Roshi led Anko across the wide, quiet courtyard.
"Grandma," he called softly to Momoka, who sat on the veranda watching the last streaks of sunset fade, "Anko will be staying here for a few days."
Momoka turned slowly. Her calm eyes settled on the visibly nervous Anko, and she offered a gentle nod.
Then she rose and beckoned.
"Come with me, child. I'll prepare a room for you."
"Th–Thank you, Grandma. I'm sorry to trouble you!" Anko bowed hastily, almost too deeply.
Momoka smiled faintly.
"No need for apologies. It's good for this old house to have young people again."
She glanced at Roshi.
"He used to crowd your place with friends all the time, didn't he? That must have been troublesome for you."
Anko waved her hands frantically, cheeks coloring.
"N-No! Not at all! Really!"
Odd. She had visited this old house before, met the old grandmother plenty of times—yet tonight, she felt strangely flustered and self-conscious.
Dinner was simple home cooking. The three of them ate quietly, the silence broken only by the soft clinking of bowls and Momoka's occasional warm questions.
Afterward, Anko retreated to her room. Darkness had already settled over the compound.
She lay down, closed her eyes, tried to breathe steadily… but her heart beat far too fast, her thoughts scattering restlessly.
She had stayed out before. So why did tonight feel so different?
Roshi sat alone on the porch of the main house, no lights lit. Moonlight brushed his silhouette in silver. He wasn't sleepy—his senses spread outward, catching every tremor of the night air.
Then—
A faint rustle. Not the wind.
From beneath the veranda, a snake shot upward, fangs bared, aiming for his neck.
But the instant it left the shadows, the wooden boards below seemed to awaken. Vines burst forth, coiling around the snake's body, clamping it midair, and dragging it down into the darkness.
A muffled thud, a brief squirming struggle—then silence.
Roshi's brows knit.
This attack was aimed at him alone. And Anko in the next room hadn't reacted at all.
He could sense that she was tossing fitfully in bed—but nothing like earlier, when her Cursed Seal resonated violently.
A test, then. A provocation. Directed at him personally.
If he could, Roshi would've preferred to ignore it—or call for backup immediately.
But this was the Old Senju House. Grandma Momoka lived here. The building itself was older than Konoha.
If a real fight broke out inside the house…
He couldn't risk it.
Even the fastest reinforcements wouldn't arrive in time.
Tsk.
With clear reluctance, Roshi rose, opened the door, and stepped outside.
A hoarse yet strangely smooth voice drifted from the treeline.
"That just now… was Wood Release, wasn't it?"
Roshi looked up.
Orochimaru stepped out from behind a tree. Moonlight carved stark shadows over his pale face, and his golden eyes gleamed with curiosity.
He studied Roshi with open interest, his long tongue sliding across his lips.
Roshi's brow tightened.
Watching the anime, it had never seemed so disgusting. In person, the way that tongue moved was… profoundly unpleasant.
"Forgive my bluntness, Orochimaru," Roshi said evenly, tone completely flat despite the rogue Sannin standing before him.
"But how exactly do you keep your tongue that long?"
"…"
"Or is your tongue root… located somewhere further down? So your mouth can accommodate it?"
Orochimaru froze.
His tongue, mid-lick, hung stupidly in the air for a moment—then flopped downward in a limp, almost comedic way.
Orochimaru let out a low, delighted chuckle, as though genuinely entertained.
"If you want your answer, Roshi-kun… why don't you satisfy my curiosity first?"
His eyes narrowed.
"That technique just now—was it Wood Release?"
"It was," Roshi replied plainly.
"Remarkable." Orochimaru's gaze glittered with scientific hunger. "You see, I've created abilities through research. By altering the body, extending and reshaping tongues, limbs… one can achieve movements impossible for ordinary humans."
He smiled faintly. "The mysteries beneath the surface are always far deeper than they appear."
After that bizarre exchange, Orochimaru tilted his head, studying Roshi anew.
"When you were in the Academy, you were utterly different," he murmured. "Neither this unexpected humor, nor this absolute composure in front of me existed back then."
A soft hiss of amusement escaped him. "I misjudged you. Had I looked closer, even knowing you were someone Momoka-dono cherished… I would've made every effort to draw you into my ranks."
"Along with Anko."
Roshi stared at him silently, his face expressionless under the moonlight. After a moment, he asked:
"Since you can suppress Anko's Cursed Seal and block her senses, why did you allow it to react in the Chūnin Exams arena?"
Orochimaru chuckled.
"I hadn't checked on her in so long—I didn't expect she still couldn't awaken the power hidden in the Heaven Seal."
"She has a physical constitution superior to most subjects. But her heart… lacks the obsession, the hunger required."
His tone grew colder.
"Just like today's Senju Clan. Scattered, complacent, content to remain ordinary. They can no longer touch even the shadow of what they once were at the peak of the shinobi world."
He sighed almost nostalgically.
"The First Hokage's power was divine—an overwhelming force that bent the world. Even after death, the vitality in his cells defies reason."
"And the Second Hokage, Lord Tobirama… though he lacked Hashirama's raw strength, his brilliance surpassed his era. Every time I revisit the ninjutsu he left behind, I cannot help but admire him."
"To be honest… I revere him more than I do Sarutobi-sensei."
The gleam in his eyes sharpened.
"A clan this glorious, after willingly dispersing, reduced its own bloodline to mediocrity. Truly disappointing," he whispered. "I once thought… perhaps the two legends made the wrong choice."
"Originally… that was what I believed."
Then his smile widened, predatory.
"But you, Roshi-kun—you are different. Hidden as it is, I can sense it. Hunger sleeps inside you. A power of the First Hokage, dormant yet immense."
"That power and hunger should not rot away in a decaying village that clings to outdated ideals."
His voice dropped, almost seductive.
"Come with me, Roshi-kun. I can offer what Konoha cannot."
"Freedom from constraints. A direct path to truth. And… a way to fully awaken that vast power within you."
"With me, you would become far stronger than you ever could by staying here. Stronger than anyone imagines."
Roshi listened without comment.
But the air around him had begun to change—natural energy gathered silently, flowing toward him like a tide.
A soft shift.
Black markings crept across his face.
Sage Mode activated.
Orochimaru's smile deepened, delighted.
"So… you've even mastered this power."
No wonder Danzo had placed Roshi in the same category as Tsunade.
Wood Release—and Sage Ninjutsu.
Danzo… so this is the opponent you hoped I'd test.
"You keep surprising me, Roshi-kun."
"You, on the other hand, continue to behave exactly as expected, Orochimaru," Roshi replied evenly. "So if I refuse, a fight is inevitable?"
He sighed lightly.
"If we must, could I trouble you to be mindful of the house?"
"This place is over several decades old. As the original Senju residence in Konoha, its value is… considerable."
------------------
AN: Check out my P@treon For +50 extra chapters.
Thank You For your Support!!
[email protected]/noviceauthor777