"...Hikari? Why are you back"
Anko opened the door and saw Kamizuki Hikari standing outside. Surprise lit up her face as she grabbed his arm.
"Did you come for me? It's not convenient to talk here. Let's go out!"
When it came to Orochimaru, Anko felt both love and hate. She wanted to kill him, yet seeing Hikari appear made her hesitate. So she tried to pull Hikari away.
"Hm? Anko, this little lover of yours is actually here for me."
Orochimaru suddenly appeared at the doorway, smiling slyly at Hikari.
"I always knew you were impressive, but this time I've met you face-to-face. Not bad... not bad at all!" Orochimaru's gaze was sharp and examining.
Based on his research, someone like Kamizuki Hikari—with no bloodline, no special talent—shouldn't have been able to achieve much. Yet Hikari's existence broke that rule.
Orochimaru very much wanted to research Hikari and see what was special about him.
"Is that so?"
"So Hikari, you came here for him!"
Anko's heart sank a little. Even though she had suspected this, she still wanted to deceive herself until the very last moment.
But reality... was always cruel.
"Alright, I have something to discuss with Orochimaru. If you feel lonely, you can come stay with me. Of course, you can't just freeload—you can help clean the house!"
"Get lost! What do you take me for? Your maid?" Anko pinched Hikari's arm.
"If you don't want to, forget it." Ignoring her tsundere act, Hikari turned to Orochimaru. "You're blocking the door. Are you not letting me in?"
"How could I? I just saw the two of you flirting and was wondering if I should step out for a bit!" Orochimaru said, then turned and entered the living room.
Hikari followed him inside, while Anko obediently went to make tea.
"There's no need to leave the village just yet. After we talk, you can consider it," Hikari said, eyeing Orochimaru's child-sized body. Sensing the Three-Tails' chakra within him, he nodded approvingly. "Not bad. You actually managed to recreate the Three-Tails."
"Just luck," Orochimaru replied modestly, then asked with curiosity, "Whatever it is, just say it. I can handle it."
It was just about leaving Konoha again, right?
He'd done it before—it was nothing new.
"I met Nagato. We exchanged a few blows. It ended in a draw. Neither of us could do anything to the other."
Orochimaru blinked. "Who's Nagato?"
"Nagato is the real identity of Pain, leader of the Akatsuki. His eyes are the Rinnegan—you should know that much." Hikari looked slightly puzzled.
"Oh, you meant Pain. I know." Orochimaru complained inwardly: 'Just say Pain instead of showing off with your insider knowledge.'
"So, the two of you made an agreement?" Orochimaru probed.
He'd already heard the general result from Black Zetsu, but he still felt a bit unwilling.
"Yes. Akatsuki won't target the Three-Tails jinchuriki, and you cannot stay in Konoha."
Orochimaru's heart sank.
Even though he always claimed he didn't care about Konoha or the people here, being officially forced out still hurt.
"So I must leave the village?" Orochimaru did his best to keep his voice calm.
He was Orochimaru, the Sannin. Even as a traitor, he wouldn't show weakness in front of a junior. That wasn't his style.
"Yes."
Hikari's tone was indifferent. "But before you go, I want to tell you some news."
Orochimaru smiled. "What news? Go on."
"Secret information about the Ten-Tails. Interested?"
"What?" Orochimaru stared at him in shock. He had speculated about the Ten-Tails before, but had no proof. Now Hikari casually mentioned it—how could he not be shocked?
"Uh... should I leave?" Anko returned with the tea, and seeing Orochimaru's expression, she knew the news must be huge.
Hikari waved his hand. "You're not an outsider. Stay and listen."
Orochimaru took a few deep breaths to calm himself.
"Why are you telling me this?"
There was no love or hate without reason.
Someone like Hikari giving him such information—there had to be a catch.
Hikari said, "I want you to delay the process of removing the Three-Tails from your body. That buys time for your research on tailed beasts, and it buys me time. It's mutually beneficial."
So that was it.
Knowing Hikari's intentions, Orochimaru relaxed.
"Go on. I want to hear the secret."
Hikari said, "The shinobi world currently has nine tailed beasts—from One-Tail to Nine-Tails—each existing for thousands of years. Even if killed, they'll revive within decades."
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed. "You mean tailed beasts contain the secret of immortality?"
"Don't rush. Let me finish." Hikari stopped him. "The nine tailed beasts possess immense chakra, but they lack true physical bodies, having only shells formed from chakra. This is because they are energies separated from the Ten-Tails. The Ten-Tails is the true immortal existence."
"Long ago, someone extracted the Ten-Tails' chakra and created the nine Tailed Beasts, precisely to prevent the Ten-Tails from reviving. In other words, the Akatsuki's current goal of gathering Tailed Beast chakra is to revive the Ten-Tails."
"As for the Ten-Tails' body, it's the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. You've seen it."
Orochimaru's face lit up. "So if all nine tailed beasts' chakra is gathered and combined with the Demonic Statue, the Ten-Tails will revive? Is that it?"
Hikari nodded. "Yes. Even just its empty vessel is something I can't break. If it revives, I won't be able to stop it."
"You're telling me this because..."
After the initial excitement, a frightening possibility occurred to Orochimaru.
Hikari wanted him to research the Ten-Tails.
"I want you to use your research as an excuse to delay Akatsuki's collection of the tailed beasts. I need time, and so do you. Once the Ten-Tails revives, Akatsuki will no longer need you. Getting access to tailed beast chakra after that won't be easy."
This time, Hikari was using very open and direct strategy.
He was clearly telling Orochimaru what he needed. As long as Orochimaru desired the research, he had no choice but to play along.
Telling him about the Ten-Tails was also meant to make him stall for time.
"Actually, I have a question. Since you know the Ten-Tails can't be defeated, why not stop Akatsuki now?" Orochimaru voiced his doubt.
Hikari shook his head and smiled. "That's not something you need to worry about. What I want is your answer."
'My answer?'
Orochimaru looked at Hikari and felt like slapping him.
As a scientist, how could he not desire this knowledge?
And the Ten-Tails was related to his immortality plan.
"...I'll leave immediately."
----
Read 45+ advanced chapters on my P@treon.
[email protected]/KakuzuTL