Orochimaru still couldn’t forget that day six years ago.
In the ninja calendar year 48, the Third Great Ninja War ended.
Besieged on all sides, Konoha paid a heavy price to finally secure the ultimate victory in this war.
But…
“What’s the meaning?”
Orochimaru’s thin lips moved silently, his calm gaze looking forward as he nodded slightly.
Leaden clouds had spread across the entire sky.
The already cold graveyard felt even more desolate and sorrowful.
The crowd lowered their heads and sobbed like reeds bent by the rain.
Black umbrellas crowded tightly together, resembling a flock of crows.
He stood in the black crowd, looking at the old man at the very front.
That was his good teacher, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen Sarutobi wiped the rain stains off the tombstone with his hand.
Perhaps touched by his action, a sense of sorrow permeated the crowd.
“…”
Orochimaru looked to his front left at that child with the bowl cut.
He knew this child, because he often saw this child and his genin father running laps around Konoha on their hands.
In his memory, the two were always an optimistic and hot-blooded, foolish pair, completely ignoring the annoyed and mocking gazes of the people around them.
But now…
It was the first time Orochimaru saw this child cry.
He cried in an exceptionally foolish way, snot and tears mixing into mud on his face.
He heard that during a mission, this child encountered the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist from the Hidden Mist Village.
It was that genin father, mocked as a piece of trash, who rushed over to cover his child’s escape.
In the end, by his own strength, he forcibly killed four of them.
The remaining three dragged their heavily injured bodies and fled in a sorry state.
And that genin father died in battle because of it.
Then there was that other child…
Orochimaru’s narrow pupils shifted to the side, reflecting an immature face that stood un-umbrellaed, letting the rain drench him.
His cries were very low and hoarse.
He just kept his head down, shoulders trembling as he let out a hissing sound, like a sleeve being intermittently torn.
However, the tears flowed continuously, dividing into several streams and mixing with the rainwater as they streamed down from his eye sockets.
Yun Chuan Hyuga, timid and cowardly by nature, with a weak body.
When his peers had already started learning the Gentle Fist, this child hadn’t even awakened his Byakugan.
He was a notorious “piece of trash” within the Hyuga clan.
This child’s father actually didn’t die on the battlefield.
He succumbed to his severe injuries after returning from the battlefield.
However, a rumor within the Hyuga clan said it was because he failed to protect the main branch members properly and was killed by a main branch elder triggering the Caged Bird curse mark while he was heavily injured.
Speaking of which, this child’s father had once served under him and earned merit during the Second Great Ninja War.
How old were these two children?
Nine?
Ten?
Heh heh.
Thrown onto the battlefield at such a young age, and losing their only relatives at such a young age…
Orochimaru looked again at the old man in the lead.
Lightning branched through the dark clouds, and the world was suddenly dyed in just gray and white.
The dazzling white light projected his hunched shadow onto the ground, stretching out long and slender like an evil demon.
Hiruzen Sarutobi’s compassionate face was also divided into light and dark.
Orochimaru, having experienced two Ninja Wars, suddenly felt a profoundly deep disgust, almost sickening enough to make him want to throw up.
These people who died in the war, what on earth was the meaning of their lives?
Nothing had changed.
Nothing had changed at all.
Waiting for the crowd to disperse and people to leave one after another, only the desolate tombstones remained.
Orochimaru stood before Nawaki’s tombstone.
A black umbrella, dark as ink in the rain, shielded him.
He placed the white chrysanthemum in his hand on the tombstone, looking at the familiar name engraved there, but surprisingly, his heart felt no touch of emotion.
Sorrow?
Anger?
Pity?
None at all.
But he was not calm.
He just watched the rainwater drip from the edge of the umbrella, disappearing into the ravines of the epitaph’s carvings, and felt a fear originating from deep within his heart.
“Um, excuse me…”
A timid voice came from behind him, sounding as if squeezed from the throat.
Orochimaru snapped out of his reverie and subconsciously turned his head toward the voice, meeting a pair of white eyes.
That face, still retaining its coldness, seemed to startle the other party.
The boy’s body couldn’t help but tremble as he took a step back, but he finally steadied his footing.
“Um, excuse me, your…
your complexion is very bad, so…”
Under Orochimaru’s gaze, the speaking voice grew smaller and smaller.
Orochimaru looked down at this child named Yun Chuan Hyuga, knowing he had stood before the tombstone for too long.
The other party was probably worried about his physical and mental condition.
Kind but cowardly.
Indeed a piece of trash.
Orochimaru made a judgment about this child in his heart and didn’t intend to say anything more.
With a cold expression, he took a step to leave here…
“Lord Orochimaru.”
The voice came from behind again.
Inexplicably, he stopped in his tracks.
“Do you know what the meaning of life is?”
Hearing this, Orochimaru slightly narrowed his eyes and turned back.
He saw that the child still looked timid, just tilting his head up, asking in confusion, “My father often mentioned you when he was alive, saying you are a hero of Konoha.
I thought…
someone like you must know a lot…”
“There is no meaning.”
Before he could finish speaking, Orochimaru softly interrupted: “Even if there is, it only exists while life is alive.”
