A young man was walking down one of Konoha's main streets. Over his clothes, he wore a flak jacket issued to Konoha Ninja, and underneath it, a black robe. Its long sleeves hung down on either side, hiding both his hands.
Perhaps because the robe was so long, its excess fabric trailed all the way down to his thighs. The rest of his clothes were like those of any ordinary Konoha Ninja, but the robe gave him an unusual style.
The most eye-catching thing was the pair of short swords strapped across his back, forming the shape of a character.
This was Qi. But now, despite having obtained precious chakra weapons, he didn't seem all that happy. Instead, he looked thoroughly perplexed.
"Why would he say that to me...? What was Xiu's father getting at?"
He muttered under his breath.
"These people are such a pain. Couldn't they just say things plainly...?"
After hearing Xiu's father say that, Qi was utterly baffled.
However he looked at it, however he heard it, the remark was very strange. In fact, it didn't fit Qi's current circumstances or standing at all.
To put it plainly, Qi wasn't worthy of those words...
Orochimaru's student? Was that supposed to be impressive? In the eyes of the Uchiha Clan, if you weren't a true powerhouse, they wouldn't give you so much as three seconds of their attention.
Yet Xiu's father had gone and said those words to him. It was bizarre...
After turning it over in his mind, Qi decided there was only one likely explanation: the Uchiha Clan's resentment toward Konoha had grown so deep that they and the Senju were now at each other's throats, in a situation where one side had to destroy the other. And Xiu's old man was probably trying to leave his son another way out.
After all, he, Kagetsu Qi, was Orochimaru's student, the only Yuki in the world, and a direct descendant of the Senju. If he proved capable and gained enough strength, he would have some influence in Konoha. Then, protecting Xiu wouldn't be impossible. Hadn't Itachi managed to protect Sasuke?
The Uchiha Clan probably couldn't even be sure whether they would succeed. After all, if they lost, they were sure to be wiped out. People had hearts, and Xiu's old man probably didn't want his son to die alongside the older generation. The more chances, the better.
Damn it! You lunatics and your power struggles! You're dragging us younger folk into this. You must have nothing better to do. Shinobi were supposed to fight with strength, not politics, weren't they?!
He thought bitterly...
"Forget it... Hopefully, he was just saying it casually. Still, I shouldn't get involved with the Uchiha Clan..."
Qi shook his head, trying to get these headaches out of his mind.
"I'd better head back to my teacher's place. I can take a look at the scroll Orochimaru gave me while I'm there."
He reached into his robe. Inside was a scroll Orochimaru had given him before returning to the village. It was sure to mean another round of lessons.
Orochimaru had a very distinctive way of teaching his students. He left them almost entirely to their own devices, offering only advice and some experience, but no direction. You had to figure it out yourself...
If you didn't understand something, you could ask him, sure. But expecting him to hold your hand and watch over you like a nursemaid was a pipe dream...
Sasuke was probably the only exception he'd ever made. After all, he was counting on taking over Sasuke's body.
"I was looking for you."
The man Qi had once met at Orochimaru's residence appeared in front of him.
"I've been looking for you for a while."
He glanced in the direction Qi had come from, a strange look flashing in his eyes.
"Did you just go to the Uchiha Clan's compound?"
"Does Teacher Orochimaru need me for something?"
Qi decided that, from now on, he would play dumb whenever anyone asked him this sort of thing. Otherwise, they'd drive him crazy sooner or later.
"Come with me to see Lord Orochimaru. You have a new mission."
Sensing Qi's displeasure—or perhaps his evasiveness—the man nodded and didn't press the matter.
"Sure."
Qi didn't bother with formalities. Although they hadn't met many times, he knew the man didn't care for that kind of thing. The only person on his mind was Orochimaru; politeness and such was meaningless to him.
"You've already become the Third Hokage's student's junior, so you're one of us now. Keep that in mind, and I'll give you a word of advice."
Just as Qi was about to leave, the man spoke again.
"Don't get involved with the Uchiha Clan. Otherwise, you'll be the only one who suffers."
"I don't understand what you mean, and I don't intend to. I only went to visit a friend. I don't know anything else, and I don't want to!"
Qi was getting angry. Would these people ever stop? He'd only gone to visit a friend. Did he need someone's permission for that?
Qi had originally regretted getting involved with the Uchiha Clan a little, but now he didn't regret it at all.
That was just the kind of person he was...
