"Long time no see, Anko."
Orochimaru flicked his scarlet tongue over his lips, his smile chilling.
"You're an S-rank rogue ninja wanted by the village now. Even if it costs me my life, I'll defeat you here!"
Anko's gaze was icy. "This is the mission I accepted when you trained me, Orochimaru!"
"Don't be so tense. I'm just passing through and thought I'd stop by to see an old friend."
Orochimaru's gaze lingered on Yatsuhashi, as though he were assessing something.
That look made Yatsuhashi feel like a venomous snake had fixed its eyes on him.
Just as Anko was about to attack,
Orochimaru formed Hand Seals.
A blurry Cursed Seal suddenly appeared on Anko's neck.
In an instant, a chilling chakra surged from the seal and invaded Anko's body.
A moment later, Mitaraishi Anko collapsed unconscious.
"What?!"
Yatsuhashi caught Anko as she fell, his face full of disbelief.
Was this the terrifying power of one of the Sannin, Orochimaru?
With a single move, Anko, a Chunin, had lost the ability to fight.
Yatsuhashi narrowed his eyes and stared at Orochimaru outside the window.
They were still inside the village. All he had to do was get Anko out of there,
then alert the patrolling Anbu.
Orochimaru would be like a turtle trapped in a jar, with no choice but to surrender.
As if he'd seen through Yatsuhashi's thoughts,
Orochimaru said, "Yatsuhashi, I didn't come here to fight you."
"As my former close assistant, would you let me into your room?"
Yatsuhashi was silent for a moment. Holding Anko, he slowly backed toward the door,
making sure he could escape at any time before finally nodding slightly.
After all, he was no longer the person he'd been in the laboratory.
He had awakened the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan.
Yatsuhashi knew just how much that would attract Orochimaru.
Orochimaru nimbly climbed through the window and sat down in a chair as if he owned the place.
"Orochimaru, aren't you worried about the danger of sneaking into the village like this?"
"Of course I am." Orochimaru smiled, but his gaze swept meaningfully toward the window.
"But I couldn't bear to miss this spectacle tonight. Yatsuhashi, you missed quite a show."
Yatsuhashi's pupils contracted slightly.
He immediately thought of the Root members who had just scattered and fled,
as well as Yamato, who had been badly injured.
Since he needed to find lodgings for Yukimi and the other members of the Iburi Clan, he'd specifically asked Kakashi for a day off.
He just hadn't expected something aimed at Danzo to happen in the village so soon.
The instant Yatsuhashi let his guard down,
a snake shot out from Orochimaru's hand.
It lunged forward and sank its fangs into Anko's neck.
The snake's fangs pierced her skin.
The Cursed Seal, which had been showing signs of agitation,
stabilized as black light rippled across it.
"Don't get worked up, Yatsuhashi."
Orochimaru's words stopped Yatsuhashi from attacking outright.
"I'm just perfecting one of my old creations."
Orochimaru smiled as he gazed at Yatsuhashi's Three-Tomoe Sharingan. He'd kept it hidden for so long.
Now he finally had a chance to see it.
"That was the Cursed Seal I placed on her before, but it was incomplete."
Orochimaru admired his own handiwork.
"After I left the village, free of its restrictions, my experiments made tremendous breakthroughs.
"Now the Cursed Seal not only boosts its bearer's strength considerably,
but is also far less likely to spiral out of control.
"Since I've run into her, I might as well perfect my old creation."
Orochimaru deliberately paused.
Then he fixed his snake-like eyes on Yatsuhashi and dangled his bait.
"Yatsuhashi, do you want one?
"It can grant you strength beyond your expectations.
"As the assistant I once had the highest hopes for, I'll give you one of my finest Heaven Curse Seals, just like Anko's, for free."
"No, thanks."
He turned down Orochimaru's offer in a flat voice.
Meanwhile, he silently weighed the different possibilities of what might happen next.
After all, Yatsuhashi knew that although Orochimaru's Cursed Seal granted power, it also left its bearer under his control.
Those marked with the seal could be controlled or influenced by Orochimaru to a certain extent.
It didn't just mark them as potential bodies for Orochimaru's reincarnation;
because the seal incorporated Orochimaru's cells,
it could even serve as a means for him to revive himself.
"That's a shame."
Orochimaru clicked his tongue in disappointment, but his gaze remained fixed on Yatsuhashi's Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
"Then again, you don't really need that kind of power anymore."
Orochimaru suddenly laughed, the sound chilling and unsettling.
"Yatsuhashi, congratulations. It seems your experiment succeeded."
Yatsuhashi stayed silent, and Orochimaru continued.
"I heard you joined the Anbu, too. That was a dangerous decision..."
Yatsuhashi was startled. He hadn't expected Orochimaru to know even that.
After all, he'd only joined the Anbu a few days ago.
And yet the rogue ninja Orochimaru still had access to all kinds of accurate information about the village.
It was hard not to be shocked.
"How about we make a deal?"
Orochimaru lowered his voice. "Gather information about your Uchiha Clan for me, especially about Uchiha Shisui. I'm very interested in his body..."
Those words set alarm bells ringing in Yatsuhashi's mind.
Orochimaru merely leaned forward and moved a little closer,
but Yatsuhashi backed away several steps, still carrying Anko.
"Don't worry, Yatsuhashi.
"Now that your experiment has succeeded, the eyes of your Uchiha Clan aren't so special to me anymore."
His hoarse voice held a trace of unmistakable sincerity.
"Yatsuhashi, it seems I made a mistake when I didn't invite you to join me before.
"You've proved your worth to me once again.
"If you ever leave the village, I hope you'll come find me in the Land of Fields."
Before Yatsuhashi could refuse, Orochimaru tossed him a peculiar scroll.
"In exchange, you can have this.
"Anko was in the Land of the Sea before. I sealed away some of her memories.
"This scroll contains the jutsu to undo that seal."
At that, Yatsuhashi tucked the scroll into his robes.
After all, when they'd carried out a mission in the Land of Water,
the seal had caused Anko's condition to deteriorate considerably.
"Yatsuhashi," Orochimaru said, rising to leave through the window.
Just before he left, he turned and gave him a meaningful smile.
"I advise you not to undo the seal, at least not before Anko becomes a Jonin.
"And it would be best to keep tonight's events from the village.
"As for Anko, don't worry. I twisted her memories so she'll forget the unpleasant business of seeing me tonight.
"But you'd better let her stay in your room tonight.
"After all, a young man and woman alone together... such chances don't come often."
With that, Orochimaru vanished into the night.
On his way back, Orochimaru suddenly thought of his dear friend, Dan Katō, who had died on the battlefield.
"Dan, if you'd been a little more decisive back then, perhaps the tragedy could have been avoided."
In Orochimaru's view, Dan Katō and Tsunade should have been together.
But in those days of war,
no one had given them a push.
Orochimaru's voice held a wistful note of remembrance.
"What a shame..."
It was this feeling that had made Orochimaru realize
that tenderness was fleeting.
If you didn't seize it, it would slip away, leaving both people with a regret that lasted forever.
In that age of ceaseless war, too many regrets had been born of hesitation.
Now that it was peacetime, and he'd seen that same youthful awkwardness again,
he decided that this time, he—the "villain"—would give them a push.
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