My House Has a Snake That Can Do Backflips. Want to Come See It?

Hua Yue looked surprised. Her casual rhetorical question instantly froze the atmosphere.

A moment later, Orochimaru's voice sounded slightly hoarse, and a trace of surprise appeared in his eyes.

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

Anko was sweating profusely, repeatedly signaling Hua Yue with her eyes to stop talking. She was strong, but if she went up against Teacher Orochimaru in a fury, she definitely wouldn't come out ahead.

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

With his hands clasped over the book and his chin resting on them, he didn't move. His eyes were deep, as if he could see through everything.

"Since the Third Shinobi World War began, he's turned the tide and saved Konoha's position in battle several times, achieving what even the Sannin working together couldn't. Doesn't that make him a strong candidate for Hokage?"

"Or does Teacher Orochimaru want to become Hokage too?"

For once, Orochimaru stopped what he was doing. He set down his research and turned to look at her, his gaze heavy.

"My dearest, most cherished student, don't forget that the merits you've earned on the battlefield can be credited to me, too."

"That's exactly why you can't become Hokage, Teacher Orochimaru."

Anko was already sweating buckets. She hurried to intervene, her usually bright, fiery voice now tight with urgency.

"Stop it, Hua Yue! Why are you acting just like Rin? Teacher, please, don't—"

The autumn breeze was cool as it slipped through a crack into the room. The smell of disinfectant faded a little, but it did nothing to calm Anko's mind.

"When every bird in the sky has vanished, no matter how excellent the hunting bow, the hunter will put it away. When the cunning rabbit dies, the hound that helped catch it will be cooked by its master."

"Once a servant has outlived its usefulness, its only possible fates are to be kept as a relic or put to death. Its last bit of value will be wrung out of it."

"If even a loyal hound and a weapon meet such ends, what of a venomous snake its master cannot fathom, one that might turn on him?"

Hua Yue paused briefly. Anko, meanwhile, was baffled by the veiled meaning of her words. She had never been good at riddles.

Orochimaru's eyes flickered, but the smile at the corners of his mouth only grew. He seemed unimpressed by Hua Yue's argument.

"Wait, what are you even talking about? Can't you say it more simply? I hate people who talk in riddles!"

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

"Then let me put it another way. What do you think is the point of Konoha cultivating geniuses?"

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

"To minimize the cost of war, protect the village and its other shinobi, and end the war as quickly as possible. That's what a genius means to the village."

"For you, born in wartime, ending the war quickly was the most important task. Even if your ideas were somewhat dangerous, your teacher, the Third Hokage, would turn a blind eye."

"But once the war ends and a new one begins, when a genius better than you appears—someone more to the Third Hokage's liking—your role becomes dispensable."

"Once the war is over, the village will see you as a destabilizing element in Konoha. In other words, someone who poses a threat to the village."

"Your ideas and your actions alike. Isn't that right?"

Orochimaru smiled without a word as he looked at the experiments before him, both the ones in plain sight and those hidden away—the forbidden techniques beyond the reach of ordinary people...

"For a shinobi, techniques are everything. Only when you possess every technique in the world can you begin to grasp the truth."

"If you want to become Hokage, techniques and strength come second. What you really need is the trust of Konoha's many elite jonin and the great clan families, don't you?"

The atmosphere grew heavy. Orochimaru's eyes flickered as thoughts surfaced in his mind like bubbles, only to burst one after another.

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

"I can see your aim at a glance! So, if you want to keep doing your research in this village, you have only one choice: bow your head, lower it like a snake, and hide your fangs. Unless..."

"Let this war go on forever, without ever ending? Heh heh heh..."

Orochimaru's chilling laugh made Anko shudder. The teacher who usually treated people kindly, though sometimes wore a strange grin; the friend she knew so well, who skipped class to go shopping every few days...

At that moment, the two seemed close enough to touch, yet impossibly far away, like flowers blooming on the edge of a cliff. She wanted to reach them, but couldn't bring herself to take a step.

"That's your problem to face. It has nothing to do with us. But I don't want to go back to the border and live on Military Ration Pills, dealing with those troublesome old men. Come on, Anko. We're going to the dango shop. Let's go!"

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

"Strength can't solve everything? She's still just a child, after all, holding on to a certain degree of illusion about the world. Heh heh heh."

"The snake symbolizes rebirth and immortality. Once I complete this forbidden technique, what does Konoha matter? What does the Hokage matter? What do shinobi matter?"

Immersed in forbidden techniques, Orochimaru dreamed of one day unraveling the truth. His eyelids lowered, and a dangerous light glimmered in his eyes.

"But until then, should I let this war continue without end? Is that what you want?"

"Those eyes... What are you hiding? You're an unfathomable student. Is that how Teacher Sarutobi sees me, too?"

For once, Orochimaru understood how Sarutobi Hiruzen felt. He stopped what he was doing. The reactions he had anticipated played out one after another, just as he'd expected.

In Konoha's bustling main street, inside the wildly popular Three-Color Dango shop.

"Dango really is best with sweet bean soup. Aren't you having any?"

Anko slowly looked up from her dango, her face inexplicably flushed, as if she'd just noticed the way she was eating. But she soon forgot about it.

Hua Yue had seen her eat like this countless times anyway. There was no point trying to change now. She might as well just embrace it.

"If you eat too much, you'll have to get some exercise later. Come to think of it, I've been working on a new jutsu. Want to help?"

Faced with Hua Yue's long-missed, radiant smile, Anko hesitated for a moment, then leaned close and whispered.

"Actually, Teacher Orochimaru gave me a snake that can do backflips. Want to come over to my place and see it?"

A faint ripple stirred in Hua Yue's dark eyes. The girl before her looked nervous and expectant, with a hint of restlessness. She put on an air of composure as she lifted her teacup, waiting for an answer.

"Never mind. How about we go to my place?"

"Huh? Wait, aren't you in a hurry? I still—"

"What's wrong? We're only testing a new jutsu. There's no need to go all the way to your place."

Under that teasing smile, Anko was utterly defeated. She huffed in frustration.

"Damn it, fine! Fine!"