Chapter 53: Shikamaru’s Lifesaving Method

Hyde's transformation was so swift and unexpected that everyone was stunned, even Orochimaru couldn't help but be surprised. It had been a long time since he encountered someone so decisive.

"You are quite impressive," Orochimaru said.

"Not at all," Hyde replied, his face radiant with excitement from the praise. Pointing at the dumbfounded Timsy, he continued, "Sir, though my subordinate is deserving of death, he can't be killed. He possesses royal blood."

"Royal blood?" Orochimaru asked, puzzled.

It turned out that not everyone could use the Stone of Grell; only those with royal lineage could meld it into their bodies and unlock its immense power.

"Royal blood?" Orochimaru repeated, still somewhat confused. But it was merely a small fry—whether he lived or died didn't matter.

"You three, remove your headscarves and let me see," Orochimaru suddenly commanded the three silent figures nearby.

Shikamaru, Sakura, and Rock Lee felt their hearts tighten and cursed their luck. How unfortunate to run into Orochimaru! Shouldn't he be staying quietly in the Sound Village? Why venture out? Truly exasperating!

Suddenly, Rock Lee charged forward, attempting to attack Orochimaru, while shouting, "Run, all of you!"

But after only a few steps, his body froze, unable to move. Shikamaru had used his shadow to restrain him.

"Shikamaru, you—" Rock Lee looked at him in astonishment.

Shikamaru glanced at his two companions. Sakura was nearly in tears, too terrified to move, while Rock Lee was as energetic as ever, though not particularly clever.

Stepping forward, Shikamaru removed the black veil from his head, revealing his pineapple-shaped hair, and offered a bitter smile. "Lord Orochimaru."

Orochimaru immediately recognized them—it was indeed Shikamaru and his group, faces familiar to him.

"Those two must be Haruno Sakura and Rock Lee," he remarked, recalling the twelve young prodigies vividly.

Shikamaru nodded. "Yes."

Orochimaru regarded Shikamaru with interest. "Why are you three here?"

Beside them, Hyde, always eager to curry favor with Orochimaru, finally seized his chance. "I know, I know! The three of them came to form an alliance with me, planning to help overthrow the Sound Village from within!"

Hyde was excited, hoping to draw Orochimaru into the scheme and share the spoils of the Sound Village.

"Sir, the Sound Village is vast. Once it's destroyed, there will be many benefits. They came to ask me to deal with the leader, Orochi—"

Mid-sentence, Hyde suddenly froze. What had Shikamaru just called this man?

It seemed… it was indeed Lord Orochimaru!

Orochimaru turned to Hyde, a smile in his eyes. "Go on, why have you stopped?"

Hyde was terrified, his head shaking like a rattle. "No, Lord Orochimaru, I haven't agreed to their plan yet! How could I possibly agree? Even if I did, I'd only act as a spy, and when we reached the Sound Village, I'd definitely betray them and capture them for you. I admire you greatly!"

Such shameless words left Timsy utterly dumbfounded, and even Orochimaru found it amusing—Hyde was certainly interesting.

At the very least, Orochimaru's intent to kill him had lessened; he could kill him, but perhaps not necessarily.

Orochimaru looked once more at Shikamaru, preparing to eliminate the three. Scheming behind the scenes was expected, but being caught was their own fault.

"Wait!" Shikamaru cried out, not wanting to die. "Lord Orochimaru, we surrender! I am valuable! My IQ exceeds two hundred!"

"Oh?" Orochimaru recalled that Shikamaru was renowned as the most intelligent among the new generation.

"You may live," Orochimaru said, intending to recruit Shikamaru into his research team.

No research could be conducted by him alone; some projects required a team, and Shikamaru, with his exceptional intelligence, was an ideal candidate.

Perhaps he would bring unexpected surprises in the future; compared to that, Shikamaru's death was trivial.

Orochimaru turned to the petrified Sakura, ready to kill her, but Shikamaru called out again, "Wait!"

