Nara Shikaku scratched his messy hair.
"I spent the entire night thinking about those two."
"What a pain. I clearly don't want to bother with it, yet I just can't help myself."
"They may be lunatics, but the secrets they carry really do make you want to dig deeper."
Meanwhile, inside the main tent, Akashō still had no idea that his upcoming plans had almost been completely predicted by Nara Shikaku—though there were some small inaccuracies.
But even if Akashō knew, he probably wouldn't care much.
So what if they figured it out? As long as the connection between his main body and the two template characters wasn't exposed, no matter how things changed, how much could it really affect him?
That night, the continuous shouting throughout the Konoha camp finally died down a bit.
Akashō lay in the personal tent Orochimaru had arranged for him, when he suddenly opened his eyes.
Silently, he lifted the blanket, then tiptoed to the front of the tent and pulled the flap open just a crack to peek outside.
Good. The patrol had just passed. This was the perfect opportunity.
With practiced ease, Akashō stripped off his clothes, opened his pack, and changed into a loose outfit.
Seriously, why doesn't the transformation template come with clothes? Every time he transforms he has to change again—such a hassle.
Grumbling internally about the trash system, Akashō had already finished changing and transformed into Kokushibo.
But just as he was about to sneak out, the tent flap was suddenly pulled open.
"So it really is you."
Orochimaru stepped inside with a faint sneer, his vertical pupils locked onto Akashō.
"What's so special about that kid that makes you go out of your way to find him again and again?"
As he spoke, Orochimaru glanced around the tent. Seeing no sign of Akashō, he didn't ask further.
"Orochimaru, I heard from Akashō that you wanted to see me?"
Akashō narrowed his eyes, not particularly surprised. After all, Orochimaru had brought him here specifically to lure out Kokushibo—there was no way he wouldn't keep a close watch.
But now that it was night, in his Kokushibo form, Akashō felt a surge of confidence. He could speak freely even in front of Orochimaru.
After all, Orochimaru was a ninja. If he didn't quickly figure out what Orochimaru wanted, the man would likely keep pestering him.
And right now, Orochimaru held no value for Akashō, who hadn't unlocked a new template. There was no point in wasting time with him.
As for killing Orochimaru on the spot—that was honestly a bit beyond him.
If his reputation points were enough to unlock a third S-rank villain template, he might give it a try.
"Heh."
Orochimaru let out a stiff chuckle. "I just want to know—who exactly are you? And who is that Bertholdt Hoover?"
"Curiosity kills."
Akashō refused coldly.
"Heh. If I can uncover your secrets, I wouldn't mind dying for it."
To Akashō's surprise, Orochimaru licked his lips after saying that, his gaze burning as he stared at Akashō's six eyes.
That made Akashō instinctively take a step back.
This guy… could he be some kind of pervert?
A non-human enthusiast?
"Bertholdt Hoover… he's one of the Twelve Demon Moons too, right?"
Orochimaru suddenly asked. It sounded like a question, but his tone was oddly certain.
"Huh?"
Akashō froze.
Bertholdt Hoover is one of the Twelve Demon Moons?
Since when?
When did Demon Slayer and Attack on Titan get this kind of crossover?
Seeing the confusion on Akashō's face, Orochimaru was also stunned.
Could it be that Nara Shikaku's deduction was wrong? That Bertholdt Hoover wasn't one of the Twelve Demon Moons?
That realization made Orochimaru feel a bit embarrassed. He had planned to confidently reveal the connection between Kokushibo and Bertholdt Hoover to show off his intellect and set the tone for the conversation—but he hadn't expected Nara Shikaku's well-reasoned deduction to be completely off.
For a rare moment, Orochimaru felt awkward.
"Ahem… so Bertholdt Hoover isn't one of the Twelve Demon Moons? I thought you two were together…"
"Just get to the point if you've got something to say. I'm busy—I don't have time to listen to your nonsense."
Akashō sounded impatient.
"Mm…"
Orochimaru hesitated for a moment, then asked,
"Could you let me study your body?"
Akashō stared at him expressionlessly. "So you really are a pervert."
Orochimaru's lips twitched. "I'm just curious about your body structure…"
"I collected some of your blood from the night before last. I didn't have time to study it deeply, and there wasn't much of it or any proper equipment, but based on what I've found… you're not human, are you, Kokushibo?"
Akashō pointed at his six eyes.
"Do you even need to study that? Anyone can tell at a glance."
Orochimaru's lips twitched again.
"That's not the same thing…"
"So basically, you came to me just to get my blood, right?"
Orochimaru scratched his head. "You could say that."
Akashō thought for a moment, then used his Blood Demon Art to form a long blade.
"I don't feel like wasting time with you. Fine—take it."
As he spoke, he sliced open his wrist, and blood immediately began flowing like a stream.
"Wait, don't waste it!"
Orochimaru's expression changed as he hurriedly pulled out a scroll. Under Akashō's surprised gaze, he summoned two rows of test tubes and rushed forward to catch the flowing blood.
Watching Orochimaru's burning eyes and greedy expression, Akashō suppressed his Demon Body's instinct to heal the wound and rolled his eyes.
"Seriously… are you a ninja or a scientist?"
"A scientist?"
"Ah, never mind. Just keep collecting."