Every Protagonist is Targeted by Orochimaru

The air in May already carried a hint of warmth.

Akashi habitually rose early and headed to the forest downstream of the Konoha river.

Today was for honing Fire Style and the Sharingan, so he chose to train alone, not calling for Hyuga Shingetsu. Even though she was becoming increasingly trustworthy, he could not afford to reveal all his trump cards.

With two Shadow Clones prepared, the training commenced.

Thanks to the chakra supply from the seedling within his body, he could barely sustain the consumption of his Shadow Clones. Time and again they were shattered, and time and again he recast them, yet even so, after an hour, his stamina began to wane.

"As expected, there is a reason why Multi Shadow Clone Technique is classified as a forbidden jutsu."

Akashi let out a long sigh and swallowed a Military Ration Pill.

He found a rock to sit on and rested for a moment, with the rice balls made by Hiromi Uchiha set beside him; he intended to have lunch right there.

After a while, Akashi stood up once more.

Just as he was about to resume training, he suddenly sensed that something was off in the surroundings.

Was the forest too quiet?

He hadn't noticed while training, but now that he was resting, it felt strange; the usual chirping of birds and buzzing of insects seemed to have been suppressed by some kind of presence.

His scalp tingled, and his keen intuition told him—

There was danger nearby!

Just then, several shuriken whistled through the air, piercing the dense foliage as a black figure approached along a bizarre trajectory.

So fast!

Akashi spun around abruptly, simultaneously activating his Sharingan, a stern aura erupting from his body.

Several thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind.

Konoha's defensive forces consisted of the Police Force, Barrier Team, Patrol Unit, Anbu, and others. Even if the forest downstream was relatively remote, it was still within the village's perimeter; infiltrating it was no easy feat.

Moreover, the opponent intended to kill someone inside the village!

That was far too bold—did they think they were Orochimaru or Pain?

Akashi's Sharingan enhanced his perception, and the rapidly approaching black shadow was revealed in his eyes. The movements seemed to be in slow motion, allowing him to see the opponent's trajectory.

Every landing point of the incoming shuriken was within his expectations.

He immediately drew a kunai, parrying left and right, precisely deflecting every attack.

"The Sharingan is truly useful."

Akashi remarked, hurling a kunai at the rushing shadow while skillfully weaving hand signs. His speed already surpassed that of an average chunin, and in this critical moment, his hand signs were even faster!

Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!

The Uchiha clan's "compassionate" fireball erupted from his mouth, the scorching flames engulfing the opponent.

Substitution Technique?

No, those are snakes!

Within the flames, the black outer garment was incinerated, and gray snakes thrashed on the ground, hissing and rolling as they fled into the distance.

A cold chill crawled from his spine to his skull.

Sweat suddenly broke out on Akashi's forehead.

An attack several times faster than before came from behind, and a cold, low voice made one's blood run cold.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands."

This signature ninjutsu was something only Orochimaru could perform in all of Konoha at the moment.

Almost instinctively, Akashi pulled out everything throwable from his ninja tool pouch, casting them out in a net-like spread. Relying on the Uchiha clan's powerful dynamic vision and neural reflexes, he covered every charging snake within his attack.

Four long snakes collapsed to the ground, bleeding profusely.

"Heh, not bad." A hoarse voice sounded as Orochimaru, dressed in his ninja uniform, walked over with slow, measured steps.

His magatama earrings swayed, his pale face devoid of any color, and his vertical golden pupils radiated a dangerous aura, much like a snake's eyes.

At this moment, he was still wearing the Konoha forehead protector.

As one of the Sannin, he stood at the pinnacle in terms of both strength and reputation.

The failure of his Hidden Shadow Snake Hands and the loss of several gray snakes did not seem to bother him; instead, a satisfied smile appeared at the corners of his mouth, and his eyes held a hint of appreciation.

"Lord... Orochimaru."

Akashi struggled to calm his nerves, finding a suitable form of address.

