***
**Chapter 33: Momoki's Confession**
" Orochimaru! What exactly is your purpose in coming to Konoha?!"
Rubik asked knowingly.
Orochimaru glanced at Rubik shielding Momoki, then at Momoki behind him, who was breathing heavily yet still glaring defiantly. A meaningful smile crept across his face.
"Purpose? Heh... It's been a while since I returned to the village, so I just came back for a visit. I spotted an interesting little guy and couldn't resist saying hello."
He spread his hands innocently, then fixed Rubik with a chilling, intrigued gaze.
"But... What an unexpected bonus. Though it's our first meeting, I can tell you're impressive. How about it? Care to join me? I know a thing or two about the Uzumaki clan's legacy."
Rubik scratched his head.
"Sorry, I'm not interested in the Bulgarian snake king. Jiraiya might be a perverted old geezer who's unreliable at times, but he's treated me well. I've learned a lot from him over the years."
Ignoring the disdainful looks from Orochimaru and Momoki, Rubik seemed lost in memories of wandering the world with Jiraiya.
"Heh heh heh... What a pity."
Before the words faded, Orochimaru struck fast.
His body twisted and elongated like melting wax, leaving only a lingering afterimage. The real attack wasn't aimed at Rubik—it bypassed him in a flash, lunging straight for the still-panting Momoki! His neck stretched like a boneless serpent, striking at impossible speed and angle with a whoosh of air, fangs bared toward her pale neck.
"Oh no!" Momoki's pupils shrank. Her body reacted instinctively, grabbing her kunai and thrusting it unhesitatingly toward her own tender neck.
She knew she couldn't withstand Orochimaru's assault, so she chose to end herself first. Even in face of death, she refused to be a burden.
But just as those fangs laced with eerie chakra brushed her skin—
"I knew you had no good intentions, you old snake demon!"
Rubik's voice rang out, cold and expectant.
As if he'd predicted Orochimaru's feint perfectly, Rubik vanished from in front of Momoki even faster than the ambush!
Body Flicker Technique—he materialized out of thin air, solidly blocking the space between Momoki and Orochimaru's elongated snake head.
No hand seals, no flashy ninjutsu glow—just the simplest, most direct punch, channeling his full strength and chakra!
**Bang—!**
A muffled impact exploded, heart-stopping in its depth.
Rubik's fist hammered Orochimaru's jaw like a celestial mallet! The force was so brutal it rippled the air.
*Crack!* A clear bone-snapping sound echoed faintly.
Orochimaru's extended neck whipped back violently, sending his entire body flying like a severed kite!
Shock flashed across his face. He tumbled through the air, crashing awkwardly into a thick tree trunk amid a shower of falling leaves.
"Cough... cough cough..."
Orochimaru clutched his deformed, writhing jaw as he slid down the trunk and steadied himself. His serpentine eyes locked onto Rubik with cold menace.
"...Impressive. You saw through my intent, and your reaction speed and power far exceed expectations..."
He licked his lips, his voice slurred from the damage:
"Jiraiya... picked up quite the disciple."
He straightened slowly, his twisted jaw regenerating visibly under surging chakra, emitting a teeth-grinding *creak creak*.
Orochimaru's gaze lingered on Rubik, then flicked to Momoki—still guarded behind him, shaken but forcing a glare. A cryptic smirk tugged at his lips.
"What a shame. We'll meet again..."
His raspy voice trailed off.
Then Orochimaru's body melted into the ground, dissolving into white smoke and a puddle of unremarkable mud—an Earth Clone!
His real body had slipped away unnoticed. Only the lingering chill of his chakra and that malicious promise of "anticipation" proved the heart-pounding ambush and counterattack weren't a dream.
The street fell silent again, save for the rustle of wind through leaves.
Rubik stayed vigilant, scanning for any trace of Orochimaru's presence. Only when it fully vanished did he relax slightly and turn to Momoki.
"You okay?" he asked gravely.
Momoki clutched her heaving chest; the icy threat of those fangs still ghosted her neck. She nodded shakily, heart pounding.
She stared at the figure who'd shielded her, eyes complex. That punch sending Orochimaru flying was seared into her mind.
"I'm... fine."
She took a deep breath, steadying her churning blood and emotions, voice still trembling faintly.
"Thanks, Rubik."
She knew that without his uncanny foresight and speed, she'd be dead.
Rubik met her eyes, offering no empty comfort. After a pause, he spoke slowly, his words echoing down the empty street:
"Let's go. I'll take you home."
...
