When he heard the words "Hidden Sound Village," Yin Snake visibly frowned.
It wasn't that he hadn't heard of this emerging minor ninja village in the "Land of Rice Fields," but as far as Yin Snake knew, it was a genuine small-time village with no apparent value for infiltration, especially for a major clan like the Hyūga.
"It's not impossible... but I want to know your purpose."
"Purpose? Have you ever heard of a man named Orochimaru?"
The moment he heard that name, Yin Snake's body trembled visibly.
Sure enough, he's heard of him. But he looks... afraid of Orochimaru? Yuki naturally noticed this reaction, and it gave him a bad feeling.
He was looking for someone who could infiltrate the Sound Village to gather intelligence for him so he wouldn't be caught completely off-guard when confronting that perverted scientist one day. But if this guy was so terrified of Orochimaru, then...
"No! Please! Let me go!"
But in the very next second, Yin Snake suddenly looked up, his face lit with an unmistakable expression of... excitement.
For Yin Snake, the ninja named Orochimaru was his idol. So Yuki's proposal was like giving a pillow to someone just as they were falling asleep.
It turned out Yin Snake had long wanted to find his idol, find an opportunity... and then assassinate him. He just never knew where to find him. Not only could he avoid death now, but he could also go undercover right next to his idol? This was simply a godsend!
What kind of messed-up fan is this?
Seeing Yin Snake's enthusiastic expression, Yuki was a bit confused. Is this guy actually Orochimaru's little fanboy?
That would be tragic. In the original story, Yin Snake finally met his idol during the Chūnin Exams, and the first thing the idol did was... peel his face off. This could be considered the most tragic star-chasing story in history. Yuki even felt like writing a novel titled Idol Paradise, with the subtitle for the first volume being "Intimately Teaching You How to Send Your Fans to Heaven"—guaranteed sales wouldn't be much worse than Intimate Paradise.
But Yuki reacted quickly. He shook his head and said, "No, no, no. If he's your idol, then forget it. You'd betray me in a heartbeat over there. It's more appropriate for me to just send you to heaven right now."
"No, no! I really won't betray you! If your goal is to kill Orochimaru, I will absolutely support you to the end!"
"Is there something wrong with your brain? Don't you admire him? Why would you want to kill him then?"
"I admire him immensely! But if I can kill him with my own hands, wouldn't that mean I'm more powerful than the person I admire? Is there anything more pleasurable than that?"
What kind of person is this?! Sure enough, fans of mentally unstable people aren't normal themselves. Is this some kind of monster logic?
Stunned for a moment, Yuki couldn't help but sigh. He then pressed his right hand against Yin Snake's forehead. Instantly, a strange shockwave lingered in Yin Snake's head, nearly causing him to faint.
After a short while, Yin Snake woke up. He touched his forehead; there seemed to be a cross-shaped indentation in his scalp, but it quickly faded.
"This is the Hyūga clan's ancestral 'Cursed Seal.' It allows me to control your life and death at any moment. So... you know what to do now."
"Hmph, that's more like it. I must obey your orders, or face death."
It wasn't Yin Snake's first day in the underworld; he understood a thing or two about the "Self-Cultivation of an Undercover Agent." If you want to be a mole without betraying your handler, the master must have some leverage; otherwise, you'd be devoured bones and all.
"Of course, you could also bet that Orochimaru has the ability to remove it without harming you. But personally... I think you should forget that idea."
"Don't worry, I'm not that naive. My goal is to obtain Orochimaru's power and ultimately kill him to make a name for myself. I won't betray you before that happens."
"Before that." I don't think you have the ability to kill that guy anyway. Yuki shook his head with a smile but didn't voice the thought.
Ultimately, the reason he planned to send Yin Snake undercover to Orochimaru wasn't because he thought this person was particularly important. It was just a whim, a way to muddy the waters a little more.
