Parting, A New Crossroads

"Lord Orochimaru, please take me as your student!"

Anko's voice sounded exceptionally clear in the empty hallway. Orochimaru's raised foot froze half-step in the air, and he turned his head to look at her quietly like that.

Anko did not raise her head, remaining deeply bowed, but the face buried against her chest held an unprecedented determination.

"Why do you want to become my disciple?"

Orochimaru wore a hint of an amused smile, looking Anko up and down.

"Anko..."

Inside the hospital room, almost everyone was shocked by this sudden scene.

A hint of astonishment flashed in Uchiha Rin's eyes. That was Orochimaru, one of the Sannin; she never expected that Anko, the girl who had always been so timid, could possess such courage?

Yet why on earth was she so insistent on becoming Orochimaru's disciple?

Aburame Shibi sighed. He had noticed Anko's recent changes, but he just hadn't expected her to have such courage.

However, he held no hope that Anko could become Orochimaru's disciple. Among Jonin, Orochimaru was notoriously ruthless in his judgment, and Anko had been under his command for so long without her talent being considered particularly outstanding.

Hopefully she could withstand this blow!

A faint smile appeared on Hyuga Satoru's face. Was this a fateful encounter?

Or was it the timeline's self-correction?

Originally, under his influence, Anko—who had not become Orochimaru's disciple—had actually mustered the courage to approach Orochimaru and request to study under him.

Why do you want to become my disciple?

Out in the hallway, Orochimaru's voice was still echoing in Anko's ears, causing her to daze slightly.

Why must she become Lord Orochimaru's disciple? Anko asked herself that inside her heart.

Suddenly, scene after scene appeared in her mind...

Herself encountering an insurmountable enemy and able only to flee frantically...

Herself seeing the battered Hyuga Satoru amidst the ruins in the pouring rain...

Memories rushed over like a tide, instantly overwhelming her. She instinctively clenched her fists, tears falling as her voice trembled.

"Because I hate my own incompetence, and I despise my own weakness."

"Lord Orochimaru, please take me as your student! I want to possess power, I want to protect my comrades... I want to—"

Anko bowed deeper still, her fists tightly clenched. Her tears dripped continuously onto the floorboards before her.

Before she knew when, the hospital room had fallen completely silent.

Anko's mournful voice carried over from the hallway sentence by sentence, feeling like a hammer striking their hearts over and over again.

Aburame Shibi sighed.

Perhaps I am an irresponsible teacher who failed to unlock her true potential...

He could not help reproaching himself.

Hyuga Satoru wore a faint smile at the corners of his mouth as he gazed at the ceiling.

Out in the hallway.

Orochimaru suddenly chuckled, producing a hoarse sound.

"You want to protect your comrades? An interesting thought."

"I accept."

What?

Anko, still maintaining her bow, doubted whether her ears had heard wrong. She slowly raised her head, looking at Orochimaru with slight hesitation.

Orochimaru smiled slightly at her and repeated himself.

"I accept. From now on, you are my disciple."

"Re... really? Lo... Lord Orochimaru—no, Teacher Orochimaru."

Orochimaru nodded at her with a smile.

"That's great!"

Anko was so excited she almost bounced into the air; the sudden sense of happiness nearly made her faint.

In truth, she held little hope of becoming Orochimaru's disciple, simply thinking that as long as there was even a sliver of a chance, she had to try.

She never expected it would actually succeed.

Happily, she dashed back into the hospital room and grabbed Hyuga Satoru's hand.

"Satoru, did you hear that? Lord Orochimaru agreed to take me as his student."

"I heard it." Hyuga Satoru smiled helplessly at her. "Could you lighten up a bit? I'm still a wounded patient, you know."

"Oh, sorry!"

"Rin, did you hear?"

"Mm, congratulations."

"Teacher Shibi..."

"Congratulations, Anko. Orochimaru is a world-renowned Sannin; I hope you won't slack off under his tutelage."

Aburame Shibi pushed up the dark sunglasses on his face. Though he had completely failed to anticipate that Orochimaru would agree, he was genuinely happy for Anko.

"Mm, I definitely won't!"

Hyuga Satoru let out a breath and gazed at the ceiling. The Shinobi World seemed to have undergone quite a few changes due to his arrival—wondering if Orochimaru would still defect from the Leaf Village or not?

He felt a bit curious about the future changes in the Leaf.

"Congratulations, Anko." He looked at Anko with a smile, a trace of complexity in his eyes. "From now on, you'll be training alongside Orochimaru."

"Mm." Anko responded softly, instinctively lowering her head slightly.

Becoming Orochimaru's disciple also meant parting ways with Team Three.

"Anko, don't worry. I'll handle things with the Hokage."

Aburame Shibi spoke in a deep voice. Becoming Orochimaru's disciple meant Anko would inevitably have to temporarily leave Team Three, and he could handle the corresponding paperwork with the Hokage himself.

"Thank you, Teacher Shibi."

Anko's voice grew much quieter. Although she had become Orochimaru's disciple, the mere thought of parting with these comrades still caused a lingering ache in her heart.

"Anko, there's no need to think too much about it." Hyuga Satoru said with a smile. "We're all happy for you that you can become Orochimaru's disciple. Go on, Orochimaru is waiting for you outside, and I look forward to the day you grow into your strength."

"Mm."

Anko responded softly, casting a reluctant gaze toward the few people in the hospital room as if she wanted to firmly imprint their appearances in her mind...

After Anko left, the hospital room remained quiet for a long time.

Aburame Shibi murmured softly, looked toward Hyuga Satoru, and spoke.

"I originally planned to tell you this news a bit later, but since Anko has already left, there's no harm in saying it sooner."

"The Hokage has specially promoted you to Chunin, which means..."

"From now on, you might lead a team, or carry out missions alone. Team Three is disbanding..."