"Sarutobi Hiruzen will probably use you to suppress the Uchiha Clan."
"He'll likely resort to some troublesome methods."
"If you lose, you won't be able to become a ninja, you know."
At that, Chiba froze for a moment, then suddenly raised his head to face Kushina.
Though she couldn't see his eyes, Kushina could tell he was scoffing.
She was a little surprised by his expression.
"What's wrong?"
"Do you really think... I care about being a Konoha Ninja?"
"Do you really think... I care about the Forehead Protector Sarutobi Hiruzen gave me?"
No, Chiba had never cared.
"I have a good idea of what to expect from the graduation exam he proposed."
"I can probably guess who my opponent will be."
"You can figure that out, too?"
Kushina blinked, looking curious.
"Probably."
"Do you know, Kushina?"
"When you truly understand your opponent, you can work backward from their goals to figure out their methods."
"Are you saying... you understand Sarutobi Hiruzen?"
It wasn't really appropriate to discuss Konoha's Hokage in private like this.
But Kushina had never cared about such things.
Although she had always considered Konoha her second home,
as a Jinchuriki, she knew exactly what she was to Konoha.
The so-called Will of Fire had never bound her as tightly as people imagined.
The will she inherited had never been the Will of Fire. It came from the first Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Mito.
"Probably..."
Chiba gave an answer that wasn't entirely certain.
Did he understand him?
He supposed so. After all, Chiba knew a great deal about Sarutobi Hiruzen. He had even witnessed his death.
But did he truly understand him?
After all, Chiba and Sarutobi Hiruzen had met fewer than three times in total.
And they had barely spoken.
Today, Chiba had slipped out under the pretext of going out to train.
He found a good spot where he could admire the moonlight, then built a campfire and skewered the game he had caught along the way, roasting it over the flames.
Before long,
the pure, wild scent of meat filled the air.
A campfire and a wisp of smoke in the middle of the night—
there was something charming about it.
Chiba was waiting for someone.
Someone special.
That person would be the one testing him three days from now.
And that person was bound to come looking for him tonight.
If he didn't,
then Chiba could only say that Sarutobi Hiruzen had disappointed him too much.
Then—
a pale face suddenly appeared beside Chiba, only a few centimeters away.
A long tongue flicked in and out like a snake's.
"Chiba... We meet again!"
When night falls, close your eyes—and watch out for Orochimaru!
He had come, after all.
Facing this man, who radiated danger every moment, Chiba calmly raised a hand.
"Have a seat, Mr. Orochimaru."
"I don't know if you've eaten yet."
"But dinner's on me tonight."
At that, Orochimaru smiled.
He seemed to be hiding his surprise.
Then, after a moment, he appeared to realize that Chiba couldn't see his expression.
So he simply sat down across from Chiba, by the campfire.
Then Chiba tossed Orochimaru a gourd.
"What's this?"
"Wine! I made it myself. It's pretty strong, so be careful."
Orochimaru looked at Chiba in surprise.
As if in a daze, he took Chiba's Wine Gourd and drank.
The crease in his brow showed how harsh it was on his throat.
It really was strong.
But it had a rich aftertaste.
"Chiba... were you waiting for me?"
"Of course."
"You knew I'd come tonight?"
"Yeah, I knew!"
Chiba took a sip too, though it was only a small one.
He had brewed the wine himself, so he knew exactly how strong it was.
"Because... I'm probably your only 'confidant,' right? When something good happens, of course you'd come share it with your 'confidant'!"
At that, Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly, and he gave a strange smile.
"Do you know what I'm happy about?"
"Of course."
"For a scientist, what could be more exciting than getting to closely observe and study his own test subject?"
Orochimaru stuck out his tongue, looking surprised.
"Just as I thought, Chiba. You really are special!"
"I never expected you to understand Teacher Sarutobi so well."
"So, do you want me to go easy on you during your graduation exam?"
"Go easy? No need."
Chiba took a hearty sip of the strong liquor, then took the roasted meat off the skewer and began to eat.
"If you don't complete the task Sarutobi Hiruzen gave you, you'll disappoint him, you know."
"Even if I complete it, he won't be happy!"
"And it won't make him suspect me any less."
That was right.
For someone as suspicious as Sarutobi Hiruzen, how could his suspicions fade so easily?
Impossible.
The opponent Sarutobi Hiruzen had chosen for Chiba's graduation exam was Orochimaru.
This wasn't just an attempt to suppress the Uchiha Clan; it was also a test of Orochimaru.
If Orochimaru completed the task perfectly, it would not only intimidate the Uchiha Clan but also send Orochimaru a warning.
Outwardly, it would create the impression that Orochimaru was still his obedient student. In private, he would continue to keep Orochimaru under suspicion.
How could Sarutobi Hiruzen pass up an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone?
"I won't go easy on you, but I won't blindly follow Sarutobi Hiruzen's orders, either."
"I'll test you by my own standards."
"Oh? What standards?"
"Of course, the standards for an experimental subject!"
The Sharingan was Orochimaru's obsession, and what he yearned for was eternal life.
An unseen Sharingan, along with an exceptionally powerful physique—
Chiba met Orochimaru's requirements for both perfectly.
He was going to prepare for his own "eternal life."
Even though Living Corpse Reincarnation hadn't yet been completed in the true sense.
Orochimaru would never have imagined that he could have such a pleasant conversation with a six-year-old child.
More importantly, that child was the experimental subject he had already chosen.
Chiba really did seem to be his confidant.
Ever since Orochimaru began to see through the meaning of life and research "eternal life,"
there had been no one who could understand him.
Neither Sarutobi Hiruzen, his teacher, nor his teammates Jiraiya and Tsunade.
None of them.
And Orochimaru had never expected anyone to understand him.
He knew that scientists were lonely.
A genius and a madman were only one thought apart.
In Orochimaru's eyes,
"eternal life" was the ultimate evolution of life.
And how could there be no sacrifices in the process of life's evolution?