At dusk, after getting off work, Makoto said goodbye to Hayate and Yūgao, and walked home together with Yamato.
After a year and a half of living together, Yamato had already integrated into the new family, and even his surname in the official records had been changed to Higashino.
But even though he had accepted a certain person's identity in his heart, he still refused to call him "nii-san" out loud.
An honest kid, after being bullied for too long, had turned a bit scheming.
On the road, Yamato asked, "Makoto, your Wood Release development still hasn't succeeded?"
"No. How could it be that easy? This kekkei genkai is different from others—it's not just about chakra fusion. But another bloodline development of mine has made some progress."
"Oh? Did your Ice Release improve again?"
"Not Ice Release. If you have it, you have it—what is there to 'improve'?"
Then why does my Wood Release have none of the style of the God of Shinobi?
Yamato grumbled inwardly, then asked, "Then what new bloodline is it?"
"You want to know? Call me 'nii-san' once—maybe if I'm in a good mood, I'll tell you."
Yamato: "…"
See? The more Makoto teased him, the more rebellious Yamato became.
At that moment, a girl suddenly appeared in front of them, and Yamato subconsciously stepped back.
Makoto: "Oh? Isn't this our senior Anko? What brings you here?"
"Not you two. I'm here to find you."
Makoto: "Sorry, Anko-senpai. If you want to ask me out, you need to queue up and make a reservation first. If you're looking for Yamato, no need—he's not as popular as me."
Yamato: "…"
Please don't drag me into this kind of thing.
"Bastard! Who's asking you out?" The girl, Anko, was so angry veins popped on her forehead. She corrected, "My sensei is looking for you."
"Oh, you scared me. So it's Orochimaru-senpai looking for me."
That's even scarier, okay? Yamato knew who Orochimaru was, and also knew about the recent missing-nin incidents in the village—there were rumors linking them to Orochimaru.
He said worriedly, "Makoto, do you want me to go with you?"
"No need. Go home and let them know for me. I'll go alone. Don't worry, I'll be fine."
"…Alright. Be careful."
Hearing their conversation, Anko grew furious: "You two bastards—am I really that scary?!"
The two looked at this hot-headed idiot.
…Yeah, she really didn't know anything.
...
Makoto followed Anko out of Konoha's main district and headed quickly east.
"So far away? Anko-senpai, you're not actually planning to ambush me together with Orochimaru-senpai, are you? Is there a trap ahead?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? It's not far—we're almost there!"
"I'm not talking nonsense. Don't you know about the recent ninja disappearances in the village?"
"What does that have to do with my sensei?"
"What if it does?"
"That's impossible, absolutely not—"
Before she could finish, Anko suddenly exploded—literally. What had come was just a shadow clone, and for some reason it dispelled itself.
Makoto looked at the small snake at his feet, hissing with its tongue flicking.
Following it, he arrived at a hidden underground laboratory.
Deep underground, same gloomy style. Compared to what he had seen on the eastern front before, this laboratory near Konoha had far more barrier techniques.
Konoha's barrier techniques were far superior to Takigakure's—excellent concealment. But if Makoto wanted to find it, he still could.
He just couldn't be bothered normally.
Walking through a long underground corridor, sensing Anko's chakra, he passed through a wide main chamber and entered a laboratory.
He could tell her condition wasn't good—probably why her shadow clone had suddenly dispelled.
Inside the dim lab, Anko had already lost consciousness, yet her entire body kept trembling uncontrollably.
Makoto stepped forward, pulled away the hand clutching her shoulder, and saw a strange curse mark etched into her skin.
The Cursed Seal of Heaven—likely still an incomplete version.
"Orochimaru-senpai, you're really ruthless. You can even do this to your own beloved student. Don't you know she's always trusted you?"
No one answered.
But from the darkness, several giant snakes suddenly shot out, fangs bared, bodies coiling—trying to restrain him.
Makoto grabbed Anko and vanished in a flicker, reappearing in the main hall outside the lab, filled with load-bearing pillars.
A figure slowly walked out of the laboratory, voice hoarse: "Trust… has no meaning to me."
