Orochimaru!
Whoosh!
Shimura Danzo shot up from his seat, his eyes locking intensely on his subordinate from the Foundation.
Normally, with his level of scheming and control, Danzo wouldn't allow himself to show even the slightest emotion in front of others. But this time, he truly couldn't hold it in.
Orochimaru... had disobeyed his orders!
And not just his. Orochimaru had also gone against the veiled intentions of his old comrade, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Even worse, he had publicly, and proactively, declared—as the examiner—that Senju Yukika had passed the graduation assessment!
What was he doing? Rebelling?
Just as Danzo was about to explode, a sudden thought struck him like a flash of lightning.
Yukika would become Orochimaru's student after graduation...
In that moment of realization, Danzo understood.
Orochimaru was a member of the Foundation... so that meant...
"He will never join the Foundation. That person wouldn't allow it."
"Neither would I."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice suddenly cut through the air beside him.
In an instant, cold sweat poured down Danzo's back.
He realized, with dawning dread, that every little shift in his expression had been caught by Hiruzen.
From Hiruzen's perspective... what did that make him?
A clown?
"Acting rashly will only invite suspicion," Hiruzen said slowly as he stood up. The moment Orochimaru spoke, he had already understood.
Today, he had lost.
Utterly.
Senju Yukika's assessment was over. In such a public setting, no one could step forward now and continue obstructing his graduation.
Right now—
He had publicized the exam, summoned so many ninja to witness it, only to have it all blow up in his face.
Before the eyes of the entire village, Senju Yukika had succeeded, landing a solid, resounding slap on Hiruzen's face.
With actions louder than words, Yukika told him—I don't fear your schemes.
Because he was the one who had hidden the deepest.
Quick reactions. Swordsmanship on par with Orochimaru. The ability to cast jutsu instantly.
Even with all that... it still wasn't enough!
Had he lost?
No.
It was just the beginning.
The Third Hokage narrowed his eyes, hiding his inner dissatisfaction. Instead, he replaced it with a look of joy and warmth, as he slowly pulled out a forehead protector—clearly prepared in advance—and stepped down from the stands toward the arena.
But at that moment, Senju Yukika's attention wasn't on Hiruzen. He was staring at Orochimaru in front of him with visible surprise.
Who could've guessed?
The man who, in the original timeline, was cold-blooded and ruthless—turned out to be the first person outside the Senju clan to reach out and offer him help after his transmigration.
Yukika definitely hadn't expected that.
But thinking deeper about the era and timing, it made sense.
Even Orochimaru... hadn't belonged to the darkness from the very beginning.
"You don't have to thank me, Yukika-kun," Orochimaru said calmly, turning as he noticed Hiruzen approaching closer and closer.
"I merely fulfilled my promise, nothing more."
"I just didn't want someone with such deep insight into ninjutsu to waste away in the Senju nursery, living just to survive."
Sou ka... Yukika understood now.
This cold, distant Orochimaru—
He had been missing something from the very start: someone who truly understood him.
And maybe Yukika's view on ninjutsu had let him sense a kindred spirit.
Redeeming Orochimaru?
Unnecessary.
Orochimaru is Orochimaru.
The man who would one day seek to learn every jutsu in existence.