The moment Orochimaru's eyes locked onto him, Uchiha Souji felt his entire backside tighten with fear.
That stare—cold, hungry, curious—could make even a demon shiver.
Orochimaru's gaze slid up and down Souji's body as if he were choosing a new experiment. Then, with a bloody hand, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He didn't even care that he was smearing dried blood across his own face.
"You're Souji-kun, aren't you?" Orochimaru said calmly. "I'm afraid you can't leave."
Then his tone sharpened.
"Now that you've seen this… you only have two choices."
He slowly reached toward his waist and pulled out a kunai.
Souji's heart dropped.
Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't pursuing Orochimaru. The old Hokage had hesitated—too sentimental to kill his former student. That meant Orochimaru was free to do whatever he wanted.
And right now?
He wanted a souvenir before leaving the village.
Orochimaru had lived in Konoha for decades; leaving permanently made him nostalgic. If he found something interesting, he wanted to take it with him. And unfortunately for Souji—
Souji himself was that "interesting thing."
Even if Souji didn't have a Sharingan yet, Orochimaru saw value in him. A rare Uchiha child… potential material for research.
A weak Kakashi.
A much weaker Uchiha child.
To Orochimaru, this situation wasn't a battle.
It was a gift.
A dragon landing right on his face.
Kakashi's expression hardened. He knew Orochimaru was about to get serious.
During the Third Ninja War, Kakashi had witnessed the horrors this man could unleash.
"Orochimaru… Hokage-sama will be here soon—"
Orochimaru cut him off immediately, not even giving him the respect of being heard.
"Souji-kun," he said softly, "your first choice is to leave this rotten village with me."
Then his smile widened unnaturally.
"Your second choice is that I kill you, and take your body away from this filthy place."
A wave of murderous intent burst from Orochimaru's body.
The forest froze.
The air thickened like heavy oil.
Even breathing felt sharp and painful.
For just a moment, Souji almost felt tempted.
If Orochimaru took him away now, he wouldn't need to prepare anything for future plans. He wouldn't need to hide, wouldn't need to act carefully, wouldn't need to deal with Fugaku's betrayal.
It seemed… easier.
But that thought vanished instantly when Orochimaru's killing aura crashed into him.
Souji remembered—
Orochimaru wasn't human.
Orochimaru dissected anything.
Orochimaru would dissect him without hesitation.
If Souji followed him, he might wake up strapped to an operating table with half his organs missing. Orochimaru might even feed him nicely first… just so he grew healthy before being cut open.
Peace before death was still death.
So no—leaving with Orochimaru was not an option.
Better to stay in Konoha for now.
At least here, he was free.
Here, he wasn't going to be dissected in his sleep.
Souji glanced at Kakashi, who stood in front of him like a shield.
"Hopefully this guy goes easy on me when I defect in the future…" Souji thought.
His shock faded.
His face turned serious.
Cold.
Then he said something no one expected:
"Personally… I prefer Tsunade-senpai among the Sannin."
Orochimaru froze.
Even Kakashi blinked.
This was not the answer either one expected.
But Orochimaru's interest only grew.
Usually, male ninjas admired him—calm, powerful, distant.
Tsunade's popularity was mostly among women.
So this answer genuinely puzzled him.
"Why Tsunade?" Orochimaru asked, touching his chin.
He had time to talk. He wasn't worried. Even if Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived, he could reverse-summon himself to Ryūchi Cave instantly.
Kakashi stayed tense, but he did not interrupt. In fact, his respect for Souji grew—he thought Souji was purposely stalling for time until the Hokage arrived.
Even Kakashi wanted to hear the explanation.
After all, saying the Uchiha admired a Senju was like saying a cat enjoyed swimming—unbelievable.
Souji replied calmly:
"Of course… because Tsunade-senpai has a big heart."
Orochimaru stared.
Then he smiled—an appreciative, approving smile.
For a moment, he even looked impressed.
Souji wasn't stuck on details or politics. He spoke his mind freely. This made him similar to Jiraiya—fearless in conversation, unbothered by consequences.
But Orochimaru's smile was only temporary.
Then he said:
"In that case…
you'll make excellent material."
Before Souji could react—
Orochimaru vanished.
A kunai left his hand, slicing toward Souji's throat like a streak of death.
But Kakashi moved instantly.
He blocked Orochimaru's blow from the side, sharingan flaring, kunai raised in perfect defense.
Souji didn't hesitate.
Instead of panicking, he drew the Third-Generation Ghost Blade in a clean arc and slashed down Orochimaru's thrown kunai, deflecting it.
He knew he couldn't fight Orochimaru head-on.
He knew he wouldn't last even a few seconds.
So he focused on what he could do:
Assist Kakashi.
Cover angles.
Remove projectiles.
Interfere just enough to keep Kakashi alive.
Kakashi's eyes widened in admiration.
Working with smart people truly felt different.
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