Orochimaru's Gaze (Seeking Collection & Recommendations)

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was stern.

The entire office fell into a subtly tense silence.

When he saw Qifeng arrive, he silently took a puff from his pipe, blew out a smoke ring, and slowly rose to his feet.

He walked over to the ninja world map hanging on the wall, which detailed the entire state of the shinobi nations—including terrain, towns, and even the layout of several border outposts.

He stood silently before the map, taking puff after puff of his pipe until the tobacco inside burned away completely, leaving only ash.

Danzo frowned and said in a low voice, "Sarutobi, what are you still hesitating about?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi returned to his desk, tapped his pipe lightly to empty the ash, refilled it with tobacco, and lit it again.

Only after finishing this did Hiruzen Sarutobi finally speak.

"Last night, a squad of Iwagakure ninja launched a surprise attack on our Tori Mori Outpost in the Land of Waterfalls. All the ninja stationed there have gone silent. Only at the very end did they manage to relay intelligence, and the border garrison in the Land of Fire also caught faint traces of Iwa ninja."

Hearing this, the Konoha Ninja in the office all felt a jolt in their hearts.

The same thought flashed through their minds.

Could it be that the Great Ninja War was finally coming?

Qifeng was somewhat taken aback. Wasn't the Third Great Ninja War supposed to be started by the Suna ninja?

Sure, the Iwa ninja were the most restless, but Ōnoki wasn't that foolish.

"This is a signal. The Iwa ninja can no longer sit still, but they haven't launched a full-scale assault—just probing for now," Hiruzen Sarutobi said.

This had been the general state of the ninja world lately: either testing Konoha's limits or on the way to testing them.

"Sarutobi, are we still going to endure this?" Danzo couldn't sit still anymore.

He fixed a fierce glare on Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Now that the enemy was trampling over their heads, how could Konoha just wait to be slaughtered?

If they kept hesitating, the next move might not be a probe but an all-out attack.

Once the Iwa ninja made their move, the other hidden villages wouldn't stay put either.

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised a hand to stop Danzo from continuing.

"I understand the stakes better than you do. The peace we fought so hard to achieve cannot be abandoned so easily."

With that, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to look at Orochimaru. "Orochimaru, take three squads. This time, hold nothing back!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was showing his teeth, even recalling Orochimaru from his post guarding the eastern front, precisely because Orochimaru's methods were ruthless enough.

"Hmph!"

Seeing that Hiruzen Sarutobi still wanted to downplay the matter, Danzo slammed his cane heavily against the floor and stormed out of the office.

Qifeng shrank into a corner, saying nothing as the big shots conversed.

He wanted to ask—was it really appropriate to have a Genin like him at a meeting like this?

Unfortunately, he didn't dare.

Orochimaru lifted one corner of his mouth, lightly licked his lips, and nodded.

Qifeng wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he felt both big shots' gazes land on him.

"Qifeng," Hiruzen Sarutobi called out.

"Lord Hokage." Qifeng stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

Seeing him, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression softened slightly.

"You'll go too. You've done well lately. We've received many thanks from the families of the deceased—grateful that you kept their loved ones' and comrades' bodies so clean, grateful for your help to those residents struggling to get by.

Go and bring back our comrades from Tori Mori Outpost. Orochimaru and the others will protect you."

Qifeng forced a smile that looked worse than crying.

If he'd known this would happen, he'd rather have never done any of that.

It cost him time, effort, and money, and in the end, it reached Hiruzen Sarutobi's ears, branding him—a Corpse Collector—firmly in the man's memory.

Konoha had quite a few Corpse Collectors, and though he was the only one willing to look after the Morgue, that didn't mean he wanted to go to the battlefield.

He wanted to say something more, but Hiruzen Sarutobi ignored him, instead detailing the mission to Orochimaru and the other Jonin.

As he left the office, Qifeng wore an expression of utter despair.

"Qifeng-kun."

Suddenly, a hoarse yet magnetic voice came from behind him.

Qifeng turned around stiffly and saw that flowing long hair, those narrow yellow eyes framed by purple eyeshadow, and lips curved into a faint smile.

"L-Lord Orochimaru."

"Qifeng-kun, would you be interested in working under me? On some very interesting things." Orochimaru took a few silent steps until he was right beside him.

"Uh..." Qifeng hadn't expected Orochimaru to say that and instinctively replied, "That... might not be a good idea."

"I have an experiment, and I'm short on someone skilled at handling corpses."

Orochimaru's voice rang out beside his ear.

Qifeng looked nervously at Orochimaru, who wore a faint, ambiguous smile, and noticed the hidden danger flickering in the other man's eyes.

It was like being stared down by a highly venomous snake.

He quietly swallowed a gulp of saliva.

Was Orochimaru already starting human experimentation now?

That should be the case, but the test subjects were probably all ninja from other villages.

Yakushi Kabuto hadn't been brought back to Konoha yet, so Orochimaru was still short a capable assistant.

But why had he set his sights on Qifeng?

Qifeng couldn't figure it out. How could Orochimaru, who had been holed up in the Morgue without even showing his face, have invited him?

If he didn't know where Orochimaru was headed, then as one of the Sannin and a candidate who could very well become the Fourth Hokage, Orochimaru was an absolute giant of a thigh to latch onto—someone countless people dreamed of following.

Unfortunately, he knew that with Orochimaru's personality, the Hokage position wasn't his goal. What he wanted was only immortality.

Still, Qifeng considered another angle.

For now, following Orochimaru was relatively safe, and Orochimaru, conducting human experiments, would definitely try to capture and collect a large number of corpses, among which there would be no shortage of top-tier powerhouses.

That was a temptation for him.

Seeing him hesitate, Orochimaru didn't push. He let out a soft laugh and said, "Think it over carefully."

With that, his figure slowly disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Think it over?

Like hell!

If it were anyone else—say, Tsunade, with her huge assets, or even Jiraiya—Qifeng wouldn't have hesitated. Finding a backer in Konoha would be way too comfortable.

But Orochimaru? No way.

Really no way.

He shook his head, giving up on the temptation of getting close to Orochimaru and possibly accessing Senju Hashirama's corpse.

No matter how good Wood Release or the Sage Body were, he had to be alive to claim them.

If Orochimaru found out that he possessed both Shikotsumyaku and the Sharingan, he might very well become Orochimaru's first vessel for Living Corpse Reincarnation.

Thinking about it, it made sense.

The two types of Kekkei Genkai that Orochimaru would pursue in the future—he had them both.

The drought-stricken die of thirst; the flooded drown.

He was heading to the front lines.

This time, the feeling was completely different from last time.

Although he was still bringing back corpses, this mission could very well spark a war, and the first to bear the brunt would be their support squad.

Even with Orochimaru around, Qifeng still felt unsafe.

But facing Hiruzen Sarutobi's orders, he had no way to resist.

For a split second, he even wished the war had already broken out—it would be better than feeling his way across the river, not knowing which deep pit he'd fall into.

Of course, that was just wishful thinking.

He went back, tidied up his Ninja Tool Pouch a bit, and headed for the village gate.

This time, everyone was a big shot. He didn't dare be late.