Naruto: The Scourge

After carefully examining Ye Zi's body, Tsunade walked over to Orochimaru without saying a word, her beautiful eyes full of confusion... and astonishment.

Ye Zi only heard Tsunade mention the activity of the cells. After that, his eyes glazed over as he fell into the memory of what he had just witnessed — the glowing green palm and the man who could summon snakes from his sleeves. Everything he saw had been a massive shock, leading him to believe that these might just be the fragmented whispers of the world. He knew there would be even more unbelievable and incomprehensible things to come.

It felt like... he had entered an extraordinary world.

"Orochimaru, come with me," Tsunade whispered as she passed him.

Orochimaru smirked subtly, a sign that the child was indeed extraordinary. He glanced at the dazed Ye Zi before following Tsunade a short distance away.

Ye Zi snapped out of it and saw only Tsunade and Orochimaru's silhouettes disappear into the darkness. He paid it no mind, placing his hand on his forehead as he began to contemplate the future.

The first thing was to understand this world, the second was to gain the strength to survive, and the third was to find a way back home.

After seeing Tsunade and Orochimaru's extraordinary powers, Ye Zi started to think that there might indeed be a way back to Earth. This idea gave him hope, and an excited expression appeared on his face.

He had to go back...

Just thinking about Ye Rui waiting alone in the hospital, waiting for death, made Ye Zi feel an overwhelming urge to return to Earth, no matter what.

He clenched his fists tightly, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and tried to calm himself. He didn't want to reveal any weaknesses in front of those two monsters. What he could do now was earn their trust and gradually learn more about this world before trying to master these unknown abilities.

Ye Zi stared intently at the fire, then slowly released his fists. The departure of Tsunade and Orochimaru would have been an excellent opportunity to escape, but if he hadn't set a goal, Ye Zi might have turned and run right then.

"Tsunade... Orochimaru..."

With a slightly vacant look, Ye Zi's lips moved slowly.

Crack.

Suddenly, there was a sharp sound in the darkness, like a dry branch snapping underfoot.

Ye Zi's eyes focused immediately. He tilted his head slightly, expressionless, pretending to be idle.

Tsunade and Orochimaru emerged from the darkness, each with a different expression. Orochimaru had a hint of excitement in his otherwise cold demeanor, while Tsunade's face showed a slight gravity in her otherwise unreadable expression.

Ye Zi didn't know what the two had been doing and, out of good sense, didn't ask.

That night passed in silence...

A week later, in the Hokage Office of Konohagakure.

The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, in his prime, looked thoughtful as he sat at his simple desk. Tsunade and Orochimaru stood before him. As for Ye Zi, after returning to Konohagakure, he had been temporarily settled in a place, and whether he could stay was still up for debate.

After a long silence, Sarutobi looked at his proud student, who showed no signs of backing down, and spoke in a deep voice: "Although the war has temporarily ceased, we cannot accept outsiders recklessly. War could break out again at any moment."

With that, Sarutobi's brows furrowed with worry...

Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Tsunade...

These three students had performed exceptionally well, especially during this war, but the war had barely ended. Jiraiya, who had been so proud of the outcome, was currently away caring for war orphans. Orochimaru, his most accomplished student, had brought a war orphan back to the village, and Tsunade not only didn't stop him but had also tacitly approved of the decision.

Sarutobi had not seen the child yet, but whether the child had special bloodline traits or extraordinary abilities, he found it difficult to decide if he should be allowed to stay. In times of frequent conflict, even the smallest child could be an enemy spy.

"He must stay," Orochimaru insisted, maintaining an unusually firm attitude, which puzzled Sarutobi. Did this child truly possess something special?

Tsunade stood silently by, having remained silent since entering the office and intending to stay that way.

"You should know the risks involved," Sarutobi raised an eyebrow and tapped his index finger on the desk, speaking calmly. "We must eliminate any variables."

Even if Sarutobi agreed to let the child stay, the root organization hidden in the shadows wouldn't allow it, unless...

Orochimaru didn't show any sign of emotional disturbance in response to Sarutobi's strong refusal. He said indifferently, "The Anbu are not so incompetent. Can a child without chakra really be a variable?"

Sarutobi's eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke in a deep voice, "Then, what makes this child so worth your insistence to keep him here?"

Orochimaru replied, "He has the potential to grow into a towering tree!"

Sarutobi silently scrutinized Orochimaru. If this child did indeed grow into a towering tree, would it be to protect Konohagakure, or simply to absorb its resources?

Such far-reaching questions only crossed Sarutobi's mind briefly because he believed it was impossible.

So...

"He can stay, but the interrogation team must search his memories."

Tsunade shuddered slightly upon hearing this but said nothing.

Orochimaru was momentarily surprised but quickly agreed without hesitation. At such a young age, and with no chakra, being subjected to a memory scan by the interrogation team would result in two possible outcomes:

One was that Ye Zi would become a fool; the other was that he would lose all his memories. Given Ye Zi's situation, the chance of becoming a fool was higher.

If he became a fool so easily, there would be no need to keep him. If he lost all his memories, that might be a good thing. It would allow Ye Zi to start over in Konohagakure. Either outcome was acceptable to Orochimaru. In fact, if there was a third outcome... that was what Orochimaru didn't want to see.

Sarutobi looked at Orochimaru, deeply studying him before making his decision.

At this moment, Ye Zi, who was attacking his meal, had no idea about what was happening.

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