Chapter 195: Reminiscing the Day the experiment began

Akihara Kagura only speaks the truth.

Wherever Akihara Kagura appears, Orochimaru cannot be present; yet wherever Orochimaru appears, Akihara Kagura can always show up.

At the summit of the Hokage Rock.

Orochimaru, dressed anew in the attire of a leading Jonin from the Sound Village, stood overlooking his homeland with a slight smile and a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.

"The scenery here is beautiful, isn't it?"

"It is quite nice."

Akihara Kagura stood beside Orochimaru, observing the landscape of the Konoha Village: "Lord Orochimaru, how does it feel to return to your homeland?"

"..."

Orochimaru did not respond to Akihara Kagura's question, but wore a forced smile of regret: "It's a pity that we are about to destroy it."

"No need to worry."

Akihara Kagura waved his hand dismissively: "I can rebuild a new Konoha Village by myself, and every family can live in a big house..."

"..."

Orochimaru's smile faintly vanished.

"Let's talk business."

Akihara Kagura reached out his hand and ran it through his hair, as if troubled by something: "You've caused quite a stir in the Forest of Death. I'm the chief examiner for this Chuunin Exam; don't bring me such trouble..."

"It's just something interesting."

Orochimaru licked his lips, recalling the young boy he encountered: "Uchiha Sasuke is quite talented, but he needs someone to help bring it out. The comfortable environment of the Konoha is too cushy for him..."

"..."

Akihara Kagura looked at Orochimaru in surprise.

Orochimaru really had an eye for talent, being able to recognize Uchiha Sasuke's potential!

Compared horizontally, Sasuke's brother, Uchiha Itachi, had activated his Sharingan at eleven, and many didn't think Sasuke's talent was anything special. How did Orochimaru see it?

This was normal...

Orochimaru indeed seemed very adept at teaching children.

Many children abandoned by the ninja world flourished under Orochimaru's tutelage, with teenagers becoming Jonin under his guidance.

"Don't mind Danzo's thoughts."

Orochimaru looked at Akihara Kagura and stated his request: "It would be a waste to keep Uchiha Sasuke in the Konoha just to continue the Uchiha bloodline. I really admire that boy's courage..."

Orochimaru spread his hands, continuing to discuss Sasuke: "Even Uchiha Itachi couldn't compare to his brother in this regard. There are many strong and excellent ninjas in the ninja world, but not all excellent ninjas have the courage to swing their blades at stronger opponents..."

"..."

Akihara Kagura sighed.

At this moment, Akihara Kagura had to admire Orochimaru's insight.

As Orochimaru said, many strong people in the ninja world think they can defeat their enemies, which is why they dare to fight them. Truly challenging the strong is always a rarity.

"I understand."

Akihara Kagura nodded, indicating his understanding, and cautioned Orochimaru: "Be careful these days, I heard that Teacher Jiraiya is coming back soon."

"Jiraiya, huh?"

Orochimaru smiled faintly, unconcerned: "That's the trouble you'll face, huh? Maybe someone wants Jiraiya to compete with you for the position of Hokage?"

"But..."

"Jiraiya won't be competing with you for the position of Hokage..."

Orochimaru knew his friend well, shaking his head as he spoke: "He doesn't care much for the power of the Hokage, nor does he have the same deep feelings for the Konoha as others. He's just an idiot who thinks he has a broad mind and cares about the future of the entire ninja world..."

"..."

Akihara Kagura looked at Orochimaru oddly.

The thoughts of the ninjas in the ninja world were always somewhat peculiar, always wanting to sever ties with their past lives by killing their own teachers, proving that they have embarked on a new path.

Perhaps Orochimaru was worried that his disciple would go after Jiraiya, which is why he spoke up for him here.

"I won't make a move against Teacher Jiraiya."

Akihara Kagura shook his head, looking towards Orochimaru, "It's rather Lord Orochimaru who should be careful not to end up like the fool Mitarashi Anko, who tried to kill his own teacher and got outwitted instead."

"There won't be any accidents."

Orochimaru laughed dismissively.

