Setting Defeats Setting

Uchiha Kei strode forward with Doflamingo's gait and Kizaru's expression, flanked by the two beauties, Hotaru and Oboro, while Joseph and Johnny followed closely behind as bodyguards.

They headed toward the reception area in a relaxed, leisurely manner.

Come to think of it, Kei was genuinely curious to see how much of a gap in strength there would be if Joseph, currently acting as a gatekeeper, were to face off against Orochimaru, one of the Konoha Sannin and a former frontline commander.

But it wouldn't be necessary.

With Hotaru there, it was more than enough to handle Orochimaru.

As for why, perhaps neither Orochimaru nor Hotaru themselves understood the reason.

However, Uchiha Kei, who knew quite a few of Konoha's little secrets, was a master at using established settings to defeat other established settings.

The group arrived at the Yating where Orochimaru was being hosted. The moment Orochimaru saw them, his expression—a mix of intimacy and vigilance—said it all.

When Hotaru had left, Orochimaru had reverted to his cold-blooded state. Now, seeing her again, his emotions began to stir with an involuntary sense of closeness.

What was wrong with him? He could send a disciple he had raised with his own hands onto the operating table without a second thought, yet why did he feel such an affinity for a young girl he had only met twice? This feeling hadn't existed during their last encounter at all.

He hadn't fallen under a genjutsu; as one of the Sannin, Orochimaru had at least that much confidence in himself.

Yet this time, he couldn't control himself. It wasn't anything like a genjutsu. It was something he could perceive—an irresistible emotion welling up from the depths of his heart.

And it wasn't romantic love. What was happening to him!

Seeing Hotaru again, these uncontrollable feelings surged, leaving Orochimaru deeply conflicted.

Reason told him to be on guard, but his emotions couldn't stop him from wanting to be close to her, wanting to spoil her like a daughter, wanting to offer her the best of everything, and wanting to agree to her every request.

Seeing Orochimaru's expression, Hotaru looked disgusted. Mister, don't be like this; I'm a married woman.

If it weren't for Lord Kei being present, Hotaru felt she might have already lost her composure.

Witnessing this scene, Kei was inwardly overjoyed, though he maintained a polite exterior.

"Mr. Orochimaru, I trust you have been well!"

Orochimaru stopped looking at Hotaru, instead fixing his cold, dangerous, yet captivating snake-like gaze on Kei, his voice laced with dissatisfaction.

"No, I am far from well. Kei-kun, what have you done to me!"

Kei smiled, a very candid smile.

"Mr. Orochimaru, don't misunderstand. It's not that I did anything to you, but rather what you did to yourself."

Orochimaru didn't believe him. Could he not know his own actions?

"Oh? I wasn't aware. What exactly have I done?"

Kei had a reason that would surely convince him.

"Mr. Orochimaru, let's not play games. I harbor no malice. It is indeed your own issue. I assume you have recently been experimenting with the Sage Mode of Ryuchi Cave, haven't you?"

Orochimaru didn't speak, merely nodding.

Kei continued, "As far as I know, the Sage Mode of Mount Myoboku carries the risk of failure. Once it fails, the practitioner turns into a toad. I imagine that since Ryuchi Cave is one of the three great sage regions, the risks of its Sage Mode should be much the same, right?"

Orochimaru still didn't see how this related to his current emotions, but what Kei said was true; he had indeed experimented with Sage Mode and failed.

But it wasn't a total failure. He had simply become increasingly snake-like, yet he still maintained his human form.

Not understanding what Kei was getting at, Orochimaru didn't interrupt and simply nodded again, signaling that while Kei was correct, he wasn't satisfied with that answer.

Seeing that Orochimaru was unwilling to talk, Kei didn't dawdle and turned directly to Hotaru.

"Mr. Orochimaru, let me introduce her again: Uchiha Hotaru, a gifted ninja with a natural affinity for snakes. No snake can resist Hotaru's charm."

After saying this, he proudly patted his chest. "My subordinate."

