Orochimaru's Plea

Inside the Forest of Death.

Beneath a towering tree, a tall, thin figure stood waiting, as if expecting someone.

Crunch, crunch...

The sound of leaves being crushed underfoot echoed through the woods.

A figure sprinted toward the clearing. Upon spotting the person under the tree, they accelerated sharply, drawing a kunai from their pouch.

"Orochimaru! It really is you. Die!"

The figure waiting there was none other than Orochimaru, one of the Sannin who had defected only a short time ago.

Orochimaru watched the figure charging at him, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes; he clearly hadn't expected this person to show up.

Facing an attack that was already inches away, Orochimaru remained unmoved, speaking with detached calm.

"Long time no see, Anko."

Anko did not hesitate for a second in response to his greeting. She drove the kunai in her hand deep into the palm Orochimaru raised to block, pinning him against the tree.

She gripped the kunai tightly with one hand to prevent his escape, while her other hand seized his remaining free palm.

At this moment, Anko's heart raced with intense emotion; she was finally going to have her revenge.

"Orochimaru, today we die here together!"

With that, Anko prepared to activate a forbidden jutsu to take Orochimaru down with her, but for some reason, she faltered.

"If I were you, I would choose to stop right now."

Anko, who had just steeled herself to perish, was startled by the sudden voice.

Who was that?

As she turned her head, she saw a boy of her own age walking slowly toward them.

The boy's eyes were colorless and translucent—the Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan.

Lan? Why is he here?

Anko's mind was flooded with confusion.

The newcomer was indeed Hyuga Lan.

Lan's appearance caught Anko off guard, but she was already past the point of no return. Opportunities to take Orochimaru down were rare.

Recalling how Lan had belittled her not long ago, claiming that trying to deal with Orochimaru was a death wish, she decided this would be the perfect chance to make him a witness—a witness to her and Orochimaru's mutual destruction.

"Farewell..."

The next moment, just as Anko was about to trigger the forbidden jutsu, Hyuga Lan spoke again.

"Perishing alongside a shadow clone is hardly a wise move. Am I right, Lord Orochimaru?"

A clone? How is that possible?

Just as Anko wondered whether she should believe Hyuga Lan, the body of the Orochimaru she had pinned began to go limp, eventually collapsing into a discarded human skin.

It really was a clone!

How did Lan see through it?

Anko felt both shocked and relieved. She was shocked that she hadn't been able to distinguish the clone at all, while Lan had identified it with ease. She was relieved that she hadn't yet activated the Twin Snakes Mutual Death; if she had sacrificed her life only to take out a mere clone, it would have been a pathetic waste.

Anko began to scan her surroundings, desperate to locate Orochimaru's true body.

She noticed Hyuga Lan looking toward her left. Following his gaze, she saw a shadow shift beneath a tree in the moonlight.

A tall, thin figure stepped out from the darkness.

The figure possessed golden, serpentine slit pupils and wore earrings. He flicked out a long tongue, licking his lips with an expression of excitement.

It was Orochimaru himself.

Orochimaru looked at Lan with a sharp glint in his eyes, as if he had just discovered a delightful piece of prey.

"Lan-kun, you've given me quite a surprise this time. You've truly grown quite a bit."

After praising Hyuga Lan, he glanced at Anko. The excitement on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a faint trace of disdain.

"And you, Anko. As useless as ever. It seems my decision to discard a piece of trash like you back then was the correct one after all."

Orochimaru's words pierced Anko's heart, dragging up the painful memories of when he had abandoned her.

With tears welling in her eyes, she charged at Orochimaru recklessly, desperate to drag him to the grave with her.

"Trying to use a forbidden jutsu I taught you against me? You really are a fool who never learns!"

With that, Orochimaru's gaze turned sharp, and he raised his right hand to form a seal.

In an instant, a terrifying aura erupted from Orochimaru and surged toward Anko.

Cowed by this presence, Anko's body stiffened instantly, and even her thoughts began to grind to a halt. Clearly, the forbidden jutsu she had learned contained a contingency left behind by Orochimaru; once used against him, she would be easily subdued.

However, when Orochimaru recalled how Anko had clearly had opportunities to trigger the forbidden jutsu against his shadow clone earlier but had hesitated, it was evident that in this disciple's heart, there were still lingering feelings for her master.

Thus, after subduing Anko, Orochimaru did not press the attack, instead allowing her to collapse as her consciousness faded.

Having dealt with Anko, Orochimaru turned his attention back to Hyuga Lan, his gaze now filled with a desire for exploration.

It was worth noting that while the aura he had unleashed earlier was primarily directed at Anko, the shockwaves had also brushed against Lan.

Yet, under the pressure of his aura, Lan had shown no reaction at all, remaining calm and composed from start to finish. Even as he subdued Anko, Lan's emotions had not shifted; such a display of composure was completely different from the Lan he remembered.

Tsk, tsk...

What on earth had this boy Lan experienced over these past few days to have changed so drastically?

"Now that it's just the two of us, we can have a proper talk."

As he spoke, Orochimaru walked slowly toward Lan, observing the young boy whose childishness was slowly fading, replaced by the onset of maturity.

"Lan-kun, you truly are the one I hold in the highest regard. I knew that with your wit, you would certainly survive this crisis. And looking at you now, you have grown a great deal through this ordeal; one could say it was a blessing in disguise."

After Orochimaru finished speaking, he heard Lan reply in an indifferent tone, "Thanks to you, My Lord, I merely managed to scrape by with my life."

Lan's words were filled with a sense of detachment, and Orochimaru sensed that the boy intended to use this crisis as a means to sever ties with him.

If he did not do something, their future paths would likely diverge completely, and that did not align with the purpose of his visit.

He had come to find Lan this time because he needed the boy's assistance with a very important matter.

"It seems you still harbor some resentment toward me. Well, that is to be expected; no one could easily let go of such an experience. But we are both ninja, capable of enduring what others cannot. To be frank, I have come to you because I want you to do something for me. Once it is accomplished, I can help you realize the wish you have dreamed of. For instance, helping you resolve the control of the Caged Bird Seal."

After Orochimaru finished, he saw that Hyuga Lan showed no sign of being moved, as if the resolution of the Caged Bird Seal could not sway him. Could it be that he had guessed he was merely being fed empty promises?

Before Orochimaru could continue, Lan spoke up, "My Lord should first state what you need me to do. If it is within my power, then we can discuss terms. If it exceeds my capabilities, then I can only offer my apologies."

Seeing Lan speak in such a manner, Orochimaru did not stand on ceremony and stated his request directly.

"Help me investigate someone."

"Who does My Lord wish for me to investigate?"

"The Fool!"