As for the "Cursed Seal"... of course, it was fake. The only cursed seal the Hyūga clan used was the "Caged Bird," designed solely to protect the Byakugan. It was useless on an ordinary person without the Byakugan.
Moreover, Yuki didn't even know how to perform the "Caged Bird" seal. He had simply injected a burst of chakra into Yin Snake's brain, giving him a minor concussion to scare him.
"Alright, let's head back and see if Renna's 'medicine' is ready."
After explaining some "specific undercover details," Yuki watched Yin Snake's slowly retreating figure, then turned and walked towards the herb cottage.
After knocking on the lock he had placed earlier, Renna, who was tinkering with potions in the back room, cautiously peeked out from behind the wall. Recognizing Yuki, she relaxed and showed a relieved smile.
"Is that 'thing' finished?"
"It's done. Although I don't know if the legendary 'Secret Medicine: Platinum Pill' is supposed to look like this, it should be very close."
As she spoke, Renna took out a small box from the table beside her and opened it. Inside were several pills that seemed to emit a white, metallic luster.
"What happens if you eat it? Do your internal organs get vomited out?"
"It's not like that. This is a concentrated version of the 'Paralyzing Mushroom.' If you eat it, the numbness will be about ten times worse than before. You probably won't be able to move a single finger."
Well, you're certainly not lenient with this fake 'Secret Medicine: Platinum Pill.' Yuki smiled wryly and began forming hand seals.
It had to be said, Yuki's sealing speed wasn't fast—in fact, it was quite slow—because he hardly ever used standard ninjutsu.
Forget the more complex nature transformations; even the basic Three Academy Techniques—Transformation, Substitution, and Clone—were things he rarely used, so his hand seals were practically Muggle-level.
Poof!
As a burst of thick smoke exploded, an identical "Yuki" appeared in front of Renna.
"Hey, what are you—"
"One of the three basic ninja skills: the Clone Technique. Although it's essentially a decoy that can be dispersed with a touch, it's perfectly fine for fooling people."
Before the words finished, Yuki's hands began forming seals again. Soon, the clone he had just created transformed into the likeness of the "accidentally deceased" Ghost Face.
"Are you... going to turn your clone into one of those bad guys?"
"Ah, that's right. Let's see if we can fool the other side."
At this point, Yuki performed the same Transformation Technique hand seals again, turning himself into "Yin Snake."
Don't ask why he didn't transform into the "monk"—Yuki couldn't maintain two clones simultaneously yet, especially with one of them already in a transformed state.
His plan was simple: use himself (transformed into "Yin Snake") and the cloned "Ghost Face" as disguises, hand over the forged "Secret Medicine: Platinum Pill," and then seize the opportunity to launch a surprise attack.
Of course, it would be fantastic if that Jōnin dared to test the "Platinum Pill" on the spot to verify its authenticity. But from Yuki's perspective, the probability of him being that reckless wasn't very high.
Meanwhile, the sky above the "Kujo Village" not far away gradually darkened. At the village chief's request, the villagers began lighting torches around the area, allowing them to see their surroundings more clearly.
Phew, they're taking too long. There must be something wrong with those three idiots.
By now, even Hannya, who had some confidence in his three students, had a vague feeling that something unexpected had happened over there.
But he couldn't leave his post here. I'll send a clone to check.
But just as Hannya was about to form the hand seals for the Clone Technique, two familiar figures finally appeared on the dark slope ahead.
They're finally back. But why are there only two of them?
Seeing his two students approaching, Hannya frowned but still stepped forward to meet them. "Where's the monk? Why are only you two back?"
"Teacher, he's... having fun with the little girl over there. Let's not talk about him. This should be the 'Secret Medicine: Platinum Pill.' Please accept it, Teacher."
Under the dim sky, "Yin Snake" respectfully held out the box containing the "Secret Medicine: Platinum Pills," offering it to Hannya.
But at that very moment, Hannya's eyes suddenly snapped wide open, and he took several rapid steps backward.