Orochimaru Took Qian Ye as a Kindred Spirit

The shadow beneath the dead tree was heavy.

The wind swept through the treetops, making the leaves rustle.

Orochimaru stopped walking.

He turned to look at Qian Ye, who had followed him.

His golden vertical pupils held undisguised admiration.

"Your performance in Handover Canyon was impressive."

Orochimaru's hoarse voice carried a note of pleasure.

"You saw through Rasa's plan, turned Pakura against him, and escaped the Two-Tails unscathed."

"What surprised me even more was that you mastered the Yin Seal in only two days."

"Even I could not have achieved that level of talent back then."

Qian Ye stood across from Orochimaru.

He did not look flattered in the slightest.

Nor did he respond with the customary humility of the Hidden Leaf.

"That was only to be expected."

Qian Ye spread his hands.

"After all, I am your personal disciple, Lord Orochimaru."

"If I acted too much like a useless fool, wouldn't that disgrace you?"

Orochimaru chuckled softly.

His laughter echoed through the woods.

He was becoming increasingly satisfied with this disciple's personality.

No hypocrisy, and direct enough.

"You truly have no idea what modesty is."

Orochimaru's smile faded.

His gaze fell upon Qian Ye's abdomen.

That was where the Yin Seal's Chakra converged.

"That immense vitality inside you is not Chakra."

Orochimaru went straight to the point.

"I noticed it ever since Ryūchi Cave."

"That pure physical energy was savage and violent, yet brimming with life."

"The thing you fed Pakura came from it as well, didn't it?"

Qian Ye did not deny it.

He knew that simple lies were meaningless before a scientist of Orochimaru's caliber.

It was better to mix truth with falsehood and introduce a few new concepts.

"It is a special flesh-and-blood extract."

Qian Ye met Orochimaru's gaze.

"You taught me that Chakra is the