Orochimaru

Konan had just left when Hyuuga Nen heard someone approaching the room he was in.

Hyuuga Nen turned toward the sound of footsteps. A man wearing Akatsuki robes and sporting a pair of golden, snake-like eyes walked in.

Hyuuga Nen looked at the pale-faced man, whose presence was cold and sinister, and said nothing.

The man seemed to be sizing Hyuuga Nen up, too. After a moment, he spoke in a hoarse voice. "You're Hyuuga Nen, aren't you? You don't look old enough to be an adult yet. Quite impressive for someone so young."

"Are you Orochimaru?" Hyuuga Nen asked.

"I didn't expect you to recognize me the first time you saw me, Nian-kun. Should I feel honored?" Orochimaru licked his lips.

"You're one of the Sannin, and your features are pretty distinctive. It wasn't hard to recognize you," Hyuuga Nen explained.

"Your eyes are quite special, Nian-kun. After all, there are only a handful of Byakugan in the entire Shinobi World that aren't bound by the Caged Bird. Many people covet your eyes." As Orochimaru said this, greed crept into his expression.

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

"Heh heh. You're very direct, Nian-kun. Given your situation, you might be better off staying in the organization. After all, the organization doesn't allow its members to kill one another." Orochimaru changed the subject.

Hyuuga Nen gave a silent hmph and didn't answer.

Though Hyuuga Nen was giving him the cold shoulder, Orochimaru clearly had no intention of ending the conversation. He walked over to the table opposite Hyuuga Nen and sat down.

Orochimaru continued, "Have you ever heard the legend of the Sage of Six Paths, Nian-kun?"

"The Sage of Six Paths? I've read about him in a few storybooks."

"The legend of the Sage of Six Paths is true. They say his eyes were the Rinnegan—the same eyes as our leader, Pain." Orochimaru fixed his gaze on Hyuuga Nen.

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

"You've fought the leader, haven't you? You have the Byakugan and are a powerful dojutsu user. Did you notice anything during your fight?"

Hyuuga Nen understood Orochimaru's purpose. It seemed he still hadn't given up on the Rinnegan.

Now that he knew what Orochimaru was after, Hyuuga Nen decided to play along. "The leader's Dojutsu Power is incredibly strong. I don't know where its limit lies. I lost without seeing anything at all, even though I have the Byakugan."

"Is that so?" Orochimaru rubbed his chin, deep in thought. Every so often, he glanced at Hyuuga Nen's eyes, making Hyuuga Nen's skin crawl.

It looks like Orochimaru's coveting my Byakugan, Hyuuga Nen thought, watching his expression.

"I've fought Itachi Uchiha before. His Dojutsu Power surpasses mine. I think he has a lot of potential—perhaps he could awaken an ability even more powerful than the Sharingan." Hyuuga Nen tried to shift Orochimaru's attention to Itachi Uchiha.

"Oh? You know about the Mangekyō Sharingan?" Orochimaru looked a little surprised.

"So that ability is called the Mangekyō Sharingan. I don't know much about it, just the basics." Hyuuga Nen shook his head.

Orochimaru didn't doubt Hyuuga Nen's response. A look of reminiscence crossed his face. "Itachi Uchiha... He really is an outstanding young man. Perhaps he has a chance of reaching that level."

"Senior Orochimaru, could you tell me about the Mangekyō Sharingan?" Hyuuga Nen changed the way he addressed him.

Orochimaru didn't seem to mind Hyuuga Nen's change in attitude. He only smiled. "I've heard that when someone from the Uchiha Clan awakens the Mangekyō, they gain powerful and extraordinary abilities. But I've only read about it in records. I've never seen one with my own eyes."

Seeing Orochimaru's disappointed expression, Hyuuga Nen said, "Maybe you'll get the chance someday."

"Mm," Orochimaru replied. "The organization already has two of the three great dojutsu. I wonder if it could ever gather the third."

"What do you think of the Byakugan compared to the Sharingan, Nian-kun?" Orochimaru asked.

"Other than its superior vision, it's worse in every other respect," Hyuuga Nen said deliberately.

"You're mistaken, Nian-kun. Aside from the Mangekyō Sharingan, the Byakugan is every bit as good as the ordinary Sharingan—and even better in many ways," Orochimaru corrected him.

"Is that so?"

"Of course. Before I left Konoha, I commanded many battles. That's the conclusion I reached from my own observations."

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

"Haha, you really are clever, Nian-kun. You understood what I meant. You'd better be careful. A lot of people have their eyes on your Byakugan. Don't let anyone take your eyes from you." Orochimaru seemed to be hinting at something.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for your concern," Hyuuga Nen replied.

"Good." Orochimaru answered with a broad smile. "I enjoyed talking with you today, Nian-kun. I hope we can talk more in the future." With that, Orochimaru rose from his seat.

A faint smile tugged at Hyuuga Nen's lips, but he didn't respond.

Just as Orochimaru was about to leave the room, he turned back. "Nian-kun, I heard you defeated Kakuzu. I'm very interested in your strength. Would you like to spar with me?"

Hyuuga Nen considered Orochimaru's invitation. This was a good chance to learn how strong he was. According to the original story, Orochimaru would attack Itachi Uchiha and then leave the Akatsuki. But now that Hyuuga Nen had joined the Akatsuki, things might change. Still, he wasn't afraid. "If you're interested, Senior Orochimaru, then let's spar."

With that, Hyuuga Nen followed Orochimaru out of the room and into the underground training room of the Temporary Base.

Hyuuga Nen and Orochimaru faced each other. "I'm making my move." As soon as Orochimaru said it, he sprang into action.

Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!

Orochimaru thrust a hand toward Hyuuga Nen. Several snakes shot out of his sleeve, lunging to bite him.

Hyuuga Nen dodged the swarm of snakes. At the same time, he coated his arm in chakra and sliced through them with a single hand chop, cutting them in half to prevent them from circling back.

Hyuuga Nen darted in front of Orochimaru and launched a close-range attack.

But Orochimaru's body seemed boneless. He twisted aside in ways no ordinary person could manage.

After seizing an opening and landing several blows on Orochimaru, Hyuuga Nen concluded, "It seems the Gentle Fist isn't very effective against Orochimaru."

Hyuuga Nen had held back most of his abilities during the fight. That meant Orochimaru would hold back too, but Hyuuga Nen had never expected either of them to fight at full strength.

After all, Hyuuga Nen had the Byakugan. He was bound to get more information than Orochimaru.

"That's enough, Nian-kun," Orochimaru said, calling a halt to the fight. He was somewhat disappointed. Neither of them could fight at full strength here, and Hyuuga Nen had learned more than he had.

Orochimaru tried to shake Hyuuga Nen's hand. Hyuuga Nen glanced at him and held out one hand.

Hyuuga Nen felt Orochimaru lightly scrape his arm with a fingernail. He pulled back the hand he'd coated in chakra and stared at Orochimaru. "Orochimaru, what was that supposed to mean?"

"Quite wary, aren't you, Nian-kun?" Orochimaru said without changing his expression.

"Hmph." Hyuuga Nen had already guessed what Orochimaru was up to. He didn't bother saying anything else and left.

"Your greed is going to get you killed, Orochimaru." Hyuuga Nen looked back at Orochimaru and delivered one last remark.

Watching Hyuuga Nen leave, Orochimaru's smile faded. "What a shame. I didn't manage to get his cells."