As long as you're not afraid of Orochimaru putting Sasuke on an operating table, it's none of my concern.
Since coming back to Konohagakure, Orochimaru had been acting more restrained.
But someone with darkness in his bones—could you really expect him to change in just a few years?
Impossible.
In Tsunade's eyes, Orochimaru was still a dangerous man.
The kind who could drop a "surprise gift" on you at any moment.
Whether that surprise would be terrifying or not—well, that depended on Orochimaru's mood.
Bottom line: it was best to stay away from him if you could.
But Yan?
He was straight-up handing Sasuke over to him.
What was this?
Home delivery?
Orochimaru would probably be grinning from ear to ear.
"I believe he'll train Sasuke well."
Yan was certain—so long as Orochimaru didn't suddenly decide to take Sasuke's body for himself.
Everything else was manageable.
Orochimaru was a madman—calling him crazy wouldn't even be an exaggeration.
As long as you figure out the right way to use it, this guy's ability will never let you down.
"Do whatever you want, just don't come crying to me if something goes wrong. I already warned you."
Yan was willing to trust Orochimaru. Tsunade had no choice but to go along with it.
As for how things would turn out in the end, she wasn't sure.
She could only hope that Yan's confidence was well-placed, that Orochimaru wouldn't mess around and would actually teach Sasuke properly.
After all, what happened with Nawaki had a big impact on Orochimaru.
Thinking of Nawaki, Tsunade felt a bit down.
But she quickly pulled herself together.
She was no longer the Tsunade of the past. A little painful memory wasn't enough to bring her down.
Seeing her regain her composure and throw herself back into her work with full energy, Yan knew she had been thinking about Nawaki.
Nawaki's goal was to become Hokage, and now Tsunade had achieved that for him.
That meant she had to fulfill the rest of his goal as well—protecting the villagers, protecting the entire village.
Without disturbing Tsunade, who was now fully focused on her work, Yan quietly left the Hokage's office, closing the door behind him.
He signaled to Sasuke, who was standing outside, to follow him.
Sasuke lowered his head and walked behind Yan, not daring to look up.
He didn't want anyone to see his swollen face, the dark circles under his eyes—it would be too embarrassing.
Sasuke had a lot of pride. He wasn't like Naruto, who could run around town with a bruised and beaten face without a care.
This wasn't the way home…
As he kept walking, Sasuke realized that, without noticing, he had followed Yan to the outskirts of the village.
There were no houses here, only dense forests filled with the sounds of birds and insects.
"Hissss~~~"
A small white snake raised its body and let out two calls toward Yan.
Yan glanced at the white snake, which was half-upright, and said,
"Tell Orochimaru to stop what he's doing. I need to talk to him."
Orochimaru?
Was this the same Orochimaru who used to experiment on villagers and wanted to study the Sharingan?
Even though he was shocked, Sasuke remained silent and obediently stood behind Yan.
The little white snake slithered into the forest and disappeared. Yan led Sasuke forward until they stopped in front of a massive tree—so big that it would take four or five people linking arms to wrap around it.
"Crack, crack, crack!!!"
The tree trunk shook, and a hidden door slowly opened, revealing a dimly lit passageway.
Yan stepped inside, and Sasuke followed without a word.
Inside the underground lab, Orochimaru, wearing a white coat, walked out of his workspace. He had stopped what he was doing as soon as he received the message from the white snake.
For the past few years, Orochimaru had been on his best behavior in Konoha. He stayed in the lab, focused on his research, and never showed any interest in going anywhere else.
Occasionally, he would dress up in what he thought were stylish clothes and take a stroll outside.
You'd never guess it, but in private, Orochimaru actually liked dressing up.
This guy was dressed in strange-looking clothes, had long, straight black hair draped over his shoulders, and wore a pair of shiny earrings—definitely the kind of person who looks amazing from behind.
If you saw him from the back and thought he was a beauty, the moment he turned around would absolutely make your eyes pop out.
"Yan-kun, are you here for something important? Or did you bring me some new test subjects?"
Orochimaru grinned as he glanced at Sasuke, who was standing stiffly beside Yan, clearly uncomfortable.
"Isn't this Sasuke-kun? Did you get into another fight with Naruto?"
Sasuke: "..."
He swore that if Yan weren't standing next to him, he would have turned around and left on the spot.
Orochimaru was just too creepy.
"I'm giving you a disciple."
Yan gave Sasuke a little push, making him stumble forward. His bruised and swollen face was full of shock.
Orochimaru wasn't any less surprised. He thought Yan was joking.
Sending the Uchiha patriarch's youngest son to be his disciple?
Seriously?
But Sasuke… now that was an interesting idea.
As if something exciting had crossed his mind, Orochimaru couldn't help but stick out his long tongue and lick his lips.
"Wait here."
Signaling Sasuke to stay put and not wander around, Yan motioned for Orochimaru to follow him into the lab.
"Then, Sasuke-kun, take a break for now."
With a smile that made every hair on Sasuke's body stand on end, Orochimaru followed Yan inside, and the lab door shut behind them.
Once inside, Yan asked, "How's your research on Obito's Sharingan coming along?"
"It's fascinating. If it weren't for the bloodline restrictions, I'd love to transplant a Sharingan into myself."
Orochimaru's excitement was unmistakable.
"You're thinking too small."
Yan shook his head slightly. The Kamui dimension might be strong and mysterious, but that was its limit.
As long as you found the right countermeasure, even something as powerful as Kamui—or any so-called divine ability—could be rendered useless.
Yan walked over to a chair next to the operating table and casually propped his feet up on it.
"..."
Orochimaru thought about reminding Yan to keep things sterile.
But seeing that Yan had no intention of moving, he decided to let it go. He wasn't sure if Yan simply didn't care or was doing it on purpose to get under his skin.
He guessed right—Yan was definitely doing it to mess with him.
Orochimaru was behaving too well, which made Yan uneasy. He had to push and provoke him a little—keep him in check.
Otherwise, this snake might decide to cause trouble at any time.
"About the Sharingan," Yan continued, "Obito's Kamui dimension may be powerful and mysterious, but in the end, it's just a Mangekyou ability. Recently, I discovered something interesting. You might find it worth looking into."
"What kind of secret?"
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with excitement. This was exactly the kind of thing he loved.
Yan smiled slightly and looked at Orochimaru without saying a word. The smile on Orochimaru's face slowly stiffened.
Yan didn't trust him. If Orochimaru wanted to learn these secrets, he would have to pay a price.
Orochimaru, now looking serious, spoke up:
"I will take Sasuke in and train him well."
Yan raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
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