The sound of metal weapons echoed in that sea of trees.
"Impressive, little Toru."
Said that man whose forehead protector had the emblem of the Grass Village carved into the metal plate.
(That's the guy who returned the kunai to Anko-sensei...).
Toru recoiled from the force of the impact, that man had enormous strength.
"Ino, Hinata" Without looking away from that man, Toru spoke.
Instantly, Hinata and Ino positioned themselves behind Toru. Ino was holding a kunai in her right hand, while Hinata had her Byakugan activated, as well as using her combat stance.
"You come alone... What do you want, do you want our scroll?"
While pulling out the second dagger from between his clothes, Toru looked at the man and asked a question. However, the man let out a laugh as he looked at the boy.
"What I want is not the scroll..."
The man gave a ghoulish grin as he continued to look at Toru.
"Then why are you attacking us?"
"Hm... let me think about it. Yes... I want to see what you're capable of."
The man looked at Toru as he licked his lips.
That man was thin, white-skinned, almost vampire-like. His tongue was long like a snake's and his voice sent shivers down her spine just listening to it.
"Who are you?"
Toru's eyes flashed dangerously as he looked at the man.
"Who am I, I think it's unnecessary to introduce myself, after all before too long my name will be heard all over Konoha. But for that to happen, I must first see what you are capable of."
Slowly approaching Toru's outfit, the man smiled as he licked his lips.
(This is ridiculous, I don't understand that guy's words, but... he's too strong. That guy is so strong that when I blocked his attack I felt like my hands were about to explode.)
Toru held his daggers tightly while trying to think of something.
The man suddenly appeared, even Hinata couldn't detect him. I could use Ino's skills to immobilize the target, but it wouldn't be as effective.
Toru had already seen that Ino's jutsu can eventually fail and that's a problem.
(Who is that guy? Does he even know Toru?)
Ino's body trembled with fear as she held the kunai. It seemed that she still didn't get over what happened that day.
"Give me a little demonstration of your Taijutsu, Toru..."
The man lunged forward.
Quickly, Toru blocked the kunai strike with his daggers.
(Why?!)
But it wasn't enough. Toru was thrown against a tree. The blow was so hard that some drops of blood came out of the boy's mouth.
(I will have to fight, there is no other choice).
Toru got up from the ground while wiping the blood with his hand. After that, he raised the daggers and took his fighting stance.
"Oh, this will be entertaining."
Toru looked at the man before speaking.
"Odoru gyakusatsu: 3-Teki no mizu [Dancing Massacre: Three drops of water]"
The man opened his eyes, he was shocked. Toru disappeared and in an instant reappeared in front of him.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!
The man parried Toru's blows easily, as if they were nothing.
"Amazing" Said the man before delivering a strong punch to Toru's stomach.
(Agh!)
Toru fell to his knees while touching his abdomen, there was a bit of blood on his lips
"Toru-kun!"
Without thinking twice, Hinata went on the attack. Using taijutsu and the dojutsu of her eyes, she tried to hit the man, but the man dodged the attacks with smooth and relaxed movements.
(I have to do something!)
Ino shouted within her thoughts before forming a triangle with her hands.
(It's going to hurt a lot, but if I don't do something it will end like last time).
Staring at the man, Ino took a breath of air before speaking.
"Shintenshin no Jutsu!"
After saying that, the howl of a wolf was heard. Only a second had passed, at that moment, Ino opened her eyes and realized that she was in that man's body.
"Ino..."
Hinata stopped as she realized that Ino had used the mind transfer jutsu.
"Hit me fast, I can't hold my jutsu, this guy is too strong!"
Ino was trying to hold the jutsu no matter what, but everything got complicated when the man started laughing.
"How long has it been since I saw this jutsu?"
The man laughed before punching Hinata in the stomach, the blow was so hard that the white-eyed girl fell to the ground unable to move.
(No way!)
It was as if Ino's jutsu had no effect whatsoever, for, the man began to move freely as he approached Toru.
"You have good teammates."
The man smiled as he bent down to look at Toru's face.
(No! I can't control it! Damn it!)
Ino tried to stop the man, but all her efforts were in vain, she failed to do anything.
(Toru... run away...)
Ino ended up giving up, but she heard something that brought her back to reality.
"Poor Toru... no mother... no father... no one to care about him."
(Huh...?)
"You feel angry, sad and lonely. Don't you want to take revenge on the man who took everything from you?"
The man smiled as he looked at the boy.
(What is he talking about?)
Ino got out of the man's body, a second later she stood up and looked at Hinata.
She quickly approached her to check if she was conscious and to her good fortune Hinata was fine, the blow she received only immobilized her for a few seconds.
"Toru-kun..."
Hinata looked at Toru. Ino did the same.
"Tell me, little Toru. Have you ever wished you could rip the life out of the man who took what you love most?"
The man spoke, but Toru kept his gaze on the ground without saying a word.
"Won't you answer? Hm... I thought this would be easier."
The man put his hand to his face, and as if he were a reptile, he tore off his skin, revealing a new face.
Toru could hear the skin peeling off the man's face, so he looked up.
(Impossible...)
Toru recognized that face right away, after all that man was....
"Orochimaru..."
After hearing the mention of his name, a smile formed on Orochimaru's mouth.
"So you know me..."
Orochimaru moved a little closer to Toru and looked him straight in the eyes.
At the same time, Ino and Hinata watched everything helplessly.
"Orochimaru...is that that man's name?"