"Hmph!"
Hearing Qi's barbed reply, the man's expression changed. It wasn't so much grim as scornful—even contemptuous.
"Kid, you've got no strength to speak of, but you sure have a big mouth. Don't say I didn't warn you. If you drag Lord Orochimaru down with you, I'll kill you first."
"Don't trouble yourself. I know what I should and shouldn't do! Save those words for when you actually come to kill me!"
Qi's gaze turned venomous. He swore to himself that once he had the strength, he'd kill the bastard.
The man had openly threatened to take his life. That meant they were enemies now, with no chance of reconciliation. If he could say it aloud, then he meant to do it!
He'd pay him back for today's humiliation tenfold!
With that thought, Qi turned and walked away without looking back. He was afraid he might lose control and attack the man, even though he couldn't beat him right now...
Seeing Qi back down, the man sneered and followed after him. As a Special Jonin and one of Orochimaru's closest men, he didn't take Qi seriously at all.
A student? Please. Why had Orochimaru taken Qi on as a student? Other people might not know, but the man knew Orochimaru had already begun researching forbidden techniques for immortality. He was the one who went out of the village to gather "materials" for him.
He also knew that the foundations of Kagetsu Qi's skills were already set. Orochimaru couldn't reshape him now. He'd taken Qi on as a student only because he was intensely interested in the Ice Release bloodline.
How could he take Qi seriously? In his eyes, Qi would sooner or later become one of Orochimaru's test subjects—a wreck, if he didn't end up dead. Why should he care?
Before long, the two of them arrived at Orochimaru's residence, one walking ahead of the other.
As usual, the man led the way and Qi followed. They arrived in the courtyard, where Orochimaru was resting.
"You did well on this mission."
Orochimaru was dressed in casual clothes, sitting in a chair and sunbathing. Though Qi figured that no matter how long Orochimaru sat in the sun, he'd never get a tan...
"From now on, you're officially a Chunin... Don't look so surprised. That's how it is during wartime. It isn't hard to go from Genin to Chunin."
Qi understood the implication: becoming a Jonin was still difficult...
But he hadn't expected to become one anyway. A Jonin was a whole different level. With his current abilities, he could forget about it...
"Combat is the best training ground for a shinobi. I'm sure you've experienced that yourself. From now on, you'll be training in a different arena."
Orochimaru kept his eyes closed, making no move to open them. He clearly enjoyed his "sunbathing."
"Fighting opponents who are mainly Genin is no longer suitable for your practical training. As it happens, I've asked Minato to take you along on some special missions from now on."
Special missions?
At that name, Qi's heart tightened.
Ogata had already told him what special missions during wartime involved.
Simply put, they meant sneaking behind enemy lines and causing trouble. It was all about hiding and striking wherever you found an opening. If you were surrounded, you were dead for sure. The White Fang of the Leaf had been an expert at this sort of thing.
Moreover, these missions were extremely likely to draw the enemy's strongest fighters. In short, they were exceptionally dangerous, but they certainly "trained" you...
And danger didn't mean much to a shinobi. Unless someone wanted to spend their whole life as a Genin and then get killed by someone.
With danger, you died; without danger, you died anyway. The former at least had some value.
Besides, he was still seething from everything that had happened today, and it was all because he lacked strength. If he didn't settle the score one day, he might as well not be alive.
"I'll do as you say, Teacher."
Qi naturally had no objections. Anyone could be afraid of death, but he didn't have that luxury. Though he made it sound easy, he hadn't forgotten the responsibility he carried: even if he couldn't restore his clan, he had to find a way to look after the surviving members of the Yuki Clan.
Everything he'd learned came from the Yuki and Kaguya Clans. There was no hope for the Kaguya Clan; they'd been wiped out too thoroughly, and their only surviving branch had been brainwashed by Orochimaru. But many members of the Yuki Clan had survived. If he didn't help them, he'd be no better than an animal.
"Stay here tonight. Tomorrow, come with me to see Minato."
Orochimaru nodded, signaling Qi to leave.
"Yes."
Qi clasped his hands in a salute. Konoha's world didn't have a custom of clasping hands, but he rather enjoyed doing it.
After Qi performed the salute—a gesture no one understood but whose general meaning they had managed to grasp—a servant led him away. The man, who was a Special Jonin, remained where he was.
"My lord."
Once Qi had gone far enough, the man bowed to Orochimaru.
