Staring at the unconscious pair of brothers, Kiyosuke clapped his hands. Then, looking at Mizuki's face, he clicked his tongue in disdain, grabbed a fistful of the boy's silver hair, and set it ablaze, leaving it looking like a fried bird's nest.
With a cheeky grin, he suddenly felt a chill crawl up his spine.
"Psssh... why do I have such a bad feeling all of a sudden? Time to scram."
He left the brothers there. There weren't any wild beasts around that could threaten them, so they wouldn't die. His instincts screamed at him—if he didn't leave now, trouble was guaranteed.
Just then, a soft rustle came from the grass.
He turned to see a small white snake slithering out.
Just a snake? That startled me for nothing—
Wait. A snake...?
"Young man, your body's quite the mystery, isn't it?"
A magnetic voice, thick with interest, sent goosebumps racing across Kiyosuke's skin. He stiffened instinctively, slowly turning around—only to be met with a figure clad in a purple kimono.
Okay. Short guy. Not a huge deal.
He looked up.
A pale face, with slitted golden eyes gazing down at him. Those eyes brimmed with curiosity, as if he were a snake who had just found a particularly fascinating prey.
That face. That look in his eyes. And those jade-blue magatama earrings.
No need to guess who this was.
One of the Legendary Sannin. The cold one. Orochimaru.
Kiyosuke: "..."
Orochimaru.
Gender… currently male. Preferences… probably female.
A seeker of forbidden knowledge who had mastered advanced techniques, unfettered by society's norms...
Erm... yeah. Let's just say "unfettered by norms."
Ruthless. Cruel. Fond of abducting children. Loves performing illegal experiments.
Crap. He definitely saw me earlier.
That look in his eyes—it's exactly the same as the one I get when I'm staring at lewd pictures online.
As a future leaf of Konoha, he figured he should probably keep his distance from this man.
Problem was... what if he didn't want to let me go?
That little white snake from before slithered up into Orochimaru's pant leg. The man licked his lips and said,
"Who would've thought that going out for a walk to search for inspiration would lead me to something this interesting? What's your name?"
He had only come over after hearing sounds of a fight, just to take a look. But what he saw stunned him—Kiyosuke using fire without weaving hand seals, punishing Kaneki with a mysterious power. Even through the mist, he'd seen it all clearly.
No hand signs. Natural flames. That had definitely piqued his interest.
"Asa—Asakawa Kiyosuke."
Standing before him, Kiyosuke felt like he was being crushed under a mountain of pressure.
"Asakawa... Asakawa Taiga and Asakawa Keiko's son?"
Orochimaru remembered those names. During the Second Shinobi World War, on the battlefield at Amegakure, Special Jonin Asakawa Taiga had sacrificed himself to complete a mission. Not long after—on the very same day—his wife's medical unit was ambushed. Many were killed, including Keiko.
The couple had died on the same day, leaving behind a boy barely three or four years old.
Orochimaru had personally retrieved their bodies.
His gaze softened slightly as he looked at Kiyosuke. For a moment, he saw a reflection of his own childhood. Only... this boy was far stronger than he had been.
"You knew my parents?"
"I met them a few times," Orochimaru said, clearly not wanting to dwell on the subject. "Kiyosuke-kun, your ability is quite special. Can you show it to me again?"
Crap, he's got his eyes on me now!
But faced with Orochimaru, Kiyosuke had no choice but to grit his teeth and summon fire in the palm of his hand.
"No hand signs again?"
"No."
"Is this a kekkei genkai passed down in your family?" Orochimaru asked—but immediately dismissed the idea.
If Taiga had possessed the same power, he wouldn't have died so easily on the battlefield. And aside from the Uchiha and Hyūga clans, Konoha didn't really have any other well-known kekkei genkai users. The Kurama clan could manipulate senses—but the family had declined long ago and faded into obscurity.
Could this boy's bloodline have once held a powerful kekkei genkai that fell dormant over generations? And now, by some twist of fate, it had reawakened in him?
"What's a kekkei genkai?" Kiyosuke asked innocently.
Orochimaru gave him a simple explanation, then asked, watching as Kiyosuke extinguished the flame in his hand,
"Doesn't that burn?"
Normally, powerful jutsu came at a price. The stronger the technique, the greater the cost—either in chakra or physical damage. Yet this child showed no signs of injury or chakra fatigue.
"Nope."
"When did you first get this ability?"
Kiyosuke glanced at him warily and said, quietly,
"After... after my mom and dad died."
...
Orochimaru noticed the fear and suspicion in the boy's eyes—but brushed it off. Just a child afraid of a stranger. Perfectly normal. Especially for someone who'd lost his parents at a young age.
An emotional trigger awakening a latent ability, perhaps?
Could Konoha be gaining another new kekkei genkai?
Still unable to determine the true nature of Kiyosuke's power, Orochimaru said,
"Kiyosuke-kun, would you like to come with me? I have a rather large house with lots of fun little toys. If you get tired, you can even take a nap there."
He sounded exactly like a shady adult trying to lure a kid into his van.
Kiyosuke felt a chill.
If he went with him, all that awaited would be a cold operating table... and a sharp scalpel.
He's gonna dissect me, isn't he?
Orochimaru, no! Snake man, no!
"N-no, my parents told me never to go into strangers' houses! Bye, mister!"
He turned to flee.
Too late.
Several snakes slithered from Orochimaru's sleeves and coiled tightly around him.
Their cold, scaled bodies bound him like rope. A serpent as thick as his arm stared at him, flicking its tongue.
Crap, crap, crap!
Orochimaru chuckled. "My, you're very cautious, Kiyosuke-kun. But I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just curious about your ability. Come with me."
Snake man, no! Snake man, no!
"Help! Someone's trying to abduct a minor! Help!"
Kiyosuke screamed at the top of his lungs.
"No use screaming," Orochimaru said with a smile. "This is a perfect training spot—remote and quiet. I often take walks here. No one's going to hear you, even if you scream until your voice breaks."
"Break! My! Voice!"
Orochimaru: "..."
Does this child actually have a working brain?
Wanting to reduce Kiyosuke's suspicion, Orochimaru loosened the snakes around him and said,
"Kiyosuke-kun, I'm Orochimaru, a student of the Third Hokage. There's no need to worry. I won't hurt you. I just want to understand the source of your power. And from the way you've been sneaking around, I'm guessing you're trying to hide this ability too, right?"
"If I can figure it out, you'll be able to use your power openly in the village. What do you say? Will you come with me?"
He extended a hand, eyes full of expectation, eager to see what choice the boy would make.