He slowly raised a hand and wiped his face. That dark face peeled away like a layer of skin, revealing the pale face beneath.
Long black hair fell loose, and golden slit pupils narrowed slightly in the sunlight.
"Only, could you put that weapon away? I wouldn't dare take even one slash from it."
Orochimaru stared warily at Murasame in Zongyan's hand, a smile tugging at his lips.
Zongyan stared at that face and slowly sheathed his blade.
"Orochimaru!"
"Long time no see, Young Master Zongyan. It's been a few years, and you've acquired quite an extraordinary weapon!"
Orochimaru rolled his neck, his bones giving several soft cracks.
"What are you doing here?"
"Taking a look."
Orochimaru tilted his head toward the black smoke slowly rising from the factories outside the village and the train parked beside the platform.
Zongyan ignored his movement and asked again, his tone serious.
"What do you want?"
Orochimaru watched him in silence for a while before finally speaking.
"All I seek is immortality and indestructibility. You have what I want, Young Master Zongyan, so I came."
At those words, something seemed to come back to Zongyan, and his gaze slowly darkened as he stared at Orochimaru.
"You got your hands on the demon we Uchiha lost in the Land of Rice Fields?"
Orochimaru's smile stiffened, but then slowly relaxed again.
"You are clever indeed, Young Master Zongyan!"
When Danzo had raided the base in the Land of Rice Fields, the battle had been utter chaos, and the demon Zongyan had brought for Clan Elder Yashiro to study had disappeared.
Later, after he obtained Muzan, he gradually forgot about that missing demon.
Now it seemed it had probably ended up in Orochimaru's hands.
Zongyan stared at him in silence for a few seconds, then suddenly