Kagetsu, on the other hand, was deep in thought, recalling the jutsu Orochimaru had taught him – the Cursed Seal, which was still only a rough, unfinished technique.
His eyes briefly glanced at Anko, standing idly by.
As the first person to bear the Heaven Cursed Seal, Anko's situation was truly tragic. She was attacked by the very teacher she admired, leading to her deep hatred for Orochimaru.
Reflecting on it now, Kagetsu thought that Orochimaru probably had no other choice back then.
Orochimaru's secret experiments had been exposed by Danzo, leaving him no time or ability to take people with him when fleeing. He wasn't even sure if he could escape Konoha alive himself.
Attacking Anko, giving her the Heaven Cursed Seal, and erasing part of her memory was not just a way to cut off their master-student bond, but also to leave himself an escape route.
If Orochimaru had been killed by Hiruzen and the others, but Anko, with the Cursed Seal, survived, he'd have a chance to return.
"But we've been away from the village for months now," Kagetsu reminded Orochimaru.
No matter what happened during a B-ranked mission, with Orochimaru leading the team, they should have completed the mission and returned within a few months.
"Has it really been months? I must've been too absorbed in my research," Orochimaru frowned, hesitated, and sighed.
"Prepare yourself. The excuse I gave last time has probably run its course. We should return to the village."
"We're going back?"
Anko perked up at Orochimaru's words. Although the mission outside the village was exciting, after a few months of being underground, she missed Konoha and her soft bed at home.
"Yes, if we don't return soon, some people might start getting restless," Orochimaru replied, a bit disappointed. After all, he had more research to handle back at the village.
He could refuse to do it, but the consequences wouldn't be what he wanted. Danzo wasn't the best partner, but at least he paid well!
"When will I have the freedom to fund my research independently?" Orochimaru muttered.
"Jugo, you'll stay here at the base," Orochimaru said, looking at the boy standing next to Anko. After thinking for a moment, he decided not to take him back to the village.
"But I..." Jugo felt a bit panicked. Being around Orochimaru and Kagetsu meant he didn't have to worry about losing control and hurting innocent people.
Whether it was Orochimaru or Kagetsu, they could always control him before he went berserk, helping him calm down.
Now that they were leaving without him, his long-held peace was replaced by fear once again.
"Before we leave, I'll prepare enough neurotoxin injections for you. You can administer them yourself if you feel you're about to lose control," Orochimaru reassured him.
"Next time, I will prepare a better, targeted potion or sealing technique to balance the natural chakra within you," Kagetsu said, stepping forward to comfort the somewhat confused Jugo.
"Then let's prepare everything," Orochimaru agreed. "We might not meet again for a few months."
Originally, Orochimaru planned to build a prison cell and lock Jugo inside. As long as he didn't escape, the destruction caused wouldn't matter.
But since Kagetsu had his own ideas, Orochimaru didn't mind the decision he made.
…
In Konoha Village.
"It's Lord Orochimaru!" The gatekeeper ninja, seeing Orochimaru and his team looking exhausted, immediately became alert.
After completing the paperwork, Orochimaru and Kagetsu realized something was wrong with the village atmosphere shortly after they entered.
It seemed like something major had happened while they were away!
Orochimaru waved his hand, signaling his team to disperse.
When Kagetsu got home and saw his father for the first time, he asked, "Did something happen in the village?"
"Why do you ask?" Shikakichi, caught off guard and not yet having a chance to exchange pleasantries with Kagetsu, responded softly.
"The atmosphere in the village feels off. Something significant must have happened to affect it," Kagetsu said as he sat down opposite Shikakichi, tossing his backpack aside.
"White Fang is dead," Shikakichi said, looking at Kagetsu's eager face. He decided not to hide the truth and spoke up.
In fact, there was no need to hide it. The children at the Konoha Ninja Academy already knew. Even if he didn't say it, Kagetsu would likely hear about it from Orochimaru or his friends.
"Konoha's White Fang?" Kagetsu was momentarily stunned.
"Yes. Because he failed his mission and caused harm to the village's interests, White Fang, feeling guilty, committed suicide at home a few days ago," Shikakichi said softly, patting Kagetsu's head.
"Do you believe that story?" Kagetsu looked at his father with suspicion. "Are you trying to fool me?"
"This is the official stance," Shikakichi said seriously, rubbing Kagetsu's hair roughly, making it all messy.
"Well, let's go with that," Kagetsu replied after a moment of silence, nodding. Since there was an official statement, there wouldn't be any other public opinions. Even though his father's words were a bit harsh, they were a reminder.
"What about Kakashi Hatake?" Kagetsu remembered the person at school who was quite favored and valued by the teachers.
"He graduated from the Ninja Academy a while ago. He was one of the youngest graduates. If everything goes as expected, he'll become a Chunin soon."
Seeing that Kagetsu understood, Shikakichi withdrew his hand. He sighed instinctively when answering Kagetsu's question and shared what he knew.
"A Chunin at such a young age?" Kagetsu thought about whether he should visit Kakashi, but they didn't have a deep relationship.
Their only interactions were a few encounters and conversations at the ninja academy. Kakashi had always seemed like a cool, quiet genius who didn't fit in with the other students.
After he was recruited as Orochimaru's apprentice and left the academy, they had even less to do with each other.
Even his old friends, Akimichi Chofu and Yamanaka Yuki, had fewer chances to meet.
Given their level of connection, Kagetsu felt there was no real need to visit Kakashi.
Soon, Kakashi would probably become cold and withdrawn, focusing solely on completing missions as his top priority, driven by the impact of his father's death and the village's pressure.
At that time, Kakashi would be distant and hard to approach, even someone as spirited as Might Guy couldn't reach him.
Only in the future, with Minato Namikaze's Team 7, would things be different.
With that in mind, Kagetsu decided to put thoughts of Kakashi aside for now. He planned to use his time returning to the village to thoroughly review what he had learned from Orochimaru over the past few months.
****
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