My Family Has a Snake That Can Do Backflips, Want to See?

Hua Yue's expression was one of surprise, and her casual, rhetorical question instantly caused the atmosphere to freeze.

A moment later, Orochimaru's voice turned slightly hoarse, a glimmer of astonishment appearing in his eyes.

"Do you believe Minato will be the next Hokage?"

Anko was drenched in cold sweat, constantly signaling Hua Yue with her eyes to stop talking. Although he was strong, there would be absolutely no benefit in crossing Orochimaru in a state of rage.

"Isn't that common knowledge, Teacher Orochimaru?"

He closed his book, his hand supporting his cheek remaining motionless, his eyes deep as if he could perceive everything.

"Since the start of the Third Shinobi World War, he has turned the tide and saved the Konoha front lines multiple times, achieving feats that even the combined efforts of the Sannin could not. Isn't he a strong candidate for Hokage?"

"Or perhaps, Teacher Orochimaru, you also wish to become the Hokage?"

At this moment, Orochimaru, who never stopped his work, set aside his research and turned his head to look, his gaze profound.

"My dearest, most proud disciple, do not forget that the merits you earned on the battlefield can also be credited to me."

"It is precisely because of that, Teacher Orochimaru, that you cannot become the Hokage."

Anko, standing to the side, was already anxious and drenched in sweat; she hurriedly spoke up to intervene, her usually cheerful and passionate tone becoming urgent.

"Stop it, Hua Yue! How have you become just like Rin! Teacher, please, you must not..."

The autumn breeze was slightly chilly, blowing into the room through the gaps and diluting the scent of disinfectant, yet it could not calm Anko's mind.

"When the birds in the sky have all vanished, no matter how excellent the hunting bow is, it will be hidden away by the hunter. Once the cunning rabbit is dead, the hunting dog at the center will also be cooked by its master."

"For an appendage that has lost its value, the only ending awaiting it is either to be kept as a trophy or executed, after squeezing out the very last bit of utility."

"If that is the fate of loyal dogs and weapons, what more of a venomous snake that its master cannot fathom and which harbors the danger of biting back?"

Having said this, Hua Yue paused slightly. Anko was left confused by these cryptic remarks, as she had never been good at solving riddles.

Orochimaru's eyes flickered, but the smile at the corners of his mouth grew wider, dismissing the statement with disdain.

"Wait, what exactly are you talking about? Can't you use simpler words? I hate riddle-mongers!"

Seeing Anko's bewildered face, Hua Yue continued with a smile.

"In that case, let me put it another way: what do you think is the true meaning behind Konoha cultivating geniuses?"

Without waiting for Orochimaru to answer, Hua Yue answered her own question.

"To reduce losses in war, to protect the village and other ninja, and to end the war as quickly as possible—that is the definition of a genius to the village."

"For you, who were born during a time of war, ending the war in a timely manner was your primary mission. Even if your ideology was somewhat dangerous, it would be ignored by your teacher, the Third Hokage."

"However, once the war ends and a new one begins, when a genius more excellent than you—one more in line with the Third Hokage's wishes—appears, your utility becomes dispensable."

"Once the war is over, your existence becomes a source of instability for the village. In other words, you become a person who poses a threat to the village."

"Whether it is your ideology or your actions, isn't that the case?"

Smiling without a word, Orochimaru looked at the experiment before him—the overt ones, the covert ones, the forbidden jutsu that ordinary people could never touch...

"For a ninja, jutsu is everything. The moment one possesses all the jutsu in the world is the moment when the truth will finally be understood."

"If one wants to become Hokage, jutsu and power are secondary. What is truly needed is the trust of Konoha's many jonin and the major noble clans, isn't that right?"

The atmosphere was heavy. Orochimaru's eyes flickered, his inner thoughts surfacing like bubbles, only to burst repeatedly.

"Can your eyes see the distant future? Can you see through my thoughts?"

"Your intentions are clear at a glance! If you want to continue your research in this village, you have no choice but to bow your head, lower the snake's crown, and retract your fangs. Aside from that..."

"Let this war never reach an end, right? Hehehehe..."

Orochimaru's cold, sinister laugh made Anko shudder. The teacher who was usually kind and occasionally let out strange laughs, the friend she was most familiar with who would skip class to go shopping every few days...

At this moment, the two of them felt as close as if they were right in front of her, yet impossibly out of reach, like flowers blooming on the edge of a cliff—one might wish to touch them, but one could never take that step.

"That is a problem for you to face; it has nothing to do with us. However, I don't want to go back to the border to gnaw on Military Ration Pills and face those troublesome old men. Let's go, Anko! Destination: the dango shop! Let's go, let's go!"

Before Anko could object, she and Hua Yue vanished in an instant. Orochimaru's expression remained flat, the smile at the corners of his mouth gradually fading.

"Can power not solve everything? In the end, you are still just a child, holding a certain degree of fantasy about the world. Hehehe."

"The symbol of the snake is rebirth and immortality. Once this forbidden jutsu is completed, what is Konoha? What is the Hokage? What are ninja?"

Immersed in the forbidden jutsu, dreaming of the day he could parse the truth, Orochimaru lowered his eyelids, a dangerous light flickering in his eyes.

"Before that, should I let this war continue endlessly? Is this what you desire?"

"With those eyes, what exactly are you hiding? An unfathomable disciple—is this how Sarutobi-sensei views me as well?"

Rarely experiencing the feelings of Sarutobi Hiruzen, Orochimaru stopped his movements. The anticipated reactions played out one after another, everything going exactly as expected.

On the bustling streets of Konoha Village, inside the exceptionally popular Three-Color Dango shop.

"As expected, dango must be paired with red bean soup. Aren't you going to eat?"

Anko, who had been immersed in her dango, slowly looked up, her face flushed with inexplicable shyness as if she had noticed her own eating habits, but she quickly cast the thought aside.

She had already been seen by this guy so many times that even if she wanted to change, she couldn't. Her strategy was simply to give up and let it be.

"If you eat too much, you'll have to exercise properly later. Speaking of which, I have a jutsu I've been conceptualizing recently. Want to come help me with it?"

Facing that long-lost, brilliant smile before her, Anko hesitated for a moment before leaning in to whisper in his ear.

"Actually, Master Orochimaru gave me a snake that can do backflips. Do you want to come over to my place and see it?"

A faint ripple stirred in his pitch-black eyes as he watched the girl before him, who was currently fidgeting with anxiety, her anticipation laced with impatience. He feigned composure, lifting his teacup as he waited for an answer.

"Forget it. How about we go to my place instead?"

"Eh? Wait, are we in such a rush? I still..."

"What's wrong? It's just to test a new ninjutsu; there's no need to go all the way to your house for that."

Under that inscrutable, half-smiling expression, Anko was thoroughly defeated, huffing in frustration.

"Damn it, I get it, I get it!"