"At least you know what's good for you!"
Hatake Sakumo understood what Orochimaru meant. Perhaps his slash had indeed been too shallow, but more than that, it showed that even fighting at full strength, he had only managed to inflict such a minor wound on Orochimaru.
Without replying, Hatake Sakumo silently left, his expression solemn and his hands clenched tight. Orochimaru, meanwhile, began to grow unhappy. He understood his opponent's character very well. The Konoha ninja nearby had all witnessed the scene, yet tacitly pretended they had seen nothing. The exchange between those two had simply been too fast—it had ended in an instant. By the time everyone reacted, the two had already separated and gone their own ways.
"He's a wolf! A powerful wolf! Orochimaru, there's a five-year gap between you two. If he makes up for it..."
Shimura Danzō approached Orochimaru, who had just sent Manda back to the summoning realm. He had watched the entire exchange. Though he knew White Fang's final slash would not kill Orochimaru, the lingering sense of dread in his heart still remained. He teasingly spoke to Orochimaru, only to feel a trace of chill emanating from him.
"The outcome won't change! Even if I'm gravely wounded and at death's door, I don't believe he can kill me!"
Perhaps Orochimaru was merely putting on a brave front. Shimura Danzō did not expose him and instead said with a sigh, "But I don't see it that way. That wolf was trained by me!"
"Hmph!"
Orochimaru touched the slash mark and snorted coldly, ignoring Shimura Danzō as he headed back toward the Konoha camp. Yet in his heart, he had already firmly remembered the young man named Hatake Sakumo.
"Age doesn't determine everything!"
In the Hokage's office in Konoha, Mingye flipped through several brief reports