A Glimmer of Hope

The night curled up, embracing the earth tightly.

The mountains were vast and the fields were gloomy. On this starless and moonless night, the twilight was as heavy as black velvet.

The wind swept through the hidden parts of the mountains, carrying with it broken branches. A gaping maw, like a black hole, appeared out of nowhere in the mountains of the Land of Grass.

"Love and bonds... it's all so beautiful..."

He was a thin old man who seemed to have used up all his strength just by sitting, like a withered branch in the autumn wind, yet he had a pair of sharp eyes that even the heavens and earth could not hide.

His gaze seemed to pierce through the earth, reaching into the distance.

Perhaps he had endured for too long, never before had he felt such a deep loathing for the darkness and crampedness of the underground, as if these things were constantly reminding him of his decaying body.

"I... I want to get out..."

With strange pipes inserted behind him, Madara Uchiha's voice, though deep, was still powerful and resonant.

"But..."

"Um?!"

"Yes!"

His steps were slow, and the pipes behind him continued to extend, replenishing the life force that was constantly spreading within his body.

"Losing love, severing ties..."

"The Sharingan's light will once again shine throughout the Shinobi World..."

"No one can understand the depth of the Uchiha Clan's affection..."

Leaning against a huge Gunbai, Ban stood at the entrance of the mountain cave, seemingly blending completely into the black night. A gentle breeze flowed from the mountains, causing his silver hair to flutter. He quietly savored the beauty of this earthly world.

"And the other child? A boy who also covets the Uchiha Clan bloodline and possesses a special Spirit Transformation Technique."

"It seems like it would suit you well..."

The creature, half black and half white, had a pitcher plant on its head that opened and closed slightly. One half of its face was expressionless, while the other half revealed a strange smile.

"A boy who understands love..."

"It's a pity he's not from the Uchiha Clan... otherwise, he would have been a better fit than Obito Uchiha..."

"Konoha, humph, what a laughable village..."

As if struck by a sudden thought, Madara Uchiha abruptly raised his eyes, looking towards Konoha with a slight smile.

"Absolutely, proceed according to plan..."

"As for the other child..."

"The boy who has witnessed darkness will surely become our asset in changing this corrupt world..."

"Just a little attention is all it takes..."

"Yes, Lord Madara..."

The Yamakaze howled, carrying an impending roar, blowing across the stream outside the Konoha camp. No one knew how many untold secrets lay hidden within that dissipating wind...

In the dense mountain forest, the stream is clear and sparkling, and even at night, it seems to be shrouded in mist, its gurgling sound echoing in Kato Osamu's mind.

Autumn waters always carry a hint of coolness.

Kato Osamu, however, liked this coldness; he always liked to be alone by the water before something was about to happen.

"Xu-kun, you've really found a great place..."

"I've been waiting for you for so long..."

"You've finally... arrived..."

Kato Osamu didn't turn around; her gaze lingered on the splashes of water, drifting and swirling. The Root ninjas not far away remained vigilant, scrutinizing Kato Osamu with cold eyes, seemingly oblivious to her presence.

"It seems Xu-kun is angry..."

"So you traded all your research findings for a meeting with me, just to talk about these things...?"

Orochimaru's face showed some fatigue, but he still smiled lightly. His wide robe fluttered in the wind as he strolled slowly along the water's edge, seemingly oblivious to Kato Osamu's emotions, and continued speaking.

"The experiments at Ryūchi Cave can now be concluded..."

"Your research findings are valuable, but they're no longer very useful for the Living Corpse Reincarnation..."

"Perhaps Orochimaru- sensei should become a businessman..."

"Even before doing business with them, they already knew how to undervalue the other party's goods..."

Kato Osamu frowned slightly, slowly stood up, and looked directly at Orochimaru, his eyes filled with a complex expression.

From initial wariness to gradually trusting him as a close confidant, and then to a distant relationship, he felt as if he had never truly understood this enigmatic man before him—his teacher, Three Legendary Sannin, one of the legendary Orochimaru.

"Xu-jun, struggling on the edge of fate, you will never know the vastness of this world..."

"I've found a better source of material..."

Orochimaru chuckled and took out a scroll from his robes. After unsealing it, a huge glass container appeared before the two of them, but it seemed to be empty except for a bright green nutrient solution.

"This world is always so amazing..."