At this point in time, Orochimaru should not yet be coveting the power of the Sharingan.

He was, at most, knowledgeable about the Uchiha clan and slightly interested in Kekkei Genkai and the Sharingan; his focus for human experimentation remained on physical modification.

He wouldn't drag me to the operating table for dissection, would he?

Akashi's entire body was taut, and he dared not move rashly.

Orochimaru stood still, a look of slight confusion appearing in his gaze: "You seem a bit nervous."

"I didn't expect to run into you."

"Is that so?"

Orochimaru looked him up and down, lost in thought. "I've actually been missing my former subordinates."

Akashi froze, a light sheen of sweat seeping out.

"Yesterday, when I went to the library, I saw a few books you had checked out. I didn't expect you to be interested in that kind of knowledge as well." Orochimaru struck at the vital point once again.

As he spoke, he pulled a tattered piece of draft paper from his pocket.

"This is your manuscript, isn't it? Although the script is quite peculiar, I managed to decipher a portion of it. It seems you have some very interesting ideas."

The moment he saw the draft, Akashi's pupils constricted.

Several torn sheets of paper had been pieced back together, the seams sealed tightly, looking just as they had when whole. The writing on them was dense, filled with chaotic numbers and symbols.

An ordinary person wouldn't pay any attention to them, nor would they understand these strange characters, dismissing them as nothing more than a child's scribbles.

Yet, in Orochimaru's hands, he had managed to restore them completely.

Not only that, he had deciphered about thirty percent of the content.

Should he say, "As expected of you"?

At this point, Akashi had nothing to argue, so he simply admitted it directly and spread his hands. "That's right."

Orochimaru pressed further: "Can you tell me what specific research this is?"

Akashi's mind raced, recalling a fitting line, and he replied: "Developing ninjutsu. The first person in the world to mix yellow and blue named the color he saw 'green.' I am merely doing the same thing..."

Hm?

Isn't that the analogy I came up with a few days ago?

How did he know...

Orochimaru was shocked, his eyes gleaming.

"Akashi-kun, you are too interesting. I am currently lacking an assistant; would you like to come with me?"

The tone was incredibly seductive, his voice filled with magnetism.

Akashi scratched his hair: "Well... I've been quite busy lately."

He refused me?

Orochimaru felt it was inconceivable. He understood ninjas well, and he understood the human heart well. No one had ever refused him, especially given his status and reputation in Konoha; a mere Chunin should have been easy to recruit.

Could it be the pride of the Uchiha clan at work?

This child is even more interesting!

Orochimaru's curiosity was ignited, and he couldn't help but stick out his tongue to lick his lips.

In truth, from the moment Orochimaru appeared, Akashi had guessed his general purpose. Otherwise, why would a research fanatic like Orochimaru come over to play house in the middle of his busy schedule? Clearly, he wanted to play to his strengths and abduct a child.

To be honest, Akashi was somewhat tempted.

He didn't believe that with his own knowledge base, he could conduct research in the biological field to the level of cells or even genes. Achieving epoch-making progress in fields like electromagnetics or mechanics was equally difficult, let alone inventing a new Kekkei Genkai or pushing toward the Kekkei Mōra.

Currently, trapped in a period of stagnant strength, it would be difficult for him to make a breakthrough through conventional training methods.

Orochimaru's arrival was just right.

Whether it was breaking the Caged Bird Seal, improving his strength, or even practicing Sage Art, he could become a massive asset.

But danger and opportunity coexisted.

The Orochimaru after the Third Great Ninja War was already quite insane, and the experiments he conducted in secret were heinous. What if he ended up treating him as a test subject one day? Not to mention, there was that old dog Danzo lurking in the shadows.

He truly needed to consider this carefully.

Besides, as the old saying goes, one only cherishes what is not easily obtained.

If he agreed immediately, wouldn't he seem too easy?

Akashi was well-versed in this principle.

This was what he called playing hard to get... no, the art of strategic retreat.