"Yes?" Orochimaru looked at Shikamaru once more. "You have something else to say?"

Clearly, Shikamaru wanted to save Sakura.

Sweat beaded on Shikamaru's brow as he thought quickly. "Sakura is Lady Tsunade's apprentice. If you kill her, Lady Tsunade will be heartbroken."

"Oh?" Orochimaru was mildly surprised. Sakura had indeed become Tsunade's disciple, just as in his previous life. Fate was truly fascinating.

But this reason was hardly enough to spare Sakura.

Noticing Orochimaru's indifference, Shikamaru pressed on. "If Lady Tsunade is grieving, her experiments will suffer. Poor experiments would mean slower production for the Sound Village's army, resulting in insufficient troops. When the fourth ninja war begins, the Sound Village will be at a disadvantage. So… Sakura can't die."

Orochimaru chuckled. Though Shikamaru's argument couldn't sway him, his attitude amused Orochimaru.

It was like watching one ant desperately try to save another—entertaining, to say the least.

"And what about Rock Lee?" Orochimaru asked. "What's your reason for sparing him?"

Rock Lee struggled relentlessly, his face full of unwillingness and fury.

"Rock Lee, Rock Lee…" Shikamaru frowned, glancing at him, and ventured, "Rock Lee possesses immortality…"

Orochimaru looked at Rock Lee. Was he involved with the Eight Gates Army as well?

It made sense; as Might Guy's disciple, any method to survive opening all Eight Gates would surely be first granted to Rock Lee.

Orochimaru shook his head. "Think more carefully. Immortality here doesn’t mean true immortality."

Just as Naruto’s Wood Release had made him powerful, but ultimately, he couldn’t stir up much trouble.

Rock Lee’s so-called immortality came from the power of undying; Orochimaru could reclaim that power whenever he wished.

Shikamaru’s scalp tingled, but he thought harder. "Rock Lee will become vice-captain of the Eight Gates Army and lead troops in battle!"

The Eight Gates Army consisted of those who had mastered the technique, with Might Guy and Rock Lee as its foremost experts.

Orochimaru pondered for a moment, then grinned. "Very well, you’ve convinced me."

The real reason he was willing to spare Sakura and Rock Lee was less about Shikamaru’s arguments and more about Shikamaru himself.

Shikamaru had piqued Orochimaru’s curiosity, so the fates of insignificant Sakura and Rock Lee were inconsequential.

When he said “convinced,” he didn’t mean the reasons, but Shikamaru’s performance.

Shikamaru breathed a sigh of relief. Preserving all three lives had been no easy task. The reasons he gave were born of desperation, but he could tell Orochimaru cared little for their lives, willing to kill or spare them as he pleased.

So he had worked hard to arouse Orochimaru’s interest, thus saving them.

It was exhausting—one wrong move and Orochimaru would have crushed them. Thankfully, Orochimaru hadn’t taken them seriously at all.

That, ultimately, was the real reason they survived.

Orochimaru said, "Take me to the person behind you."

Shikamaru was startled. How did Orochimaru know he had someone backing him?

Seeing Orochimaru’s calm gaze, Shikamaru didn’t dare gamble.

"I don’t know his location, but I can find him," Shikamaru replied, placing his hand to his mouth and whistling. A crow swooped down—it was Uchiha Itachi’s summoning beast.

Shikamaru watched Orochimaru’s expression. Upon seeing the crow, Orochimaru remained utterly unchanged. So the crow had exposed them.

"I’ll tie a letter to the crow’s leg and prevent it from returning to the summoning realm. It will fly and lead us to him."

Shikamaru had completely betrayed Uchiha Itachi, without hesitation. Orochimaru was unbeatable, and Shikamaru truly wanted no further resistance. This was the best way to survive and preserve Konoha’s legacy.

"You—!"

Both Sakura and Rock Lee looked at Shikamaru as if seeing him for the first time.