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She lowered her head slightly, looking a little hurt.
"Be more careful next time."
Orochimaru patted the girl's head in reassurance.
Something weighed on his mind. His expression turned subtly complicated as he stared into the distance.
"What are you thinking about, Sensei?"
"Are you unhappy about coming back here?"
Anko asked curiously.
Ever since they entered the dessert shop, Orochimaru had barely eaten anything. He simply sat by the window, watching the crowd outside in silence.
"No."
"It is nothing. Just some things that make me feel reflective."
Orochimaru replied calmly.
According to the original course of events, shinobi from the Land of Lightning would visit Konoha and secretly attempt to abduct the Hyuga clan's eldest daughter, Hinata.
That incident should have happened when Hinata was four or five years old.
But now, Hinata was only a one-year-old infant.
And yet, the Lightning Country envoys had indeed arrived in Konoha today.
From the moment he crossed into this world, everything had begun to change. The path of fate had already diverged from what he remembered.
Unexpected events were bound to occur.
"When soldiers come, meet them with soldiers. When floods come, block them with earth."
"As long as my strength is sufficient, whether god or demon stands in my way, I will cut them down all the same."
Orochimaru shook his head, discarding the pointless thoughts.
Sooner or later made little difference. This simply gave him the perfect chance to stir the waters and obtain the Byakugan bloodline.
"Mmm. So sweet."
"Sweet things really are the best."
Anko's face was bright with delight.
Something stirred faintly in Orochimaru's chest, and the corner of his lips lifted slightly.
"Sensei, Anko wants to order a few more skewers of dumplings."
"Is that okay?"
"Of course. Order whatever you like. If you are happy, Sensei is happy too."
"Thank you, Sensei."
Time slipped by.
In the blink of an eye, night had fallen. A full moon hung high in the sky, with a few dark clouds scattered lazily along the horizon.
"Stay here and behave."
"Do not wander off."
Orochimaru patted Anko's head, his tone turning serious.
He was going to obtain the Byakugan. He could not bring Anko with him. There was too much risk.
This matter was important. There could be no mistakes.
"Okay."
Anko nodded firmly.
She understood that at her current level, she could not help her teacher.
The Hyuga clan might not rival the Uchiha, but they were still one of Konoha's foremost families, with no shortage of powerful shinobi.
...
The Hyuga compound.
Two guards stood watch outside a large estate, patrolling the area.
Inside, shinobi remained hidden, waiting in silence, ready to move at a moment's notice.
This was the residence of the clan head's family.
"The unlucky bastard has appeared."
Orochimaru stood atop a distant tree, his body nearly merged with the trunk itself.
Earth Release made concealment and infiltration effortless.
With the level of shinobi stationed here, no one could possibly detect him.
Whoosh.
A black shadow leapt across rooftops in the distance.
Clad entirely in black, face hidden behind a dark mask.
On the surface, the Land of Lightning had come to Konoha for diplomatic talks, discussing unresolved matters from the Third Shinobi World War.
But their true goal was to secretly abduct a member of the Hyuga main branch.
Hiashi Hyuga's daughter.
Hinata Hyuga.
"The show begins."
Orochimaru watched from the tree as the intruder carried out the infiltration.
The shinobi's overall strength was nothing special, but his movement and stealth techniques were first-rate.
From beginning to end, the Hyuga clan detected nothing.
And close behind him, Orochimaru followed just as silently, slipping into the Hyuga compound without leaving a trace.
She lowered her head slightly, looking a little hurt.
"Be more careful next time."
Orochimaru patted the girl's head in reassurance.
Something weighed on his mind. His expression turned subtly complicated as he stared into the distance.
"What are you thinking about, Sensei?"
"Are you unhappy about coming back here?"
Anko asked curiously.
Ever since they entered the dessert shop, Orochimaru had barely eaten anything. He simply sat by the window, watching the crowd outside in silence.
"No."
"It is nothing. Just some things that make me feel reflective."
Orochimaru replied calmly.
According to the original course of events, shinobi from the Land of Lightning would visit Konoha and secretly attempt to abduct the Hyuga clan's eldest daughter, Hinata.
That incident should have happened when Hinata was four or five years old.
But now, Hinata was only a one-year-old infant.
And yet, the Lightning Country envoys had indeed arrived in Konoha today.
From the moment he crossed into this world, everything had begun to change. The path of fate had already diverged from what he remembered.
Unexpected events were bound to occur.
"When soldiers come, meet them with soldiers. When floods come, block them with earth."
"As long as my strength is sufficient, whether god or demon stands in my way, I will cut them down all the same."
Orochimaru shook his head, discarding the pointless thoughts.
Sooner or later made little difference. This simply gave him the perfect chance to stir the waters and obtain the Byakugan bloodline.
"Mmm. So sweet."
"Sweet things really are the best."
Anko's face was bright with delight.
Something stirred faintly in Orochimaru's chest, and the corner of his lips lifted slightly.
"Sensei, Anko wants to order a few more skewers of dumplings."
"Is that okay?"
"Of course. Order whatever you like. If you are happy, Sensei is happy too."
"Thank you, Sensei."
Time slipped by.
In the blink of an eye, night had fallen. A full moon hung high in the sky, with a few dark clouds scattered lazily along the horizon.
"Stay here and behave."
"Do not wander off."
Orochimaru patted Anko's head, his tone turning serious.
He was going to obtain the Byakugan. He could not bring Anko with him. There was too much risk.
This matter was important. There could be no mistakes.
"Okay."
Anko nodded firmly.
She understood that at her current level, she could not help her teacher.
The Hyuga clan might not rival the Uchiha, but they were still one of Konoha's foremost families, with no shortage of powerful shinobi.
...
The Hyuga compound.
Two guards stood watch outside a large estate, patrolling the area.
Inside, shinobi remained hidden, waiting in silence, ready to move at a moment's notice.
This was the residence of the clan head's family.
"The unlucky bastard has appeared."
Orochimaru stood atop a distant tree, his body nearly merged with the trunk itself.
Earth Release made concealment and infiltration effortless.
With the level of shinobi stationed here, no one could possibly detect him.
Whoosh.
A black shadow leapt across rooftops in the distance.
Clad entirely in black, face hidden behind a dark mask.
On the surface, the Land of Lightning had come to Konoha for diplomatic talks, discussing unresolved matters from the Third Shinobi World War.
But their true goal was to secretly abduct a member of the Hyuga main branch.
Hiashi Hyuga's daughter.
Hinata Hyuga.
"The show begins."
Orochimaru watched from the tree as the intruder carried out the infiltration.
The shinobi's overall strength was nothing special, but his movement and stealth techniques were first-rate.
From beginning to end, the Hyuga clan detected nothing.
And close behind him, Orochimaru followed just as silently, slipping into the Hyuga compound without leaving a trace.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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Thank you so much for your support and for reading! Cr