First Meeting with Orochimaru

After training for many consecutive days, Rock Lee and Naruto were still brimming with passion. Uzumaki Eiyuling looked up at the sky powerlessly; it was already evening, yet they still hadn't returned.

Actually, Eiyuling wanted to train with them too, but her physical stamina was truly insufficient. Therefore, after completing the training she was capable of, she began practicing the Three Body Technique, but aside from learning the hand seals, she still couldn't pull it off.

Compared to these two hot-blooded idiots, her future seemed even more hopeless!

"Could it be that I have to go find Orochimaru? But with my current abilities, I wouldn't even be able to see him..." Eiyuling said dejectedly.

"Forget it, stop thinking about it. Come to think of it, I haven't even seen Sakura or Ino since I came to Konoha." Eiyuling curled her lips upward slightly. "Ah, I really miss everyone."

Eiyuling left as soon as the thought crossed her mind, grabbing her keys and heading out of the house.

Night gradually descended, and the Konoha commercial district was bustling with prosperity, with all sorts of snack stalls appearing. Eiyuling opened her wallet and gave a helpless, bitter smile.

Treating Itachi to three-colored dango last time had already spent all her money.

Perhaps because of the darkness, no one noticed Eiyuling, so they weren't looking at her with those kinds of gazes, which actually made her heave a sigh of relief.

"It looks like I can only window-shop. Sigh, why am I so poor?" Eiyuling shouted in her heart.

Eiyuling didn't know how far she had walked along the street, but when she finally looked up, she realized there was no one else around.

"It seems my luck isn't very good; I didn't run into a single person."

"But I can't go to the flower shop to find Ino either; I'm a poor person, after all."

Eiyuling muttered to herself, finally letting out a long sigh and thinking that she might as well just head home.

But just then, Eiyuling heard the hiss of a snake, and a fierce gust of wind struck from her left. She turned her head to look and was shocked to see a giant python.

Eiyuling was terrified, trying desperately to run, but she couldn't move at all. The giant python opened its blood-red maw and lunged at her.

I'm going to die!

Eiyuling thought, stumbling and twisting her ankle, falling to the side—which just barely allowed her to dodge the snake's strike.

Watching the giant snake that had just passed in front of her slam into the opposite wall and vanish with a bang, she realized it was a summoned snake.

Eiyuling was drenched in cold sweat, her breathing heavy and her heart racing. She lay prone on the ground, her clothes torn.

She recognized that snake; it was so similar to Orochimaru's summons. Could he be nearby? But why would he want to kill her?

"Heh... not bad, to actually be able to dodge. Though, you look a bit disheveled," Orochimaru's dark, eerie voice drifted over.

Eiyuling's entire body stiffened. To him, she was currently nothing more than a crawling insect. Eiyuling had thought about finding him, but not now—she was so weak that he would eat her without leaving a scrap, and she would likely only exist as a "hickey-making machine"!

Eiyuling knew he must have realized long ago that she was of the Uzumaki Clan, otherwise, he wouldn't have come looking for her at this time.

Orochimaru watched Eiyuling's tightly furrowed brows and noticed that there was no fear on her face, only unwillingness.

It seems she knows of my existence. For a three-year-old child, that is truly surprising... Orochimaru thought.

"Uzumaki Eiyuling, we finally meet. However, it seems you already knew I would come," Orochimaru said eerily.

Eiyuling's gaze was like a deep pool, and the corners of her mouth curled upward involuntarily, her expression even appearing somewhat ferocious.

"Ah... I knew. Because you are Orochimaru, and I am of the Uzumaki Clan. You really need someone with my constitution, don't you!"

Orochimaru's snake-like eyes narrowed, and a surge of power erupted from him. Eiyuling's pupils dilated sharply, her body falling backward uncontrollably. Orochimaru watched her with a cold smile.

Thump. Eiyuling desperately used her elbows to prop herself up, but her ankle was twisted again. The sharp pain helped her regain some of her senses, and she used all her strength to barely keep from collapsing, though her elbows were injured in the process.

Eiyuling's whole body was in pain, yet she was grateful for it. The fact that she could remain conscious under Orochimaru's intimidation made her laugh out loud.

"Hahaha!" Tears flowed from the corners of Eiyuling's eyes, though they were not very obvious. She laughed in a muffled voice, not knowing what she was laughing at, feeling as if she had gone mad.

Orochimaru flicked his tongue, licking the corner of his mouth with a mix of amusement and danger. "What are you laughing at?"

Eiyuling struggled to straighten her body, still keeping her head low. "Thinking about it now, I feel I still have quite a bit of value, for even you to come looking for me."

"Ha!" Orochimaru's cold, eerie laughter echoed, carrying his signature rasp. "I see a very strong obsession in you."

