Orochimaru Shows No Partiality Between Friends and Enemies

As the meeting concluded, Orochimaru, along with Hizashi and his son, left the Hokage's office one after the other.

The night was deep now, yet the sky was crystal clear. Countless stars, together with the brilliant moonlight, overshadowed the mundane hustle and bustle of the mortal world below.

Turning into a narrow alley and walking into the shadows, Orochimaru suddenly stopped and turned around. He looked at Hizashi, who was following closely behind him, with an expression that was half-smile, half-mockery.

"The events transpired so suddenly. It seems you are unable to accept it, and have harbored a great deal of resentment toward me in your heart?"

Hizashi was slightly startled, and hurriedly denied, "How could that be? I know very well that you were saving me, Orochimaru-sama. If it weren't for—"

"Yet you seemed much more willing to accept your own sacrifice."

Orochimaru interrupted him, his burning gaze fixed intently upon Neji's father.

Under that piercing look, it felt as though everything about him had been thoroughly seen through. Hizashi's words stuck in his throat, completely unable to pass his lips. After a moment of hesitation, he finally nodded and said, "Yes!"

"Utterly foolish!"

Orochimaru delivered his verdict directly and mercilessly. Hearing this, Hizashi lowered his head and gave a bitter smile.

"Short-sighted, only seeing immediate gains and losses. What kind of consequences do you think your actions would have brought about?"

Orochimaru smiled, though his smile carried a deeply ironic edge.

"It's clear that Neji respects you immensely. He doesn't just view you as a father, but as a role model. Perhaps he has even said things like 'in the future, I want to become a man like my father.' Just imagine, if you were to die now like a mere object, easily discarded for the mistakes of the Main House, how do you think he would view it?"

Hizashi stood frozen in place, his grip tightening around the sleeping Neji.

"A boy, a youth... before they acquire true wisdom, their view of things boils down to simply two attitudes: right and wrong."

Orochimaru's voice drifted, as if reminiscing about a distant past. But he quickly snapped out of this sentimentality, shifting his gaze to the unconscious child in Hizashi's arms.

"Neji is young, yet he possesses a certain resilience. Coupled with his exceptional talent, the chances are high that he would despise the Main House for being sickeningly weak."

"He would choose to rebel and deny it!"

Hizashi looked down at Neji, a wave of turbulence in his eyes. Orochimaru's assessment was pinpoint accurate; this was precisely what he feared as well.

"However, the path of 'denial' is not an easy one to walk."

"His mother would persuade him, his comrades from the Branch House would urge him to conform, the people of the Main House would oppress him, and the villagers would never approve."

"Because this is the path his father chose. If Neji wishes to deny it, the very first thing he must deny is his own father."

Orochimaru said calmly, "He respects you deeply, so this process is destined to be agonizingly painful."

Hizashi suddenly clenched his fists, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"Of course, there is another possibility—Neji's mother might foresee all this and plead with your twin brother, asking him to conceal part of the truth, letting Neji know only that his father was sacrificed by the Main House."

The corners of Orochimaru's mouth curved upward. "While this would still mean fighting against everything around him, at least he wouldn't have to start by denying his own father."

A shock went through Hizashi's heart, and his face turned as pale as paper.

He knew very well that Orochimaru was right. Given his wife's temperament and his brother's pity, matters could very well develop in precisely this direction.

Such a future...

"However, though the probability is very small, there is yet another possibility."

Orochimaru smiled, "And that is, Neji respects you even more than you imagine. He accepts your sacrifice, and therefore accepts the destiny of the Branch House. Then, at some point in the future, just like you, he would perish easily and meaninglessly for the Main House, like a blade of worthless grass."

"How do you like this future, Hizashi?"

The voice was very low, yet when it reached Hizashi's ears, it sounded like a booming bell tolling at dawn, deafening and awakening.

His entire body collapsed to the ground, as if every ounce of strength in him had been completely crushed and extinguished by those few words.

Hizashi's expression twisted in agony, mirroring the apocalyptic despair that had recently haunted his brother.

He was not afraid of whatever ending awaited him personally; after all these years, whatever fate was destined to come had already been quietly accepted in the depths of his heart.

What Hizashi feared was seeing that exact same tragic destiny replay itself on Neji.

To him, that would be a scene far crueller than hell itself.

Fortunately, such a future would no longer come to pass. Hizashi breathed heavily for a few moments until his senses cleared, suddenly realizing that those were merely Orochimaru's conjectures—conjectures that would never, ever happen now.

Hizashi hastily scrambled to his feet, flushing with embarrassment as he said, "Orochimaru-sama, I have made a fool of myself before you."

It was no wonder he had lost his composure just now. What Orochimaru had described felt as though he had personally witnessed future scenes and projected them frame by frame right before his eyes.

Even now, imagining it again still filled him with lingering fear and an unsettling sense of surrealism.

"Hehe, thirty-five million ryo. Now you see, that money was well spent."

Orochimaru turned around, stepping back into the darkness, leaving only his voice echoing in the air:

"After all, I fulfilled your wish just as we agreed."

A wave of heat rose behind Hizashi's eyelids, and he bowed deeply toward the empty space where Orochimaru had departed.

...

High upon a tree branch, Orochimaru looked up at the full moon in the night sky and asked,

"Hyuga Hizashi's wish has been fulfilled. How is it now? How has the collection of wish-power been going?"

"Pretty good. It cleared the previous deficit, and there is still a surplus remaining."

The Djinn stroked his chin, a clear expression of delight on his face. "Tsk tsk tsk... I honestly didn't expect you to perform so brilliantly. Human hearts are treacherous and complex, yet you managed to make Hizashi genuinely accept your approach from the bottom of his heart. That is no easy feat."

"It is not my skill."

Orochimaru shook his head. "It was your deduction regarding Neji's future that was so crystal clear and persuasive."

"That's true, too."

The Djinn readily accepted the praise with a laugh, saying, "However, thanks to the surplus wish-power this time, that Zanpakuto you rejected earlier can finally be put back on the agenda."

A flicker of interest crossed Orochimaru's expression. "Without any risks?"

Having finally recuperated from the trauma inflicted upon his soul, he held a deep aversion to splitting his soul again. He certainly did not want it injured once more just to acquire an extra ability.

"Rest assured. A crude replication of abilities was simply due to my own immature capabilities at the time, but granting wishes is my core function."

The Djinn patted his chest. "I am a qualified Djinn, after all."

Orochimaru glanced sideways at the Djinn, noncommittal regarding that statement, yet an ability tied to the soul still held immense temptation for him.

After a moment of contemplation, he spoke up, "My swordsmanship is ordinary, and I am not particularly skilled in close-range combat. Can the Zanpakuto be converted into some other form of soul-based ability?"

"You misunderstand. The 'sword' in Zanpakuto is just a designation. What specific form it takes relies entirely on individual characteristics."

The Djinn smiled. "Take my previous master, Omaeda, for example. His Zanpakuto, upon initial release, turned into a giant spiked morningstar."

"Other Zanpakuto, like Soi Fon's long whip, or Sajin Komamura's armored deity... they vary endlessly in form."

"Is a blade truly such an inconvenient thing? Rest assured, you don't need to have any reservations."

Orochimaru thought it over for a moment, then nodded. "Very well, then."