While Hyuga Soushu's return to Konoha from the front lines in the Land of Rain did officially come through Orochimaru's sanctioned leave—and even with a personal recommendation note from him—the truth was far less personal. Investigations by both Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Hyuga Clan Leader confirmed that during his time in the Land of Rain, Hyuga Soushu had maintained only standard hierarchical relations with Orochimaru, with absolutely no interaction between them.
In truth, Hyuga Soushu had absolutely no connection with Orochimaru whatsoever.
At the time, he was just an ordinary wartime Chunin who had diligently served for two and a half years. Without the status granted by being born into the Hyuga clan, he likely wouldn't have been much more than a nameless ant to Orochimaru. Worse still, with nearly all noble ninja clan heirs stationed at the Rain Country defense camp, Hyuga Soushu blended in even more and naturally drew no special notice or interest from Orochimaru.
Moreover, although some might harbor unrealistic expectations of Orochimaru due to fragmented past-life knowledge, in reality, even among Leaf shinobi deployed in the Land of Rain, Orochimaru wasn't particularly well-liked.
He was a traditional ninja who believed that no cost was too great to achieve mission success—whether it meant sacrificing others' lives or even his own. When the situation allowed, Orochimaru would cast all such costs, including himself, ruthlessly into the grinder without hesitation.
From a ninja's perspective, Orochimaru's conduct fully aligned with what was expected of an elite operative. His demonstrated combat prowess, strategies, and tactics on the battlefield in the Land of Rain were second to none. Yet his cold-blooded nature prevented his reputation from ever matching that of Konoha's legendary White Fang, Sakumo Hatake, whose popularity was at its peak, nor could he compare to the affable Jiraiya or the beloved medic-nin Tsunade.
In the end, ninja are still people. That distant air they show is merely armor against the brutal truths of war. Among those who followed the Will of Fire, bonds between comrades were valued greatly. Most hesitated to treat fellow villagers as expendable sacrifices.
Therefore, Hyuga Soushu's attitude toward Orochimaru wasn't all that different from that of other Leaf ninja. Though he inexplicably trusted Orochimaru's research abilities, deep down he instinctively disliked the man.
Still, when Orochimaru personally sent over a meeting invitation, Hyuga Soushu couldn't outright refuse—after all, the man had once been his superior officer.
Thus, the day after the hasty conclusion of the Chunin Exams, Hyuga Soushu met with Orochimaru inside a quiet izakaya located within Konoha's commercial district to discuss business.
"To be honest," Orochimaru said slowly, sipping from his cup, "your accomplishments came as quite a surprise to me."
"I simply couldn't figure out how someone who not long ago relied solely on his Byakugan to become a Special Jonin could rise so sharply in power in such a short span of time."
[Intel comes first] — the ultimate principle of every ninja.
Hyuga Soushu gave a very ninja-like standard response.
"You're right."
Orochimaru nodded without pressing further, then casually picked up a raw egg from the table and swallowed it whole like a snake devouring an egg.
This bizarre eating method, combined with his extremely strange and antisocial taste in ingredients, and those vertically slit pupils glowing with a greenish hue like a venomous snake's eyes—these were all reasons why most Konoha ninjas feared Orochimaru.
He was just too... unnatural!
Even among the more traditional ninjas, Orochimaru was considered nothing but a poisonous snake in human skin.
Hyuga Soushu remained expressionless as he took a skewer of grilled chicken that still carried a faint scent of blood and quietly began eating.
Neither of them were big eaters, and at this moment, their eating was merely to relieve the awkward silence following their meeting.
"The northern front's no good place. Those Kumo brutes from Raimei Canyon keep stirring up border clashes nonstop."
After swallowing several eggs in succession, Orochimaru finally spoke again: "Besides, commanding ninja forces and being a frontline Jonin are entirely different matters. Soushu-kun, your responsibility weighs heavily."
"People must grow; I'm no exception."
First pouring a cup of sake for Orochimaru, Hyuga Soushu then raised his own glass invitingly: "Being a frontline Jonin may be simpler, but commanding forces? That opens up a whole new battlefield for me!"
"Have you already familiarized yourself with the basic situation of the regular ninja forces stationed at the northern front?"
Orochimaru downed his cup of alcohol in one go, his face remaining emotionless as always.
"Not yet, and frankly, I'm not even particularly interested in doing so currently."
Hyuga Soushu shook his head.
"How then can you fulfill the duties of commanding ninja forces?"
Orochimaru couldn't help frowning.
"Cull the weak and elevate the strong—that's all there is to it."
Hyuga Soushu still answered ambiguously.
As for how exactly he would achieve 'culling the weak and elevating the strong' within the ninja forces while maintaining troop morale and enduring various pressures surely coming from the village itself—he had no interest in elaborating further.
"So you've got no grasp of logistics, troop management, or the slightest clue about command strategy,"
Orochimaru sighed, shaking his head involuntarily.
"Entrusting you with the northern front is absolutely a mistake!"
"Precisely. And the ones who made this mistake were none other than His Highness the Daimyo himself sitting high above, and Elder Danzo who cut off his tail to save himself."
With a smile, Hyuga Soushu refilled Orochimaru's cup that had just been set down: "However, I'm curious—did someone tell you specifically to ask these questions?"
"These were all instructions from our teacher."
Orochimaru calmly revealed everything.
"Gratitude indeed for the Hokage's such meticulous, over-the-top care."
Hyuga Soushu smiled once more, though mockery clearly filled his expression.
And where was all this 'concern' when it first mattered?
When this condition was first proposed, wasn't it something that Advisor Elder Homura Mitokado had insisted upon? At that time, he had firmly refused to accept it!
If it wasn't for both my clan and Mahiru-chan's clan officially showing their support and offering real backing, not to mention the genuine delegation of authority, he would never have accepted this hot potato!
To placate the wave of demands from the ninja clans, he had no choice but to make concessions. Yet now, before even officially taking office, he planned to go back on his word?
"Never mind, there's no point dwelling over these trivialities."
Orochimaru licked his lips, his serpentine eyes locked onto Hyūga Sōshu with an icy glint creeping into his otherwise calm tone, "What truly interests me… is you, Sōshu-kun!"
"That doesn't sound like something good at all!"
Hyūga Sōshu responded directly, "Everyone knows how Jonin Orochimaru always goes to any lengths to seize whatever he desires."
"Jonin"
Orochimaru quickly noted this specific title used by Sōshu.
He could still clearly recall October of Konoha Year 38. While he was nonchalantly signing rest permits and recommendation letters inside the Central War Tent of the Land of Rain, Sōshu wore a cautious yet slightly nervous expression.
Less than three months after returning to the village—and already that Branch House Hyūga ninja, who'd once been known only for hunting down wounded enemy shinobi to claim bounties, had risen to command even more authority than him?!
Had the Kekkei Genkai of this prestigious ninja clan undergone a sudden dramatic mutation?
Or perhaps he'd possessed extraordinary talent all along but deliberately hidden his strength?
Or had he overnight received the Sage of Six Paths' blessing and gained immense power?
The truth buried beneath layers of mystery fascinated Orochimaru greatly!
"You're confident."
Orochimaru offered this assessment.
"This attitude simply reflects rational judgment based on actual capability."
Sōshu answered without hesitation.
"Why not test it out?"
Orochimaru gestured toward the training grounds.
"Exactly what I was thinking!"
He poured himself a cup of sake and downed it in one gulp.
What's there to ask? What's left to talk about?
Shinobi prove themselves with strength. Why waste words when they could settle this—right here, right now!
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