"Did he really go to the Uchiha Clan?"
Orochimaru looked at the man.
"Did you see him go in with your own eyes?"
"Yes. I saw him enter the Uchiha Clan's territory with his teammate."
"Friend..."
Orochimaru gave a faint, cold laugh.
"That Uchiha must be trying to leave his junior a way out. Everyone knows that, given Kagetsu Qi's talent and the Yuki Secret Scroll he carries, becoming a Jonin is only a matter of time. Konoha's leadership has already investigated Qi's background. He's the only one who thinks it's a secret."
"If that's the case, why did you only have me follow him instead of stopping him? Those Uchiha can't read the situation. Kagetsu Qi getting involved with them could bring trouble down on you."
"Do you think he'd listen to you?"
Orochimaru's smile held a hint of mockery.
"People like him don't respond to force, only kindness. The Uchiha are taking the emotional approach, which is just the right way to handle someone like him."
"He doesn't get to refuse! He's your student. What student would defy his teacher?"
The man didn't care.
"At worst, I'll restrain him. Maybe someday I won't be his match, but right now, he couldn't last a single move against me."
"You mustn't lay a hand on him."
Orochimaru shook his head.
"You're not the only one following him. Someone else cares about him more than either of us."
"Do you mean Kaguya Ogata?"
The man gave a disdainful look.
"He's just a brute who knows Taijutsu."
"You're wrong about that. Kaguya Ogata survived a fight with the White Fang. Even I have to be careful around him, let alone you."
"The Kaguya Clan are tough fighters. I've fought people who practiced the Eight Inner Gates, and Ogata doesn't even have Shikotsumyaku. Aren't you overestimating him?"
The man sounded unconvinced. Taijutsu practitioners were generally considered a supporting force in the Shinobi World. There were some first-rate fighters among them, but they were few and far between. It was only natural that the man looked down on Taijutsu.
The fact that they couldn't use ninjutsu was a huge weakness in itself.
Konoha had many Taijutsu schools, but the only ones that had produced truly powerful fighters were the Eight Inner Gates and Gentle Fist. The latter relied on the Byakugan, so its users could hardly be called pure Taijutsu practitioners.
As for the Eight Inner Gates, it was extremely difficult to master, but its power was immense. Anyone who mastered it became a human-shaped tyrannosaur, famous throughout the Shinobi World and feared by all.
But the Kaguya Clan were truly famous for their bloodline, Shikotsumyaku. Their Taijutsu was certainly excellent, but it couldn't be called first-rate. Compared with the Eight Inner Gates and Gentle Fist, it was far inferior.
In the man's eyes, without Shikotsumyaku, Kaguya Ogata was no more than an ordinary fighter, no matter how strong his Taijutsu was.
"Overestimating him?"
Orochimaru's expression immediately darkened.
"Are you saying I'm blind? Or that the White Fang of the Leaf didn't deserve his reputation? And that I, one of the Sannin, am all talk and no substance?"
His words were harsh enough to scare the man half to death. He fell to the ground with a thud, prostrating himself.
"I spoke out of turn! Please forgive me, my lord!"
Cold sweat poured down his body. Orochimaru's killing intent, almost tangible, made him feel as though his skin were about to split open!
"I hate people who don't know when to stop. Especially when they're my subordinates. They deserve to die!"
The killing intent in Orochimaru's eyes eased a little.
"Do you know that while you were following Kagetsu Qi, Kaguya Ogata was following you? Did you think I was sitting here just to wait for a useless report from you? I had you follow Qi to see how you'd handle this. And you actually threatened him to his face! What if he'd lost control? Who do you think would have died?"
At those words, the man stiffened.
"If anyone dares hurt Kagetsu Qi, Kaguya Ogata will fight them to the death! With your ability—so poor you couldn't even tell he was following you—how many lives do you think you have to spare?"
Orochimaru scoffed.
"If Ogata hadn't known I was following you, he would have killed you before you ever came to see me, just for what you said. And Konoha's leadership wouldn't lift a finger for a fool like you! Do you know how important Ice Release is to Konoha right now?"
He was genuinely displeased. This subordinate was far too arrogant. Arrogant people always ended up provoking the wrong people and causing trouble that shouldn't exist.
"You get only one chance. In light of your past service, I'll let it go this time. Think carefully about what you've done."
He waved his sleeve, dismissing the man, then closed his eyes again to enjoy the rare stretch of fine weather.