After Kakashi and Minato Namikaze left, Sōkyū Hatake was the only one remaining at the Heroes' Memorial Stone.
At that moment, Sōkyū Hatake took one last look at where Hatake Sakumo had been buried, then turned and left.
Tap, tap, tap.
As Sōkyū Hatake reached a corner, he suddenly stopped.
"Lord Orochimaru, were you waiting here specifically for me?" Sōkyū Hatake asked an empty corner.
"Heh heh heh, what a strange child. How did you know I was here waiting for you?" Just then, Orochimaru stepped out from around the corner.
"You deliberately used a little snake to lead me here." Sōkyū Hatake pointed at the little snake that had just been in front of him.
"You assumed it was me just because you saw a little snake?" Orochimaru casually beckoned, and the little snake shot straight into his sleeve like an arrow and disappeared.
"In all of Konoha, you're the only one who can command snakes like that, aren't you?" Sōkyū Hatake said, looking toward where the little snake had disappeared.
He was not particularly surprised that Orochimaru had sought him out, only that it had happened so quickly. He had thought Orochimaru would at least investigate him first.
"That does seem to make sense. It looks like I'll have to disguise things better in the future." Orochimaru glanced at his sleeve. That was indeed a fair point.
"Then, Lord Orochimaru, what did you want with me?" Sōkyū Hatake asked directly.
"What, weren't you the one who wanted something from me? Why else would you have said that?" Orochimaru's forked tongue kept flicking, as though he were studying Sōkyū Hatake.
"What did I say?" Sōkyū Hatake looked at Orochimaru with some amusement. This was also part of his plan.
"Immortality." Orochimaru stared coldly at Sōkyū Hatake. This was a secret; he could even say that not a single person knew about it.
But what he did not understand was why a four-year-old child would bring up this subject with him.
"Immortality?" Sōkyū Hatake responded with a very puzzled expression.
"Yes, eternal life. How did you know?" Orochimaru's aura suddenly erupted. He wanted to know the truth behind this.
"There's no need to delve into how I knew, Lord Orochimaru. But... Lord Orochimaru, in your view, why do humans die?" Sōkyū Hatake kept his eyes fixed on Orochimaru.
"Death? This isn't a very suitable place for a conversation, Sōkyū." Orochimaru looked around and suddenly spoke.
"Then let's go to my house. I happen to be a little hungry." Sōkyū Hatake spoke without waiting for a response, then took the lead toward his home.
Orochimaru's reaction just now had made things very clear. People nearby were watching them, and Sōkyū Hatake did not yet know which faction they belonged to.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's Anbu? Shimura Danzō's Root? Or the Konoha Military Police Force, which controlled public security throughout Konoha?
All of these were possible.
He knew that although his performance today could fool Hiruzen Sarutobi for a while, that old schemer would definitely not let him off so easily.
Sōkyū Hatake could even imagine that Shimura Danzō would definitely ask Hiruzen Sarutobi to hand Kakashi over, and Hiruzen Sarutobi would certainly refuse. But to keep Kakashi under control, Sōkyū himself would very likely become Shimura Danzō's target!
That was why everything Sōkyū Hatake had done today was meant to get himself clear of this, then find someone powerful to cling to!
Thus, Orochimaru became Sōkyū Hatake's first choice. Although he knew Orochimaru would defect in the future, that was still a long way off. He had enough time to grow under Orochimaru's protection.
Of course, if Orochimaru defected... perhaps he could?
This rotten village.
Of course, Orochimaru had not yet begun conducting human experiments very openly, and he treated his own people relatively well. Take Anko: Orochimaru had acted against her so she would not be treated as his accomplice when he defected.
This proved that as long as he could become one of Orochimaru's own, his safety would still be assured.
After Sōkyū Hatake and Orochimaru left, several figures in the shadows vanished in an instant.
Tap, tap, tap.
Following Sōkyū Hatake to the Hatake Clan compound, Orochimaru could not help sighing at the familiar surroundings.
To Orochimaru, Hatake Sakumo had been a senior he respected deeply. Hatake Sakumo had even saved him several times during the Second Shinobi World War.
"It seems they're paying you quite a bit of attention." Orochimaru spoke as soon as he sat down. He had visited this tearoom before.
"That's hard to say. They might have been following you, Lord Orochimaru." Sōkyū Hatake chuckled, brought out a tea set, and deftly poured tea for them both.
"Now, Sōkyū, can you tell me what you think about immortality?" Orochimaru suddenly asked Sōkyū, a trace of madness showing in his otherwise indifferent yellow snake eyes.
"That's a difficult road. Even someone as powerful as the Sage of Six Paths died naturally with the passage of time, didn't he?" Sōkyū looked at Orochimaru with amusement. He was certain that Orochimaru was not drunk at this moment.
"Yes. Even someone as powerful as the Sage of Six Paths couldn't achieve immortality." There was not a hint of drunkenness in Orochimaru now. Only a slight sense of dejection remained in his eyes!
"Then what about approaching it from another angle?"
"What angle?"
"Why do people die?"
"Naturally, because their bodily functions can't keep up..." Before Orochimaru could finish, Sōkyū interrupted him.
"Why can't they keep up?"
"Because cells can only divide a limited number of times. When the cells in your body can no longer divide, you die!"
"Then have you heard the idea that the soul is indestructible?"
"Impure World Reincarnation?"
"Yes. Impure World Reincarnation can summon the souls of long-dead shinobi back into the world of the living. What does that mean?"
"It means that no matter how much time has passed, their souls still exist!" Orochimaru suddenly stood up and spoke excitedly, as though he were on the verge of grasping something from Sōkyū's words.
"Then what about another approach? Since the soul is indestructible, but the body ages and dies because of the limit on cell division, then... what about cloning a copy of your own body?" Sōkyū looked into Orochimaru's eyes and spoke each word distinctly.
"Cloning?" Orochimaru had heard an entirely new term.
"Uncle Orochimaru, you know that no two people or leaves in this world are exactly alike, right?"
"Yes, that's because of variation. Even the most similar individuals have their differences. Wait... Uncle Orochimaru???" Orochimaru did know these basics.
But why had Sōkyū Hatake suddenly started calling him Uncle Orochimaru???
Before you continue