Danzō left.
Before he did, he gave Orochimaru a long, meaningful look.
A man devoid of humanity, who used the bodies of children for his experiments, was clearly not a good partner.
And their partnership was indeed a delicate one.
Orochimaru needed Root's help, cover, and a certain degree of protection to complete his experiments.
And Danzō needed these experiments, which were destined to never see the light of day, for Root's use.
Frankly speaking.
Danzō greatly admired Orochimaru, but at the same time, he had absolutely no trust in him.
Orochimaru's talent was undeniable, but his character...
"Focus your attention on the Uchiha clan for now."
After leaving Orochimaru's laboratory, Danzō instructed his subordinate.
"Inform the Anbu monitoring the Uchiha clan. Starting today, Root will take over their duties."
"I want to know every move the Uchiha clan makes, up and down, including... Uchiha Fugaku."
"As for Uchiha Haruko..."
As Danzō spoke, a cold glint flashed in his single eye again.
"We'll wait for Orochimaru's response..."
"If it comes to it, I can disguise myself as that mysterious person and kill her directly."
...
That evening.
Taking advantage of the quiet, Qingchuan, with her absolute sensory perception, had planned to enjoy a nice, hot bath.
But she hadn't been soaking for long when that familiar, disgusting aura returned, forcing her to climb out.
She threw on her clothes as fast as she could, slipped on her dress, grabbed her sword, and ran outside.
Orochimaru was fast.
By the time Qingchuan reached the courtyard they used for combat, Orochimaru was already waiting there.
"Good evening."
"Haruko's vigilance, as always, puts her teacher at ease."
Orochimaru's tone was as wicked and playful as ever.
And Qingchuan's response was, as always, true to her original intention.
"Scatter, Senbonzakura!"
Having held back for two days, Qingchuan was also missing Orochimaru terribly...
The long sword instantly scattered into countless blades.
Under the moonlight, a sea of pink blossoms enveloped the young girl.
Her hair, still damp from her bath, made her look all the more captivating under the reflection of the floral sea.
All of this was reflected in Orochimaru's eyes.
Even he, who saw only science in his eyes, couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
What a... perfect girl.
This was definitely the greatest treasure he had ever discovered!
He truly never tired of looking at her...
His long tongue flicked out, but Orochimaru's figure retreated continuously.
Something that could so deeply interest an extremely dangerous person was obviously not safe itself.
Under the gaze of those two tomoe, the sea of blossoms surged madly toward Orochimaru.
At the same time.
Qingchuan began to chant.
It was the incantation for a Kidō spell.
"Ye lord! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams but slightly shall the claws of justice lean..."
"Hadō #33: Sōkatsui!"
When her Shikai was still at nearly half its limit, Qingchuan's incantation finally ended.
A white explosion, like flashing lightning, followed the sky full of cherry blossoms and shot straight for Orochimaru!
This was the first time Qingchuan had used a full-power Kidō spell after activating her Shikai.
Because the incantation time was too long, and with the improvement in her spiritual power, the power reduction from abandoning the incantation was limited.
In her month-long duels with Orochimaru, she had never even considered this option.
But tonight was different.
Tonight... was the second day since becoming his disciple that she hadn't gotten to slash at Orochimaru!
Qingchuan didn't know if one could get addicted to cutting people, but as for cutting Orochimaru, she took great pleasure in it!
"Even more... spirited tonight, are we?"
"Is it because it's your first time killing someone..."
"Interesting. It seems Haruko really is different from other girls."
A hint of gravity flashed in Orochimaru's eyes, but it was still mostly admiration.
While muttering to himself, Orochimaru's hands didn't slow in the slightest.
He formed hand seals, bit his index finger, and slammed his hand onto the ground.
"Summoning Technique! Rashōmon!"
A massive gate, carved with a ferocious demonic face, rose from the ground!
The swift and violent lightning crashed into the Rashōmon, creating a tremendous roar!
BOOM!!!!
Dust flew everywhere.
Qingchuan panted slightly, her brows furrowed, maintaining her combat-state smile-and-reply buff.
Something seems off about Orochimaru tonight.
He was dodging exclusively, not to mention he had used this summoning technique in front of her for the first time.
Something was wrong.
Qingchuan tightened her grip on Senbonzakura, her gaze growing serious.
"Your killing intent is still too obvious, Haruko."
"That... will ruin your smile."
The dust settled.
Orochimaru, standing atop the Rashōmon, spoke softly.
His eyes were still filled with interest, but the playful tone in his voice had vanished.
An aura of killing intent began to radiate from Orochimaru's body!
Yes.
Killing intent.
The undisguised killing intent belonging to one of the Sannin, Konoha's Cold Sannin, Orochimaru!
"Haruko, I'm preparing to leave Konoha soon."
"Right now, you have only two choices."
"Come with me... or die!"
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