Hearing those words, White Fang's heart suddenly clenched in pain. He stopped where he was and looked toward the ninjas who had spoken.
Those ninjas seemed to notice him as well. Their expressions shifted slightly, and they quickly turned and left.
White Fang instinctively clenched his fists. He had actually anticipated this situation long ago. After rescuing his companions, he had stayed behind alone to cover their retreat. Several of them had returned to Konoha days before him, and they must have reported what had happened to the village.
The rules of shinobi naturally existed for a reason. No one had challenged them for all these years, so since he had broken them, he was bound to face others' gossip.
Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself. Compared to the matter of the Akatsuki, these were trivial matters. Right now, he had to see the Third Hokage immediately.
He quickened his pace and reached the Hokage Office Building in moments. But just as he approached, a figure suddenly appeared before him and blocked his way.
White Fang's gaze narrowed as he said in a deep voice, "Orochimaru, what do you want?"
The man before him revealed a faint smile, his snake-like eyes fixed on him. It was Orochimaru, one of the Sannin.
"You're going to see Sensei?" Orochimaru asked in his distinctive hoarse voice.
"That seems to be none of your business." White Fang's tone was far from pleasant. His relationship with the Sannin had always been lukewarm, with little meaningful interaction in everyday life. The only one he was relatively close to was probably Jiraiya; they had carried out a mission together once and had some friendship between them.
But he did not like Orochimaru. He even harbored a faint prejudice against him. He had heard private rumors that