Uchiha Kei walked with Doflamingo’s swagger, wore Kizaru’s expression, and had the two beauties, Hotaru and Oboro, at his sides.
Outside, Joseph and Johnny had also followed along as his bodyguards.
With an imposing air, the group headed toward the reception area.
Come to think of it, Kei really wanted to see just how much damage Joseph, who was currently serving as a gatekeeper, could inflict against one of the Konoha Sannin and former frontline commander—Orochimaru.
But there was no need.
With Hotaru around, Orochimaru was already firmly under control.
Neither Orochimaru nor Hotaru herself probably understood why.
But Uchiha Kei, who knew quite a few of Konoha’s little secrets, was particularly skilled at countering one setting with another.
And so, the group arrived at the elegant courtyard where Orochimaru was being received.
The moment Kei saw Orochimaru, the man’s expression—both affectionate and wary at the same time—said everything.
Once Hotaru had left previously, Orochimaru had returned to his usual cold-blooded state.
But now that he had seen Hotaru again, his emotions were involuntarily becoming affectionate once more.
What is happening to me?
He could even send a disciple he had raised with his own hands onto an operating table without hesitation.
So why was he inexplicably fond of a young girl he had only met twice?
And this feeling hadn’t existed the last time they met.
Orochimaru was confident that he hadn’t fallen victim to a Genjutsu. As one of the Sannin, he possessed enough confidence in his own abilities to know that much.
But this time, he couldn’t control himself.
It wasn’t something like Genjutsu.
He could perceive it clearly.
It was an irresistible emotion that came directly from within.
And it wasn’t romantic attraction, either.
So what exactly was happening?!
The moment he saw Hotaru again, that inexplicable emotion resurfaced uncontrollably.
It left Orochimaru deeply conflicted.
His rational mind told him to remain vigilant, while emotionally he couldn’t help wanting to be affectionate toward her.
He wanted to treat Hotaru like his own daughter.
He wanted to spoil her.
He wanted to give her every good thing he possessed.
He even wanted to agree to anything she asked for.
Seeing Orochimaru’s expression, Hotaru looked thoroughly disgusted.
Uncle, please don’t look at me like that. I’m already married.
If Lord Kei hadn’t been present, Hotaru felt she might have already committed some serious breach of etiquette.
Kei, meanwhile, was practically laughing his head off internally.
On the surface, however, he maintained perfect courtesy.
"Lord Orochimaru, it’s been a while. I hope you’ve been well!"
Orochimaru stopped looking at Hotaru.
His golden snake-like pupils turned toward Kei, cold, dangerous, yet strangely alluring.
There was obvious displeasure in his voice.
"No. I have most certainly not been well. Kei-kun, what have you done to me?"
Kei smiled.
It was a completely sincere smile.
"Lord Orochimaru, don’t misunderstand. I haven’t done anything to you."
"You did it to yourself."
Orochimaru didn’t believe him.
Could anyone possibly understand me better than I understand myself?
"Oh? And what exactly have I done without realizing it?"
Kei had more than enough evidence to convince him.
"Lord Orochimaru, there’s no need to keep probing me. I have no ill intentions. This really is a problem on your end."
"I imagine you’ve recently experimented with Sage Mode from Ryūchi Cave, haven’t you?"
Orochimaru said nothing.
He merely nodded.
Kei continued.
"As far as I know, there is a risk of failure when learning Sage Mode at Mount Myōboku. If the attempt fails, the person practicing Sage Mode will transform into a toad."
"Since Ryūchi Cave and Mount Myōboku are both among the Three Great Sage Regions, I imagine the risks involved in learning Sage Mode there are roughly similar, wouldn’t you agree?"
Orochimaru still didn’t understand what any of this had to do with his current emotions.
But Kei was telling the truth.
Orochimaru had indeed experimented with Sage Mode.
And he had failed.
Though he hadn’t completely failed.
His body had merely become increasingly serpentine while he had managed to retain his human form.
Orochimaru didn’t understand what Kei was getting at, so he didn’t interrupt.
He simply nodded.
Yes, what you’re saying is correct.
But I’m still not satisfied with that answer.
Seeing that Orochimaru wasn’t inclined to elaborate, Kei didn’t waste any more time.
He turned directly toward Hotaru.
"Lord Orochimaru, allow me to introduce her to you once again."
"This is Uchiha Hotaru. A naturally gifted shinobi with an innate affinity for snakes. No snake in existence can resist Hotaru’s charm."
After saying that, Kei proudly thumped his chest.
"She’s my subordinate."
