Uchiha Kei walked with Doflamingo's swagger and Kizaru's expression. The beauties Hotaru and Oboro followed at his side, while Joseph and Johnny came along behind them as bodyguards.
They made their way grandly to the reception area.
Kei had to admit, he really wanted to see how much damage Joseph, now a mere gatekeeper, could do against Orochimaru, one of the Konoha Sannin and a former frontline commander.
But there was no need.
With Hotaru there, Orochimaru was already at her mercy.
Neither Orochimaru nor Hotaru herself probably understood why.
But Uchiha Kei, who knew plenty of Konoha's little secrets, was best at using one setting to defeat another.
And so they arrived at Yating, where Orochimaru was being hosted. The moment they saw him, his expression—warm yet wary—said it all.
When Hotaru had left, Orochimaru had returned to his cold-blooded state. Now that he saw her again, he found himself growing affectionate against his will.
What was wrong with him? He could send even a disciple he had raised from childhood to the operating table. So why did he feel so fond of a young woman he had only met twice? He hadn't felt this way the last time they met.
He was certain he hadn't been caught in a genjutsu. As one of the Sannin, Orochimaru had that much confidence.
Yet this time, he couldn't control himself. It wasn't anything like genjutsu. He could sense it—a feeling that came from deep within and that he couldn't resist.
And it wasn't romantic love. What was happening to him?!
The moment he saw Hotaru again, the feeling took hold of him once more, leaving Orochimaru deeply conflicted.
His reason told him to be wary, but emotionally, he couldn't help wanting to be affectionate. He wanted to dote on Hotaru as if she were his daughter, offer her every good thing he had, and grant all her wishes.
Seeing Orochimaru's expression, Hotaru looked disgusted. Uncle, don't be like this. I have a family.
If Lord Kei weren't here, Hotaru thought she might have lost her composure.
Kei was practically bursting with laughter at the scene, but he still maintained his polite expression.
"Mr. Orochimaru, it's been a while!"
Orochimaru stopped looking at Hotaru and fixed his cold, dangerous, yet alluring snake eyes on Kei. There was displeasure in his voice.
"No, I'm not well at all, Kei. What did you do to me?"
Kei smiled, entirely candid.
"Mr. Orochimaru, don't misunderstand. I didn't do anything to you. This is something you did to yourself."
Orochimaru didn't believe him. Surely he knew himself better than anyone?
"Oh? What did I do, then? I don't remember."
Kei had a perfectly convincing explanation.
"Mr. Orochimaru, there's no need to test me. I mean you no harm. This really is your own problem. I imagine you've recently experimented with Earth Dragon Cave's Sage Mode, haven't you?"
Orochimaru said nothing, only nodding.
Kei continued, "As I understand it, Mount Myoboku's Sage Mode carries the risk of failure. If you fail, you turn into a toad. Since Earth Dragon Cave and Mount Myoboku are both among the Three Great Sage Regions, I imagine the risks of their Sage Modes are much the same, right?"
Orochimaru still didn't understand what that had to do with his feelings, but Kei was telling the truth. He had indeed experimented with Sage Mode, and he had failed.
Though not completely. He had only become more and more snake-like, while still retaining his human form.
Orochimaru didn't understand what Kei was getting at, so he didn't interrupt. He simply nodded again, as if to say, "You're right about all that, but I'm not satisfied."
Seeing that Orochimaru wasn't inclined to talk, Kei didn't waste any time. He turned directly to Hotaru.
"Mr. Orochimaru, allow me to introduce her once again: Uchiha Hotaru, a naturally gifted ninja with an innate affinity for snakes. No snake can resist her charm."
He finished by proudly thumping his chest. "She's one of mine."
Orochimaru's narrowed snake eyes widened in an instant. He swiftly formed Hand Seals and summoned a small, emerald-green snake.
Usually, whenever the little snake appeared, it would badger Orochimaru for this or that treat.
But as soon as it emerged, the little thing didn't even glance at Orochimaru. It slithered straight to Hotaru, coiled around her arm, and rested its head on her shoulder, nuzzling against her.
A little white snake poked its head out from Hotaru's sleeve and flicked its tongue at the little green snake, warning the interloper not to try to steal its master's attention.
Seeing this, Orochimaru believed Kei.
The little green snake wasn't very strong, but it had great potential. It was a direct descendant of the White Snake Sage, and destined to become a snake sage in the future.
Even the White Snake Sage couldn't make the little thing fawn over anyone so shamelessly.
That gave Orochimaru plenty to think about. After weighing his options, he finally made up his mind.
"Kei, I never imagined I'd have to take your side. It seems we're destined to cross paths!"
Kei had expected this. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent Hotaru to ask for the Summoning Scroll on the strength of her looks alone. Still, taking advantage of someone's weakness to get what he wanted was a little shameless.
"Don't put it like that, Mr. Orochimaru. Fate chose us. You don't have a choice."
With that, he held out his hand, hoping to make peace with Orochimaru.
Orochimaru was happy to oblige. As they slapped palms, he asked, "There's just one thing I don't understand. Why did you make me your first target, Kei?"
Uchiha Kei didn't try to hide it. Instead, he asked, "Mr. Orochimaru, when you're in trouble, do you know who you should ask for help?"
The question was strange, but Orochimaru was happy to answer.
"Of course. You ask someone who can help you. Oh? You seem confident, Kei. I just don't understand how you're so sure I can help you."
Kei shook his head. "I'm not sure. But I know you'll help me."
Orochimaru's expression turned cold. "Because of Hotaru? You should know that as a ninja, I can't fail to notice something is wrong with me. A friendship born of that abnormality won't last."
Kei smiled.
"No, Lord Orochimaru. I know that when someone needs help, they shouldn't look for someone who can help them. They should look for someone who has helped them before."
Orochimaru's expression softened a little.
"Interesting. But why is that?"
"Because someone with the ability to help you may not actually do it. But someone who's helped you before will help you again. People are strange like that. It's called sunk cost."
Kei wagged a finger.
"Mr. Orochimaru, you helped me quite a bit when we met recently. If it's something trivial, I imagine you'll still help me."
"Hahaha!" Orochimaru, the Cold Lord, laughed. "Not really. I just couldn't stand seeing a brat swagger around."
Kei laughed along with him.
"Heh. So, Mr. Orochimaru, are you going to refuse me?"
Orochimaru looked at Hotaru and sighed helplessly.
Over the past few days, he had figured out what his teacher was planning. It seemed Kei had already "ruined" one of the pieces his teacher was holding.
Orochimaru was perfectly happy to be ruined this way. Infighting was pointless.
Besides, Hotaru alone could keep him occupied in a fight. There'd be no point in his joining in.
Most importantly, his teacher's offer was far too meager. He might as well take Kei's side.
"Haha! You're an interesting man, Kei. If Konoha weren't burdened with all these complications, I think we could have become close friends."
Orochimaru felt a little melancholy on his teacher's behalf.
All his teacher's careful planning might begin to unravel with Orochimaru.
He wondered whether his teacher could accept it. No matter—after all they'd been through as teacher and student, he'd at least leave his teacher with some dignity.
"Kei, I'll take Hotaru as my disciple, and I'll leave all my ninjutsu to you. That should make my intentions clear to the Third as well."
It was one of the few things Orochimaru could still do for the Third.
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