After training for many days, Rock Lee and Naruto were still full of enthusiasm. Hui wearily lifted her head to look at the sky. It was already evening, and they still weren't back.
Hui wanted to train with them too, but she simply didn't have the stamina. So after finishing the training she could manage, she started practicing the Three Body Technique. But although she had learned the Hand Seals, she still couldn't make it work.
Compared with those two hot-blooded idiots, her future seemed even more hopeless!
"Do I have to go find Orochimaru? But with my abilities, I can't even get close to him..." Hui said dejectedly.
"Forget it, I won't think about it. Come to think of it, I haven't seen Sakura and Ino since I came to Konoha." Hui's lips lifted into a faint smile. "Ah, I really miss everyone..."
Hui decided to go and grabbed her keys before leaving the house.
Night gradually fell. Konoha's commercial street was bustling, and all sorts of food stalls had opened. Hui opened her wallet and gave a helpless, bitter smile.
She had spent all her money treating Big Brother Itachi to dango last time.
Perhaps because it was dark, no one paid any attention to Hui. They weren't looking at her with those same eyes, which let her breathe a sigh of relief.
"Looks like all I can do is window-shop. Sigh, why am I so poor?" Hui cried out inwardly.
Hui had no idea how far she'd walked down the street. But when she raised her head, she realized there was hardly anyone around.
"Looks like I'm not having much luck. I haven't run into a single person."
"But I can't go to the flower shop to see Ino either. I'm broke."
Hui muttered to herself. In the end, she could only let out a long sigh and think that she might as well go home.
Just then, Hui heard a snake hiss. A fierce gust swept in from her left, and when she turned to look, she saw a giant python.
Hui was terrified. She tried desperately to run, but couldn't move at all. The giant python opened its enormous jaws and lunged at her.
I'm going to die!
Hui thought. She stumbled, twisting her ankle, and fell to one side, barely dodging the snake as it lunged past her.
The giant snake slithered past her and slammed into the wall opposite with a bang before vanishing. It had been a summoned snake.
Hui was drenched in cold sweat. Her breathing was ragged and her heart was pounding. She lay sprawled on the ground, her clothes torn.
She recognized that snake. It looked so much like Orochimaru's summon. Was he nearby? But why would he want to kill her?
"Oh... Not bad. You actually managed to dodge it. Heh, though you're looking a little worse for wear." Orochimaru's dark voice came from nearby.
Hui stiffened all over. To him, she was no more than a crawling insect. She had thought about seeking him out, but not now. At her current level, he could eat her without leaving a trace, and she'd be nothing more than a bite-mark factory!
Hui knew he must have already realized she was from the Uzumaki Clan. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come to find her now.
Orochimaru watched the furrow in Hui's brow and noticed that there was no fear on her face, only unwillingness to yield.
She knows who I am. That's surprising for a three-year-old... Orochimaru thought.
"Uzumaki Eiyuling, we finally meet. But it seems you already knew I was coming." Orochimaru's voice was eerie.
Hui's gaze was as deep as a pool, and the corners of her mouth lifted involuntarily, twisting her expression into something almost feral.
"Ah... I knew, yes. You're Orochimaru, and I'm from the Uzumaki Clan. You must need someone with a body like mine!"
Orochimaru narrowed his snake-like eyes. A wave of power surged out. Hui's pupils suddenly widened, and her body tipped backward against her will. Orochimaru watched her with a cold smile.
Thud. Hui desperately propped herself up with her elbows. She twisted her ankle again, and the stabbing pain brought her back to her senses. She summoned all her strength and barely managed to keep from collapsing, but she injured her elbow too.
Pain wracked Hui's entire body, yet she was grateful for it. I actually managed to stay conscious under Orochimaru's pressure. The thought made Hui burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!" Tears glistened at the corners of Hui's eyes, though they were barely noticeable. She laughed in a muffled voice, not knowing what she was laughing about, like a madwoman.
Orochimaru ran his tongue over his lips, his expression amused and dangerous. "What are you laughing at?"
Hui struggled to straighten up, still keeping her head bowed, and said, "When I think about it, I realize I'm still pretty valuable. Even you came looking for me."
"Haha!" Orochimaru's chilly laughter rang out, carrying his characteristic rasp. "I can see that you have a powerful obsession."
"That's right. There's something I have to do. I don't care what it costs!"
Hui clenched her fist tightly. Blood welled up from her hand, and she gritted her teeth, letting out a muffled groan.
