A person walked out of the camp, came to a small river, watching the river flowing, feeling the cold wind blowing. His heart, which had been anxious for Chao Yanqian, gradually calmed down.
The death of Keita Hyūga and the serious injury of Hoshinohara made Asuna Chinye feel terrified. Chao Yanqian didn't know how weak he himself might be in the future. But it is undeniable that Asuna absolutely did not want his fate to be like that of Keita Hyūga and Hoshinohara.
Even though Hoshinohara was healed today, Akane Tsunaya doesn't know if what he did was right or wrong.
He can't continue to be a ninja; Hoshinohara's dream is doomed to be shattered. But he also has some medical ninjutsu, and in the future, he can treat illnesses and save people at Konoha Hospital. He no longer has to be like a ninja, who is born to die for the village.
But can Hoshinohara bear such a blow?
It's like Chao Yanqian. If this mission fails,Chao Yanqian will inevitably be questioned by the higher-ups in the village and abandoned by Orochimaru. From then on, he would have no relationship with the road to strength—and Chao Yanqian absolutely could not accept that.
Because being weak and insignificant means that he can't control his own destiny. Chao Yanqian has no background. Once he becomes as ordinary as other ninjas, he is doomed to be abandoned by the village. And maybe one day, he will die during some random mission.
Therefore,Chao Yanqian must constantly show his talents, make the village value him, cultivate him—until he becomes strong.
Hate the village?
Asuna does not hate Konoha. There is politics, darkness, and contradiction in every place. This is inevitable, because it is the nature of human beings. As a former assassin, he deeply understands this.
Asuna must accept the darkness, and even make use of it.
In fact, Asuna is very grateful to the village for raising him as a baby and cultivating him into a ninja.
Although the purpose of the village is to make Chao Yanqian stronger so he can better serve—even die—for them,Chao Yanqian also needs resources from the village to grow stronger step by step.
This is a two-way transaction. It is a bit too shallow to comment on these things in black and white. If you insist on explaining it, it depends on whose methods are better—the winner, naturally, is the king.
The death of Keita Hyūga shows he was still too weak. If he had been as strong as Orochimaru, then even if he had become a missing-nin, Konoha wouldn't dare attack him easily. Even after betraying Akatsuki, they still chose to cooperate with Orochimaru and make use of him.
"Are you hiding here to mourn your teammates?" Orochimaru quietly appeared behind Chao Yanqian, his hoarse voice still as unsettling as ever.
"Lord Orochimaru!" Chao Yanqian said respectfully.
"I didn't expect you to have such a superb level of medical ninjutsu besides your extraordinary talents and insight," Orochimaru said in admiration.
Chao Yanqian came here alone, not only wanting silence but also hoping to wait for Orochimaru to appear.
This time, he treated Hoshinohara and displayed superb medical ninjutsu—even Tsunade, who had once suffered from hemophobia, would recognize it. Today's Chao Yanqian can definitely be counted among Konoha's top medical ninjas. Therefore, Chao Yanqian believed that Orochimaru would be even more interested in him.
After all, Orochimaru's research on forbidden techniques also requires medical ninjutsu to support it.
It's just that Orochimaru appeared too early this time. Before Chao Yanqian could settle his own state of mind, Orochimaru had already shown up. Although this made Chao Yanqian uncomfortable, it also showed that Orochimaru was paying more attention to him—perhaps even a bit impatient.
This is the first time Chao Yanqiandidn't intentionally try to show off his talents, but the result seemed surprisingly effective.
"After all, I studied at Konoha Hospital for two years. If I hadn't made any progress, wouldn't that be disappointing?" Chao Yanqian smiled and said, concealing all his sharpness, trying to appear respectful—just like the future Kabuto Yakushi.
"This time you saved that little brat Hoshinohara, but can you save him a second time?" Orochimaru said darkly.
Damn, is this a threat?
"Lord Orochimaru!" Chao Yanqian exclaimed, feigning panic to show he cared deeply about Hoshinohara, while maintaining a respectful demeanor.
At that moment, many thoughts flashed through Chao Yanqian's mind. But in the end, he decided: instead of showing Orochimaru he didn't care about Hoshinohara, it was better to make Orochimaru believe he did care—deeply.
That way, Orochimaru would think that as long as he controlled Hoshinohara's life and death, he could control Chao Yanqian.
Now, Asuna felt a bit of regret in his heart. If he had known he would one day follow Orochimaru, he should have cut off his bonds with Hoshinohara and the others earlier—so that he wouldn't be used by Orochimaru.
Although Chao Yanqian was unsure whether Orochimaru believed all of this.
"Life is really fragile," Orochimaru sighed, as if recalling some unpleasant memory. Then he looked at Chao Yanqian seriously and said in a seductive tone: "Chao Yanqian, have you ever thought—what if people could live forever?"
At that moment, Chao Yanqian suddenly had the idea of following Orochimaru—and seeking the road to immortality.
But shortly afterward, a warning bell rang in Chao Yanqian's mind. This was definitely not his own thought.
It was a genjutsu!
"Release!"
Chao Yanqian bit the tip of his tongue, and at the same time, formed seals with both hands, controlled his chakra, and dispelled the illusion.
His mind returned to clarity. Chao Yanqian dared not show anger, but still let a hint of dissatisfaction show on his face: "Lord Orochimaru, using genjutsu on someone loyal to you—this could damage your reputation as one of the Sannin."
"Hehe!" Orochimaru chuckled darkly and hoarsely said, "Chao Yanqian, I'm becoming more and more interested in you."
"Does Lord Orochimaru believe people can truly live forever?" Chao Yanqian asked, the earlier tension now hidden beneath a trace of admiration.
"Anything is possible. Just because it hasn't been done yet, doesn't mean it can't be in the future," Orochimaru replied confidently.
If someone else had told Chao Yanqian that people could live forever, he would have scoffed. But since it was Orochimaru who said it, Chao Yanqian couldn't help but admire him.
After all, Orochimaru would go on to achieve a form of immortality—by transferring his soul into new bodies.
But from the current point in time, Orochimaru's attitude—daring to chase and practice forbidden paths—was already enough to inspire admiration. Of course, many of the things he did in pursuit of that dream would never be accepted by ordinary people.
"Lord Orochimaru, if you think I can be of use, I'll be happy to assist you,"Chao Yanqian said respectfully.