The moment Dan saw Orochimaru standing in his home, his heart sank with dread.
He couldn't understand how Orochimaru had appeared here without warning, but the timing of his visit right after his meeting with Tsunade left no room for doubt. He knew he was in the wrong for what he had said about Orochimaru.
He was about to apologize, but Orochimaru's next words stopped him in his tracks.
"Next life? Orochimaru-sama, what do you mean by that?" Dan asked, his voice shaking.
"What do I mean?" Orochimaru smiled faintly. "Don't you understand?"
Before Dan could respond, Orochimaru's figure vanished.
Whoosh!
Instincts honed from years as an elite Jonin kicked in, and Dan immediately drew a kunai, leaping backward to create distance.
But as he moved, something felt off.
Why did his movements feel sluggish?
And why would Orochimaru want to kill him?
As these thoughts raced through his mind, he suddenly felt a cold chill run down his back.
Swish!
The sharp gleam of a kunai pierced his back with precision.
"So fast!" Dan thought, gritting his teeth as pain shot through him.
Without hesitation, he twisted his wrist, holding his kunai in a reverse grip, and blindly stabbed backward.
If nothing else, he needed to force Orochimaru to retreat.
But at this close range, having lost the initiative, Dan was no match for Orochimaru.
With his Sharingan active, Orochimaru anticipated every one of Dan's movements. Effortlessly, he caught Kato Dan's wrist, twisting it with inhuman strength and wrenching the kunai from his hand.
Without missing a beat, Orochimaru flipped the weapon and slashed downward, severing Dan's arm.
"Ugh!" Dan groaned in pain, but Orochimaru quickly silenced him by covering his mouth.
Swish!
The kunai tore across Dan's throat in one swift, merciless motion.
"What a pity," Orochimaru said with a faint smirk as he released Dan's body, letting it slump to the ground. "I don't have time to test your Spirit Transformation Technique… It could've been interesting."
Unbothered by the sight of blood pooling beneath Dan, Orochimaru calmly walked to a nearby table, picking up a tissue to wipe the blood from his hands and the kunai.
Dan clutched at his throat, blood seeping through his fingers as he fell to his knees. His eyes were wide with disbelief as he looked at Orochimaru.
"Why…?" Dan choked out, his voice barely audible. "Why did you kill me…? Why?"
He didn't have the time or clarity to question the Sharingan glowing in Orochimaru's eyes, nor to process why his movements had felt so sluggish earlier.
All he wanted to know was why.
He was an elite Jonin who had dedicated himself to Konoha. What possible reason could Orochimaru have for killing him?
Was it just because he had met with Tsunade? Or because he knew about Orochimaru's experiments?
He couldn't make sense of it.
Orochimaru tossed the bloodstained tissue to the floor and crouched down in front of Kato Dan, his tone calm and detached.
"It's nothing personal," he said, his voice low and hoarse. "I was in a bad mood today, and your actions annoyed me. That's all."
"J-Just because of that…?" Dan gasped, struggling to form words.
"Isn't that reason enough?" Orochimaru replied with a cold smile.
"You… You're… a traitor… to the village…" Dan's voice was faint and halting, the life draining from him.
"A traitor?" Orochimaru chuckled. "If that's what you want to call it, then so be it."
Standing upright, Orochimaru placed the kunai back into a personal storage space.
"Remember this in your next life," he said, his tone sharp and mocking. "Don't meddle in matters that don't concern you."
With those final words, Orochimaru vanished as swiftly as he had appeared.
Dan collapsed onto the floor. His lifeless eyes remained wide open, filled with confusion and disbelief. Blood continued to pool around his body, soaking into the wooden floorboards.
Even in death, he couldn't comprehend why Orochimaru had killed him.
As his thoughts faded into darkness, Dan's last fragmented words echoed faintly in his mind:
"I… I don't want to die… There are still things I haven't done… still things I… I need to do…"
And then, there was only silence.
---
Back at Orochimaru's home, Tsunade paced anxiously in the living room, her arms crossed as she glanced at the clock.
Dan's words had left her uneasy.
Orochimaru was the person she trusted most, but if there was even a kernel of truth to what Dan had said, she needed to hear it from Orochimaru directly.
While she didn't believe Orochimaru would ever go too far for the sake of his experiments, the possibility lingered in the back of her mind.
Whoosh!
Orochimaru's figure appeared in the room, the faint shimmer of the Flying Thunder God fading behind him.
Tsunade immediately turned to him, relief washing over her face before she paused, sniffing the air.
"This smell…" she muttered, stepping closer. Her expression darkened. "Orochimaru, is that blood? What have you done?"
Orochimaru glanced at his hands, then smiled faintly. "It's nothing of importance," he said casually.
"What do you mean 'nothing'?!" Tsunade snapped. Her sharp gaze darted to his hands, where she could still sense faint traces of blood despite their pristine appearance.
Orochimaru, however, didn't let her press further. "Tsunade," he said, his voice calm but firm.
"...What?"
"I came back to say goodbye."
"Goodbye?" Tsunade froze, her eyes narrowing. "It's the middle of the night. Where are you going?"
"I'm leaving Konoha."
"Leaving Konoha?" she repeated, her voice rising slightly. "What do you mean? You can't just—"
"I mean I'm leaving for good," Orochimaru interrupted, his tone decisive.
Tsunade stared at him, her expression one of disbelief. "What…? Why? What happened?"
"I don't have time to explain everything to you right now," Orochimaru said as he began gathering a few belongings. "If you want answers, go ask the Third Hokage tomorrow."
"Orochimaru, stop!" Tsunade grabbed his arm, panic creeping into her voice. "You can't just leave! What about me? What about us? Why won't you take me with you? Did something happen between us?"
Orochimaru paused and looked at her. His golden eyes softened briefly, but his voice remained firm. "Take you with me? No. You can't follow me and become a traitor."
After finishing his preparations, he stepped closer to her. Gently, he cupped her chin and leaned in, pressing a kiss to her lips.
When he pulled back, his voice softened. "Stay in Konoha, Tsunade. Wait for my news."
***
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