Orochimaru rose to his feet and picked up the glass case containing the shed snakeskin.
The first time he had seen a white snake's shed skin was when he and Hiruzen Sarutobi had gone to visit his parents' Memorial Stone.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had told him that white snakes symbolized luck and rebirth.
So Orochimaru had kept it as a talisman.
Later, Orochimaru saw Tsunade's younger brother, Nawaki, accidentally wander into an Exploding Tag trap and get blown to death. A life had simply vanished before his eyes.
Orochimaru suddenly realized how fragile life was.
Later still, he witnessed the death of Dan Katō, who had nearly become Tsunade's lover.
Orochimaru still remembered what had happened then.
Dan Katō's internal organs had been blasted out, and he was at death's door.
At the time, Tsunade, Konoha's finest and strongest medical ninja, had desperately tried to save Dan Katō.
But even as she used Medical Arts like a madwoman, she could not regenerate Dan Katō's internal organs.
"Legend says that spiritual snakes like white snakes possess the power of rebirth and luck. Unfortunately, they are ultimately nothing but boring legends. Whether white snakes or humans, when they are about to die, they are equally ugly creatures."
Orochimaru set down the glass case in his hand. Several specimens soaked in solution sat on the table.
Rare white snakes truly were difficult to find.
But they meant nothing to Orochimaru.
"Lord Orochimaru,"
Kiyoshi's voice was calm. "Do you know why white snakes shed their skin?"
Orochimaru's movements paused slightly. He turned his head and said,
"Shedding skin is merely a natural process organisms undergo in order to grow. There is nothing special about it."
Kiyoshi smiled faintly, his gaze still resting on the white snake.
"Lord Orochimaru, I believe shedding skin is more than