Konoha's Tatsuya

"Lord Orochimaru, what is it that you need from me?" Tatsuya finally spoke, only after Anko Mitarashi had departed a considerable distance.

Looking at Orochimaru standing beneath the tree, Tatsuya felt a slight heaviness in his heart.

Honestly, at this juncture, Tatsuya didn't want to have any more contact with Orochimaru than was absolutely necessary.

Orochimaru was a dangerous individual. Until Tatsuya had sufficient strength to protect himself, he didn't want to be anywhere near him. According to Tatsuya's memories from his previous life, this period should be quite close to the time when Orochimaru defected from Konoha.

If he had too much contact with him now, once Orochimaru betrayed the village, Tatsuya would become a target of suspicion and scrutiny by the village's leadership.

Tatsuya knew very well that the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was not as benevolent and righteous as he appeared. He would not hesitate to be ruthless in purging those associated with traitors.

This kind of passive situation was definitely not something Tatsuya desired.

"Tatsuya-kun, you seem quite resistant to interacting with me. Can you tell me why?" Orochimaru asked, his voice a low, raspy drawl, his gaze scrutinizing Tatsuya with keen interest.

He could clearly sense Tatsuya's deliberate distancing. This distancing was different from that of other ninja in the village. It wasn't simply out of respect and fear, but rather seemed like Tatsuya knew quite a bit about his background and therefore didn't want to be near him.

This piqued Orochimaru's curiosity immensely.

Tatsuya's heart tightened slightly. He realized that his unusual attitude towards Orochimaru had already attracted the Sannin's attention.

"Your reputation, Lord Orochimaru, precedes you throughout the ninja world. I am merely in awe of your presence," Tatsuya replied, lowering his head slightly, his tone respectful.

"Heh, is that so? You said the same thing last time, Tatsuya-kun!" Orochimaru responded, neither confirming nor denying Tatsuya's statement.

Tatsuya answered, unyielding but respectful. "That is because it's the truth from the bottom of my heart."

Orochimaru chuckled softly, a peculiar glint flashing in his eyes. "I specifically asked Anko to bring you here today, Tatsuya-kun, because I want to make another deal with you."

"A deal? What more could I possibly do for you, Lord Orochimaru?" Tatsuya asked, his expression remaining neutral.

Orochimaru's gaze fixed on Tatsuya. "I want to know how you made your pet snake grow so rapidly."

An intense pressure emanated from Orochimaru, making Tatsuya feel a chill run down his spine.

Tatsuya's expression didn't change. "I don't understand what you mean, my lord."

"Tatsuya-kun, I've thoroughly examined the cellular structure of that snake. It's merely an extremely ordinary green snake, and its age is no more than ten years. Without some kind of external assistance, it's incredibly difficult for a common snake with no special bloodline to even become a chakra-wielding ninja animal, let alone achieve its current level of power." Orochimaru's golden, serpentine pupils constricted slightly, the pressure emanating from him intensifying.

"I don't know anything about that, either. Perhaps it had some kind of fortuitous encounter. When I first saw Seiryu's appearance, I was also quite surprised," Tatsuya said, shaking his head, feigning ignorance.

"Heh heh, Tatsuya-kun, if it were just that one ninja snake, perhaps it could be considered an anomaly. But what about your other summoned beast, the ninja hound? During the chaos three days ago, it bravely shielded Rou Akimichi from a fatal blow, something even the ninja dogs trained by the Inuzuka clan might not have been able to do. As far as I know, you rescued that ninja hound only a year ago, and it wasn't even fully grown at the time," Orochimaru said with a sinister chuckle, seeing that Tatsuya continued to feign ignorance.

Tatsuya fell silent.

As Orochimaru had said, the dramatic changes that Seiryu and Cha-maru had undergone in such a short time were easily discoverable by anyone who wanted to investigate. It couldn't be explained away with a simple "fortuitous encounter" or "unusual mutation."

It was impossible to fool Orochimaru with a few casual words.

But the truth was absolutely out of the question.

The effects of the Fujinhoin were far too potent. If he gave it to Orochimaru, the Sannin, with his abilities, might very well create something uncontrollable.

Tatsuya was caught in a dilemma.

"Lord Orochimaru, I did indeed use a certain sealing formula on Cha-maru and Seiryu, but I don't know what exactly happened with Seiryu," Tatsuya finally said after a long silence, under Orochimaru's piercing gaze.

"A sealing formula..." Orochimaru's face became thoughtful.

"I didn't realize that you, Tatsuya-kun, at such a young age, have such skill in the art of sealing. Give me that sealing formula, and I can give you what you desire," Orochimaru continued, his voice laced with temptation.

"Lord Orochimaru, this sealing formula is related to my clan's secret techniques. I cannot give it to you. Moreover, this secret technique requires the unique physical constitution of the Akimichi clan to be used. Even if I gave it to you, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to use it," Tatsuya said, his gaze flickering slightly, before he slowly shook his head.

"Tatsuya-kun, are you refusing my offer?" Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, a chilling, dangerous aura beginning to emanate from him.

"Lord Orochimaru, it's not that I want to refuse your offer, but that I cannot," Tatsuya replied, still firmly shaking his head in refusal.

Orochimaru's tongue flicked out, licking his lips. A faint smile appeared on his face, and the dangerous aura around him intensified.

Sensing the potent, dangerous aura emanating from Orochimaru, Tatsuya grew tense.

This was near the Memorial Stone, and many of the village's prominent figures hadn't yet departed. Surely Orochimaru wouldn't act so recklessly!

"Heh heh, Tatsuya-kun, your response is truly unexpected. Tell me, what is it that you want?" After a moment of silence, Orochimaru slowly retracted his dangerous aura and smiled faintly at Tatsuya.

"Lord Orochimaru, you haven't yet fulfilled the conditions of our previous agreement," Tatsuya said, his heart easing slightly. He stopped prevaricating and looked directly at Orochimaru, his tone serious.

Tatsuya had anticipated this scenario from the moment he handed over Seiryu's cellular samples.

He knew very well the reason for Seiryu's transformation; it was all due to the effects of the Fujinhoin.

Moreover, during Tatsuya's six months away on missions, Seiryu, while staying in the Forest of Death, must have had some kind of fortunate encounter or undergone a mutation, allowing him to grow to his current size in such a short time.

Even with Orochimaru's abilities, he wouldn't be able to determine the cause of Seiryu's rapid growth solely from the cellular samples.

After a fruitless investigation, Orochimaru would inevitably seek him out again.

Tatsuya had already prepared a response in his mind.

Based on Orochimaru's usual behavior, now that he had been targeted, outright resistance was out of the question. This was true even though Tatsuya was a member of the Akimichi clan.

Given Orochimaru's status and power in Konoha, he had countless ways to deal with Tatsuya.

Until Orochimaru actually defected from Konoha, all Tatsuya could do was cooperate and engage in a transaction. His earlier refusals were merely to gain more leverage.

"Tatsuya-kun, I've already found a place suitable for your ninja snake's growth. It's just a matter of waiting for the right time to send him there," Orochimaru said with a nonchalant smile, his tone confident.

"Lord Orochimaru, could you tell me what place that is?" Tatsuya pressed, his gaze fixed on Orochimaru.

"Ryuchi Cave," Orochimaru uttered the three words softly.