Helping Hinata to stand up, Ino spoke to herself. Those words were heard by Hinata, who could only lower her gaze, she felt useless for not helping Toru.
(I couldn't do anything to help Toru.... I thought I could change my way of being, that I could become strong... maybe I just had false illusions).
Hinata clung to Ino's clothes while looking at the ground.
Ino understood how Hinata felt, but it was true that they couldn't do anything, even Toru couldn't give Orochimaru a scratch.
And right now, Orochimaru would possibly end the Asahi clan boy's life, or so Hinata and Ino thought until they heard Toru's voice.
"You're an S-ranked criminal in The Bingo Books, what do you gain by attacking a team of rookie genin?"
Ino and Hinata's eyes widened in disbelief at what they heard.
The Bingo books are books that contain all the information of every missing ninja or given by the respective Kage of the main shinobi villages and that all Jounin and ANBU members have, with the purpose of hunting and assassinating whoever they find in it. In it are the best and biggest criminals that have ever existed, as well as dangerous.
Toru had access to the Bingo books thanks to Yamato, who allowed him to read some of them.
Ino and Hinata also knew what Toru was referring to when he mentioned the Bingo books, that's why they felt intimidated.
"There's a lot I can gain from doing this. Little Toru..."
Orochimaru placed his hand on Toru's neck and did a little force to stop the boy from escaping.
"What I came for, is to make you a little proposition."
Orochimaru licked his lips as he smiled.
"I can give you power, I can give you the chance to end that man's life, all you have to do is accept the gift I will give you."
Orochimaru increased the strength in his grip as he looked Toru in the eyes.
The boy didn't know what to do, he was almost certain that if he refused his life would end that very day.
But... to have more power... more strength... strength enough to kill Itachi....
Toru's eyes flashed dangerously as he looked at Orochimaru.
(That's a look worthy of the last survivor of the Asahi clan...).
Orochimaru felt happy, not only would he get to give 'that' gift to Uchiha Sasuke, but also to the prodigal child of the Asahi clan. No matter which way he looked at it, he was a winner in the end.
But something made Toru sigh wearily, that voice came back after all.
(We are not that kind of person and you know it... you promised them...) Said that voice which seemed to have no emotion at all.
At the same time, Toru recalled the vision he had a few minutes ago.
The bespectacled man and that little blue sun, somehow Toru felt disappointed in himself remembering that.
(It's true... I'm not like him...)
Toru closed his eyes and took a deep breath, a second later, when he opened his eyes, the words came out of his mouth.
"I refuse."
The smile was wiped off Orochimaru's face.
(I was wrong...)
Orochimaru closed his eyes and sighed. He thought it would be easy to manipulate a child who had lost everything.
After all Toru is just a child, weak in body and soul. Children are beings that don't know how to control their emotions, Orochimaru thought he could use that to be able to control him, but Toru is not someone who is driven by emotions, and that was something that became clear to him when he saw the boy's expressionless face.
(Well, I tried. Still, this doesn't affect my plans at all).
"Hahaha... you're interesting, little Toru. I didn't think you'd be able to refuse. I offered you the chance to take revenge, but you still refused my proposal."
Orochimaru let go of Toru's collar and while smiling grimly, he looked at Toru and spoke.
"If you change your mind... I will be waiting for you, my dear Asahi Toru."
After saying that, Orochimaru started walking in a random direction.
Hinata and Ino sighed in relief as they watched the man walk away.
But again they heard the man's voice again.
"Oh, I almost forgot. This is a little gift from me. I have high expectations of you..." Orochimaru said to then throw a scroll to Toru.
The boy grabbed the scroll and looked at it, it was one of the exam scrolls, the earth scroll, another earth scroll.
(Why...?)
After that, Toru looked at the man, but the man was gone, he had disappeared.
It seemed that everything was over, that's why Hinata and Ino approached Toru.
"Are you okay?" said Ino while looking at Toru, she quickly examined the boy's body with her eyes to see if he had any wounds, in the end Toru only had dirt on his clothes.
(Ha~ I was so scared...).
Ino sighed, she was tired of having to experience such dangerous things everyday.
At the same time, Hinata was looking at Toru with worry.
(¡¿?!)
Ino choked on her own saliva as she saw Hinata sitting next to Toru, but what surprised her the most was to see that Hinata was resting her head on the boy's shoulder.
Seeing that, Ino didn't know what to do, she had just stared at him without saying anything.
Only a few seconds had passed since Orochimaru disappeared, that man had said some interesting things about Toru and Hinata knew what that man was talking about.
That's why she approached Toru, she believed it was a way to help him, after all she knew that boy didn't have anyone of his family alive anymore.
(Orochimaru... what is he planning to do?)
Toru touched her head as she tried to think.
(Still, I'm sure the ninja of Konoha must have already found out that Orochimaru is here, though I'm not sure if they can catch him or kill him...)
Toru sighed, at that moment Hinata realized what she had done.
She slowly turned her gaze to the boy's face, she looked at Toru's lips and as if it was a chemical reaction, Hinata's face turned as red as a ripe tomato.
(Why did I do this?!)
Hinata had forgotten the reason why she had done that and it was too late to regret it.
She was so embarrassed that it even looked like a big cloud of steam was coming out of her head.
(Hinata...)
Ino tried not to see Hinata and Toru being so close, she felt a little upset, but she didn't know the reason.
(I don't care! Do what you want, you fools!)