"Interesting Hyūga. You're different from the others."
Orochimaru stood there, his calm tone laced with curiosity.
Those words immediately filled Satori Hyūga with immense pressure.
Orochimaru radiated an oppressive aura that instinctively inspired fear.
Especially for Satori, who knew all too well what lay ahead.
He knew that in time, Orochimaru would become a rogue ninja—causing chaos and eventually slaying the Third Hokage.
"You're afraid of me?" Orochimaru asked.
Those piercing, deep-set eyes seemed to bore into Satori's very soul, making his heart race.
"You flatter me, Lord Orochimaru," Satori replied with a light smile, masking his unease and composing himself. "How could I possibly be afraid of you? You're one of Konoha's Three Legendary Shinobi—Konoha's great hero."
Back when Orochimaru was still revered as a hero of Konoha, he had already earned countless merits and gained renown across the ninja world.
If he showed panic now, wouldn't that just raise suspicion?
"I've often heard stories about you before. Meeting you in person today filled me with excitement."
Orochimaru gave a slight nod and said, "I heard the Hyūga clan produced a genius who created the New Gentle Fist based on the traditional Gentle Fist. That must have been what you were practicing earlier."
Kushina stepped forward and casually said, "Actually, we were doing [Iron Fist] training."
As the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki and with Orochimaru being Hiruzen Sarutobi's student, they naturally already knew each other.
So Kushina approached Orochimaru more relaxedly.
Satori glanced at Kushina and noticed yet another of her strengths.
She had a vast network, connecting with the highest echelons of power.
"I understand."
Orochimaru turned his gaze toward Satori and asked, "You must be the genius Hyūga Satori—the one who invented this New Gentle Fist technique."
Satori nodded. There was no need to hide it.
Still, he silently groaned to himself.
Orochimaru's information-gathering abilities were indeed impressive.
Well, that made sense. After the Second Great Shinobi War, Orochimaru's reputation had risen steadily, positioning him as a strong candidate for becoming the Fourth Hokage.
Many ninjas had already pinned their hopes on him early on.
Unfortunately, Minato Namikaze took the role instead, and Orochimaru was later exposed for conducting human experiments before defecting from the village.
Just thinking about how Minato was standing nearby right now brought a strange feeling to Satori.
But he quickly shoved those thoughts aside, afraid they might betray him through his expression.
"Lord Orochimaru desires the New Gentle Fist? If so, I can teach you the training methods," Satori offered.
Orochimaru shook his head, his dark eyes fixed on Satori as he said, "I was merely passing through here and came to check out the noise."
"Never expected to run into you. Seems like my luck is good today."
"How about becoming my disciple?"
He extended the offer, but Satori dared not accept easily.
Who knew whether being his student meant becoming expendable material for experiments?
To avoid offending Orochimaru, Satori launched into a masterful act.
A flash of elation crossed his face, quickly replaced by a look of apprehension.
Satori's expression shifted constantly, betraying his inner turmoil.
Satori Hyūga lifted his head, hesitating before speaking to Orochimaru. "Lord Orochimaru, I am a member of the Hyūga Main House. If I wish to become your disciple, I must first obtain my clan's approval."
"The Hyūga Clan's rules are strict, and the Main House members are heavily restricted. I cannot make this decision on my own."
What he said was indeed true.
Among the more than three thousand members of the Hyūga Clan, excluding ordinary civilians and Branch House members, there were only about ten people in the Main House.
For Satori to take on a master was no small matter.
If he tried to take just any teacher, the clan would never agree.
But Orochimaru was different.
Satori intended to buy time by feigning hesitation, hoping that if he delayed long enough within his clan, maybe Orochimaru would simply forget about him.
It was a solid plan—but reality rarely plays out as expected.
Orochimaru said, "Don't worry. I will speak with your clan leader myself. I'm sure they'll be more than willing to let you become my disciple."
"In that case, thank you, Lord Orochimaru," Satori replied helplessly.
"Lord Orochimaru, if I may ask, what made you choose me?"
He wanted to add, *I can change if needed.*
Joining Orochimaru made Satori feel like it might lead to great danger in the future.
Unless…he could somehow steer Orochimaru away from his dark path and twisted ideology.
Orochimaru looked at Satori with interest and said, "In you, I see echoes of myself."
"And there's something about your life force—it fascinates me."
What did that mean?
Was Orochimaru saying they were alike?
Satori thought quietly to himself.
One sought to master the ultimate truth of the world and achieve immortality.
Himself? He merely wished to use chakra's mystical powers to extend his lifespan and live peacefully until the end of the story.
One secretly conducted various experiments in shadows and created snake-based ninjutsu.
As for himself, relying on past-life knowledge and experience, using his Byakugan as a foundation, he had developed the [Replenishing Jutsu]—a ninjutsu focused on health preservation.
Hmm—now that he thought about it, they really were quite similar.
And that Orochimaru could sense the immense vitality hidden within him proved why he was one of the Sannin.
Satori looked at Orochimaru and asked curiously, "Kushina is an Uzumaki too—her chakra reserves are just as strong, if not stronger. Why didn't you choose her instead?"
Upon hearing Satori's words, Kushina also turned her gaze toward Orochimaru.
Though she admired Lady Tsunade more, Orochimaru was also a great hero of Konoha.
Being taken in as his student probably wouldn't be a bad thing.
"Kushina has a bloodline limit, which is different from yours. Yours seems to have been cultivated later in life," Orochimaru explained.
"I've read your file before. Ever since you began channeling chakra, you've always had limited reserves. That must have been because you were practicing this secret art all along."
Satori stiffened, surprise flickering across his face.
He hadn't expected Orochimaru to piece it together so quickly.
"Truly worthy of being Lord Orochimaru. Your insight is amazing," Satori praised, then continued.
[Feeding-Back Jutsu]. It allows me to channel refined chakra back into my physical body, maintaining my body's health and vitality."
He figured, since Orochimaru was so set on making him a disciple, he might as well flaunt his abilities a little.
The more skills he showcased, the more likely he would be able to replace Kabuto and learn everything Orochimaru knew.
Who knows, maybe one day he could use this knowledge to remake himself.
Six Paths Satori Hyūga—that sounded impressive enough.
He shared his philosophy and approach to health maintenance, instantly sparking Orochimaru's interest.
"Immortality? You desire it?"
Orochimaru hadn't expected that the apprentice he'd taken on out of mere curiosity would actually share such similar beliefs and ideals.
What was so glorious about battle and bloodshed anyway? Immortality was where true truth lay.
Only through living could one attain true understanding, grasping the ultimate truths of the world, and experience all its wonders.
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