Chapter 29: The Serpent's Gaze
Takumi recognized the figure immediately.
Tsunade.
She was bent over, her hands glowing with green chakra as she examined a patient. Beside her, as always, was the quiet Shizune, a girl about Takumi's own age.
"Takumi."
A boy with unruly silver hair emerged from behind the sliding door and approached the wooden fence at the edge of the property.
"I came to see why you were absent today," Takumi offered as his excuse.
"It's nothing," Kakashi replied, but his voice was several degrees colder than usual. The whites of his visible eye were laced with faint red veins.
"Kakashi, if it's a friend, invite him in," a weary but firm voice called from inside.
"Yes, Father."
Kakashi stepped aside. "Come in, Takumi."
"Thank you," Takumi said, following him inside.
The main room was more crowded than he had expected. Tsunade and Shizune were there, as he'd seen. But so was Orochimaru. Two of the Legendary Sannin were present. Seated at the far end of the room was a man with long, silver-white hair tied in a ponytail. He was wrapped in bandages, some of which were already stained a dark, rusty red.
"Lord Sakumo," Takumi said, offering a respectful bow. He then turned and gave polite, if more reserved, nods to Tsunade and Orochimaru. "It's been a while, Lady Tsunade."
"So it's you, the Uchiha brat," Tsunade remarked, straightening up and eyeing him with a slightly narrowed gaze. She noted, with a clinician's detachment, that his physical development had progressed even faster than she'd anticipated. The scrawny boy from weeks ago was quickly becoming a thing of the past.
"I'm Kakashi's father. If you two are friends, there's no need for such formality," Hatake Sakumo said, managing a gentle smile. The warmth in his expression seemed genuine, a stark contrast to the grim situation. It was easy to see the man behind the legend—the one who'd invented a prank like the 'One Thousand Years of Death' to tease his enemies and teach his son.
"Heh heh... Uchiha..." Orochimaru's voice was a low, sibilant whisper. His serpentine eyes, framed by the distinctive purple markings, roamed over Takumi with intense interest. He licked his lips absently. He'd heard about this particular Uchiha from Danzo. His gaze flickered from Tsunade, who was finishing her diagnosis, back to the boy. "How are you finding life in Konoha?" he inquired.
Foreigners who enrolled in the Academy and were permitted to become full shinobi were a rarity. Uzumaki Kushina was one. This boy, from the Land of Lightning, was another.
"Lord Orochimaru," Takumi began, his tone measured. "Since arriving in Konoha, I've come to understand just how vast the world of ninjutsu truly is. If given the opportunity, I would like to learn as much of it as I can."
In the remote outskirts of Lightning, his access to formal techniques had been nonexistent, not even the Academy Three. In a world ruled by strength, power was the only true currency for survival.
"Is that so?" Orochimaru mused, a flicker of genuine surprise in his yellow eyes. He had expected the standard, patriotic platitudes—how much better Konoha was than his homeland. But this boy spoke of knowledge, of acquisition.
"Heh... A pity that a single lifetime is too short to master more than a handful of techniques," Orochimaru said, the words carrying the weight of his own endless, frustrated research.
"That's why I want to live longer," Takumi stated, his voice calm. "Only with more time can one hope to learn more."
The statement caused a subtle shift in the room's atmosphere. Birth and death were the immutable laws of nature. While many might wish for longer lives, few stated it with such blunt conviction. To the adults present, it sounded like the naive fantasy of a child, no different from proclaiming one wanted to be Hokage.
"What does a child know of such things?" Tsunade waved a dismissive hand, signaling to Shizune to pack the medical equipment. "When it's your time to die, you die. Living too long isn't a blessing." Shizune stepped forward, efficiently sealing the tools into a storage scroll.
Takumi observed their reactions. The shinobi world was a place of constant technological and tactical evolution, yet the philosophical mindset of its inhabitants often remained rigid, even archaic. For millennia, the system of Daimyo had persisted unchallenged. Even Naruto's dream of peace never extended to dismantling the feudal structures that enabled oppression, like the Hyuga's Caged Bird seal. The pursuit of immortality was a fringe, almost taboo, desire.
All but for one person.
Takumi could feel the weight of Orochimaru's gaze intensify, sharp and focused like a predator sighting its quarry.
"...On the contrary, Tsunade," Orochimaru countered, a slow, intrigued smile spreading across his lips. "I find him quite fascinating." It was the first time he had encountered someone, especially one so young, who vocalized a desire that so closely mirrored his own obsession.
Orochimaru proceeded to ask Takumi several more probing questions, which the boy answered with a calm, thoughtful demeanor.
"Orochimaru, this is..." Tsunade's brow furrowed in disapproval. The usually pragmatic Orochimaru was indulging in philosophical banter with a child who wasn't even a genin. They were here on serious business.
"Sakumo, rest and focus on your recovery," Tsunade said, her tone shifting back to professional concern. "Do not let the village's harsh words get to you." The fact that a shinobi of Sakumo's caliber had been forced into such an impossible choice spoke volumes about the mission's severity.
"Understood," Sakumo replied. Though he looked weary, he maintained a respectful smile for Tsunade's benefit.
"This isn't Father's fault at all!" Kakashi burst out, his small fists clenched. "Someone who abandons their comrades is worse than trash! They don't deserve to be called a shinobi!" The condemnation that had filled the village since his father's return yesterday afternoon was a poison he couldn't abide.
"That's enough, Kakashi," Sakumo's smile faded, his voice firm. "A shinobi who fails their mission must bear the consequences. The criticism is my burden to carry."
Kakashi opened his mouth to argue further, but Sakumo cut him off. "Go spend time with your friend. I need to speak with Lady Tsunade and Lord Orochimaru privately."
"...Yes, Father," Kakashi relented, his head bowing in defeat. He couldn't comprehend what his father had done wrong, or why the man himself seemed to accept the blame.
Recognizing the dismissal, Takumi followed Kakashi back out of the house. Only when the door had slid shut behind them did the sensation of Orochimaru's piercing gaze finally lift.
"Orochimaru will remember me now," Takumi thought, a calculated satisfaction settling over him. His words had been deliberate, designed to carve a unique impression in the Sannin's mind. Engaging with a serpent was perilous, but it also presented unique opportunities. With the Third Great War looming, he needed every advantage—unconventional knowledge, powerful techniques, and secrets of survival. Orochimaru, Konoha's foremost and most amoral researcher, was a fount of forbidden knowledge. His resilience was legendary; he had cheated death itself multiple times. Even Yakushi Nono's skills paled in comparison. And his expertise in cursed seals, body modification, and the occult was unparalleled.
The other paths to ultimate power were closed to him. Tsunade would never take him as a student. Jiraiya only sought the "Child of Prophecy." If he wanted to access the profound power of Senjutsu, Orochimaru was his only viable starting point. In the face of future threats, ordinary ninjutsu would be insufficient. Sage Art chakra was not just an amplifier for techniques; it was a transformation of the very body itself.
(End of Chapter)
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