Orochimaru

Konan had only just left when Hyuuga Nen heard someone walking toward his room.

Hyuuga Nen turned his head toward the source of the footsteps, and a person wearing the Akatsuki cloak with a pair of golden snake-like pupils walked in.

Hyuuga Nen looked at this cold-tempered, pale-faced man without saying a word.

The man seemed to be sizing up Hyuuga Nen as well. After a moment, he spoke in a hoarse voice: "Are you Hyuuga Nen? You don't look like you've reached adulthood yet; truly young and promising."

"Are you Orochimaru?" Hyuuga Nen asked.

"I didn't expect Nen-kun to recognize me the first time we met. Should I feel honored?" Orochimaru flicked his tongue.

"Orochimaru of the Sannin, your features are quite distinct. It isn't hard to recognize you," Hyuuga Nen explained.

"Nen-kun, these eyes of yours are truly special. After all, a Byakugan without a Caged Bird is rare in the entire ninja world. Many people covet these eyes of yours." When Orochimaru said this, a look of greed appeared on his face.

"Does that include you?" Hyuuga Nen looked at Orochimaru expressionlessly.

"Hehe, Nen-kun is very direct. Perhaps it would be better for your situation to remain in the organization; after all, the organization does not allow members to kill one another." Orochimaru changed the subject.

Hyuuga Nen let out a silent "hmph" in his heart, offering no response to Orochimaru.

Although Hyuuga Nen's reaction was cold, Orochimaru clearly did not intend to end the conversation; he walked to the table opposite Hyuuga Nen and sat down.

Orochimaru continued, "Nen-kun, have you heard the legend of the Sage of Six Paths?"

"The Sage of Six Paths? I've seen it in some storybooks."

"The legend of the Sage of Six Paths is true. It is said that the Sage's eyes were the Rinnegan, the very same eyes possessed by our organization's leader, Pain." Having said this, Orochimaru watched Hyuuga Nen with burning eyes.

"Really? But why are you telling me this?" Hyuuga Nen remained unmoved.

"You must have crossed paths with the leader, right? Nen-kun possesses the Byakugan and is a master of Dojutsu. Did you discover anything during your fight?"

Hyuuga Nen understood; he realized Orochimaru's goal. It seemed he had not yet given up on the Rinnegan.

Since he knew Orochimaru's intent, Hyuuga Nen went with the flow and said, "The leader's Dojutsu Power is extremely strong, so strong I don't know where his limits lie. I was defeated without seeing anything at all, even with my Byakugan."

"Is that so?" Hearing this, Orochimaru stroked his chin, lost in thought. He looked at Hyuuga Nen's eyes from time to time, giving Hyuuga Nen a chill.

It seems Orochimaru is coveting my Byakugan, Hyuuga Nen thought to himself as he watched Orochimaru's expression.

"I fought Itachi Uchiha before. His Dojutsu Power was even above mine. I feel he has great potential; perhaps he can awaken abilities even more powerful than the Sharingan." Hyuuga Nen attempted to shift Orochimaru's attention to Itachi Uchiha.

"Oh? Nen-kun knows about the Mangekyō Sharingan?" Orochimaru was slightly surprised.

"So that ability is called the Mangekyō Sharingan. I don't really understand it; I only have a rough idea." Hyuuga Nen shook his head.

Orochimaru did not doubt Hyuuga Nen's reaction. A look of reminiscence flashed across his face. "Itachi Uchiha, indeed a very outstanding young man. Perhaps he has a chance to reach that level."

"Senior Orochimaru, could you introduce the Mangekyō Sharingan to me?" Hyuuga Nen changed his form of address.

Orochimaru didn't mind the change in Hyuuga Nen's attitude and just smiled. "I've heard that once a member of the Uchiha Clan awakens the Mangekyō, they gain powerful and strange abilities. However, I have only seen it in records; I have never seen it with my own eyes."

Seeing the regretful expression on Orochimaru's face, Hyuuga Nen said, "Perhaps there will be a chance."

