Chapter 105 – Anko Mitarashi
Morning
After leaving his house, Kazane headed straight for Orochimaru's laboratory.
Based on what he knew of Orochimaru, there was no way he'd be anywhere else at this hour—he was most certainly holed up in his lab.
Kazane arrived at the lab hidden near the outskirts of Konoha. After performing a quick series of hand seals, the mountainside split open, revealing a hidden entrance.
Sure enough, upon entering, he found Orochimaru inside. What he didn't expect, however, was the presence of a tiny bean sprout of a girl alongside him…
The moment the seal was triggered, Orochimaru already knew it was Kazane. No one else in Konoha even knew about this lab—Orochimaru had several labs hidden around the village.
"Kazane, you're here."
Hearing his footsteps, Orochimaru paused his experiment, turned around, and greeted Kazane.
The more time he spent with this disciple, the more satisfied he became. Taking Kazane as his student remained one of his greatest decisions.
If he'd handed Kazane over to Tsunade back then, he wouldn't even know where to cry now.
"This is my new student, Anko Mitarashi. You can just call her Anko from now on."
Orochimaru introduced the young girl, who stood shyly to the side, sneaking timid glances at Kazane.
Looking at the nervous little girl in front of him, Kazane couldn't reconcile that she would one day grow into that daring, provocatively dressed, fishnet-clad seductress.
Still, young Anko was unexpectedly adorable.
Unable to resist, Kazane stepped forward to tease her a little. But before he even reached her side, Anko burst into tears.
That caught Kazane completely off guard.
His good looks had always made him popular with girls. This was the first time his charm had failed him so utterly.
What he hadn't considered was that although his appearance hadn't changed much, his aura had. His eyes, his presence—they now radiated something much more intense.
Even seasoned jōnin could feel pressured under his sharp gaze—let alone a child.
Strangely enough, when Orochimaru approached her, gently patting her head. Almost immediately, Anko stopped crying.
"Her parents died in the war. She's an orphan and still very shy. With time, she'll open up."
Orochimaru rubbed Anko's head with rare tenderness as he explained to Kazane.
No one is born emotionless.
The reason Orochimaru turned into the cold, detached figure we know from the original story was because of betrayal and repeated grief.
He had seen too much death, too much heartache.
Like in the original timeline, Danzo—his long-time supplier of "research materials"—had been the first to throw him under the bus, blaming him for conducting forbidden human experiments.
Even though Tobirama, the Second Hokage, had done the same, no one held him accountable. And it was Danzo who had supplied Orochimaru with the materials which indirectly encourage him—why hadn't the village punished him?
What followed was the crushing mistrust from Jiraiya and Tsunade.
While he could endure Hiruzen Sarutobi's suspicions, the disbelief from Jiraiya and Tsunade cut too deep.
That was when Orochimaru truly changed—ceasing to trust anyone but himself, discarding human emotions, and devoting himself wholly to the pursuit of immortality.
Kazane and Orochimaru soon moved on to discuss their next steps—specifically, their plans for when Hiruzen eventually stepped down as Hokage.
Kazane also shared his agreement with Hizashi Hyuga.
In turn, Orochimaru told him about Uchiha Syōma's death on the Iwa front.
Eventually:
"Orochimaru-sensei, have you ever considered... what if the Hokage doesn't step down as promised?"
Kazane asked the question suddenly.
After all, Hiruzen had only ever privately mentioned his retirement plans to Kazane and Orochimaru—never to anyone else.
If he chose not to step down, then no matter how much they prepared, it would all be meaningless. And it wasn't like they could assassinate the Hokage in the village.
Orochimaru fell silent for a while before replying firmly:
"I'll respect my teacher's decision."
Clearly, despite everything, Sarutobi Hiruzen still held a significant place in Orochimaru's heart.
Since he'd said that, Kazane had no more to add.
But in Kazane's mind, while Sarutobi could live, Danzo had to die. And if Sarutobi didn't take his mercy, then death it would be.
The shinobi world was still ruled by strength. Even though Kazane was now recognized as the strongest on the surface, it didn't quench his thirst for more power.
He knew what kind of monsters would eventually emerge in the future.
Compared to those at the Six Paths level, his current strength was still woefully insufficient.
He couldn't even guarantee victory against Might Duy if he opened the Eighth Gate of Death.
After finishing their discussion about village matters, Kazane voiced a personal concern.
"Orochimaru-sensei, I've hit a bottleneck in my training with the Eight Gates. It's not that I can't open more gates—it's that the side effects are already more than my body can bear."
He believed Orochimaru was the only one capable of addressing this issue. In the realm of human anatomy and biological research, not even the resurrected Tobirama could rival him.
"You learned the Eight Gates from Might Duy, didn't you?"
Although he'd never seen them train together, Orochimaru spoke with absolute certainty.
Speaking of Might Duy—he was no longer the laughingstock he once was. He had transformed how everyone in the village saw him.
On the Iwa battlefield, he had repeatedly defeated Han, the Steam Ninja and Five-Tails jinchūriki, in direct combat.
Even when Han fully transformed into the Five-Tails, Duy's fists forced the beast to retreat back into his host.
Those who once mocked him now respectfully addressed him as "Lord Duy." He had become one of the very few in the shinobi world recognized as strong enough to take on a Tailed Beast.
It's good to know that his getting the recognition he deserves.
"I've noticed it too—the Eight Gates is a forbidden technique that grants its user strength many times their own. But it comes at the cost of burning away their life force. Might Duy is only in his thirties, but the toll it's taken on his body has aged him to nearly fifty."
"That said… this technique can be improved theoretically. How about this: bring Duy here tomorrow. I'll need multiple sets of data.
Orochimaru paused, clearly suppressing his excitement.
He didn't want to experiment on his precious pupil—if something went wrong, the consequences would be unthinkable.
If not Kazane, then Might Duy was the only viable option. Of course, not without permission and this would benefit both parties.
After leaving the lab, Kazane headed toward Tsunade's residence.
DONG! DONG! DONG!
Standing outside the Senju estate, Kazane gently knocked on the door.
A long silence passed.
DONG! DONG!! DONG!!!
Still no answer.
"Could Tsunade be out?"
He furrowed his brow in confusion. After knocking for so long without a response, he began to wonder.
Fortunately, just as he was about to leave, Shizune walked up with groceries in hand.
"What are you doing?"
She gave Kazane a puzzled look. Why was he just standing outside? If he was here to see Tsunade-sama, why not just go in?
In truth, the once-great Senju clan had dwindled to just Tsunade.
Some of its members had married into other families. Most had died in the Second Great Ninja War. Those who didn't fall on the battlefield had perished in the many missions that followed.