The training grounds lay silent under the cover of night, with only Hakken remaining.
Orochimaru had already left.
It was clear that after today's conversation and brief exchange, Orochimaru's interest in him had deepened completely.
But Hakken felt no fear.
His strength was growing by the day. Given time, any so-called threat would eventually vanish.
To him, today's confrontation with Orochimaru had been necessary.
On one hand, drawing Orochimaru's attention might seem troublesome, but soon enough, Orochimaru would leave Konoha.
On the other, it ensured that Orochimaru wouldn't bother reporting anything about him to the higher-ups.
It was almost like an unspoken understanding between the two.
Someday, Hakken would seek him out again—for a real talk. And when that day came, they would see for themselves who the true predator was.
...
"You went to see him?"
At the entrance of Orochimaru's laboratory in the Root base, Danzō stood waiting.
Clearly, he had come early, hoping to pry some information out of Orochimaru.
There were very few children in Konoha whose files Orochimaru would personally request.
As the leader of Root, Danzō naturally paid close attention to such things.
He wanted to know what made that boy, Hakken Yoru, different from the rest.
"Just an interesting little brat," Orochimaru replied.
The man known as "Mr. Snake" had already regained his calm, his serpentine eyes staring coldly at Danzō.
A boring man—ambitious, yet lacking the power to match his ambition.
That was Orochimaru's judgment of him.
And now, he saw that truth more clearly than ever.
"If you've got nothing important to say, leave. I don't want my experiments interrupted."
Danzō frowned. He clearly hadn't expected Orochimaru to be so dismissive.
"I do have something to say."
Taking a deep breath, Danzō's expression hardened. "You'd best keep your head down for a while. Sarutobi and the Fourth have already begun investigating the missing children."
That again.
Orochimaru stared at him silently. It was a question he had no intention of answering twice.
So what if they were investigating?
He was going to leave sooner or later—only the timing remained uncertain.
His experiments were nearly complete, and he had no reason to stop now.
"In less than six months, Konoha will face upheaval," Danzō said gravely, lifting a finger toward the sky. "That position—isn't it what you've always desired?"
"This is your chance."
That position?
Orochimaru suddenly chuckled.
His smile was full of mockery and disdain for the Root leader before him.
"That position—isn't that what you've always desired?"
His neck suddenly elongated, coiling around Danzō's throat as his cold, inhuman eyes gleamed with killing intent.
"Danzō, do you really think I, Orochimaru, would become your puppet in this power struggle with our sensei, the way Minato did?"
Orochimaru was far sharper than Danzō gave him credit for.
The moment Danzō spoke, he had already seen through his schemes.
A "turning point," he said—the one that would decide who held that position.
Even now, Danzō still hadn't let go of his ambitions.
Indeed, after the Third Shinobi World War, the calls for him to become Hokage had been no less than those for Minato Namikaze.
But in the end, Sarutobi-sensei had chosen Minato—the one easier to control.
And Danzō's dream of becoming Hokage had ended right there.
"Sorry," Orochimaru said softly, "but I'm no longer interested in that title."
"The position you covet means less to me than a single research report."
Releasing Danzō, Orochimaru turned and began walking back into his laboratory.
But just as he stepped through the door, he paused, his body leaning forward slightly. His head twisted unnaturally, rotating a full three hundred and sixty degrees to look back at the stunned Danzō.
"However," he said with a smile, "if it's about destroying it… that does interest me quite a bit."
...
Winter had come to an end.
The spring sunlight was especially warm.
Hakken's life had settled into a steady rhythm—day after day of training, sweating alongside Itachi at the practice grounds.
That morning, Itachi arrived early, waiting outside the Mitarashi residence.
When Hakken stepped out dressed in his training uniform, Itachi quickly approached him, holding out something that looked like an admission pass.
"The Ninja Academy starts today. Father has already taken care of our enrollment paperwork."
A gentle smile spread across his face. This time, Itachi deliberately avoided touching on any sensitive subjects, brushing it all aside with a simple, "Father handled it for us."
After all, Hakken was an orphan.
His sister, Anko, was often absent-minded about such matters—better to leave this to Itachi.
School, huh?
Taking the admission notice, Hakken paused in thought.
As expected, Orochimaru hadn't revealed anything about his true strength, so he'd remained unnoticed by Konoha's higher-ups.
But once Itachi enrolled—and then, just a year later, graduated from the Ninja Academy and caused a sensation in the village—the higher-ups would inevitably start paying attention to the boy who was always by his side.
One year.
That should be enough.
Tucking the notice away, Hakken nodded at Itachi, and the two of them began walking toward the Ninja Academy.
As his hand brushed against the hilt of his Zanpakutō, a faint tremor ran through his body.
It wasn't fear—it was the thrill of anticipation.
If being noticed was unavoidable...
Then let the very ground beneath his feet tremble because of him.