Orochimaru let out a bitter smile.
When the people you risk your life to protect on the battlefield turn around and begin to doubt you… yeah, maybe it is time to question the meaning of your life.
He couldn't help but wonder what the point of everything he had done even was.
Did they think infiltrating the Hidden Cloud Village was a walk in the park?
Did they think it was easy to force the Eight-Tails into a berserk state, risking life and limb?
That sort of thing takes everything you've got.
You guard yourself against the enemy...
And now you have to watch your back from your own side?
What kind of logic is that?
"I don't know about the others,"
"But Orochimaru-sensei, you can trust me to watch your back."
Senju Yukika could tell just by looking at Orochimaru's expression exactly what he was thinking.
Anyone in his shoes would feel pretty miserable too.
Could he really entrust his back to his own student?
Orochimaru's eyes became complicated.
He recalled the moment when Yukika had handed over the Second Hokage's secret jutsu manual.
Back then, Orochimaru's intention had been clear—get closer to Yukika and obtain more of those rare and valuable techniques.
But now…
Something subtle had changed between them.
Was this what a true student-teacher bond felt like?
"And also, if the day ever comes when you have nowhere else to go, Orochimaru-sensei…"
"The doors of the Senju clan will always be open to you."
"This is a promise from me—your student, and the current head of the Senju clan."
This time,
Orochimaru's gaze shifted completely.
The Senju Clan…
A promise from its leader?
"…Thank you."
After a long silence, Orochimaru finally gave a nod, calm once more.
Maybe that day would come.
He didn't know for sure.
And what Orochimaru didn't know… was that Yukika was only able to say those words as clan head thanks to an unintentional act of kindness during their academy graduation exam.
Yukika had never forgotten the first person who had offered him a hand.
He gently patted the small pill bottle inside his cloak, smiling faintly.
Thanks to his system, he had already spent 20 Ability Points to copy the exact formula of Orochimaru's berserker pill. That meant as long as he had the right materials, he could mass-produce those tail-beast-enraging pills.
He had already checked with the system—though the ingredients were considered rare in the ninja world, they were all readily available in the system's marketplace, and they weren't even that expensive.
Which meant—
Yukika now had exclusive access, right after Orochimaru, to a drug capable of sending tailed beasts into total chaos!
This pill...
Would be immensely useful.
With Konoha's surveillance team completely eliminated, Orochimaru's squad continued their journey.
Relying on his extensive experience, Orochimaru used a special method to completely dissolve all the bodies, reducing them to unrecognizable pulp.
No one would ever know who had killed them.
For Yukika, this was nothing more than a minor detour.
After all, things between him and Hiruzen had already escalated to the point of no return. Being monitored at this stage wasn't exactly surprising.
But Yukika also understood something else—
A seed of resentment had been planted deep in Orochimaru's heart toward the higher-ups—toward his teacher.
And that meant the Senju Clan's future chief scientific adviser wasn't far off now.
Land of Lightning.
A country that had always believed in solving problems through sheer force, it was no surprise their village revered power above all else.
Their most iconic representation of that strength?
The Third Raikage—renowned for his nearly indestructible body.
It was said that he could even fight the Eight-Tails head-on using nothing but his raw physical might.
Unlike Konoha, the Hidden Cloud Village was located high among the clouds, shrouded by peaks that reached into the sky and constantly echoed with deafening thunder.
Three days later.
Atop a certain mountain peak…
Orochimaru's squad, fully equipped and battle-ready, finally arrived at the designated location.
Before them, hidden in the thick, rolling mists—
Was Kumogakure, the Hidden Cloud Village!
"According to the plan, our operation begins tonight."
"If I don't make it to the intel center inside Kumogakure before the chaos breaks out, then this is the last place we'll regroup."
As he spoke, Orochimaru pulled out a kunai and carved a symbol into the bark of a hidden tree nearby.
"This symbol… Senju Yukika, Nawaki—make sure you remember it."
"If something unexpected happens and I can't wait, this symbol means I'm safe and have already retreated."
After rubbing the mark out, Orochimaru's expression turned serious.
"I'll break through Kumogakure's barrier at the agreed time. That should draw the attention of their sensory ninja."
"You'll have enough time to get to the intel center. The location is marked clearly on the map."
"Remember—before the Eight-Tails goes berserk, you must stay hidden. Do not let yourselves be exposed."
"Now then…"
"As squad leader, I officially declare—this mission…"
"Begins!"