Qifeng returned to his tent in a daze.
Looking at the densely packed corpses laid flat on the ground, Qifeng suddenly lost his appetite.
Orochimaru's subordinates.
He had hidden for so long, going in circles in search of an easy path, only to end up in this dead end anyway.
If he were a Jonin, it would be easier to handle.
But as things stood, he was merely an obscure little Chunin. In the eyes of many, he was Orochimaru's chosen disciple.
Especially since quite a few people had already begun to speculate about the unspoken implications behind it.
Otherwise, why had Orochimaru's subordinates not attended such an important meeting in the main tent, while he, a mere Chunin, had been allowed in and even asked for his opinion?
Orochimaru's disciple!
It represented not only having one of the Sannin, Orochimaru, as a teacher, but also being part of the Hokage's direct lineage, with the possibility of inheriting the Hokage position in the future.
Even the powerful Uchiha and Hyuga clans of Konoha would want members of their families to become Orochimaru's disciples and latch onto such a lush, towering tree, provided Orochimaru was willing and Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed.
But Qifeng knew that Orochimaru and Konoha would head down different paths in the future.
Orochimaru's subordinates would be purged, transferred away, disappear, or defect. Their endings would be far too tragic.
Now, the only thing that gave him even a sliver of comfort was that Anko, Orochimaru's disciple in the original story, had turned out relatively well.
As though clutching at a lifeline, Qifeng frantically began recalling why Mitaraishi Anko had not been purged and had even gradually been entrusted with greater responsibility.
First, although she was Orochimaru's disciple, she had not participated in any human experiments. She had not