What Haseo had done—shrinking his body just enough to survive the attack and heal afterward—was practically a miracle. Yet for others, such a miracle was nearly impossible to replicate.
Although Haseo's physical transformation under those circumstances had been horrifying due to his self-corrosive trait, in a way, he truly could "return to youth."
However, this so-called "blessing" was something Haseo never wanted to experience again.
Conversely, achieving the opposite wasn't particularly difficult—in the Ninja World, ninja always found ways to forcibly accelerate someone's growth, though these methods were unfailingly brutal.
"Both of you, take the girl and get out of here fast. Focus on checking her condition and keeping her safe. I'll stay behind and clean up a bit."
"Lord Haseo, you…"
"Don't worry. With everyone dead, there's no one left to testify. What else can I possibly do? And if you don't have strong personal objections, naturally I will respect that… I won't do anything pointless." Haseo replied, his tone perfectly steady.
As for internal matters of the Uzumaki clan, Uzumaki Shikou now held authority. Although Haseo had an extremely close relationship with the Uzumaki—so much so that as an outsider, he often represented them—when it came to internal affairs, it was inappropriate for him to get overly involved. He would represent the Uzumaki externally; internally, the clan should handle its own internal affairs independently. This was only reasonable.
It seemed that recovering the missing person had already satisfied Shikou, so she didn't press further… No, rather, it seemed she had no choice but to accept things as they were.
After dismissing the Uzumakis, inside this lab whose ultimate purpose remained unclear, Haseo casually sat down on a table and fell into deep thought.
He completely ignored the six corpses lying in a gruesome mess nearby—most of them with their heads especially mutilated.
He wasn't waiting for the mastermind to show up again. Or rather, if the mastermind realized what had happened here, they absolutely wouldn't send anyone else again.
But Haseo believed he probably would get a visitor—at the very least, likely the one who had secretly guided the Uzumaki Clan's actions. Otherwise, how could clues about the disappearance incident years ago suddenly resurface?
Someone must have deliberately made it happen.
As expected, half an hour later, clear footsteps echoed through the passage outside.
Then, emerging from the darkness, someone appeared at the broken doorway.
"So, you really found it. Faster than I expected by at least three days. Truly impressive—the Uzumaki Clan indeed, following just a tiny trace of chakra all the way here."
However, such rapid progress had little to do with the Uzumaki Clan itself. Although the abilities of the Uzumakis deserved recognition, the ones who truly discovered this place were simply two twelve-year-old kids… Details like this, however, weren't worth explaining to Haseo.
"Tsunade mentioned you've been tied up with some experiments lately. This wouldn't happen to be them, would it?"
"Like I said," Haseo spoke, lightly tapping his heel against the ground.
Only a reptile would probably enjoy such a dark underground space.
The person who appeared before Haseo was none other than Orochimaru.
And if this lab truly belonged to Orochimaru... Well, he wouldn't be standing here so casually facing Haseo right now. So Haseo's earlier question was actually a joke.
For now, at least, it was still a joke.
"Now why would I do that?" Orochimaru replied, "Someone wanted me to take over these research efforts, but as soon as I saw them... realized they were yours, Haseo, I immediately notified you. You must know I've always kept your warnings in mind."
His expression was relaxed, showing not even a hint of nervousness, as if he felt genuinely pleased with himself for doing something commendable.
"Uzumaki doesn't belong to me — a child's life isn't some toy you pass around like property."
"Call it whatever you want."
Orochimaru shrugged. He didn't believe Haseo's words for a second... Did he really think getting into Haseo's territory would be that easy? Did he honestly believe this man didn't care about what happened to Uzumaki?
"Uzumaki doesn't belong to me"? Sure, that's exactly what Haseo would say. But anyone who actually believed that probably wouldn't live very long.
"So then, what exactly are those people researching regarding that Uzumaki child? I'll at least give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you don't have much interest in him yourself."
Haseo seemed to be speaking calmly, consistent with his usual demeanor, but only Orochimaru could understand the pressure involved in this conversation.
"Haseo, I'm not collaborating with them, how could I possibly know their ongoing research... In fact, I myself am quite eager to find out." Orochimaru moistened his lips slightly, a flicker of greed flashing in his eyes.
"Is that so? At any rate, it's commendable that you managed to hold yourself back this time."
Haseo stood up and made his way toward the exit. As he passed by Orochimaru, he gently patted the other man's shoulder, seemingly genuinely satisfied with Orochimaru's behavior.
Then his footsteps gradually faded away. Orochimaru couldn't help but feel a sense of relief from deep within.
However, just at that moment, the footsteps suddenly stopped.
"Orochimaru, we've known each other for many years now. I suppose I could be considered someone who watched you grow up, so let me remind you... You're an expert at deception — something you far outshine even the clumsy Jiraiya and the indifferent Tsunade in. After all, you're smarter than them. However, intelligence and wisdom are two different matters...
You're still too inexperienced.
You overplayed your hand just now."
Upon hearing these words, Orochimaru felt a chill run straight up his spine. He felt like his hair might stand straight on end.
His back stiffened rigidly, but despite his heightened alertness, he didn't dare move even a finger.
"That's more like it."
After making this additional comment on Orochimaru's performance, Haseo finally departed for real.
Nothing else happened. Right now, Orochimaru didn't know whether he should feel relieved or disappointed.
He didn't know how much time had passed before Orochimaru finally began to relax. He felt his long hair sticking to his back.
"Tch, I was right to heal the kid's wounds and cover up the experiment traces first—he wasn't too mad... Otherwise, things wouldn't have ended with just a cold sweat.
I never actually participated in anything related to Uzumaki. Dying because of this would've been too unfair."
"He saw through your intentions?"
Another voice echoed from within the underground passage.
"Who can tell? At the very least, he didn't mind me returning the boy to Uzumaki. Which means I'll have a bit more room to operate for now..." Orochimaru suddenly suppressed a laugh. "Now tell me—who's the real villain? The villain himself, or the one who makes villains tremble?"
"He's already let this go?"
"The one who taught me Ninjutsu was the Third, and the one who brought me onto the battlefield was Haseo. In a certain sense, both of them were like teachers to me. And Haseo was someone who placed personal feelings above the village's interests."
"Then that's good..."
"No, what I mean is… I can already see my own death. The more you know, the closer you come to it."
"So then, do you want to back out now?"
"No. Stuck between three factions, all I care about now is my 'reward.'"
In the beginning, Orochimaru had envied eternal life. Yet eventually, he realized life itself didn't really matter. What he truly cared about instead was reaching the ultimate limits of jutsu.
[He aimed to reach the final destination of Ninjutsu.]
This was Orochimaru's true nature.
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