The rotting leaves in the Forest of Death crunched softly beneath their feet.
Hyuga Xiao stood where he was, the blue crystal on his forehead faintly hot. Kurenai Yuhi had retreated to a position three steps behind him, her hands forming seals as genjutsu chakra flickered at her fingertips—her instinctive vigilance when facing a powerful enemy.
And ten meters ahead stood Orochimaru.
Not a clone. Not a substitute. The real body.
In Xiao's Byakugan vision, the chakra flowing through Orochimaru's body took on a bizarre form—not a conventional meridian system, but more like countless tiny snakes slithering through his veins. Every inch of muscle contained power that could erupt at any moment. What made Xiao even more wary was that he truly had not sensed anyone approaching.
It was as though this person had grown straight out of the ground.
"Don't be nervous." Orochimaru's voice carried its distinctive rasp. He extended his tongue and licked his lips, his golden vertical pupils glinting in the dim forest. "If I had wanted to make a move, the moment you were fighting Root would have been the best opportunity."
"So you came to watch?" Xiao's voice was calm, but the chakra in his body had already begun gathering toward the Pact Stone.
The power of the Tenseigan Prototype flowed through his meridians, bringing a cold clarity. He could "see" at least seven Curse Mark Seeds buried inside Orochimaru's body—things Orochimaru had planted in countless test subjects. The fluctuation of one of them was extremely similar to the one inside Mitaraishi Anko.
"Watching was merely incidental." Orochimaru took a step forward, and the dead leaves beneath his feet sank soundlessly. "I came to discuss cooperation, Hyuga Xiao."
"Cooperation?" A faint curve touched Xiao's lips. "You and me?"
"Yes." Orochimaru's golden eyes fixed on the