He believed no one knew the secret he left on Mitarashi Anko, abandoned in Konoha, which held the means for his eventual revival.

"I came to see you because there's something I wanted to ask."

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, speaking softly, "Kagura, I had placed two spies in Konoha, and mysteriously, they were killed..."

"Oh, that matter..."

Akihara Kagura recalled the spies and nodded, "I happen to know about this because I had them killed."

Akihara Kagura continued, without looking at Orochimaru's expression, knowing well how displeased his ally and superior must be, "Those two were leading Yakushi Kabuto astray. Now that they're gone, Kabuto has started obeying me again..."

Orochimaru's expression finally eased.

Knowing that Kagura had killed his own men to intimidate Yakushi Kabuto made Orochimaru no longer mind, as he understood the relationship between Yakushi Kabuto and Akihara Kagura.

"I still have to oversee the Chunin Exams."

Akihara Kagura looked back at Orochimaru, "Have your men behave themselves in the Chunin Exams. Don't make mistakes that force my hand, as I won't be able to protect them..."

"Those kids are expendable."

Orochimaru didn't care about the ninjas from Sound Village coming to participate in the Chunin Exams, chuckling, "You can deal with them as you please, even kill them. They have no hope of advancing anyway..."

"I understand."

Akihara Kagura looked at Orochimaru and laughed, "After this Chunin Exam, I'll destroy Sound Village and leave them homeless."

"You really understand these kids around me!"

Orochimaru, familiar with his subordinates, knew they were reluctant to leave his side, shaking his head, "Letting them go from me would be even more cruel than killing them... Not everyone can leave me like you, Kagura."

As for destroying Sound Village, Orochimaru didn't care much, given its precarious state under constant threat from the Akatsuki.

"During the days by your side..."

Akihara Kagura reminisced about his time with Orochimaru, sighing, "It was like a sugar pill wrapped with poison. Those kids have suffered too much, always thinking there's only one sugar pill in life, forever licking its sweet coating..."

"But I've tasted other candies from a young age. I don't just lick them; I prefer to chew, and I accidentally bit through your sugar pill once, revealing the poison inside."

Orochimaru squinted his eyes, understanding Kagura's metaphor.

Having stayed at the Konoha orphanage, Akihara Kagura received much love, so he didn't care about so-called warmth, instead focusing more on the dangers he encountered.

Orochimaru seemed to casually inquire, "Kagura, you've wanted to stop being my vessel for a long time, haven't you?"

"To ensure our sincere cooperation, perhaps there's something I should tell you..."

Akihara Kagura turned to Orochimaru, speaking softly, "Actually, I've always been the one urging you to experiment with Hashirama cell transplants on me, since I was meant to be your test subject anyway..."

"On the day our experiment succeeded, I never lost my sanity. When I tried to ambush and kill you, you escaped. We were too far apart, and there was no suitable opportunity, so I had to pretend to have lost my sanity..."

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly.

That time...

Did Akihara Kagura really want to kill him then?

Akihara Kagura had never truly been loyal to him, and even at that young age, he had rationally sought to escape the fate of being an experimental subject.

It must be said...

Akihara Kagura's endurance is quite formidable.

No other child in the ninja world could likely have broken free at that time, yet Akihara Kagura had long planned how to do so, even betting his life on breaking free from the moment he underwent the reanimation.

"I underestimated you."

Orochimaru clenched his fist, his voice turning slightly sinister and hoarse, "I always thought you were smart enough, but I underestimated your cunning. Had you been planning to escape your fate since then?"

"Yes."

Akihara Kagura looked up at the sky, where a few raindrops fell from the overcast sky, "That time, I hoped Lord Orochimaru would help me with the Hashirama cell transplant because you had just performed a Living Corpse Reincarnation. Even if the human experiment on me succeeded, you would still need to give me three years to grow..."

"I knew Lord Orochimaru wouldn't want to kill a successful experiment. You'd want me to acquire more knowledge, gain more power, before transferring to my body after the cooldown period of the Living Corpse Reincarnation..."

"Unfortunately."

"There's nowhere else in the ninja world to learn wood release techniques."

