The Small Island

Hui met Mitarashi Anko, that girl who loved sweets.

She was very excited upon seeing her, as if she had found a companion, and leaned in close to Hui Youling to say, "You're Hui Youling, right? Nice to meet you! From now on, you're my little junior sister!"

Anko laughed heartily as she said this, likely excited about becoming a senior sister, while Hui Youling stood beside Orochimaru and watched her silently.

Orochimaru looked at Anko's excitement and chuckled with a low, hoarse voice, "Anko, she will stay with you for a while to learn."

Anko finally withdrew her gaze from inspecting Hui Youling, looked up at her teacher, and replied happily, "Yes! Teacher Orochimaru, I will make sure she trains well."

Hui looked at Orochimaru in confusion. Why was he introducing her to Anko now? Judging by his tone, was he leaving again?

"Teacher, what do I need to do here?" Hui Youling asked, her eyes meeting Orochimaru's clear, serpentine gaze.

Orochimaru turned his eyes toward the short Hui Youling and said slowly, "Follow Anko and learn for now; there is nothing else you need to do."

"Furthermore, from now on, the affairs of this island will be managed by the two of you."

Upon hearing Orochimaru's words, Anko froze for a moment. She tilted her head to look at the equally stunned Hui Youling, only then realizing that this child looked truly too small and frail, though the spirit in her eyes was uncannily similar to their teacher's.

Hui Youling was the first to ask in bewilderment, her heart filled with astonishment, "Manage this island?"

Hui Youling remembered clearly that the managers of the bases were all powerful individuals. Although she didn't know the extent of Anko's strength, she knew for certain she hadn't reached that level yet. Most importantly, she was still too young; she doubted many would be willing to listen to her.

Orochimaru laughed leisurely, sensing Hui Youling's disbelief, and repeated, "Yes, Hui. From now on, you and Anko are responsible for this island."

Hui Youling's eyes widened in shock. She opened her mouth but didn't know what to say. She found it hard to believe—Orochimaru was definitely not joking—but did she really have the capability?

Setting aside the fact that she didn't know how to manage anything or what she was supposed to do, she had previously only acted as a lackey, catching people here and there. This time, she was actually responsible for an entire island.

Hui Youling furrowed her brows in deep thought, eventually deciding to give it a try. Although she had never experienced such a thing, this was an opportunity given to her by Orochimaru, and with Anko there, she had someone to consult.

After thinking for a long time, Hui finally replied, "I understand, Teacher Orochimaru."

Orochimaru chuckled softly and said indifferently, "I knew you would accept, Hui. You are a special child."

After saying this, Orochimaru turned his gaze back to Anko, "This child is now in your care. Teach her what needs to be done."

Anko nodded, looked at Hui Youling, and said, "Then let's go."

Hui turned to look at Anko, "Mm."

"Then we shall take our leave, Teacher Orochimaru." Anko bid farewell to Orochimaru and led Hui Youling away from the spot.

Hui followed quietly behind Anko, her eyes calm, yet her heart still failed to understand Orochimaru's actions.

Orochimaru watched his two students leave and chuckled softly. It seemed the training of successors could begin; she would be a smart and obedient child, hehehe...

The training life began anew. Orochimaru started teaching her and Anko together, though Anko had already learned much of it, having mastered many things long ago. Hui often had to ask her for guidance, and Anko was happy to oblige, very willing to teach Hui Youling about Orochimaru's forbidden techniques.

Her progress in Wind Release ninjutsu was also significant. Aside from learning forbidden techniques, Anko loved watching her practice Wind Release the most.

She loved the sense of explosive power, and sometimes, feeling restless, she would run up to spar with Hui. The two of them got along quite well.

Beyond that, there was managing the island's affairs alongside Anko. Anko acted like a big sister, taking Hui around to understand the island.

Hui followed her from one laboratory to another, listening to her introductions about what each place did. Hui discovered that Orochimaru had been hiding something from Anko; there were many truths she seemed unaware of.

She didn't know how these test subjects were handled, where the failed experiments were transported, or that there were people secretly dealing with those who tried to escape.

Orochimaru did not hide these things from her; he even let her witness quite a bit. As a researcher here, Tianzhi was someone she saw often, along with his experiments—more human experimentation, and even experiments involving the fusion of human and animal genes.

Orochimaru didn't care that she knew the truth. It was as if he trusted her, or perhaps he was testing her, and it was also because she possessed the Mind's Eye of the Kagura that several missions to capture escapees fell to her.

Although Orochimaru never asked her to keep it a secret, Hui wouldn't say anything either. Perhaps it was a selfish desire not to have Anko learn the truth and grow to loathe her, or perhaps she had simply become numb and no longer cared.

Today, she was called once again to capture an escapee. Hui searched for a long time before finally catching the last failed experiment underwater.

Hui grabbed him by the collar and swam toward the surface. He struggled desperately, but after gulping down a few mouthfuls of water, he stopped courting death.

Hui thought he had truly become submissive. She climbed out of the water and stood steady, but at that exact moment, the escapee suddenly erupted into action.