Orochimaru’s narrowed pupils instantly widened.
He immediately formed a series of hand seals and summoned a small emerald-green snake.
Normally, whenever this little snake appeared, it would immediately start pestering Orochimaru for this benefit or that favor.
But this time, the moment it appeared, it didn’t even spare Orochimaru a glance.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
It immediately slithered toward Hotaru.
The little snake wrapped itself around Hotaru’s arm, rested its head on her shoulder, and began acting coquettishly toward her.
At the same time, a tiny white snake poked its head out from Hotaru’s sleeve.
It flicked its tongue at the little green snake, clearly warning this rival for its mistress’s affection not to steal its master’s attention.
Orochimaru believed it.
That little green snake might not possess much strength, but its potential was enormous.
It was a direct descendant of the White Snake Sage and had the potential to become a Snake Sage in the future.
Even the White Snake Sage herself couldn’t make this little creature act so obsequiously toward someone.
After witnessing this, Orochimaru began thinking rapidly.
After weighing the advantages and disadvantages, he finally made his decision.
"Kei-kun, I never expected that I would have no choice but to stand on your side."
"It seems our connection runs deeper than I thought."
Kei had anticipated this situation long ago.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent Hotaru to obtain a Summoning Contract simply by relying on her appearance.
Still, taking advantage of someone else’s weakness to gain an advantage was ultimately a little shameless.
"Don’t put it that way, Lord Orochimaru~."
"Fate chose us. You simply have no way to refuse."
As he spoke, Kei extended his hand.
Orochimaru naturally accepted.
The two slapped palms together in agreement.
As they did so, Orochimaru asked,
"There’s just one thing I don’t understand."
"Why did you want to win me over first, Kei-kun?"
Kei didn’t bother hiding anything.
Instead, he asked a question in return.
"Lord Orochimaru, do you know who you should turn to when you run into trouble?"
The question was strange.
But Orochimaru was willing to answer.
"Obviously, you should seek help from someone capable of helping you."
"Oh~"
"It seems Kei-kun is very confident."
"But I don’t understand how you can be so certain that I am someone who can help you."
Kei shook his head.
"I’m not certain."
"But I know you’ll definitely help me."
Orochimaru’s expression turned cold.
"Because of Hotaru?"
"You should understand that, as a shinobi, there is no way I could fail to notice something abnormal about myself."
"And a friendship created through such an abnormality would hardly be stable."
Kei smiled.
"No, Lord Orochimaru."
"Because I know that when someone needs help, they shouldn’t necessarily look for someone who can help them."
"They should look for someone who has helped them before."
Orochimaru’s expression softened slightly.
"Interesting."
"But why?"
"Because someone who has the ability to help you doesn’t necessarily have any reason to do so."
"But someone who has helped you before..."
"They’re much more likely to help you again."
"People are strange creatures."
Kei raised a finger.
"That’s what we call sunk cost."
"Lord Orochimaru, during our previous encounter, you already helped me quite a bit."
"If what I ask of you is merely something insignificant, I imagine you’d still be willing to help me."
"Hahahaha!"
The Cold-blooded Orochimaru laughed.
"That’s not quite how I’d put it."
"I simply didn’t want to watch some arrogant brat run wild."
Kei laughed along with him.
"Heh."
"So, Lord Orochimaru, are you going to refuse me?"
Orochimaru glanced at Hotaru and sighed helplessly.
Over the past few days, he had more or less figured out what his teacher was trying to accomplish.
And judging from the current situation, it seemed that one of the pieces Hiruzen had placed on the board had effectively been "ruined" by Kei.
Orochimaru didn’t mind being ruined in this manner.
Internal conflict was simply too boring.
Besides, if things really came to blows, a single Hotaru could already keep him occupied.
Whether he personally joined the fight or not wouldn’t make much difference.
And, most importantly, the benefits his teacher had offered him were simply too meager.
In that case, it was better to stand on Kei’s side.
"Hahaha! Kei-kun, you’re truly interesting."
"If Konoha didn’t have all these complications, I imagine we could have become close friends."
There was a hint of melancholy in Orochimaru’s voice.
It was because of his teacher.
His teacher had painstakingly laid out his plans, and now a crack might be forming in those plans because of him.
He didn’t know whether his teacher would be able to accept it.
Forget it.
After all, we are master and disciple.
I’ll at least leave my teacher some dignity.
"Kei-kun, I will take Hotaru as my disciple."
"And I will leave all of my ninjutsu with you."
"In this way, the Third Hokage should also understand what I mean."
This was one of the few things Orochimaru could still do for Hiruzen.
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