The battle ended quickly.
Under the horrified gazes of those who had secretly followed them from Konoha, the slaughter was executed in an eerily orderly fashion.
This was the first time Nawaki had ever killed someone, and it was obvious he wasn't used to it.
He didn't have Senju Yukika's unnervingly strong mental resilience. After all, he was still a child. The moment he stabbed his kunai into the enemy's heart, he lost all strength and collapsed beneath a tree, staring blankly as he reflected on life.
Rain began to fall, just in time to wash away the blood on the ground.
Even Orochimaru hadn't expected that their first confrontation after leaving the village wouldn't be with enemy shinobi—but with fellow villagers.
That made him even angrier.
But there was nowhere to vent that fury. He could only channel it into brutal and merciless strikes during the fight.
Go back and question Lord Hiruzen?
No.
That would be a foolish move.
If Hiruzen Sarutobi made the first move, he could claim those ANBU were dispatched to protect Orochimaru's team. He could even question why Orochimaru would attack fellow Konoha shinobi.
That reasoning would immediately put Orochimaru in a disadvantageous position. So even knowing those people had been sent to monitor him, he could only pretend not to notice.
There was no doubt anymore—he was under suspicion.
Was it because of the drug he developed that could send tailed beasts into a frenzy?
It wasn't that simple.
It probably also had something to do with Yukika.
Orochimaru glanced at his student, deep in thought.
That test during the academy graduation… in the end, it had made his old teacher lose faith in him. Perhaps Lord Third had already assumed he was aligned with the Senju.
I should have expected this much earlier.
Letting the rain wash down his face, his eyes held a flicker of uncertainty and confusion.
Senju Yukika.
He was his student…
And yet, only now did Orochimaru realize that during that graduation test, Yukika hadn't used his full strength.
At the very least, his ghostlike speed had far surpassed even Orochimaru's own. And that speed… had never been displayed once during the exam.
Even more shocking was his razor-sharp perception.
Terrifying sensory ability...
Even Orochimaru himself hadn't noticed those shinobi tailing them from Konoha.
Of course, it wasn't that Orochimaru's sensory skills were bad. The ones assigned by the Hokage this time weren't ordinary ninja.
He recognized them.
They were elite ANBU shinobi, drawn from the Moonlight Clan within Konoha.
That clan was known for possessing a rare and powerful kekkei genkai: Transparent Release.
This ability allowed them to completely conceal their presence and make their bodies fully transparent—only a select few in the clan could even manage it.
No chakra fluctuations, no detectable presence.
And yet, even they had been easily found by Yukika.
Just like that time, when Yukika had detected his presence during training at the Senju compound.
How? How had Yukika sensed him… and those stealthy Transparent Release shinobi?
Orochimaru felt a little lost.
He already knew Yukika was no ordinary child.
But now, that sense of mystery surrounding him…
"Deep in thought, are we, Orocshimaru-sensei?"
With a faint smile, Yukika walked up to Orochimaru, casually wiping blood from his hands.
Having witnessed bloodshed firthand, his mindset had undergone a subtle but profound shift.
Yukika realized—
He was quickly adapting to this cruel world.
This was reality.
If you didn't kill, you would be killed.