Clever as a Fox and Naive as a Dog 3/5 [Seeking Collection]

Although Jun Tianlin felt that Orochimaru's tone was slightly off, the moment he heard Orochimaru agree to his request, he immediately brushed aside that minor sense of discord.

"Actually, the reason I sought you out this time is to ask for your help in locating members of the Senju and Uzumaki Clan somewhere in the Ninja World. I don't need you to find many, just one member from either clan will suffice, because they possess something I desire, and I must get my hands on it!"

"However, with my own abilities, there is absolutely no hope of finding members of these two clans. Therefore, I wish to borrow your reputation and connections in the Ninja World to help me search for them."

Looking at Orochimaru, Jun Tianlin spoke with an embarrassed expression, slowly revealing the purpose of his return.

"Oh? Little brat, all these years, you were first imprisoned by the Kaguya Clan, and after coming to my Otogakure, you haven't stepped out once in seven years. What could you possibly want with members of the Senju and Uzumaki Clan?"

"You say they have something you want and you must get your hands on it? Hehe, the Senju and Uzumaki Clan have long since declined; what could they possibly have that is worth coveting by a little brat with such impossibly high standards like you!"

"Could it be that you are eyeing the Kekkei Genkai of their clans? Only that would explain why you are so eager to find members of these two clans..."

"It seems that letting you out this time was truly a miscalculation. Little brat, it appears you still harbor many secrets that I am unaware of."

As Orochimaru spoke, his pair of yellowish-brown snake-like pupils slowly narrowed. His gaze swept back and forth across Jun Tianlin's body, and the meaning revealed in his eyes was self-evident.

For a moment, Jun Tianlin felt his heart skip a beat, and cold sweat began to bead on his small forehead.

He had miscalculated—completely miscalculated!

Jun Tianlin had never imagined that Orochimaru would be so sharp. With just a few simple words, Orochimaru had analyzed the information revealed in his speech and guessed his entire objective with perfect clarity.

Such intelligence and wit, to be able to see through everything and grasp the entirety of a situation in just a few sentences!

It was no wonder that Orochimaru was always so arrogant, looking down on everyone; across the entire Ninja World, there were likely very few people capable of analyzing and judging a situation through speech in such a short instant.

In truth, Jun Tianlin was overthinking it. Orochimaru was undeniably brilliant, but to say he could guess someone's intentions just from their speech was an exaggeration.

After all, as Orochimaru had noted, the Senju and Uzumaki Clan had been in decline for a long time. Even the Land of Whirlpools, the ancestral home of the Uzumaki Clan, had been breached by other Kekkei Genkai families years ago, leading to the near-extermination of the clan, with only a few survivors managing to escape.

For two such fallen families, the only thing left that could possibly attract the covetous eyes of others was the root of their bloodline power—the Kekkei Genkai of the Senju and Uzumaki Clan, nothing more.

Precisely because of this, when faced with Jun Tianlin's sudden request to find just one member of these two clans, it was only natural for Orochimaru to make that connection; it required very little effort.

Anyone with even a modicum of intelligence, when faced with such naive phrasing from Jun Tianlin, could likely guess his objective from his words.

Ultimately, it wasn't that Orochimaru was too cunning or sly, but that Jun Tianlin was still young, too immature, and lacked life experience. He didn't know how to hide his intentions when speaking, being far too superficial and transparent—a complete novice.