Orochimaru only injected a little Chakra, and suddenly a powerful force that Kato Osamu found somewhat familiar emerged from the vessel. The small chunks of flesh and blood floating in the test tube rapidly expanded like balloons.

"This is... Senjutsu Chakra?"

"It seems that Xu-kun still remembers this power..."

After putting everything away, Orochimaru looked at the somewhat silent Kato Osamu, wondering what he was thinking, but a strange smile appeared on his lips.

"Mist Shinobi, what a magical place..."

"So, is this why you chose the Mist Shinobi Battlefield?"

"Certainly..."

"Xu-jun, sometimes we need to understand what we truly want... don't we?"

The night breeze was gentle, passing silently between the two. Kato Osamu clenched his fists, his gaze fixed intently on Orochimaru's eyes. He had waited so long, only to be abandoned by Orochimaru. What he had once considered his only lifeline had vanished so easily...

"Xu-kun, do you want to fight me here?"

"I've been looking forward to this for so long..."

Orochimaru long tongue seemingly radiating a strange chill, and his piercing gaze told Kato Osamu that today would likely yield no results...

"There will be a day..."

"In that case, I'm really looking forward to seeing you, Osamu-kun..."

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, looking at Kato Osamu with a strange gaze that Kato Osamu sensed a peculiar meaning—even a hint of longing...

"However, I can still tell you what I promised you back then, since the research results will have some use..."

"If you want to learn sealing techniques, enough to seal Danzo's Cursed Seal, you can go find..."

"Kushina Uzumaki..."

Orochimaru, who was still chuckling, slowly brightened his eyes, for he saw the scene he had long awaited— Kato Osamu's eyes were wide open, filled with anger and resentment. The feeling of toying with a Shiro seemed to make Orochimaru feel a little better, and his laughter gradually grew louder.

"Haha, hahaha..."

"Xu-kun, you probably never imagined that the only sealing master in Konoha, the one who inherited the Uzumaki Clan's supreme Sealing Jutsu, the one who could save you, has actually always been by your side, and you were completely unaware of it, and are even about to become her greatest enemy..."

"Fate... how interesting..., Osamu-kun, what will you do?"

"This is really something to look forward to..."

Orochimaru's laughter fueled Kato Osamu's anger even more. He even wanted to punch the man in front of him in the face, no matter how much noise it caused. He slowly lowered his head, suppressing his anger, and spoke in a low voice.

"Why... why didn't you tell me sooner...?"

"You've always known, always..."

"Snort..."

Why should I tell you...?

Who do you think you are?

"As your teacher, I will teach you one last lesson today: This world is ruled by the strong, and you, as insignificant as dust, have no right to demand anything of a strong person."

"If you are always weak, then you'd better learn to grovel at the feet of the strong and beg for their charity..."

"What a ridiculous entanglement! Do you really think no one can understand your thoughts? How naive..."

Orochimaru chuckled softly and said nothing more, simply standing quietly by the stream. The autumn colors deepened, and the night wind was icy cold, almost biting.

After a long silence, Orochimaru's figure slowly disappeared into the darkness, but his gaze remained fixed on Kato Osamu was still standing in place.

"Snort..."

Perhaps there was a slight sigh, or perhaps it was Kato Osamu's imagination, but when she looked up, all she saw was a vial of pale purple reagent slowly being tossed down from the sky.

"What you didn't finish... can temporarily block the perception of the Cursed Seal, although Danzo's Cursed Seal is very strong..."

"But don't forget, I am also a master of Cursed Seal..."

Orochimaru's figure had vanished, leaving only the lingering echo, which still clearly reached Kato Osamu's ears.

"If you want to live with ridiculous ties and forever remain a weakling, Minato Namikaze is a good patron..."

The faint voice and the reagent in his hand left Kato Osamu staring blankly in the direction Orochimaru had disappeared.

For some reason, as he gripped the test tube tightly in his hand, all the anger in his heart vanished. He knew how much effort such a thing would take...

"Orochimaru- sensei!"

Kato Osamu hadn't called out Orochimaru -sensei like this in a long time, but Orochimaru's figure was long gone, and his world seemed to be getting further and further away from Kato Osamu.

"Watch out... that person..."

The gradually fading sound slowly dissipated in the wind. The shadowy mountains seemed to be draped in a gossamer veil, gently brushing against his face. He met Kato Osamu's gaze, staring silently.