Snake Uncle, Do You Want to Pursue Immortality?

The ANBU walked ahead to lead the way.

Qian Ye limped along behind him, the smell of the ointment on his backside detectable even through the bandages.

As they passed through the wounded soldiers' camp, several Hidden Leaf ninja stopped what they were doing and stared straight at him.

A Chunin who had just finished having his wound stitched up twisted his head and shouted at him.

"Brother, twenty-three!"

"Awesome!"

Qian Ye forced a smile, but his heart was pounding.

Killing enemies and earning merits was nothing unusual these days. What was unusual was that he, a civilian Genin, had fought his way out with half his ass exposed.

When they reached the open space in the center of the camp, even more people gathered around.

A Genin missing an arm gestured with his remaining hand.

"Did you hear? That female hero from Sunagakure abandoned the entire right-wing battlefield just to chase him."

"Abandoned it? Isn't that..."

"Shh, keep it down. He can hear you."

Qian Ye had sharp ears and caught every word.

His face burned, even worse than the wound on his backside.

The ANBU ninja did not look back and walked quickly.

Qian Ye hurriedly composed himself and followed.

The wooden door of the command tower was still smoking, and half a roof beam was lodged crookedly in the corner of the wall.

The ANBU stopped at the door and made a welcoming gesture.

"Lord Orochimaru is waiting for you inside."

Qian Ye swallowed and reached out to push open the door.

It was dark inside, with only a few oil lamps burning.

Orochimaru stood with his back to the door before a massive map of the Hidden Leaf.

His fingers rested on Kikyo Pass, his fingertips stroking the battle line marked in ink.

Qian Ye had barely stepped inside and had not even had time to salute.

Orochimaru's voice rang out first.

"Do you know?"

"Life is laughably fragile."

Qian Ye froze in place.

Was he talking to him?

Orochimaru slowly turned around, his slit-pupiled eyes glinting faintly in the dim light.

"In a single war, tens of thousands of lives can vanish just like that."

"Ninjutsu painstakingly learned, chakra painstakingly cultivated—even the strongest person can be reduced to nothing with one slash."

"Tell me, what meaning is there in living like this?"

Qian Ye went completely stiff.

Wasn't this topic a little too profound?

He was just a civilian Genin who had crossed over only a few days ago. Why was Orochimaru talking philosophy about life with him?

And why did this sound like a warning sign that he was about to go dark?

A cold sweat broke out across Qian Ye's back.

His mind raced.

The war had already reached this point.

People from the Hidden Leaf died every day, and people from Sunagakure died every day too.

A child like Nawaki, who had shouted about becoming Hokage, had ultimately been left as nothing but a cold corpse.

At this point in time, Orochimaru had most likely already begun contemplating the ultimate question of life and death.

If he answered poorly and accidentally triggered the switch that sent the man down the path of researching forbidden techniques, then the tragedies of the Hidden Leaf's future might gain a new pit because of his own words.

Beads of sweat rolled down Qian Ye's forehead.

He forced himself to calm down and put on a solemn, righteous expression.

"Lord Orochimaru, life may be brief, but it is precious precisely because it is brief."

"When one generation falls, the next takes up their beliefs and continues forward."

"Just as Lord Hashirama founded Konohagakure so that the village's children would no longer have to suffer the pain of war."

"Every ninja's sacrifice is not an end. It is the passing of hope to the next person."

"The meaning of life lies not in its length, but in what it leaves behind."

Qian Ye spoke more and more smoothly, his words becoming more and more polished.

He had heard this Will of Fire rhetoric until he was sick of it while watching anime in his previous life.

Memorizing it had not been difficult at all.

After he finished, he even felt rather pleased with himself.

If this speech had appeared in an anime, it would definitely have moved an entire audience.

But when he looked up and saw Orochimaru's expression, his heart skipped a beat.

Orochimaru's gaze gradually changed from its initial trace of curiosity into indifference.

Indifference that bordered on disappointment.

"The Will of Fire."

Orochimaru repeated the words, his tone devoid of any discernible emotion.

"What a standard Hidden Leaf answer."

He turned away and looked back at the map, no longer looking at Qian Ye.

"I thought a Genin who survived under Pakura and killed more than twenty Sunagakure ninja would have somewhat different ideas."

"Apparently, you are nothing special."

Qian Ye heard the faint contempt in Orochimaru's words.

His heart sank.

Damn it.

Giving the standard answer had brought him the standard result—he had talked Orochimaru right out of his interest.

That was no good sign.

An Orochimaru who had lost interest might very well toss him back onto the front lines to continue serving as cannon fodder.

Qian Ye's mind spun rapidly.

The man before him was one of the greatest research fanatics in the history of the shinobi world.

Forbidden techniques, taijutsu, ninja tool modifications—Orochimaru had dabbled in nearly every field one could think of.

More importantly, Orochimaru was currently one of the Hidden Leaf's Three Ninja.

His reputation, strength, and seniority were all firmly established.

He was not only the commander on the front lines, but also a powerful candidate for the next Hokage.

If Qian Ye could latch onto this thigh, his circumstances in the Naruto world would immediately become different.

At the very least, if anyone wanted to shove him into a cannon fodder unit in the future, they would first have to weigh Orochimaru's attitude.

Whether he would save Orochimaru was another matter.

Keeping himself alive came first.

If this man did not walk down the road of human experimentation and forbidden technique modifications, the Hidden Leaf's technological level might advance by decades ahead of schedule.

A thought surfaced in Qian Ye's mind.

How about... giving Snake Uncle a little push?

The moment that thought appeared, it startled even him.

Guide Orochimaru?

Wasn't that the same as thinking his life was too long?

But on second thought, Orochimaru had not yet reached his most dangerous stage.

Right now was precisely when his mindset was most likely to tilt toward extremes.

He had already developed a dangerous obsession with the subjects of life, death, and immortality.

If, at this juncture, Qian Ye could point him toward a path that satisfied his thirst for knowledge without harming others.

Then perhaps he really could change something.

Even if he could not change anything, he could at least make Orochimaru take a second look at him.

He had to try clinging to this thigh.

Qian Ye took a deep breath and steeled himself.

"Lord Orochimaru."

He spoke, his voice much steadier than before.

"You said life is fragile. Then do you... want to pursue immortality?"

The command tower fell silent the moment those words left his mouth.

Orochimaru abruptly turned around.

Those slit pupils fixed on Qian Ye, his eyes filled with undisguised shock.

A civilian Genin.

A Genin he had known for less than five minutes.

Yet he had directly asked such a question to his face.

Orochimaru's fingers tightened slightly around the ninja sword at his waist.

The temperature in the air seemed to drop by several degrees.

Cold sweat soaked through Qian Ye's clothes, yet he stubbornly refused to retreat.

He knew that this step would either be a turning point or a dead end.

Orochimaru stared at Qian Ye for more than ten seconds without saying a word.

Qian Ye's heart pounded wildly in his chest.

He could even hear the sound of his blood crashing against his eardrums.

At last, Orochimaru spoke.

"Why would you ask such a question?"

Qian Ye gritted his teeth and delivered the explanation he had prepared.

"Lord Orochimaru's talent for researching ninjutsu is known throughout Konohagakure."

"If even you have begun contemplating the meaning of life and death, then that proves the question itself is important enough."

"I simply feel that someone like you would never be willing to be constrained by something like death."