Out in the wilderness.
At the agreed meeting spot.
"Heh heh, you're here."
The moment Luo Mang arrived, Orochimaru stuck out his long tongue and greeted him. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought they were old friends.
In reality, however, this was their first formal meeting.
Even during the Konoha Crush Plan, Luo Mang had never seen him, only catching a distant glimpse of his summoning beast.
Luo Mang stopped there and looked at Orochimaru a short distance away. He was indeed as tall as Luo Mang remembered, with a cold, sinister sort of handsomeness.
If he weren't good-looking, if he didn't have those looks backing him up, how could he have recruited so many utterly devoted kids?
If Danzo had been in his place, he probably couldn't have recruited nearly as many.
Then again, Danzo had been quite handsome in his youth too, and had managed to gather a group of young followers who settled into Root with him.
Looks really do make quite a difference, huh?
Just as expected, just as expected. Luo Mang looked him up and down. So far, apart from his slightly pallid, gloomy complexion, nothing stood out at their agreed meeting spot.
Splash, splash!
The sound of flowing water interrupted the conversation around them.
Indeed, the agreed meeting spot was beside the little river in Rock Shadow Village where Kurotsuchi had once dragged Luo Mang on a date.
Temari and Kurotsuchi had come along too, though they stood a little farther back, watching Orochimaru nervously.
Even if his presence didn't feel all that impressive, his reputation spoke for itself. Widespread notoriety was a strength of its own.
"Heh, how could I not come? You were actually planning to interrogate someone for information about me."
"And Orochimaru of the Sannin... I don't think