“And a dead life has absolutely no meaning.”
Death is the fairest equality in this world for everyone.
No matter what you did while alive, no matter what you possessed while alive, when death descends, you will have nothing.
Thinking of this, Orochimaru once again felt a coldness penetrating to the bone.
Even the sensation of the cold wind drilling into his collar became more profound, causing his fingers gripping the umbrella to turn white from exertion.
Yes, dead, just like water disappearing into water.
Dying meant losing [everything].
He didn’t want to lose [everything]; he wanted to possess [everything].
Therefore, he didn’t want to die, nor could he die!
“Lord Orochimaru.” Yun Chuan Hyuga suddenly raised his head.
“Do you believe ‘Gods’ exist in this world?”
Hearing this, Orochimaru came back to his senses, looking at this timid child in front of him, but suddenly found it somewhat amusing.
Just like how he looked down on Jiraiya, who always kept the “Child of Prophecy” who could change the ninja world on his lips.
In his eyes, whether it was the so-called Child of Prophecy or the so-called Gods, they were all ridiculous, fictional characters imagined by incompetent people to deceive themselves.
Omniscient and omnipotent Gods never existed.
Even if they did, they were just more powerful beings.
“What if, what if He possesses eternal life?”
Seeing the mockery in Orochimaru’s eyes, Yun Chuan Hyuga hurriedly said, “Before my father died, he gave me a scroll and a cor…
body.
He said the scroll recorded the secrets of the Hyuga clan, but I’ve never been able to open it.
And that body is an ancestor of the Hyuga clan.
It hasn’t died and won’t die, only the soul has left the body…”
Although Yun Chuan Hyuga’s voice grew smaller and smaller, as if he himself didn’t quite believe these words, Orochimaru’s narrow pupils were trembling.
In the entire ninja world, the person who knew the most about the so-called “soul” was undoubtedly him, Orochimaru.
To the vast majority of people, the soul was illusory, let alone anyone being able to make the soul exist independently outside the body.
But to him, who was passionate about researching the essence of human life, this was entirely possible.
And the Hyuga clan was undoubtedly one of the oldest ninja clans…
“…”
Sizing up this child whose forehead had started to break out in a cold sweat, Orochimaru inexplicably produced a bit of trust in his words at this moment.
It seemed there was no harm in going to take a look?
Thus, Yun Chuan Hyuga, who had already lowered his head, suddenly felt a shadow cover him, and the cold rain no longer fell on him.
“Can you tell me why you’re telling me this?”
Yun Chuan Hyuga looked up somewhat blankly and happened to meet a pair of narrow eyes.
Orochimaru stood in front of him holding an umbrella, resting one hand on his knee to slightly lower his body, maintaining a face-to-face eye level with Yun Chuan Hyuga.
“This should be a secret of the Hyuga clan, right?
Why didn’t you tell the elders in the clan?” There was a smile hanging on that pale face, unexpectedly giving him a different kind of charm.
“Fa…
Father told me that if he died, I could use that scroll and that body to exchange for good treatment from the clan.”
Perhaps because Orochimaru’s tone had softened, a bit more color returned to Yun Chuan Hyuga’s immature face.
He lowered his head and said, “But, I don’t trust them.
My father was forced to death by them.”
A hint of resentment could still be heard in the slightly trembling voice.
Orochimaru glanced at his gradually clenching fists, surprised in his heart that this child actually possessed a bit of mettle.
“You want me to help you take revenge?” Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and smiled, asking, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell the Hyuga clan about this?”
“I feel someone like you wouldn’t do that.
And, even if you really…” Yun Chuan Hyuga slowly shook his head, looking up at Orochimaru, and said softly, “What I would lose wouldn’t be much.”
“Only myself.”
“…” Facing those resolute white pupils, Orochimaru fell into a brief silence.
A moment later, he suddenly smiled and placed his hand on Yun Chuan Hyuga’s head.
Sure enough, being alive might not have meaning, but only by continuing to live could one find interesting people and things.
Later, Yun Chuan Hyuga gave that scroll and body to Orochimaru.
Orochimaru deciphered part of the sealing jutsu on that scroll, thereby seeing the contents recorded on the first few pages and learning of the existence of the Otsutsuki clan at the dawn of the ninja world.
They were “heavenly beings” from an extraterrestrial planet.
Every member was born with powerful strength and didn’t need to cultivate like humans in the ninja world.
By utilizing something called “Karma,” they could reincarnate and resurrect, becoming beings that transcended death.
Every two members formed a team to explore the universe, but they had only one goal: to plant something called the “God Tree” and devour all life on the planet.
Among them, members of the “Main Branch” would return to their home planet, leaving “Branch Family” members on the planet to monitor and ensure the “fruit” of the God Tree could smoothly mature.
And that body which had lost its “soul,” according to the scroll’s records, was a person of the “Branch Family” of the Otsutsuki clan.
He had passed down chakra in the ninja world and left behind descendants, who are now the Hyuga clan.
Because Orochimaru hadn’t yet been able to decipher the seals on the latter parts of the scroll, the reason why that Otsutsuki clansman abandoned his body was still unknown.