"What a pity."
"Makoto, I know you're strong. But like me, you lack those enviable bloodlines. One day, you'll reach a limit. So—do you want to further enhance your talent?"
"You mean the curse mark on Anko?"
"Yes. It can grant you a mysterious power—something you've never touched before."
"Mysterious? Orochimaru-senpai… you mean natural energy, right?"
"…" Orochimaru's entire recruitment pitch got interrupted. "Oh? You actually know. I suppose that's not surprising."
"You're part of Minato's guard unit and have interacted with Tsunade. So—have you contracted Mount Myōboku? Or Shikkotsu Forest?"
"No. I haven't signed any summoning contract."
"Then it seems you lack the aptitude for senjutsu. All the more reason you need the curse mark."
Makoto pointed at the mark on Anko.
"And then become a vessel for your reincarnation or revival?"
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "How do you know that?"
"Of course I sensed it. There's some diluted natural energy inside, plus a backup of your chakra. The spiritual imprint in it is pretty obvious. I doubt you'd leave her a guardian spirit out of affection—judging by her state, she nearly died just now."
"You can sense natural energy?"
"That kind of thing? I've been able to use it since I was a kid. You can't?"
"…"
Orochimaru felt irritated. His usual calm, calculating mindset cracked. He really wanted to hit someone.
So he did.
Ninjutsu: Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes Silk!
He slammed his hands down and spewed out a massive swarm of snakes from his mouth.
Countless snakes hissed, bodies tangled together, surging toward Makoto.
In a confined underground space, this kind of wide-area attack was extremely effective—overwhelming numbers, plus venom everywhere.
Orochimaru didn't intend to kill him—just restrain him.
Unfortunately, this attack hit Makoto's weakness perfectly.
He had trypophobia.
That writhing mass of snakes made his scalp crawl.
And they came out of someone's mouth—just thinking about it made it even more disgusting.
No wonder he hated mouth-based ninjutsu.
Makoto raised his right index finger.
Just as the snakes reached him, a red spark appeared at his fingertip—then instantly expanded into a massive shield.
Sweeping forward with scorching heat, it passed through the snake swarm.
The snakes weren't pushed back.
They were incinerated into ash the moment they touched the technique.
The entire underground space filled with the smell of roasted snake.
Sage Art: Fire Release: One-Horn Inferno Prison!
A new variant of the One-Horn series, fused with high-temperature Fire Release—offense and defense combined.
Kill, burn, reduce to ash—one seamless package.
The blazing wall stopped just short of Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's eyelid twitched.
He could feel the extreme heat—far beyond ordinary Fire Release.
If hit, he would die.
Just look at the snakes.
His voice grew even hoarser. "Why stop?"
"You're not the real one. Just a clone."
"Oh? If I were the real one, would you attack?"
"Not necessarily. Orochimaru-senpai, I'm not some righteous person. I don't have a grudge against you. But for trying to plant a curse mark on me just now… you'll have to pay a price."
"Heh… interesting. What do you want?"
"You're cooperating with Danzō, right? Prepare evidence for me. If you keep working together in the future, you'll keep collecting evidence."
"Evidence? Acting on Minato's behalf to remove obstacles? With your strength, wouldn't it be easier to just kill Danzō directly?"
"You think we're like you? Internal matters aren't external ones. There are rules and procedures."
"And if I refuse?"
Makoto smiled.
"Orochimaru-senpai, you're probably going to defect today, right? If you think you can escape my pursuit, feel free to try."
"Oh, right—almost forgot to tell you. A curse mark like the one on Anko? I can remove it in under two seconds.
If this is your only chakra backup, you might die. Completely die."
Orochimaru: "…"
"And also—Minato-senpai said the Second Hokage developed a technique to summon the dead from the Pure Land."
"But if I kill someone using certain methods, their soul is completely annihilated. They won't go to the Pure Land. They'll disappear forever."
Orochimaru: "…"
Damn it.
Orochimaru felt like he had just met his natural enemy.
Then what's the meaning of pursuing immortality?
…Well, it still has meaning.
At least if you can't beat someone, you can outlive them.
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