Orochimaru's narrowed snake eyes widened instantly, and he quickly performed a hand seal to summon a small, emerald-green snake.

In the past, whenever this little snake appeared, it would bicker with Orochimaru, demanding this or that benefit.

But the moment this little creature emerged, it didn't even glance at Orochimaru. It zipped over to Hotaru, coiled around her arm, and rested its head on her shoulder, acting coquettishly.

From within Hotaru's sleeve, a small white snake poked its head out, flicking its tongue at the green snake, warning the little interloper not to covet its master.

Seeing this, Orochimaru believed it.

That little green snake wasn't particularly powerful, but its potential was immense—it was a direct descendant of the White Snake Sage, a future snake sage.

Even the White Snake Sage herself couldn't make this little creature act so subserviently.

With this, Orochimaru's mind raced. After weighing the pros and cons, he finally made up his mind.

"Kei-kun, I never expected that I would have to stand on your side. It seems our fates are deeply intertwined!"

Kei had long anticipated this; otherwise, he wouldn't have let Hotaru use nothing but her face to demand the summoning scroll. Still, using someone's weakness to take advantage of them was, in the end, a bit shameless.

"Don't say it like that, Mr. Orochimaru. It is destiny that chose us; you couldn't refuse even if you wanted to."

He extended his palm, hoping to reconcile with Orochimaru.

Orochimaru was naturally willing. As they high-fived, he asked, "I just don't understand why you, Kei-kun, chose to target me first of all people!"

Uchiha Kei did not bother to hide it, instead retorting with a question.

"Mr. Orochimaru, do you know who you should turn to for help when you are in trouble?"

Kei's question was strange, yet Orochimaru was happy to answer.

"Naturally, you turn to the person who can help you! Oh~ it seems Kei-kun is quite confident, though I cannot fathom why you are so certain that I am the one who can help you."

Kei shook his head. "I am not certain, but I know you will help me."

Orochimaru's expression turned cold. "Based on Hotaru? You must realize that as a ninja, it is impossible for me not to notice my own abnormalities, and friendships forged through such anomalies are not firm!"

Kei smiled.

"That won't be the case, Lord Orochimaru, because I know that when a person needs help, they shouldn't look for someone who can help them, but rather someone who has helped them before."

Hearing Kei put it this way, Orochimaru's expression softened slightly.

"Interesting, but why is that?"

"Because those who have the ability to help you might not necessarily do so, but those who have helped you before certainly will. People are just that strange; it's called a sunk cost."

Kei wagged his finger as he spoke.

"Mr. Orochimaru, you helped me quite a bit during our encounter not long ago! If it is a trivial matter, I imagine you would still be willing to help me."

"Hahaha," the Cold Lord Orochimaru laughed. "It was nothing; I simply didn't want to see a brat acting so arrogant."

Kei laughed along with him.

"Heh, so, Mr. Orochimaru, are you going to refuse me?"

Orochimaru looked at Hotaru, feeling helpless.

Over these past few days, he had come to understand what his teacher was planning, and it appeared now that the piece in his teacher's hand had been "ruined" by Kei.

He was actually quite happy to be ruined in this way; internal strife was truly meaningless.

Besides, if a real fight broke out, Hotaru alone could hold him back, making his participation pointless.

Of course, the main reason was that the benefits offered by his teacher were simply too meager. Given that, it was better to stand on Kei's side.

"Haha! Kei-kun is truly interesting! If Konoha didn't have all these unnecessary complications, I imagine we could have become close friends."

Orochimaru felt a touch of melancholy for his teacher.

The teacher's painstaking layout would likely develop a crack right here, starting with him.

He wondered if the teacher could accept it. Forget it, forget it; they had been teacher and student once, so he would at least grant his teacher some dignity.

"Kei-kun, I will take Hotaru as my disciple and leave all the ninjutsu behind for you. That way, the Third Hokage will understand my intentions."

This was one of the few things Orochimaru could still do for the Third.