War on the Horizon

"Orochimaru-sensei, that's not all. There are also these."

Orochimaru accepted the books Xuanhui handed him with both hands and carefully examined their covers.

"Cellular Molecular Biology? Organic Molecular Science? A Brief History of Physics?"

The exquisite covers and enticing titles immediately sparked Orochimaru's intense curiosity.

"Orochimaru-sensei, if I remember correctly, your summoned beasts are snakes that gained sentience in Dragon Cave, right?"

"That's right."

Orochimaru replied absently, lowering his head to flip through the books.

"...Proteins are the bearers of life's activities... What wonderful words!"

"As far as I know, Jiraiya-sama also arrived at Mount Myoboku through an accidental Summoning Jutsu, right?"

Orochimaru looked up at the deliberately mysterious Xuanhui and frowned.

"Why do you know so much? The three of us shouldn't have met you before, should we?"

"I think this library is also a sacred land like Mount Myoboku and Dragon Cave, because I came here the same way Jiraiya did... I investigated it for that reason."

Xuanhui spouted nonsense with a straight face, even beginning to add details.

"When I first came here, a voice told me that this place held most of the world's knowledge and was a sacred place of knowledge!

After exploring it, I discovered that some of the knowledge recorded in these books was real. As for all the books, I have no way to verify them for now."

Of course, that was all a lie. The library was filled with modern books, so he naturally knew they were correct.

"A sacred place of knowledge..."

Orochimaru swallowed.

Indeed! Sages like the White Snake Sage and the Great Toad Sage were exceedingly rare, but spaces like this should, logically speaking, be more common than sacred lands.

After all, this world held far too many unsolved mysteries!

"Xuanhui... can your teacher..."

"You can take them, Orochimaru-sensei, but you have to return them after you finish reading them!"

"No problem, I'll definitely return them...

No, no. Actually, I want to live here directly!"

The look in Orochimaru's eyes... was practically the same as when he saw a beautiful woman...

"Living here... I suppose that could work..."

From Xuanhui's perspective, Orochimaru's delight and fervor were practically overflowing from his face!

If he let Orochimaru live here, he could keep an eye on him and stop him from conducting human experiments.

"Orochimaru-sensei, let's go to your house and pack up a few things."

"No time to waste. Let's go."

Watching Orochimaru act like an infatuated girl, Xuanhui sighed inwardly.

If the two of them switched summoned beasts, the villagers probably would not see Orochimaru easily for the rest of their lives.

With a bang, the wooden door rose from the ground at Xuanhui's summons.

When the two emerged from the door, they happened to see Hiruzen Sarutobi looking around in every direction.

Startled by the pair who had appeared out of thin air, Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly leaped over to them.

"Xuanhui! Orochimaru! What is this?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi touched the doorframe, his eyes brimming with curiosity.

Orochimaru pointed through the door, then repeated Xuanhui's fabricated story to him word for word.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was equally amazed. He understood that he had truly unearthed a treasure this time.

"Wonderful. Orochimaru, you've been busy all morning, so you must be tired. Go back and rest first!

Xuanhui, could you show your teacher around inside?"

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi extended his hand, Orochimaru stepped between them.

"My apologies, Sarutobi-sensei, but this child is mine now."

Orochimaru gave a cold laugh, lifting his chin slightly as he spoke with a hint of pride.

"Hm? Orochimaru? What do you mean by that?"

"Xuanhui."

"What is it, Orochimaru-sensei?"

"Orochimaru... sensei?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face flushed red. He immediately sprang up onto Orochimaru's shoulder and grabbed his ear.

"Orochimaru! You little brat, you've got some nerve! You stole my disciple right out from under me so quickly!"

"Sarutobi-sensei! How can you say that at a time like this? The one who handed Xuanhui over to me was... you!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was choked into silence, while Orochimaru pressed his advantage with a mocking tone.

"Sarutobi-sensei, thank you so much. If I had tried to find such an outstanding disciple myself, who knows how long it would have taken... As expected, Sensei cares about me the most!"

That last sentence landed on Hiruzen Sarutobi like a devastating blow.

After all, he had initially called Orochimaru over as free labor.

He truly had not expected Orochimaru to take a liking to Xuanhui and even accept him as his disciple on the spot!

It made several more wrinkles appear on his face!

"Don't be angry, Hiruzen-sensei!"

Xuanhui tugged at Hiruzen Sarutobi's robe.

"Learning has no end. As long as someone is willing to teach me knowledge I don't understand, that person can become my teacher, can't they?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not know how many times this was, but he was once again staring at Xuanhui in astonishment.

This little boy actually possessed such mature thinking!

Was he really only eight years old?

"See that, Sarutobi-sensei? Xuanhui is still on my side."

Orochimaru gave a cold laugh and placed his hand atop Xuanhui's head.

"Tch! I can't be bothered with you..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a breath, forcibly shifting his gaze away so he would not have to look at Orochimaru's sinister smile.

"Alright, Xuanhui, let's go!"

Orochimaru grabbed Xuanhui's sleeve and lifted his foot to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"Moving! I'm moving into Xuanhui's library."

"You..."

"Hiruzen-sensei, come along too. You can teach me how to use chakra on the way!"

Seeing that the two were about to start trading barbs again, Xuanhui felt a headache coming on and hurriedly interrupted them.

"Hiruzen-sensei, I have a few questions about chakra that I want to ask you..."

Led by Xuanhui, the three finally left the training ground.

Inside Orochimaru's residence, a figure leisurely moved back and forth between wooden doors, sometimes pondering, sometimes suddenly understanding.

One young and one old sat in the courtyard, enjoying the cool mountain breeze.

"Hiruzen-sensei, has it been chaotic outside the village lately?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Xuanhui and spoke with interest.

"Did your father tell you that?"

"Partly..."

"Why are you concerned about that?"

Xuanhui lowered his head and, like a child, used a twig to draw in the dirt.

"Is war about to break out?"

At those words, Hiruzen Sarutobi's brows furrowed tightly, and a curious glint flickered in his clouded eyes.

"Xuanhui, can you tell me what you know?"

"Hiruzen-sensei, how long has it been since the First Shinobi World War?"

"About twenty years?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was confused by the abrupt question, but after giving it some thought, he answered.

"People are just like that... If all the villages are in a period of development, war is probably inevitable sooner or later..."