"Gua!!"
Orochimaru kicked open the Ninja Academy's front gate in excitement.
In the training grounds,
all the Anbu turned to look toward the entrance.
"Lord Orochimaru?"
Everyone froze.
The smile stiffened on Orochimaru's face. He stood blankly at the entrance, his gaze falling beside the pile of bodies surrounded by the Anbu.
Orochimaru's pupils abruptly contracted.
"No! No!"
Orochimaru stumbled toward that pile of "bodies."
"Lord Orochimaru!"
Ebisu tried to step forward to stop Orochimaru and ask what he was doing here, only for Orochimaru to send him flying with a slap.
"Gua!"
"Gua!"
"You're still alive, aren't you?"
Orochimaru immediately picked out the most familiar figure among the hundreds of "bodies."
He stepped forward, dropped to his knees, and lifted Gua into his arms. Looking at the vivid bloodstain on Gua's chest, Orochimaru felt as though needles were stabbing his eyes.
It hurt!
It hurt so much!!
Orochimaru's heart ached!!
"Who did this!!?"
Orochimaru roared. After that wild swing from joy to despair, he had completely lost his reason.
Without Gua, what use was the fifty million he wanted to get from the Akatsuki? What use was his teacher's laboratory? What was the point of returning to Konoha?
"Impure World Reincarnation!"
"Right! There's still Impure World Reincarnation!! At least I can keep Gua's soul here!!"
"But before that..."
Orochimaru gently laid Gua down. One hand turned into venomous snakes and shot out, seizing Ebisu, who was closest.
Ebisu hadn't expected Orochimaru to attack so suddenly. Before he could react, the snakes caught him and dragged him straight to Orochimaru.
"Lord Orochimaru..."
Ebisu wanted to say something placating, but Orochimaru had already risen to his feet and was looking down at him.
"Who did it? Who killed Gua?"
Ebisu glanced behind him, his gaze landing on Aoba Yamashiro.
Aoba Yamashiro: