Chapter 107 (Patreon)

“Could you let go now?”

Yujiro’s voice pulled Tsunade from her thoughts.

Following his gaze, she finally realized that she was still tightly gripping his hand. A faint blush immediately spread across her cheeks, and she quickly released him.

“I was only holding on because I was worried about you,” Tsunade said, clearing her throat awkwardly.

Yujiro clicked his tongue in amusement.

“Well, well. I didn’t know you could still blush.”

Tsunade’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

“What? Am I not allowed to blush?”

She bared her white teeth in a smile, but the pressure radiating from her made Yujiro instantly sense danger.

“Tsunade... what exactly are you planning?”

Yujiro took a cautious step back.

“Don’t tell me you’ve decided to set your sights on someone younger than you.”

“Get lost!”

Tsunade’s face twisted with rage, and her roar shook the surrounding forest.

However, what she said next truly caught Yujiro off guard.

“But now that you mention it... I am a little curious about younger men.”

Yujiro’s grin stiffened.

Something was wrong with Tsunade.

Very wrong.

“I’m heading straight to Orochimaru,” Yujiro said quickly.

“You should return to Konoha first. Once I finish what I need to do, I’ll head back as well.”

Without waiting for her response, Yujiro vanished from the spot.

Only Tsunade remained, staring blankly at the place where he had been standing.

A moment later, she watched his retreating figure disappear between the trees and smiled softly.

“For someone so powerful, Yujiro can be surprisingly hopeless when it comes to women.”

A mischievous gleam appeared in her eyes.

“When you come back, maybe I’ll have to teach you a few things myself.”

Yujiro sped through the dense forest.

Judging by the current timeline, Orochimaru should have already begun establishing Otogakure, the Hidden Sound Village.

Orochimaru had once told Yujiro that he would be welcome to visit the village whenever he wished.

As it happened, Yujiro now needed Orochimaru’s help with something.

Ryūchi Cave was one of the three great unexplored sage regions of the shinobi world, and very few people had ever reached it.

Unfortunately, although Orochimaru had found the place, he had failed to master the White Snake Sage’s senjutsu.

Perhaps he had simply lost interest after encountering Ryūchi Cave’s absurd trials.

Yujiro remembered the tests shown during Boruto’s era.

Tests of patience.

Tests involving puzzles and illusions.

Just thinking about them made him shake his head.

If he reached Ryūchi Cave and its inhabitants tried to force him through such ridiculous trials, he had no intention of playing along.

He would simply walk straight in.

Otogakure was situated within the Land of Rice Fields.

Nearly every shinobi under Orochimaru’s command had undergone some form of bodily modification. The only difference was the extent of those modifications.

Against ordinary shinobi, those modified fighters might perform reasonably well.

However, compared with elite shinobi, they were still severely lacking.

Even so, they were more than sufficient to assist Orochimaru with his work.

At that very moment, within Otogakure—

Deep beneath the village lay one of Orochimaru’s underground research facilities.

Inside the laboratory, Orochimaru gently swirled a test tube between his fingers.

He was currently researching a new form of power.

The Cursed Seal.

More specifically, the Cursed Seal of Heaven and the Cursed Seal of Earth.

Because of Yujiro’s influence, Orochimaru had defected from Konoha earlier than he had in the original timeline. It was only after leaving the village that he discovered Jūgo.

As a result, Mitarashi Anko had never received Orochimaru’s Cursed Seal.

At present, the research was still incomplete.

Two young boys stood beside Orochimaru.

The older one appeared to be around fourteen years old. He wore round-framed glasses and watched the test tube in Orochimaru’s hand with unwavering concentration.

The other was Kimimaro, who was only about seven years old.

After examining the contents for a while longer, Orochimaru placed the test tube on the table.

As expected, the experiment had failed once again.

However, there was not the slightest trace of disappointment on his face.

Orochimaru turned toward the two boys and gave them a faint smile.

“Kabuto, prepare the next test.”

“Yes, Orochimaru-sama.”

Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his glasses, an elegant and friendly smile resting naturally on his face.

It was as though that pleasant expression never left him.

Orochimaru then turned toward Kimimaro.

“What a perfect vessel.”

He extended one hand and gently stroked the boy’s head.

“It would be my greatest honor to become Orochimaru-sama’s vessel,” Kimimaro replied with complete seriousness.

“I will work hard until I am worthy of meeting Orochimaru-sama’s expectations.”

Orochimaru let out a low, hoarse chuckle.

“What a good child.”

Orochimaru had always possessed a terrifying talent for manipulating others.

Even after telling someone directly that their body would one day become his vessel, he could still make them accept it without the slightest resistance.

They would not only accept their fate—

They would consider it an honor.

In that sense, Orochimaru truly was the shinobi world’s most infamous collector of gifted children.

Now that he had begun gathering his own forces, he was finally prepared to pursue his research without restraint.

At that moment, Orochimaru’s brow suddenly furrowed.

“To think he would come here after two or three years...”

He lifted his head and stared toward the entrance of the hidden laboratory.

Behind him, Kabuto and Kimimaro immediately noticed the change in his expression.

The sound of footsteps echoed from the far end of the underground passage.

Step by step, they drew closer.

Orochimaru’s palms gradually became damp with sweat.

He had no idea why Yujiro had come to see him—or whether he had come as an enemy.

If Yujiro intended to fight, then a fierce confrontation was unavoidable.

After all, Orochimaru was now a missing-nin of Konoha.

Not merely an ordinary missing-nin, but an S-rank one.

“Orochimaru, it has been a long time. How have you been?”

A clear voice drifted through the passage.

Every muscle in Orochimaru’s body tensed.

The instant Yujiro made a hostile move, Orochimaru was prepared to unleash every forbidden technique at his disposal and escape.

The thought of defeating Yujiro never even crossed his mind.

Defeat Yujiro?

That was impossible.

Although Orochimaru was no longer part of Konoha, he remained fully aware of everything Yujiro had accomplished across the shinobi world during the past few years.

Yujiro had forced all four of the other Great Shinobi Countries into submission.

That level of power was far beyond anything Orochimaru could currently oppose.

“Relax,” Yujiro said. “I didn’t come here to fight. I need you to help me with something.”

A figure slowly emerged from the darkness at the entrance of the passage.

He wore a pitch-black martial arts uniform, with an equally dark sword hanging at his waist.

An indistinct yet oppressive aura surrounded him, filling the underground chamber with silent pressure.

There could be no mistake.

The visitor was Yujiro.

Orochimaru slowly unclenched his fist and released a hoarse laugh.

“Yujiro-kun... It appears my judgment of you back then was correct.”

“I am no longer capable of defeating you.”

“And now, Konoha itself is completely under your control.”

Yujiro gave him a casual smile.

“You could say that.”

Orochimaru’s voice lowered.

“You once said that I defected because I lacked the power to resist the darkness within Konoha.”

“And that you possessed such power.”

“But now... I no longer believe that was the whole truth.”

Yujiro’s smile remained unchanged.

“Oh? Then what do you believe?”

Orochimaru raised his head and fixed Yujiro with a deep stare, his golden snake-like eyes gleaming in the dim laboratory.

“Because you are the darkness.”