"Hmm," Orochimaru responded. "The organization now possesses two of the three great Dojutsu. I wonder if it's possible to collect the third."

"Nen-kun, how do you think the Byakugan compares to the Sharingan?" Orochimaru asked.

"Aside from superior observation, it is inferior in every other way," Hyuuga Nen said deliberately.

"Nen-kun, you are mistaken. Aside from the Mangekyō Sharingan, the Byakugan is not at all inferior to the ordinary Sharingan, and in some aspects, it even surpasses it," Orochimaru corrected him.

"Is that so?"

"Of course. After all, before I left Konoha, I served as a commander in many campaigns. This is a conclusion I reached through my own observations."

"So, should I be happy or unhappy about that?" Hyuuga Nen retorted.

"Haha, Nen-kun is indeed clever; you understood the meaning behind my words. You must be careful—many people have designs on your eyes. Don't let someone gouge them out." Orochimaru seemed to be speaking in riddles.

"I will keep that in mind. Thank you for your concern," Hyuuga Nen replied.

"That's good." Orochimaru answered with a smile. "Nen-kun, I enjoyed our conversation today. I hope we can exchange ideas more often in the future." With that, Orochimaru rose from his seat.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Hyuuga Nen's mouth, but he did not answer Orochimaru.

Just as Orochimaru was about to step out of the room, he turned his head back. "Nen-kun, I heard you defeated Kakuzu. I am very interested in your strength. Would you like to spar with me?"

Hyuuga Nen considered the invitation to spar. This was a good opportunity to gauge Orochimaru's strength. According to the original plot, Orochimaru would attack Itachi Uchiha and then leave the Akatsuki.

However, since Hyuuga Nen had joined the Akatsuki, the situation might have changed, but Hyuuga Nen was not afraid. "Since Senior Orochimaru is interested, let's have a spar."

With that, Hyuuga Nen followed Orochimaru out of the room and arrived at the underground training hall of the temporary base.

Hyuuga Nen and Orochimaru stood facing each other. "I'm coming for you." No sooner had the words left his mouth than Orochimaru moved.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Orochimaru extended his hands toward Hyuuga Nen, and several snakes shot rapidly from his sleeves, lunging to bite Hyuuga Nen.

Hyuuga Nen dodged the swarm of snakes, simultaneously coating his arm in chakra and using a hand blade to slice the snakes in half, preventing them from striking back.

Hyuuga Nen flashed in front of Orochimaru and launched a close-quarters attack.

However, Orochimaru's body seemed to have no bones, performing evasive maneuvers that no ordinary person could possibly achieve.

It seems the Gentle Fist doesn't have much effect on Orochimaru. After seizing the opportunity to strike Orochimaru a few times, Hyuuga Nen reached his conclusion.

In this battle, Hyuuga Nen had held back all his methods. Although this would also cause Orochimaru to keep his own cards close to his chest, Hyuuga Nen had never expected them to fight with full force anyway.

After all, Hyuuga Nen possessed the Byakugan; the information he gathered would certainly be more than what Orochimaru could obtain.

"Let's stop here, Nen-kun." Orochimaru called a halt to the fight. He felt a bit disappointed; it was impossible for both sides to go all out here, and Orochimaru hadn't even gained as much information as Hyuuga Nen.

Orochimaru attempted to shake Hyuuga Nen's hand. Hyuuga Nen glanced at Orochimaru, then extended one of his own.

Hyuuga Nen felt Orochimaru gently scraping his arm with his fingernails. Hyuuga Nen pulled back his hand, which had been coated in chakra, and stared fixedly at Orochimaru. "Orochimaru, what is the meaning of this!"

"So vigilant, Nen-kun." Orochimaru said, his expression unchanging.

"Hmph." Hyuuga Nen had already guessed the intent behind Orochimaru's actions, so he didn't bother with further pleasantries and left directly.

"This greedy nature of yours will be the death of you, Orochimaru." Hyuuga Nen turned his head to look at Orochimaru and said this final remark.

Watching Hyuuga Nen depart, Orochimaru's smile faded. "What a pity, I didn't manage to obtain his cells."