In the Forest of Death.
Beneath a towering tree, a tall, slender figure stood waiting for someone.
Crack, crack...
Footsteps crunched over fallen leaves.
A figure came rushing over. The moment they spotted the person beneath the tree, they sped up and drew a kunai.
"Orochimaru, so it really is you! Die!"
The figure waiting there was none other than Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, who had defected not long ago.
Orochimaru watched the figure charging at him, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. It seemed he hadn't expected them to come.
With the attack already right in front of him, Orochimaru remained calm and said,
"Long time no see, Anko."
Anko didn't hesitate at his greeting. She drove the kunai in her hand into the palm he raised to block her, pinning it to the tree.
She gripped the kunai tightly with one hand to keep him from escaping, while the other seized his uninjured hand.
At that moment, Anko was overwhelmed with emotion. She was finally going to get her revenge.
"Orochimaru, today we're both going to die here!"
With that, Anko was about to use the forbidden technique to take Orochimaru down with her, but for some reason, she hesitated.
"If I were you, I'd stop right now."
Anko had just been about to make up her mind to die with him when the sudden voice startled her.
Who was that?
She turned her head and saw a boy her age slowly walking toward them.
His eyes were colorless and transparent—the Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan.
Lan, what was he doing here?
Anko was full of questions.
The newcomer was Hyuga Lan.
Lan's appearance surprised Anko, but she had already drawn her bow and had to release the arrow. The chance to take Orochimaru down with her was rare.
Remembering how Lan had looked down on her not long ago, saying that taking on Orochimaru was tantamount to suicide, she decided this was the perfect chance to make him witness her and Orochimaru's deaths.
"Goodbye..."
Just as Anko was about to activate her forbidden technique, Hyuga Lan spoke again.
"Dying with a mere clone isn't a very wise move.
Am I right, Lord Orochimaru?"
A clone?
How could that be?
As Anko wondered whether she should believe Lan, the Orochimaru she had stabbed began to slump, then turned into a human skin.
It really was a clone!
How had Lan figured it out?
Anko was both shocked and relieved. She was shocked that she hadn't noticed the clone at all, while Lan had seen through it with ease.
She was relieved that she hadn't managed to activate the forbidden technique—Twin Snakes Mutual Death. Otherwise, she would have given her life just to take out one of Orochimaru's clones. What a waste.
Anko began carefully searching the surroundings for Orochimaru's real body.
Then she noticed Hyuga Lan looking to her left. Following his gaze, she saw the shadow of a tree shift in the moonlight.
A tall, slender figure stepped out of the shadows.
The figure had golden, snake-like slit pupils and wore earrings. He stuck out his long tongue and licked his lips with an excited expression.
It was none other than Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed as he looked at Lan, his expression like that of someone who had found a prized catch.
"Lan, you've surprised me this time. You've really grown a lot."
After praising Hyuga Lan, he turned to Anko. The excitement on his face quickly faded, replaced by a hint of disdain.
"And you, Anko. You're just as useless as ever.
I was right to abandon a worthless failure like you back then."
Orochimaru's words cut Anko deeply, bringing back the painful memories of when he had abandoned her.
With tears in her eyes, she charged at Orochimaru without a thought, trying once again to take him down with her.
"Trying to use the forbidden technique I taught you against me? You really are a slow learner!"
As he spoke, Orochimaru's gaze sharpened. He raised his right hand and formed a hand seal.
In an instant, a terrifying aura surged from Orochimaru and swept toward Anko.
Under the pressure of that aura, Anko's body stiffened at once. Even her thoughts began to slow. Clearly, Orochimaru had left a safeguard in the forbidden technique he had taught her. The moment she used it against him, he could easily subdue her.
But then Orochimaru remembered that Anko had had plenty of chances to use the technique against his clone, yet she had hesitated. Clearly, she still cared for him as her teacher.
So after subduing her, Orochimaru didn't go any further. He simply let her collapse as she lost consciousness.
After dealing with Anko, Orochimaru turned his attention to Hyuga Lan once more. His gaze was now filled with curiosity.
When he had subdued Anko, the aura he released had been aimed mainly at her, but its aftershocks had reached Lan as well.
Yet Lan hadn't changed at all under the pressure. He had remained calm from beginning to end. Even when Orochimaru subdued Anko, his expression hadn't shifted. That composure was completely unlike the Lan Orochimaru remembered.
Tsk, tsk...
What had this kid been through these past few days to change so much?
"Now that it's just the two of us, we can have a proper talk."
As he spoke, Orochimaru slowly walked toward Lan. The boy's youthful innocence was gradually fading, and an air of maturity was beginning to emerge.
"Lan, you really are the person I have the highest hopes for. I knew your intelligence would get you through this crisis.
And from the looks of it, you've grown a lot through all this. I suppose you could say it was a blessing in disguise."
When Orochimaru finished, Lan replied in an indifferent tone,
"Thanks to you, Lord Orochimaru, I was lucky enough to make it out alive."
Lan's words were distant. Orochimaru realized he was using this crisis to cut ties with him.
If he didn't do something, they might soon go their separate ways. That wasn't what he wanted. He had come to find Lan because he needed his help with something important.
"Looks like you're still holding a grudge against me. That's understandable. No one could easily let something like this go. But we're both shinobi. We can endure what ordinary people cannot.
To be honest, I came to ask you to do something for me. Once it's done, I can help you achieve your heart's desire.
For example, I could help free you from the Caged Bird Seal's control."
After Orochimaru finished speaking, he saw that Hyuga Lan didn't look tempted at all. It seemed even being freed from the Caged Bird Seal couldn't sway him. Had he guessed that Orochimaru was only making empty promises?
Before Orochimaru could continue, Lan spoke.
"Lord Orochimaru, tell me what you need me to do first. If it's within my abilities, we can discuss the terms.
If it's beyond what I can do, I'm afraid I'll have to decline."
Seeing that Lan had put it that way, Orochimaru didn't beat around the bush. He stated what he wanted directly.
"Help me investigate someone."
"Who do you want me to investigate, Lord Orochimaru?"
"The Fool!"