he'd thought!
Orochimaru's curiosity was kindled. He couldn't help sticking out his tongue and licking his lips.
Actually, the moment Orochimaru had shown himself, Akashi had guessed what he was after. Why else would a research-obsessed man like Orochimaru, busy as he was, come over to play house with a kid? Clearly, he wanted to put his talents to use and lure a child away.
To be honest, Akashi was a little tempted.
He didn't think his own knowledge would let him reach the level of studying cells or even genes in biology. Making era-defining advances in fields like electromagnetism or mechanics would be just as difficult, let alone inventing a new Kekkei Genkai and achieving Kekkei Mōra.
At present, his strength had hit a plateau, and conventional training would make it hard for him to break through.
Orochimaru's arrival was perfectly timed.
Whether it was breaking the Caged Bird Seal, improving his strength, or even learning Senjutsu, Orochimaru could be a tremendous help.
But danger and opportunity went hand in hand.
After the Third Shinobi World War, Orochimaru had grown utterly ruthless. The experiments he carried out in secret were horrifying. What if he decided to turn Akashi into a test subject one day? Besides, there was Danzo, that old dog, lurking behind the scenes.
He really did need to think it over.
Besides, as the old saying went, people valued what they couldn't get easily.
If he agreed right away, wouldn't that seem too casual?
Akashi knew this principle well.
This was what they called playing hard to get... No, making him chase what he wanted.
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