Orochimaru's Trail

[This kid was worth cultivating, at least.]

As Hayato Hyuga walked toward the surviving bandits with an expressionless face, Madara Uchiha and Kazuhiko Sarutobi reached the same conclusion about him.

"What are you going to do? Please, don't kill us! I'll never do anything evil again! We won't dare do it again!"

The bandits, left limp on the ground by the kikaichū, watched Hayato Hyuga approach them step by step. They could sense his killing intent from his presence alone, and the once-vicious outlaws grew frightened as he drew closer.

Hayato stopped before the first bandit begging for mercy. He was a young man in his twenties, dressed in a long yellow robe. Despite the endless words of repentance spilling from his mouth, Hayato remained expressionless and slit his artery with his kunai. Blood sprayed over Hayato, who fought down the churning in his stomach and moved on to the next man.

The second, then the third. After killing the third man, Hayato was surprised to find that his discomfort had vanished. Little by little, he was growing accustomed to killing.

"Spare me! Spare me! I'm already blind! I can't do anything anymore! Please, spare me!"

He killed his way to the last man, the leader of the bandits. Madara Uchiha's shuriken had already blinded him. Though he could no longer see anything, the sounds of his companions falling silent one by one told him exactly what was happening. He repeatedly knocked his forehead against the ground, begging Hayato Hyuga for mercy, but Hayato continued to advance.

"Hayato, watch out!"

Just as Hayato's shuriken was about to pierce the bandit leader's chest, a faint tremor passed through the ground. Kazuhiko, who had been watching Hayato the entire time, immediately shouted a warning, but he was still a moment too late.

An enormous python with yellow markings suddenly burst out of the earth and swallowed the bandit leader Hayato was about to kill in a single gulp.

"Who's there?!"

Thanks to Kazuhiko's warning, Hayato leaped backward the instant the python struck, narrowly escaping its ambush. Without that warning, he would most likely have been swallowed just like the bandit leader. Naturally, the surprise attack infuriated him.

"How interesting. I never expected to see people from Konoha here in the Land of Rice Fields. I really do seem to have a connection with Konoha."

A cold, sinister voice drifted down from atop the python's head. Kazuhiko had already drawn his weapon to attack the snake, but the moment he heard that voice, he froze as though struck by lightning, not daring to move.

"Hayato, keep your mouth shut! This enemy is not someone we can afford to provoke!"

Kazuhiko knew Hayato's temperament. His subordinate was talkative and prone to impulsive behavior. Against an ordinary enemy, Kazuhiko would have let him say whatever he wanted, confident that he could protect him. Against this enemy, however, even Kazuhiko himself might not survive. To keep Hayato from angering the newcomer, he immediately silenced him.

It was the first time Kazuhiko had reprimanded him so harshly. Hayato, who had been about to say more, immediately shut his mouth.

"Ah, Kazuhiko Sarutobi. It's been a long time. The last time I saw you, you were still a boy in your teens. To think you're already leading a team of your own."

The enormous python slowly lowered its head. Only when its eyes were level with Hayato did he finally see the enemy who had stolen his "prey."

The newcomer had deathly pale skin, purple eyeshadow, and long hair hanging loose around his head. Dressed in white, he looked to be in his thirties. Most striking of all were his eyes: golden, with distinctive vertical pupils like a snake's. They held a cold, piercing gaze that seemed capable of seeing straight through a person's thoughts, sending a chill down the spine.

Hayato shuddered the moment he saw him, like prey confronted with its natural predator. Even without another word from Kazuhiko, he understood that this man was nothing like the bandits he could handle so easily. From what the man had said, he had even known Kazuhiko as a child. Just how old was he?

"Lord Orochimaru, I never expected to find you in the Land of Rice Fields after your defection from Konoha. May I ask what your purpose here is, and why you attacked these bandits?"

According to Kazuhiko's information, Orochimaru had been expelled from Konoha by the Third Hokage after conducting human experiments on people from the village. With such a powerful and dangerous rogue ninja suddenly standing before him, Kazuhiko could not help trying to gather information about Orochimaru.

"Do I need to report my actions to you?"

Overwhelming killing intent surged from Orochimaru, engulfing Hayato, Shizuko, and everyone else within its reach.

[Was this guy even human?!]

Standing at the very front, Hayato naturally bore the brunt of Orochimaru's killing intent. The instant it locked onto him, he felt as though every drop of blood in his body had frozen. Farther back, Shizuko and the others simply fainted under its pressure.

[Why would Orochimaru need to attack bandits?]

While Kazuhiko and the others were horrified by Orochimaru's killing intent, Madara Uchiha remained perfectly composed beneath it, considering what had brought Orochimaru here.

If Orochimaru had come for them, then everyone except Madara and Kazuhiko would probably already be dead. His target clearly had nothing to do with their group. Nor was Orochimaru the sort of righteous man who would trouble himself with bandits. Yet the python's first target upon appearing had been the bandit leader who was about to be killed.

Standing behind Kazuhiko, Madara Uchiha studied Orochimaru atop the python's back. A conclusion was already taking shape.

Orochimaru was helping the Daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields eliminate the displaced outlaws who had emerged within his borders because of the Third Shinobi World War. His purpose was likely to gain the daimyo's trust and establish a firm foothold in the Land of Rice Fields.

After all, Orochimaru was unlike ordinary rogue ninja. He was powerful and devoted to scientific research, making a stable base of operations essential to him. Demonstrating his strength by eliminating armed threats within the country was indeed the quickest way for him to secure resources and support at present.

"Since you've been somewhat useful, I won't hold this against you. Kazuhiko, remember to give Lord Hokage my regards."

Seeing how utterly helpless Kazuhiko and the others were, Orochimaru yawned. Clearing out the roving bandits in the Land of Rice Fields over the past few days had left him somewhat tired, and he had no particular reason to target a youngster like Kazuhiko.