His upper body transformed into that of a fish, and he lunged at Hui Youling with sharp teeth, his eyes filled with the triumph of a successful ambush. He had been lurking for so long just for this strike!

Hui Youling glanced at him indifferently. The next instant, her neck was bitten through, and the escapee laughed excitedly, only to realize a moment later that he was merely biting into a piece of wood.

Behind him, Hui Youling raised her foot. As he turned his head in shock, she kicked him squarely in the face.

The features on the escapee's face distorted instantly as if struck by a massive force. He rolled away in a wretched state, tumbling dozens of meters across the water's surface before reverting to his human form, floating there with a bruised and swollen face.

Hui retracted her foot, her cold gaze fixed on the man. Her downward look was filled with disdain and indifference, her tightly pressed lips chilling to the bone, with a dark aura swirling around her.

Watching Hui Youling walk slowly toward him felt like the footsteps of the Grim Reaper treading upon his heart. Each strike felt like a heavy hammer, as if his heart would be shattered in the next instant.

"You... you... monster... monster..." the man stammered, his eyes wide with terror.

He had thought his power was extraordinary—being able to breathe underwater and even transform into a beast with immense strength—never expecting that this petite-looking person would possess such power.

Hui walked to his side and slowly lifted him by the collar. Her dark, sunken eyes stared fixedly at him. The coldness in her gaze dropped the surrounding atmosphere to freezing, and she was shrouded in a predatory, dark aura.

The escapee looked at the silent Hui Youling, who resembled a cold snake ready to swallow its prey whole. A sense of suffocation tightly enveloped him, leaving him unable to break free.

"Hey, Hui, let's go play in a nearby village. Staying here is so stifling." Anko tossed a small stone up and down, her expression one of deep frustration. She was truly bored to death.

Hui Youling had been training here for another day, and Anko was already losing patience. She truly couldn't understand why Hui Youling was so desperate to train, doing it at every possible moment. Most importantly, she had been on the island for so long that she was starting to crave some real food.

Hui Youling stopped what she was doing, turned back to look at Anko, and smiled gently. "Sister Anko, what are you going to the village for? Are you craving sweets again?"

As Hui Youling said this, the light and cheerful atmosphere around her was a complete contrast to how she had been that day.

Anko had already snuck out once because of this, though she had missed the chance that time because she had to deal with some escapees on the island.

Anko tossed the pebble in her hand aside and, like a child whose secret had been exposed, said defensively, "Who says! It's just too stuffy here, that's all."

As she spoke, Anko leaped to Hui Youling's side, reached out, and pinched Hui Youling's cheeks, kneading them while lecturing her in the tone of an elder. "Don't always be so old-fashioned. You should be more lively at your age, understand?"

Hui Youling couldn't be bothered to argue with her, so she helplessly pursed her lips and nodded in resignation. "Fine, fine, fine. I'll go with you."

Anko looked at Hui Youling with an expression that said she was finally being sensible. She finally let go of Hui Youling's cheeks and patted her shoulder lightly. "I knew you were the most obedient. Come on, come on, I'll take you to get something delicious!"

Anko pulled Hui Youling toward the exit. Hui Youling stumbled from the tug and, looking at her back, reminded her speechlessly, "You forgot that last time you snuck out, Master Orochimaru was very unhappy."

Anko turned back to look at Hui Youling, squinting her eyes into a brilliant smile, her eyes filled with adoration. "He wouldn't be. Teacher isn't that petty. Look, did I get punished?"

Seeing the sparkle in Anko's eyes and hearing her words, Hui Youling's entire body stiffened. Her brows furrowed bit by bit, and a thick sense of bitterness enveloped her heart, the darkness in her eyes threatening to overflow.

She blinked quickly, concealing all her emotions until her eyes became clear and bright again. She pulled at the corners of her mouth and smiled back. "Alright, let's sneak out."

Anko held her head high, wearing a proud expression that suggested she was about to treat her to the best. "I know a secret path. We'll go out that way."

Hui Youling nodded. "Okay."

Seeing Hui Youling so cooperative, Anko giggled and dragged her toward her secret path.

As she was pulled along, Hui Youling's bright eyes became somewhat lost and downcast—perhaps "envious" was the better word. She had always known that the way Orochimaru taught her was special, even cruel, and she had simply assumed it was because of his cold and stern nature.

But... Anko was someone he carefully taught and protected, seemingly allowing her to make her own choices in the end—whether to return to Konoha or follow him. He would never treat her like the test subjects he erased once they were useless, but... he never gave her any choice at all.

Should she feel resentment?

Yet, she felt no such thing. Although Sister Anko could be eccentric and appeared ruthless, she was a true-blue successor to the Will of Fire in Konoha. Perhaps that was the reason Orochimaru never told Anko the truth.

Besides, Anko had been learning from Orochimaru from the very beginning and was a student he truly acknowledged; she herself had only squeezed her way in later.

Hui Youling looked up at Anko, whose face was full of longing for food. Behind that brilliant smile was the innocence of a child. As a student of Orochimaru, she was somewhat surprised by Anko's childlike nature. It seemed that, compared to her, Orochimaru really did cherish this senior sister of hers...