128 You wouldn't want your mother to...

After sending away the mother and daughter of the Uzumaki clan, Orochimaru lost interest in remaining in the Grass Village and promptly dispelled his shadow clone and the summoning jutsu.

Though the roars and bellowing of the Grass Village elders were loud, they did not weigh on his mind; he did not even feel the slightest urge to strike them down. Honestly, Orochimaru was disappointed. Was it really necessary to become so hysterical just because a single sin had been exposed in public? In the end, they were merely leaders of a small hidden village, lacking in breadth of mind and fortitude. Had Danzo been in his place, he would have shouted, "This is for the sake of the village!" Far from feeling ashamed, he would have seized the opportunity to rally conviction and stain the hearts of the people with his own colors.

"You break down after just a few words... doesn't that make me look rather foolish?"

Thousands of miles away, in a fortress on the border of the Land of Fire, Orochimaru shook his head. Behind him, the Genie, having learned what transpired, was rolling on the floor in laughter. The things he had seen and heard in the Grass Village—that practice of framing exploitation as sacrifice and brutality as justice—gave off a scent he found all too familiar. Yet, compared to the foundation Danzo had built, the Grass Village was undoubtedly far from mature. He had gone to the trouble of cultivating an atmosphere of "great power ninjas being high and mighty, failing to understand the hardships of a small village, and speaking without feeling the pain," intending to facilitate the growth of the Grass Village, but to his surprise...

Never mind. It was only an experiment, after all. Even so, a flicker of frustration at "failed cultivation" flashed in Orochimaru's eyes.

"Hehe... your idea of teaching according to aptitude and fertilizing the seedlings was good," the Genie chuckled. "But from the perspective of mutually beneficial cooperation, a society composed entirely of villains cannot survive. In fact, if the number of villains reaches a certain point, it will cause the society to collapse. The Grass Village is not like the Leaf; it lacks the soil for a root organization to grow." The Genie gave Orochimaru a light pat on the shoulder. "Besides, such things are Danzo’s domain. You had best stick to doing what you are good at."

Recalling the pathetic state of the Grass Village elders, this was truly hard to refute. Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, turned away, and performed a summoning jutsu.

*Poof.*

After a burst of white smoke, a massive, stout python appeared out of thin air in the fortress chamber. It glanced at Orochimaru before reluctantly regurgitating the mother and daughter, Karin. With a soft moan, the red-haired woman woke from the darkness. Once she regained consciousness, she immediately checked the daughter in her arms. Seeing that Karin was sleeping soundly, she let out a sigh of relief and began to assess her surroundings.

The first thing to catch her eye was the pale-faced ninja who had taken her away from the Grass Village. Meeting that cold, sinister gaze, the woman let out a startled cry and curled up, shrinking into herself. Having escaped the fate of being treated as a blood bag by the Grass ninja, she felt no joy, only the sense of having "left the wolves' den only to enter the tiger's mouth." Her body trembled uncontrollably as she subconsciously clutched her daughter tighter.

"The innate, keen perception of the Uzumaki clan, is it?" Orochimaru licked his lips. The next moment, his temperament changed abruptly. The red-haired woman looked up in astonishment. In an instant, the pale man felt completely different. If he had been as cold as an eternal glacier, reeking of thick blood, he now felt like a small sun, warm and reassuring. How... how was this possible?

"Though the Uzumaki clan's perception is sharp, relying on it too much will only cause you to lose your judgment," the Genie said, controlling Orochimaru's body and wearing a genuine, saintly smile that brought peace of mind. "Moreover, people change. Even friends who spend every day together will choose betrayal for the sake of immense profit, will they not?"

The red-haired woman fell silent. Seeing this expression, Orochimaru smiled and reclaimed control of his body. Not all members of the Uzumaki clan possessed healing constitutions; in fact, Orochimaru had never heard of it before this, which showed how well they had protected this secret. In an era before medical ninjas had become a structured system, possessing someone with this constitution held strategic significance. It was clear that this woman had fallen into her current plight because, with the annihilation of the Uzumaki clan, she lacked the guidance of elders to warn her of the severity of the matter, and she had failed to guard the secret well. Perhaps due to a coincidence, or perhaps a moment of kindness—lack of discretion had brought her to this point; she was half to blame for her own suffering.

Orochimaru would not reproach her for it. Those with talent naturally needed more protection than ordinary people. Taking himself as an example, he was easily led toward either virtue or vice. If he hadn't had the Old Man’s protection from the start, he would have easily perished halfway. Thus, even now, though he had long surpassed the Old Man, he would not despise him without reason.

After a long, stifling silence, the red-haired woman looked up, her voice raspy and trembling. "Who are you? Why did you save me?"

Orochimaru’s shift in temperament had made her less certain of her own perception, dampening her wariness enough that she finally used the word "save." Her previous appearance of utter hopelessness had clearly been based on the assumption that he was one of the villains from the Grass Village.

Orochimaru laughed. "Who I am is not important. What is important is that I am a ninja, and saving you was not an act of kindness, but the execution of a mission."

"A mission?" The red-haired woman’s eyes widened slightly. What Orochimaru said was completely beyond her expectations. Executing a mission? But who would issue a mission to protect her? Thinking of a certain possibility, the red-haired woman’s emotions stirred. Ignoring her fear of Orochimaru, she reached out and grabbed the corner of his cloak, her voice trembling. "Who is it? Can you let me meet the person who issued the mission?"

"Meet her? Haven't you already?" Orochimaru smiled slightly, the corners of his mouth curling into an arc. Under the woman's dazed gaze, he pointed to the sleeping child in her arms. "The one who issued the mission is your daughter. Didn't you hear? To free her mother from calamity, your daughter is praying for help from others at every moment. To realize this wish, she would give up everything."

"I heard her, and now I have fulfilled it. Eventually, I will collect the price—I will take everything from her."

The red-haired woman froze, but unlike before, she didn't remain stunned; she reacted almost instantly, for Orochimaru’s words had touched her reverse scale. Hugging her daughter tightly, she widened her eyes. "Karin couldn't have issued any commission. She doesn't understand anything yet; she is just a child."

"A child? Perhaps for now," Orochimaru said with a smile, not denying it. "But what about a year from now? Five years from now? Will she still be just a child? When she sees her mother being gnawed upon like livestock, will she not want to save her? Will she not be praying in her heart? Or are you telling me that in five years, you will be able to escape that cruel fate in the Grass Village, rather than having your daughter follow in your footsteps?"

The red-haired woman was stunned into silence, unable to find a single word to refute him. As a mother, protecting one's child was a matter of course. But for a child to understand the mother’s suffering and, in turn, protect the mother... could she deny that? Or would she rather her child remain heartless and selfish just to survive in this cold world? Even so, could Karin survive in the Grass Village?

"Don't look at me like that. Influenced by someone else, I am actually very happy to fulfill other people's wishes in advance." Orochimaru licked his lips. "You see, this does no harm to you or your daughter. The wish is fulfilled, and you are spared from suffering."

Justice might arrive late, but he would not. And furthermore, he could arrive early.