**Momoki's Home**
"Go wash up and relax first." Rubik's voice was low and gently firm as he nudged her shoulder.
Momoki didn't meet his gaze, just nodded silently like a soulless doll, dragging heavy steps to the bathroom. Warm water cascaded over her, but it couldn't wash away the chill or Orochimaru's words.
Eventually, the door slid open. Momoki emerged in plain white loungewear, damp hair clinging to her pale cheeks, making her look fragile.
She skipped her room, heading straight to the living room and sitting beside Rubik without a word. Curtains drawn, only a dim yellow wall lamp glowed, its soft light unable to dispel the heavy air.
She leaned slightly, resting her head gently on his shoulder—a gesture of seeking solace, tentative and probing.
"...Are you mad?"
Her voice was whisper-soft, husky from steam, nearly dissolving into the silence.
Rubik didn't answer right away. He felt the cool weight and faint tremble on his shoulder. After seconds, he spoke, low and certain: "Yeah."
"Why?" Momoki pressed, her tone not whiny but numbly calm.
Rubik tilted his head slightly, his chin nearly brushing her soft hairtop. Faint soap scent mingled with her own.
"You don't value your life."
Anger edged his voice, hard to suppress.
"When Orochimaru attacked, you chose suicide? Leaving aside whether he even wanted to kill you, you didn't struggle at all? Do you hate living that much?"
His mind flashed to his mother on her sickbed—pale but forcing a smile, eyes closing forever. That was his first taste of death's raw ache.
"Living... matters more than anything, Momoki."
His voice carried a weathered gravity, each word striking her heart.
"Only by living do you have hope, a future, the power to protect what matters... and to ease the regrets of the departed."
Momoki rested on his shoulder, listening quietly. After a long moment, she shifted almost imperceptibly, letting out a faint, bitter, self-mocking chuckle.
"...Rubik." Her voice stayed soft but warmed oddly. "You really don't act like a ninja."
Rubik sensed the layered emotion in her words and quirked his lips. "I'm not a Konoha ninja anyway."
He was just a traveler pausing to chase certain things.
She fell silent for ages—so long Rubik thought she'd stopped. At last, her low voice rose again, laced with long-buried sorrow:
"Once... someone told me to cherish life too." Her voice trembled. "That person... was my father."
Rubik's body tensed subtly.
"He... found out Mother had been handed to Orochimaru by Danzo... turned into... an experiment..."
Momoki's voice shattered, each word wrenched from her throat amid bloody pain.
"He resisted... for Mother, and... for my future... and then..."
She choked, agony halting her, but the outcome was clear.
"...Right in front of me... he was executed."
The final words landed feather-light yet crushed like a mountain.
She drew a shuddering breath, summoning all her strength for the plea:
"The mission... I quit. You... get out of Konoha now! Before Danzo loses his faith in me—leave! Please!"
Her voice brimmed with raw fear. The girl named Momoki had returned.
Rubik didn't respond to her plea.
He simply gazed at her tear-streaked face, those pleading, tear-filled eyes like fractured glass—beautifully broken.
He reached out, his callused fingertip gently, agonizingly slowly wiping the hot tears from her cheek. Rough yet warm.
Then his palm cupped her jaw, tilting her face up, forcing her flooded eyes to meet his deep, intense gaze.
Time froze.
Momoki forgot to cry, forgot her fear, staring blankly at his close face—those eyes swirling with unfathomable, fierce emotion.
In the next instant, Rubik leaned down and claimed her trembling, cold lips.
"Mm...!" Momoki's pupils dilated, mind blank. The sudden warmth was soft yet invasively thrilling, scattering her thoughts, leaving only the sensation.
As shock rooted her, Rubik deepened it—his tongue forcefully parting her parted teeth, invading the untouched warmth.
It was a deep kiss brimming with possessive hunger, blending salty tears and her crisp scent like a torrent drowning her. It brutally silenced her self-destructive resolve, proclaiming his choice in the rawest way.
No teasing lust—just profound, tangled feelings.
Dim yellow light bathed the embracing pair, casting long shadows. The room filled only with stifled breaths and faint, heart-trembling lip sounds.
Momoki's rigid body softened in his commanding yet tender hold and that deep kiss, nerves crumbling under the flood into dazed, strangely pulsing emptiness.
In her fading awareness, she vaguely sensed the Tongue Disaster Root Seal that had haunted her since childhood... was gone.
Everything that followed felt inevitable. Neither showed any intent to stop...
That night, Rubik didn't return to Naruto's house.
***