"Yes, I have things I must do, and I don't care about the cost!"

Eiyuling clenched her fists tightly, blood seeping from her hands. She bit her lip, unable to stop a muffled groan from escaping.

Orochimaru chuckled softly. "What are you going to do, Eiyuling?"

"I know you can help me unearth my power. I wish to be your student," Eiyuling turned her head to look at him solemnly.

Orochimaru remained silent, sizing Eiyuling up as if weighing her value.

"I can accept your training, but I will absolutely not become a hickey-making machine. I will make you see my value!!!"

Orochimaru watched Eiyuling in silence, trying to discern something in her eyes, before finally letting out a mocking laugh.

"I can give you a chance, but let's get this straight: I don't feel pity for anything. So, good luck, heh heh..."

Eiyuling's pupils dilated as she saw Orochimaru vanish, a scroll appearing beside her hand out of nowhere.

Eiyuling's heart raced. There must have been a moment where Orochimaru intended to kill her; she didn't even know which words of hers had piqued his interest. At least she hadn't lost this massive gamble too miserably today.

The reason she still lost was that Orochimaru had only given her the scroll without saying he would make her his student, nor when they would meet again. He was just satisfying her ambition because he found it amusing, just as he had treated Mizuki!

It was just a whim; he would probably forget all about it later!

Hui tucked the scroll away, only then allowing herself to relax. Her foot throbbed as if it were broken, and when she raised her arm, she saw a deep gash on her left forearm. Blood had stained half her hand red, and her clothes were in a wretched state.

"It hurts..."

Hui let out a faint sigh. She hadn't expected to be in such a sorry state before Orochimaru had even made a move. She truly couldn't fathom just how much of a genius Itachi was!

Hui pulled bandages from her bag and treated the wound simply. She had intended to use them to patch up those two, yet she ended up using them on herself. What "good luck."

Hui leaned against the wall to stand up. She feared she couldn't tell the Third Hokage about today's events; if Orochimaru dared to act like this within the village, the person assigned to monitor her was likely already gone.

It wouldn't be appropriate to tell the Third, either. He would certainly stop her, and then she would never be able to become his student.

Besides, she couldn't go to the hospital. It was better to just head home quietly...

Hui limped home, leaning against the walls. The stinging pain in her foot was unbearable, and she felt a numbness creeping in. Her body was actually trembling from the lingering fear.

The version of her from moments ago had truly been bluffing. She was fortunate she hadn't backed down on the spot, even though she had been trembling with terror at the time.

"Damn it..." Hui lowered her head, squeezing the words through her teeth, yet the fear in her heart did not diminish in the slightest.

Naruto had been waiting at home for a long time, but when Hui still hadn't returned, he grew worried and went out to look for her. He finally spotted her in a small alley, only to see that she was covered in injuries.

"Hui?"

Hui heard the voice and looked up. Naruto saw the bloodshot veins in her eyes and her pale lips; she looked incredibly weak.

Hui realized it was Naruto, and a flicker of panic crossed her eyes, though it ultimately settled into shock.

Naruto walked up to her without a word, simply crouching down to offer her a piggyback ride, asking nothing else.

Hui bit her lip hard. Her drifting heart seemed to settle all at once. She truly 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 she didn't want to.

Naruto felt her weight, hoisted her up, and carried her back home.

Seeing Hui's gloomy expression, Naruto didn't press her further. He carried her home in silence, and Hui said nothing, leaving the air heavy between them.

Once they reached home, Naruto finally saw the severity of Hui's injuries and couldn't help but ask, "Hui, why are you so badly hurt?"

Hui looked up at Naruto, gave a cold laugh, and said, "It's nothing, I just got into a fight with someone!"

"Why would they do that? Was it because of me again?" Naruto said indignantly, feeling a bitter knot in his chest.

"No, I just hated their faces, so I fought them. Hmph, they were too arrogant!" Hui said with a light chuckle, carrying an air of arrogance herself. It seemed she didn't even need to prepare herself mentally to lie anymore.

"Hui, don't do this anymore..." Naruto said softly, his voice filled with deep concern.

"I know, stop being so long-winded!" Hui retorted with dissatisfaction. This was a situation she dared not resist at all; it was nowhere near as carefree as she made it sound.

Naruto fell silent. He quietly prepared a bath for Hui before going to make food. Hui stripped off her soiled clothes and submerged herself in the water, staring listlessly at the ceiling. She had been so weak today!

Orochimaru had actually gone incredibly easy on her. The snake had even hissed a warning before the ambush, and the intimidation he projected wasn't even a tenth of what he had shown Sasuke. Yet, she had barely managed to dodge, and only because she had twisted her ankle!