Orochimaru chuckled. "How do you plan to do that, Hui?"
"I know you can help me. You can bring out my power. I want to be your student." Hui turned her head and looked at him solemnly.
Orochimaru said nothing. He studied Hui, seeming to consider her value.
"I can accept your training, but I will never be a bite-mark factory. I'll show you how valuable I am!!!"
Orochimaru silently watched Hui, trying to read something in her eyes. At last, he gave a derisive laugh.
"I can give you a chance, but let me make this clear: I won't show you any sympathy. So, good luck. Heh..."
Hui's pupils widened. Then Orochimaru vanished, and a scroll had appeared beside her without her noticing.
Hui's heart raced. Orochimaru had definitely considered killing her, if only for a moment. Even she didn't know which words had caught his interest. She hadn't lost too badly in this enormous gamble today.
The reason she'd still lost was that Orochimaru had only given her the scroll. He hadn't said he would make her his student, or when they would meet again. He had simply indulged her ambition for his own amusement, just as he had with Mizuki!
It was only a whim. He'd forget about it afterward!
Hui put away the scroll and finally relaxed. Her foot hurt as if it were broken. When she raised her hand, she saw a long gash on her left arm; blood had soaked half her hand, and her clothes were a complete mess.
"It hurts..."
Hui sighed softly. She couldn't believe she was already in such a sorry state before Orochimaru had even laid a hand on her. Just how much of a genius was Itachi?
Hui took a bandage out of her bag and hastily treated the wound. She'd meant to bandage those two, but ended up using it herself. What "good luck."
Hui leaned against the wall and stood up. She probably couldn't tell Grandpa Third Hokage about what had happened today. Orochimaru had dared to act like this in the village, and whoever had been watching her was probably gone too.
It wouldn't be appropriate to tell the Third Hokage either. He would definitely stop her, and then she wouldn't be able to become Orochimaru's student.
Besides, she couldn't go to the hospital. She'd just have to go home quietly...
Hui limped home, leaning against the wall. The stabbing pain in her foot was unbearable, and it had started to go numb. Her body was trembling from the shock of what had happened.
Only then had she truly been putting on a brave front. She was glad she hadn't backed down in the moment, but she'd been so scared that she was trembling.
"Damn it..." Hui lowered her head and squeezed the words through her teeth, but the fear inside her hadn't diminished at all.
Naruto had waited at home for a long time, but Hui still hadn't come back. Worried, he went out to look for her. At last he spotted her in an alley, covered in injuries.
"Hui?"
Hui heard his voice and looked up. Naruto saw that her eyes were bloodshot and her lips were pale. She looked terribly weak.
When Hui realized it was Naruto, a flicker of panic crossed her eyes, but it soon gave way to shock.
Naruto walked up to her without a word and simply turned around, offering her his back. He didn't ask anything else.
Hui gritted her teeth. Her unsettled heart seemed to steady all at once. She really didn't know how to explain what had just happened, and she was afraid to try.
Hui climbed onto Naruto's back. She really couldn't walk anymore, and didn't want to.
Naruto felt her weight and carried her home.
Seeing Hui's gloomy expression, Naruto didn't ask any more questions. He carried her home, and Hui said nothing the whole way. Naruto remained silent too.
Only after they got home did Naruto see how badly Hui was hurt. He couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "Hui, why are you so badly hurt?"
Hui looked up at Naruto and gave a cold laugh. "It's nothing. I just got into a fight with someone!"
"Why would they do that to you? Was it because of me again?" Naruto asked angrily, feeling awful.
"No, I hated the way they looked, so I got into a fight with them. Hmph, they were way too arrogant!" Hui said with a light laugh, a hint of arrogance in her voice. It seemed she no longer needed to prepare herself mentally before lying.
"Hui, don't do this again..." Naruto said softly, deeply worried.
"I know, you're so naggy!" Hui replied in annoyance. She hadn't dared fight back against anyone like that; she was making it sound far more carefree than it had been.
Naruto fell silent. He quietly got the bath ready for Hui, then went to make something to eat. Hui took off her dirty clothes and lowered herself into the water. She gazed helplessly at the ceiling. She really had been too weak today!
Orochimaru had actually held back a lot. The snake had even hissed loudly before attacking, and his intimidation had been less than a tenth as strong as it had been with Sasuke. Yet she had only just managed to dodge it. Even then, twisting her ankle had helped!
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