As Akira still in his beast form was moving from the burning rubble he saw the girl.
"Please.... Don.. Don't... Stay away!", she screamed.
To her, the monster walking toward her was no different from the men who had slaughtered her village.
Akira slowed his steps.
The primal instincts from the transformation still echoed in his mind—rage, dominance, the urge to hunt—but he forced them down.
The giant wolf lowered its posture slightly, its movements becoming slower, calmer.
Almost… careful.
Then—
Clap.
Clap.
The slow sound of someone applauding echoed through the burning street.
Both Akira and the girl turned.
Standing atop a broken stone pillar was Orochimaru.
He looked completely untouched by the chaos surrounding them.
His pale face carried a faint smile as his yellow eyes studied the scene.
"Well done, Akira-kun."
He continued clapping slowly as he stepped down from the rubble.
"To maintain control of a Kuso Hensei transformation during combat… and one this extreme no less."
His gaze moved across Akira's massive form with open interest.
"When I used that technique earlier to transform into the giant serpent,"
Orochimaru continued calmly, "I could feel it as well."
"A primal instinct."
"The nature of the creature trying to seep into the mind."
He tilted his head slightly.
"In my case… the cold hunger of a reptile."
His eyes narrowed slightly with curiosity.
"But yours…A wolf."
Akira's claws tightened slightly.
Orochimaru chuckled softly.
"Yet you are suppressing it. Keeping control of your mind despite the instincts of the form."
He paused briefly before adding,
"Although not quite as elegantly as I do, of course."
The snake sannin's gaze then shifted toward the trembling girl.
Lashi.
She looked between the two figures with complete confusion and terror.
Orochimaru's expression remained neutral.
Then he spoke again.
"Unfortunately, Akira-kun… we have a small problem."
He gestured lightly toward the girl.
"She saw everything."
The burning wind blew ash across the ruined street.
"A witness cannot simply be allowed to live."
His yellow eyes returned to Akira.
"So I will give you a choice."
His tone remained calm. Casual.
"As your teacher, it would be rude of me not to."
He pointed toward Lashi.
"You may kill her now."
The girl froze completely at those words.
Her eyes widened with terror.
Orochimaru then raised a second finger.
"Or… you may spare her."
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"In which case I will take her with me."
His voice lowered slightly.
"For experiments if she lives then great, if not the same result as the first choice."
Silence filled the burning village as Orochimaru waited patiently for Akira's decision.
For a moment, Akira didn't move.
In his mind, thoughts clashed violently.
He had no reason to protect her.
None.
She was a stranger. Just another civilian in a world filled with death and war.
Saving her would bring him nothing.
Yet… something in him resisted.
Maybe it was the remnants of his old life.
Maybe it was just human instinct.
His eyes shifted toward Orochimaru.
The sannin was watching quietly, arms folded inside his robe.
Akira already knew what would happen if he chose the second option.
If Lashi went with Orochimaru…
Her life would not be a life.
A fate far worse than death.
The weight of the choice pressed down heavily on his mind.
Slowly… reluctantly… Akira walked toward her.
Lashi squeezed her eyes shut as the massive creature approached.
Her body trembled uncontrollably.
Akira stopped right in front of her.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then the giant wolf slowly raised one clawed hand.
His movements were calm.
Lashi opened her eyes just slightly.
The claw touched her neck.
There was a faint flash of movement. A precise strike. So fast she didn't even realize what had happened. Her body went still.
She collapsed silently onto the ground.
Akira stood there for a few seconds longer, staring down at the motionless body.
Behind him, Orochimaru began clapping softly again.
The sannin stepped forward slightly, looking down at the girl before shifting his gaze back to Akira.
"You made the logical decision."
He reached into his robe and pulled out a small device before tossing it toward Akira.
The wolf caught it easily.
"A radio," Orochimaru explained casually.
"I need to contact you, when I will be able to sneak from the post or rather abandon by post."
He turned slightly, already preparing to leave.
"I will be departing from this area soon."
His yellow eyes glanced back at Akira one last time.
"You are free to do as you wish until an opportunity arises to return to the ROOT."
Then Orochimaru began walking away from the burning village without another word.
Akira stood there silently for a moment.
Then the transformation ended.
The massive wolf body shrank rapidly.
Orange fur receded.
Claws turned back into human fingers.
Within seconds, Akira stood there again in his normal form.
Without a word, he turned and began walking in the opposite direction of Orochimaru.
The two figures slowly disappeared into different paths of the forest.