I Think I Can Still Be Saved

The Anbu stared dumbfoundedly at Orochimaru, who stood high above them like a statue cosplay.

Was this some kind of performance art?

But with a powerhouse like him standing completely still, they couldn't read his intentions and didn't dare make any rash moves.

What ninjas feared most was not knowing what their opponent intended to do. That was a grave tactical taboo.

With the slightest misstep, the price of a clash between experts could be a lifetime of regret.

"Captain, should we retreat first?"

The Anbu subordinate beside him asked in a low voice. Every one of them had more or less reached their limit. After taking down those Curse Mark Troops, they felt utterly drained. If this continued, staying here would only make them dead weight.

"I don't know."

Kakashi said with slight hesitation. At the end of the day, he was only a teenager.

But he regretted it the moment the words left his mouth. As the captain, how could he not know? If even he didn't know, how were his subordinates supposed to proceed?

Itachi and Wada weakly supported each other. After this battle, a seed of some inexplicable emotion began to grow wildly in the depths of his heart.

[Orochimaru's Favor: 43%↑]

[Because you were unable to completely persuade Orochimaru this time]

[The quest archive mechanism has been triggered. This quest can be continued later.]

[You have also obtained the achievement: Orochimaru's Covetousness]

The numbers kept rising, while Orochimaru's lips curled upward at an angle imperceptible to ordinary people.

It seemed the plan was still within his grasp.

At the very least, he absolutely didn't want to become enemies with Orochimaru and have the clan targeted by a Kage-level powerhouse. Otherwise, a moment's inattention and several clansmen might vanish, rounded up and taken away like slaves. That would be the end of them.

"Interesting. Hehe, this is an unexpected gain."

As though breaking free of something, cold sweat covered Orochimaru's forehead. He patted his mouth, looking slightly satisfied.

He seemed lost in thought.

He actually just left like that???

Kakashi and the others stared at the bizarre scene before them in disbelief. That man had simply let them go so easily?

Could this be some kind of trick?

"Am I sleepwalking? Does this mean we escaped death?"

Kakashi felt as though he were dreaming. His back had long been soaked in sweat. Facing such a powerful enemy, they simply weren't on the same level.

"Perhaps that's just how villains think. There's no need to find it too strange. Villains don't need logic in the first place. Whatever they do is only natural to them. Besides, even if he could kill us, there was no need for him to waste time being held up here."

Itachi laid out the logic behind it.

The Anbu members beside him nodded as well, showing their agreement. For the first time, they suddenly felt that the youngest Anbu member before them had vaguely become the strongest core of the team.

Especially when it came to tactical guidance, he had been able to protect them all on his own. His talent was truly astonishing.

Even in terms of presence, he vaguely gave off the air of being the real leader of this Anbu squad.

"Then report what happened here to the Third Hokage. After that, go to the Ninja Hospital and have some people come here to collect samples. Also, I think I still need to be saved."

Itachi spoke weakly before dropping straight onto the ground. The backlash from Susanoo had exceeded his expectations. In that instant, his body had felt as though it had been completely drained dry.

His vision gradually blurred as well.

"Itachi, what's wrong with you?"

Konoha Hospital.

The sun shone brightly, and laughter from children at the neighboring Ninja Academy could occasionally be heard. But what made the passing nurses even more curious was something else.

Why had such a young child recently moved into one of the senior staff wards?

His lashes were long at the corners of his eyes, and his exquisite features were almost feminine. Yet the tear troughs beside his nose added a great deal of maturity to that delicate face.

He was such a well-behaved child.

Could he be some spoiled young master from a high-ranking family?

"I really can't get a moment of peace."

The moment Itachi opened his eyes, he gave a bitter smile. He had originally wanted to recuperate in peace, but it seemed life wouldn't give him the chance.

The people who came to visit him were all influential figures of wealth and status. Even the Third Hokage had been alerted. Yet whenever Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at him, his gaze always carried an unusual wariness and distance.

So he had indeed inherited the Second Hokage's way of thinking.

He maintained an extremely harsh policy toward the Uchiha Clan.

Beside him lay a pile of scrolls, gifts, and flower petals. Anyone unaware of the situation might have thought he had died a heroic death.

After all, this mission had truly helped him build quite a few connections, and many Anbu members had gradually changed their opinions of him.

Even when Oda Misuzu came to visit him, she wore a teasing expression as she joked about whether Izumi Uchiha beside him was his little girlfriend, leaving all three of them awkwardly laughing.

"You did well. I've heard all about it. You can even activate Susanoo now."

A relatively mature voice that still couldn't hide its childishness came from outside the window. Amid falling cherry blossoms, a handsome, slightly tall and slender boy climbed in through the window.

"Shisui, you're here too. Cut yourself a pear. You could open a small shop with all the stuff in here."

Itachi felt deeply relieved inside.

Shisui Uchiha was one of his few friends his own age, but he was also someone who was both a teacher and a friend.

With him by his side, Itachi's sense of security rose sharply.

A genius ninja of the Uchiha Clan in Konoha Village of the Land of Fire, he had been close friends with Itachi Uchiha since childhood and possessed even greater talent for ocular techniques than Itachi.

He was immensely powerful, skilled in genjutsu and the Body Flicker Technique, and had made his name known throughout the world as Shisui of the Body Flicker.

It was said that he could single-handedly fend off sneak attacks from foreign clans. Merely appearing was enough to frighten off the Water Ninja Village's forces that had sought to take advantage of Konoha's troubles.

"How are your injuries?"

"It's not a big problem. It's just that after activating Susanoo, my whole skeleton feels like it's about to fall apart."

Itachi still spoke with lingering fear. He had to admit that the agony of feeling ants crawling all over his body was definitely not a pleasant experience.

"That's how it is. Every activation of ocular power means overtaxing the body. Perhaps only the legendary Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan can withstand the side effects brought by that power."

Shisui murmured, his eyes sharply sweeping over the surroundings. He could faintly sense the presence of Anbu operating nearby.

That startled him greatly.

Had Konoha's suppression of their clan already reached the point where they needed to be monitored?

"Shisui, do you remember the migration I mentioned to the clan before?"

"It really is a good idea, but I think actually carrying it out would be extremely difficult. The outside world is simply too harsh."

Shisui nodded, rather agreeing with the seemingly fanciful proposal.

"But I think it can still be saved, because I've found a good place to go."