Akihara Kagura looked at the raindrops falling on the leaves, whispering, "Only the Konoha, which once had ninjas capable of Wood Release, would have this opportunity... I knew Lord Orochimaru had spies planted in the Konoha, but I never expected that Lord Orochimaru would deliver me into the hands of Lord Danzo."

"How splendid..."

Orochimaru couldn't help but smile and clap his hands, the anger in his eyes disappearing, replaced by a look of appreciation: "I never imagined that a child who had been by my side for so long could hide something more terrifying than I had imagined. I thought all abandoned children would need warmth..."

"You see all children as your tools."

Kagura pierced through Orochimaru's lies, quietly retorting, "Abandoned children need warmth, not the tepid water used for boiling frogs."

Orochimaru shook his head, still not believing he was wrong: "To have lukewarm water that comforts them for a while is already their fortune. If it weren't for me adopting them, they would have died in some unknown corner long ago..."

"I am thankful for that."

Kagura looked at Orochimaru, a sincere look in his eyes: "That's why I've always wanted to maintain our relationship, even helping you search for a vessel..."

"Of course."

Kagura broke through his own sincerity, offhandedly saying, "Most importantly, I have never been fully confident in killing you, and I still find your abilities useful. Killing you would be a loss..."

"So..."

"Lord Orochimaru..."

"Do not fall into useless weakness..."

Kagura's gaze once again filled with sincerity: "If you become weak, you can no longer stand by my side like now."

"..."

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly, then relaxed into a smile: "I won't disappoint you, Kagura, but you'd better not fall behind either..."

"I understand."

Kagura interrupted Orochimaru, fully aware of his meaning: "I won't disappoint you, Lord Orochimaru. From today onwards, I hope we can truly cooperate sincerely. Please don't covet my body anymore, it makes me troubled, always having to think about how to kill you..."

"Don't worry."

Orochimaru nodded, but habitually licked his lips: "Even if I covet your body, Kagura, I must fully grasp your weaknesses first, right?"

"That would be best."

"I also hope, Kagura, that you won't always think about damaging my interests, killing my subordinates without any reason..."

"It was just to warn Kabuto, but I didn't expect my subordinates to be too extreme, directly killing Lord Orochimaru's subordinates..."

Just as Kagura was shifting the blame to his own subordinates, a figure from the Root appeared beside him, the intermingling of his own superiors and Orochimaru no longer surprising to them.

"Lord Kagura."

This Root member stood by Kagura's side, whispering, "The substitute proctor for the second exam, Umino Iruka, is looking for you, it seems a candidate has encountered a problem..."

"I know."

Kagura nodded, continuing, "Regardless of who has a problem, let's wait until the Forest of Death exam is over."

"That candidate is Uchiha Sasuke..."

The Root member glanced at Orochimaru, continuing, "It seems Lord Orochimaru tampered with Uchiha Sasuke's body, leaving him unable to move. Proctor Umino Iruka is worried about his student and wants to request Lord Kagura to consider letting Team 7 withdraw..."

"Don't worry."

When Orochimaru heard this, he responded with a smile, "That child Sasuke is fine. I just gave the little guy a little interesting gift. As long as he passes my test, he will gain greater power..."

"The Cursed Seal?"

Kagura was not very impressed with the power of the Cursed Seal but gave Orochimaru the benefit of the doubt: "Well, since Lord Orochimaru says there's no problem with Sasuke, there's no need to worry. Tell Umino Iruka that any situation must wait until the second round is over..."

Kagura then looked at Orochimaru again: "Consider this a favor you owe me, Lord Orochimaru. Lend me your summoning creature, Manda, I want to ask Manda for a favor..."

"Manda?"

Orochimaru recalled his summoning creature, nodding nonchalantly: "Manda is very evil. If you want its help, you'll need some kind of offering..."

"No problem."

Kagura was unconcerned about the offering.

Because Kagura wanted Manda's help mainly to use Manda as a sacrifice for the Edo Tensei, to test how much power a summoning creature like Manda could unleash for a resurrected ninja.

~~~

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