Orochimaru stared at Kimimaro with naked greed on his face, the human-trafficker version of Orochimaru had come online.
But before he could begin his "abduction," he noticed that the ninja standing beside Kimimaro was staring at him with the exact same greedy expression he himself had just shown.
Orochimaru froze, then let out an amused smile. This was the first time someone had ever looked at him like that.
Akio snapped back to reality. There's no way Orochimaru can see through my Transformation Technique. As long as I talk normally… no, better not talk at all.
"God!" Kimimaro called out to him, keeping his eyes locked on Orochimaru.
Akio's mouth twitched. Right now, he was supposed to cooperate and say:
"The one before you isn't just any shinobi, he's the famous blade-less Orochimaru of the Hidden Mist's Seven Ninja Swordsmen…"
"God?" Orochimaru repeated, his smile widening.
"The Mist ninja are behind you," Orochimaru said casually. Behind him was a sheer cliff, and below it, the remaining Kaguya clan members were clashing with Mist shinobi.
Kimimaro hesitated, glancing at Akio. Akio nodded lightly, signaling that he could go.
Kimimaro rushed off, leaving Akio face-to-face with those snake-like pupils.
Orochimaru… what do I do now? Akio thought. If I reveal my identity, he might run and finding him again would be a pain.
Orochimaru spoke first. "Why does that child call you 'God'?"
"Because I am a god. Do you believe in gods?"
Akio had already grown used to this persona and replied instinctively.
Orochimaru licked his lips and looked at Akio as if he were insane…
He dropped the topic. "You're Kaguya clan as well, aren't you? Why aren't you down there fighting?"
Akio finally snapped back and, sticking to the rule of don't talk or you'll expose yourself, simply shook his head.
Orochimaru filled in the blanks on his own.
"So the Kaguya aren't all lunatics. At least some know to preserve the clan's last embers."
He thought Akio was an elder of the Kaguya clan protecting Kimimaro.
"That child's talent isn't bad. He indeed shouldn't die here."
Akio nodded. Still silent.
"Let him come with me. I can help your clan's final flame survive."
Akio shook his head.
"You think you can protect him yourself?"
Akio nodded.
"If you're worried, you can come along with him. To my place."
Akio paused, then finally realized, Orochimaru was trying to abduct him as well.
He nodded.
Nodded again.
And nodded again…
Orochimaru: "..."
Something felt off.
He turned back toward the fight below.
Shikotsumyaku was unreasonable. Kimimaro, only eight years old and technically just a Genin, almost instantly overwhelmed the Mist Genin. Even the Chūnin could only stall him for a short moment.
But his injuries from fighting Zabuza earlier still hadn't healed, and he gradually fell into danger.
"You're not going to save him?" Orochimaru asked again.
Akio froze. He wants to test my strength…
He extended his right hand politely in a "please" gesture.
Orochimaru: "..."
Kaguya really don't act like normal people.
Still, he had just defected and needed to build a new force. Kimimaro was the most suitable talent he'd encountered.
His aptitude and personality were perfect.
As for this "God" the child worshipped… he could bring him along.
Given time, the boy would learn who the real god was.
What followed was a one-sided slaughter. The area beneath the cliff was only a small battlefield, the Jōnin were fighting elsewhere. A group of Chūnin and Genin couldn't withstand Orochimaru for more than… well, a few dozen moves.
Akio's mouth twitched as he watched. Orochimaru was truly desperate to abduct Kimimaro, he could have one-shot every opponent but insisted on dragging the fights out to show off his jutsu and strength.
It worked.
Kimimaro looked at him with admiration… then said something that made Orochimaru's face stiffen.
"Did God send you to save me?"
"Yes, I asked him to come."
Akio conveniently appeared beside him.
Orochimaru: "..."
Thinking of Akio's earlier hand gesture, he couldn't refute it.
He should've only brought one child. He shouldn't have expected any adult Kaguya to be "normal."
"God!" Kimimaro said with full devotion.
Akio patted his head lightly and glanced at Orochimaru, whose expression looked a bit wrong.
"Thank you for your help."
That part was normal. Good. Not suspicious.
The next part wasn't.
"You're an elder of the Kaguya, aren't you? Why does he call you 'God'?" Orochimaru asked.
Akio's face darkened. Orochimaru was still suspicious.
But Kimimaro answered first:
"God is one of us. He's all-knowing, all-powerful. Naturally, he's a god."
Akio almost burst out laughing. That burly Kaguya earlier had really set this up perfectly.
"All-knowing and all-powerful?" Orochimaru licked his lips again. "That's impressive."
"Isn't it?" Akio replied.
He was starting to feel embarrassed by this kid.
He looked ahead. "The battle's ending. Let's go take a look."
He sighed inside. The mighty Kaguya clan had fallen so simply.
Orochimaru saw his expression and assumed he was grieving for his clan.
Kimimaro wanted to charge in, but Akio stopped him and brought him to a tree overlooking the battlefield.
"God, shouldn't I fight?" Kimimaro asked.
"No. It's already over."
In Akio's sensory field, only two Kaguya survivors remained, one of them the burly man from earlier.
Kimimaro saw it too. "God, aren't we saving him?"
"They locked you up for years. You still want to save them?"
"It's not that he doesn't want to," Orochimaru said, appearing beside them. "He just can't."
"God can do anything!" Kimimaro glared at him and looked to Akio hopefully.
Orochimaru watched with amusement, waiting to see how Akio would escape this one.
"It's too late," Akio said calmly.
The battle ended. The burly Kaguya was run through with a kunai.
As he collapsed, a spark of clarity hit him. He saw Akio and the others.
"First Clan Head! It's really you! The Kaguya will not perish!"
His cry died with him, but it drew every gaze toward the three of them.
"First Clan Head?" Orochimaru stepped back thoughtfully, making Akio's face darken.
"Kaguya's First Clan Head? Ridiculous. Who's pretending to be a ghost? You think he can live as long as the old Uzumaki monsters?"
A mocking voice came from below, darkening Akio's face further
"Careful! That's Orochimaru, an S-rank rogue from Konoha! It might really be the First Clan Head! According to intel, Orochimaru can manipulate the souls of the dead with Edo Tensei!"
Akio's face turned pitch-black.
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