Chapter 114: Leaving the Village
On the rooftop of the Hokage Tower, Sarutobi stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing toward the distant village gates. He sighed softly, his expression complex—a mix of reminiscence, bewilderment, and satisfaction...
Sarutobi seemed to be muttering to himself: "The young eagle must eventually spread its wings."
Hatake Gen, standing a step behind Sarutobi in a rare non-Anbu attire, heard the low murmur. His throat moved, and he hesitated to speak.
However, Sarutobi asked him: "Gen, I heard Orochimaru took you as his master, and that you let Sakumo leave the village with him?"
Hatake Gen carefully considered his words before answering: "That boy, Orochimaru, came to ask me about Taijutsu and Kenjutsu. I taught him some of the framework and essence of the Supreme Blade Style and the Deceptive Blade Style. Since he mentioned going out to train, I asked him to take Sakumo along. I want my son to learn a few things from Orochimaru too!"
Sarutobi offered a helpless smile. He no longer needed to personally worry about Orochimaru's training progress. Of course, he had never been hands-on in the first place; the boy had always been highly self-disciplined and consistently surprised him.
He then said nostalgically: "That boy and Sakumo truly remind me of our own days."
Hatake Gen, too, was caught up in the memory, a hazy look of recollection in his eyes.
On the Road
Orochimaru did not indulge in a dramatic farewell. He simply informed Sarutobi, left a note, and quietly departed.
At this moment, Orochimaru, clad in a long, dark-black traveler's coat, and Hatake Sakumo were walking silently along the main road outside the gates of Konoha Village.
This strange, quiet atmosphere had persisted for some time.
Orochimaru offered a slight smile. This guy certainly has patience. Since they were outside the village, however, it was time to clarify a few things.
"Sakumo," Orochimaru called out.
The thin Sakumo stopped and looked at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's dark-golden eyes fixed on Sakumo's own. His sharp, penetrating, and charismatic gaze momentarily gave Sakumo the illusion that his entire being was being seen through.
After a moment of scrutiny, Orochimaru slowly said: "Sensei Gen asked me to take you out this time, and I have no objection. However, throughout this journey, you must follow my orders. Any issues with that?"
Hearing Orochimaru's words, Sakumo recalled his father's instructions before he left.
After Hatake Gen had passed on some of the Hatake clan's Taijutsu secrets and the essence of the two Kenjutsu styles to Orochimaru, he turned to Sakumo, who had emerged from the back room, and said: "Go. You will leave the village with him."
"Father?" Sakumo asked back, seemingly unsure, his expression one of extreme surprise.
"Do not doubt. Lord Sarutobi and I went through the same thing back then! Follow his commands all the way! When you return, I believe you will give me a pleasant surprise!" Hatake Gen's words continued to surprise Sakumo.
In the end, however, Sakumo, who always trusted his father, nodded in agreement.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Sakumo's face became respectful. He whispered: "Yes, Lord Orochimaru!"
Orochimaru was briefly taken aback by Sakumo's sudden change in attitude. He quickly guessed what might have happened but didn't dwell on it. He simply let it be and resumed their journey.
Orochimaru did not use Shunshin (Chakra-enhanced speed) for travel, choosing instead to simply walk with Hatake Sakumo.
Having received some of the Hatake clan's body refinement secrets and the essence of the two sword styles from Hatake Gen, whom he had accepted as a master, Orochimaru knew that Gen had taught him virtually everything, excluding only the most private clan secrets.
Thus, having agreed to take Sakumo out for training, Orochimaru did not slack off. Along the way, he effortlessly explained various insights and knowledge about Ninjutsu to Sakumo. Of course, for Orochimaru, this was only shallow material. As for the deeper knowledge, he intended to test this future White Fang of Konoha first before deciding how much more to impart.
For Sakumo, however, the series of profound yet accessible lessons from Orochimaru was enough to be immensely beneficial. He naturally became more trusting of his father's words, and his speech and attitude grew more genuine and respectful.
The two walked and rested, walking and talking, for an entire day. As dusk fell, they found an inn on the road for lodging.
After traveling this way for three days, they finally left Konoha and entered the territory of the Grass Village. This marked half the distance of Orochimaru's planned journey.
Orochimaru looked up at the sky. The sun was setting, and night would soon descend.
As they had on previous days, Orochimaru and Sakumo found an inn. He pushed the door open and started to walk inside.
However, the moment he stepped in, he heard a string of curses: "Old man, you looking for trouble? How long have you been overdue on this month's rent? We boys have been waiting so long the damn flowers have wilted! Oh, is this your granddaughter? Quite a fresh blossom, eh? Heh heh. Let us boys have some fun tonight, and we'll call this month even. What do you say?"
Squeak—
The sound of the old wooden door opening was particularly grating at that moment.
After Orochimaru entered, he looked up. It was a common scene: six ruffians were trying to collect protection money from the innkeeper. Everyone else in the inn had already vanished.
When the group saw Orochimaru walk in so openly after witnessing the scene, they all froze, stopping their actions.
The leering, skinny leader of the ruffians seemed to feel challenged by Orochimaru's action. He shoved the innkeeper and his granddaughter aside, turned around, pushed away his subordinates, and walked with a swagger toward Orochimaru. He spoke menacingly: "You two brats..."
Pffft—
A few strange sounds were heard!
"Ah—" The ruffian heard a scream, apparently from the innkeeper's granddaughter, behind him.
Then, he felt an intense surge of pain in his chest. Looking down in terror, he saw that his chest had been completely pierced through by a mottled, poisonous python the thickness of a man's arm.
The brutal, bloodthirsty python, after penetrating the ruffian's chest, snaked its body around his neck, flicking its tongue out behind him. It tilted its triangular head, staring coldly at the thug, who was not quite dead.
The ruffian endured the pain and struggled to raise his head. His eyes followed the snake's body forward.
He saw that the mottled python's body extended all the way into the sleeve of Orochimaru, who was wearing the black hooded coat.
The ruffian's eyes, filled with eight parts fear and two parts plea, met Orochimaru's cold, emotionless dark-golden gaze. He tried to speak but was blocked by fragments of internal organs and blood welling up in his throat. He could only make a weak "Hoo-hoo-hoo—" sound before, along with his other four brothers, he collapsed to the ground with a dull "Thud—," bleeding into a pool of blood.
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