"I can't say I agree with you, Yukika-kun."
The first probing exchange had ended, and Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with excitement, like a predator spotting rare prey. But clearly, he didn't agree with Yukika's philosophy of "as long as you have hands."
"Because... hand seal-less casting doesn't require hands."
Sometimes, Uncle Snake did show a bit of humor. But making that kind of joke now didn't quite fit the mood.
The testing phase was over.
On the field, the atmosphere shifted between the two. Unlike before, Orochimaru didn't pull back. Instead, he drew the blade at his hip and rushed toward Yukika.
Going head-to-head with the Senju Clan in ninjutsu was, frankly, foolish. You never truly knew how overwhelming their chakra reserves could be. Orochimaru understood this well.
Unless it was a ninjutsu capable of one-hit kills, using it would barely be a dent in Yukika's stamina.
But using ninjutsu to harass during close combat? Perfectly fine.
Still, he had made a promise—as a teacher, not a killer. He had vowed to assess Yukika as a mentor would a student, not as a life-or-death enemy.
This version of Orochimaru still held onto faith and reason, far from the cold, ruthless version he'd eventually become. Back when he accepted Yukika's scroll, he made a commitment—and he would honor it.
Character shifts don't happen overnight.
This was before he'd seen the slaughter at Kikyo Pass during the Third Shinobi World War. Back when he still viewed life as fragile—but not meaningless. Before he lost the Hokage election to Minato Namikaze and was exposed for illegal human experiments.
Right now, he saw Yukika as a key to revolutionizing traditional ninjutsu.
He wouldn't kill Yukika—quite the opposite. He wanted to sit down and talk about their respective philosophies on ninjutsu.
This was also the moment where Orochimaru was most susceptible to Yukika's influence.
At least, for now, he still had a moral bottom line.
From a teacher's perspective, testing a student became very straightforward.
Step one was evaluating Yukika's situational response—how he would react to sudden attacks from shuriken and ninjutsu harassment.
Yukika handled it well—and fast.
Step two: gauge his close-quarters combat abilities.
In shinobi battles, missing your first strike and exposing your position can be fatal. With limited chakra and the fatigue that comes from overuse, weakness becomes deadly on the battlefield.
That's why taijutsu scuffles and sword clashes are inevitable.
This part of the test was even more important than reaction speed.
Orochimaru wasn't particularly skilled in hand-to-hand combat, so choosing swordplay for this round made sense.
Swordsmanship, huh?
Watching Orochimaru close in, Yukika immediately understood his intent.
The shinobi world had no shortage of incredible sword users. The most well-known? Kakashi's father, Sakumo Hatake.
The man once called the "White Fang of the Leaf" had recently slain Sasori's parents—Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law.
But as Orochimaru's strike drew closer, Yukika let out a sigh.
When it came to swordsmanship...
The world of shinobi still lagged behind the world of the Shinigami.
After all, the shinobi world thrived on bloodline limits and jutsu battles...