What are you thinking about?
The voice softened as it spoke those words, and Araki immediately felt an itch on his left ear, as if a hair had touched it.
He slowly turned his head to look to the left.
In my line of sight, a bloodless face suddenly appeared.
Chapter 5 Orochimaru's Invitation (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)
Orochimaru!
That's Orochimaru's face!
Araki recognized him immediately!
He was deeply shocked by this discovery, because based on his current experience, there was absolutely no reason for Orochimaru to notice him, and they had no connection whatsoever.
But...
Orochimaru appeared right in front of him.
This caused Araki some fear. No matter how well he concealed it, he knew in his heart that Orochimaru had probably already noticed.
This is not a good sign!
"Who are you..."
Araki deliberately acted as if he didn't recognize Orochimaru, but this wasn't entirely inexplicable. After all, in Konoha, he was a student at the Ninja Academy and had no right to see Orochimaru. It wasn't strange that he didn't recognize him.
"You're terrified, yet so calm—it's fascinating!"
As Orochimaru spoke, he stuck out his tongue, his narrow, snake-like eyes fixed on Araki without ever looking away.
On the other side.
In a place Araki didn't notice.
The snake on his right shoulder had changed position and was now coiling around his waist, with a subtle feeling of restraint, like a movable rope that was gradually tightening.
But... this rope is kind of scary!
"Are you... alright?"
Araki's lips twitched slightly. This feeling was indeed very unpleasant, and even he couldn't explain it. He could feel an extremely strong, chilling sensation emanating from Orochimaru, a feeling that made him very uncomfortable.
The feeling was indescribable; it was cold and seemed devoid of any emotion.
It's terrifying.
Especially those eyes.
It's so bad it's almost unbearable to look at.
"Can't I contact you if there's nothing wrong?" Orochimaru grinned, but the smile looked very stiff, revealing his bright red tongue.
"We're not that close, are we?" Araki tried his best to remain calm, his mind racing as he considered a solution.
"You'll get used to it quickly." After saying this, Orochimaru suddenly stood up straight. Suddenly, Araki felt a force lifting him up—it was the snake that had been coiled around him. Then he said, "Come with me."
"What are you going to do?" Araki's voice was slightly panicked. He was now starting to think about his trump cards, but at this point in time, even if he had accumulated a lot of resources, it was clearly not enough to deal with Orochimaru.
"You'll find out soon enough," Orochimaru said mysteriously.
"No!"
Araki's breathing became rapid; he was now considering whether or not to confront them directly.
A proper solution is needed.
otherwise.
Once they arrived at Orochimaru's territory.
Then many things will become out of control.
Tsunade!
This might be the only thing Orochimaru is wary of!
"I advise you not to act rashly. I am Tsunade-sensei's disciple. If you do anything to me, it will not do you any good!" Araki hurriedly raised Tsunade's banner, and now he had to make his position clear.
"Oh?"
Orochimaru suddenly stopped moving, staring intently at Araki, his smile becoming even more peculiar, as if he had heard something very interesting.
"Interesting!"
Orochimaru then moved closer to Araki, their noses almost touching.
The long, narrow snake eyes were inches away, and within their dim, yellowish pupils, Araki could vaguely see his own reflection.
"You think I don't know you're Tsunade's disciple?" Orochimaru said meaningfully.
"You know?" Araki was taken aback.
"Of course I know!" Orochimaru turned his head back, and Araki's body was once again lifted up by the snake. He then said, "If you weren't Tsunade's disciple, I wouldn't have come looking for you. Don't worry, I won't harm you. Look at how scared you are, you're really embarrassing Tsunade!"
"What do you want from me?" Araki was full of questions. Now he was certain that Orochimaru knew he was Tsunade's disciple, so that was another matter entirely.
Is there any conflict between Orochimaru and Tsunade?
Araki's mind raced, and the only thing he could think of was the question of whether or not to save Jiraiya during the Second Shinobi World War.
Orochimaru advocated abandoning Jiraiya, but Tsunade chose to save him. As everyone knows, Jiraiya was ultimately saved.
Besides this issue...
Araki couldn't imagine any other problems.
But...
Such a conflict is nothing!
Surely they don't need to arrest him?!
Araki's mind raced, but he couldn't find the answer to his question. He was no match for Orochimaru right now, so struggling was pointless. He might as well just go with Orochimaru. He didn't know how things would turn out; all he could do was adapt to the situation.
after all...
From Orochimaru's words, it's clear that the other party knew he was Tsunade's disciple, but still wanted to capture him.
It's obvious that even if we find Tsunade-sensei, it won't be of much use, so we might as well just leave it as it is.
In an instant.
Araki was thus moved towards the outskirts of Konoha, coiled up by the snake.
The surrounding area gradually became deserted.
Araki's mind calmed down, and he was no longer filled with fear. He knew very well that things had come to this point and everything was out of his control.
but...
There is a little bit.
In his view, it was a place where he could feel at ease.
That means no matter what he thinks, he won't die; at most, he'll be used as an experimental subject, which is the worst-case scenario.
After some time.
Orochimaru stopped.
On the ground in the woods in front of us, there was a small hill, which looked unremarkable and was considered normal terrain.
However, after Orochimaru led Araki around, Araki suddenly realized that on the mound, hidden by the grass, there was a rusty-looking iron gate.
not good!
Araki's face immediately darkened.
If he wasn't mistaken, this was Orochimaru's laboratory. If he entered the laboratory, wouldn't he become a test subject?
Have I been exposed?
When did this start?
Araki did indeed use Wood Release a few times, but he was certain that there would be no survivors and that Orochimaru would never know that he knew Wood Release.
So what should we do next?
Araki didn't want to go into the lab, but Orochimaru didn't seem to be stopping and wasn't offering any explanation, which made him feel uneasy.
What place is this?
Araki pursed his lips, as if he had made a decision, and immediately asked questions. If they didn't take the initiative, some problems might really arise.
Let's at least figure out Orochimaru's purpose first!
We can't just let him be brought into the lab without any explanation!
"This is my secret base," Orochimaru said frankly, without any intention of hiding anything. His dim, yellowish snake eyes still gleamed with a meaningful light.
Araki's heart skipped a beat when he heard this.
It's over.
You asked the wrong question.
If we didn't know, it might be fine, but now we've been manipulated into being the ones who know the secret.
Araki wasn't sure how many people knew about Orochimaru's secret base, but he felt that knowing it wasn't a good thing.
Why did you bring me here?
Araki forced himself to ask, "No matter what, we need to get some information so we can save ourselves as much as possible."
"Are you that curious?" Orochimaru moved closer to Araki, looking the boy up and down with a smile on his face.
"Yes." Araki nodded emphatically.
"Actually, it's very simple. I'm very curious to know what kind of disciple Tsunade has taken on!" Orochimaru said with a half-smile, "From what I know of Tsunade, she's not someone who takes on disciples easily. She finds this kind of thing incredibly troublesome. Unless someone has exceptional talent, they definitely won't catch her eye."
"How do you want to understand me?" Araki wasn't sure if Orochimaru meant what he thought, but he still probed.
I'm getting to know you right now!
As Orochimaru spoke, the small snake that had been coiling around Araki slowly loosened its grip, setting Araki's body down and freeing him from his trance.