But just this much was enough to make Orochimaru tremble with excitement and pleasant surprise.
Such exquisite meridian pathways, such a perfect body.
Compared to humans in the ninja world, they were entirely two different species!
Eternal life truly existed.
Corporeal things would die one day, but the “soul” could exist forever!
All he needed to do was explore the secrets of the Otsutsuki clan, and one day, he too could understand all the truths in this world!
Up until now, exactly six years had passed since Orochimaru obtained that scroll and body.
During these six years, Orochimaru believed he had completely controlled Yun Chuan Hyuga.
The look in this young man’s eyes toward him was solely one of admiration.
No matter what experiment it was, he would obediently cooperate.
He even had this child get close to the Third Hokage, and even go to the Root to pass messages to Danzo Shimura; even if he was terrified, he still wouldn’t refuse.
Moreover, Orochimaru discovered that although this child had no talent as a ninja, he seemed to possess a certain special curiosity and intuition in scientific research, often inadvertently bringing him inspiration from inconspicuous places.
This was simply too rare.
Even Tsunade, the “Medical Sage,” merely treated medical jutsu and ninjutsu as means to save the dying and heal the wounded, and had absolutely no interest in exploring the secrets and essence of life.
Because of this, Orochimaru even developed a slight feeling of camaraderie and couldn’t quite bear to kill this young man’s soul.
But in the end, his greed for truth and eternal life still overwhelmed that sole remaining trace of approval.
Until now.
Looking at the young man who had suddenly struck, and the headless corpse, Orochimaru even felt a sense of absurdity.
It was as if everything he experienced over these six years was an unreal, illusory dream.
“You…”
The intense mental and emotional impact caused the usually calm Orochimaru to ask a foolish question.
“What are you doing?”
Fortunately, Yun Chuan Hyuga seemed to know exactly what he wanted to ask, so he just smiled and said, “Thank you, Lord Orochimaru.”
“Just as you told me, true ignorance is not a lack of knowledge, but a refusal to acquire it.”
“I also want to tell you that weakness and ignorance are not obstacles to survival.”
“Arrogance is.”
Yes, because of arrogance, Orochimaru had never paid any attention to a “piece of trash,” a brat barely into his teens.
Because of arrogance, he always kept his eyes fixed on that Otsutsuki “slough,” while ignoring all the anomalies happening right before his eyes.
After all, what could a ten-odd-year-old brat with a cowardly personality do?
What could a piece of trash who couldn’t even awaken his Byakugan do?
Yun Chuan Hyuga was like an isolated island closed off to the outside world.
Orochimaru only saw the seemingly normal forest on the outside, but completely missed the unfathomably deep, calm swamp on the island.
It wasn’t until things slipped out of his control that Orochimaru awakened as if from a dream.
From beginning to end, it was never him who chose Yun Chuan Hyuga, but Yun Chuan Hyuga who chose him.
He was actually played by a brat?
Realizing this, Orochimaru laughed, almost out of extreme anger, a ferocious smile rising on his pale face.
“Do you think you can escape from my hands?”
The instant the words left his mouth, Orochimaru vanished from sight.
A chilling, bone-deep killing intent erupted in an instant at this very moment!
It was simply like the ice layer formed over a river shattering; the torrent accumulated day after day beneath the solid ice let out a soul-shaking roar and poured out toward Yun Chuan Hyuga in front of him!
Buzz!!
A sharp hum resounded—the sonic boom of slicing through the air.
Too fast.
The kunai lost its shape due to extreme speed, moving so fast its entire appearance couldn’t be seen clearly.
Sure enough, even Orochimaru, whose chakra was almost depleted right now, was not an opponent he could currently handle.
The Otsutsuki body materialized from thousands of “Realization Points” out of thin air was ultimately just an incomplete Otsutsuki body; it could only grant him powerful talent, not immediate strength.
Thinking of this in his heart, Yun Chuan Hyuga’s blue-white pupils reflected the cold glint of the kunai, but they didn’t show the slightest ripple.
Then, under Orochimaru’s astonished gaze, not only did he not dodge, but he actively moved toward the kunai’s sharp edge.
Slash!
Thick, crimson blood instantly spurted out, flowing and splashing onto the ground with a loud sound.
This blade cut open half of Yun Chuan Hyuga’s neck, from his vocal cords and laryngeal ventricle all the way down to his cervical vertebrae.
Blood would choke into his lungs with his breath within tens of seconds.
For a normal person, this was almost certain death.
“As expected.”
The smile on Yun Chuan Hyuga’s face remained unchanged.
He watched Orochimaru in front of him, his lips parting and closing as he spoke soundlessly: “Even now, you still can’t bear to pierce the heart?”
In that case, I win.
Bang!
A deafening loud noise reached his ears.
Orochimaru subconsciously looked behind him and saw an old face full of rage.
“Orochimaru!
What are you doing?!”
As the furious roar sounded, Yun Chuan Hyuga slowly closed his eyes and collapsed on the operating table, a final thought popping into his mind.
Heh, a piece of trash bearing the Caged Bird.
Fate truly gave me the worst “script.”
But, it’s okay.
I was born to be the best “actor.”
(END CHAPTER)