Should I continue being a villain in the ninja world after transmigrating?

Chapter 14 The Reason Orochimaru Discovered Zeref

Meanwhile, Zeref and Orochimaru, who had disappeared without a trace, appeared on a high point opposite the Hokage Rock.

The wind was quite strong on the high ground where there was no shelter. Zeref and Orochimaru stood one in front of the other. Orochimaru, who was standing behind Zeref, could only see Zeref's wide robe fluttering in the wind.

Facing the Hokage Rock, Zeref felt a sense of wonder as he looked down upon the entire Hidden Leaf Village from a high vantage point for the first time. His realization that he was in a completely different world became even clearer.

He couldn't help but sigh, "What a peaceful village. Are all ninja villages in this world like this?"

The ninja villages of this world? This somewhat subtle and distant statement stirred something within Orochimaru.

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, but instead of asking a question, he answered Zeref's question first: "Konoha is the strongest ninja village in the ninja world, and naturally it occupies the best geographical location. The other four ninja villages cannot compare to Konoha's environment, let alone those small countries and villages."

As he spoke, Orochimaru took a few steps forward and stood next to Zeref. He turned his head and asked, "So, Zeref, where do you come from, given your ability to bewitch the entire Hidden Leaf Village?"

“Or perhaps what I should ask is,” Orochimaru’s pupils contracted slightly, his serpentine senses becoming more acute, and he asked sharply, “Are you really a ninja?”

When he asked this question, Orochimaru's memory returned to a few days earlier.

The Chunin Exams, hosted by Konoha, were precisely the time Orochimaru chose for his Konoha Crush plan, so he naturally made many preparations in advance.

For example, he could kill the Fourth Kazekage and use his identity to impersonate him, or he could send his most capable spy, Kabuto Yakushi, to infiltrate Konoha in advance to gather intelligence.

Kabuto Yakushi infiltrated Konoha not only to understand the village's defensive deployment, but also, of course, to gather information about Sasuke Uchiha, which was of great interest to Orochimaru.

It was while learning about Sasuke Uchiha's situation that Orochimaru discovered the unusual behavior of Zeref and Mavis.

At that time, in a forest outside Konoha, Kabuto Yakushi was reporting to Orochimaru about the arrangements for the Konoha Chunin Exams.

"Lord Orochimaru, this is the personnel arrangement for the Chunin Exams in Konoha," Kabuto Yakushi concluded.

Opposite to Kabuto Yakushi, Orochimaru was wearing the Fourth Kazekage's robes, casually holding the Kazekage's signature straw hat in his hand.

His nonchalant demeanor suggested that the status of Kazekage, one of the highest ranks in the ninja world, was nothing of importance to him.

After listening to Kabuto's report, Orochimaru remained expressionless and simply said, "You've worked hard, Kabuto. As a spy, no one can surpass you."

Kabuto Yakushi's expression remained unchanged as he calmly replied, "This is what I should do, Lord Orochimaru."

As expected, Orochimaru tilted his head and suddenly asked, "Do you think there's a child in this Chunin Exams who can compare to Sasuke?"

As Orochimaru's most trusted subordinate, Kabuto Yakushi was well aware of Orochimaru's covetousness for Sasuke and the Sharingan. Therefore, gathering information about Sasuke was Kabuto's top priority.

He pushed up his glasses and said calmly, "Among the genin in Konoha, Sasuke's strength is among the best. However, his strength is still somewhat immature, and there is still a considerable gap between him and Gaara, who has experienced bloodshed."

Orochimaru couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth and said, "The Uchiha bloodline can't grow into a big tree in the gentle, soft bed of Konoha, huh?"

"Lord Orochimaru, will Sasuke Uchiha really choose to leave Konoha on his own initiative?" Kabuto Yakushi couldn't help but ask curiously. "Judging from the recent intelligence gathering, Sasuke's bond with the other members of Team 7 is constantly deepening."

Orochimaru turned around and looked at Kabuto Yakushi with certainty, saying, "As long as he still harbors hatred in his heart, he will inevitably come to my side, because he will eventually discover that what Konoha cannot give him, I can give him!"

Seeing Orochimaru's determined look, Kabuto Yakushi understood and also curled the corners of his mouth.

As Orochimaru put his Kazekage hat back on and prepared to leave, Kabuto casually remarked, "It seems that after this Chunin Exams, Kakashi's team of five will only have four members left."

Orochimaru paused, his aura subtly shifting. He slowly turned around, and under Kabuto's somewhat surprised gaze, asked with an inscrutable expression, "You just said, how many people are in Kakashi's team?"

Kabuto was taken aback, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes. However, out of his long-standing respect and trust for Orochimaru, Kabuto understood that Orochimaru would not do anything meaningless, nor would he ask meaningless questions.

I quickly went over what I had just said in my mind twice, but I didn't find anything unusual.

He could only reply with a puzzled look: "...Kakashi's team has five people. Besides Sasuke Uchiha, there's Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Sakura Haruno, Zeref, and Mavis... Apart from the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the others shouldn't be anything noteworthy..."

Given Kabuto's intelligence-gathering abilities, he should have accurately told Orochimaru that the genin other than Sasuke and Naruto were not worth paying attention to.

However, considering Orochimaru's reaction and the question he raised, Kabuto subconsciously used the inaccurate word "should".

After Kabuto Yakushi confirmed that there were five people in Team 7 led by Kakashi and gave a brief introduction, Orochimaru did not react immediately. Instead, he carefully examined Kabuto Yakushi from head to toe with his snake-like pupils.

Even Kabuto Yakushi, who had been by Orochimaru's side for a long time and was highly regarded by him, felt a long-lost sense of unease and pressure under Orochimaru's cold and sharp gaze.

A cold sweat broke out on his back. Kabuto's throat bobbed slightly. He didn't understand what he had said wrong. After a moment's hesitation, he finally spoke, "Lord Orochimaru..."

Just as Kabuto opened his mouth, Orochimaru reached out and touched his forehead. His pupils contracted, and his ninja instincts made him instinctively want to dodge, but in an instant, reason prevailed over his instinct to back down.

Kabuto watched with bated breath as Orochimaru's hand drew ever closer, until Orochimaru pressed against the ninja's head, a vital spot, without him flinching an inch.

Orochimaru pressed his hand against Kabuto's head, probing the flow of chakra within Kabuto's body. He twitched his brow and then lowered his hand.

As Kabuto sensed Orochimaru's chakra probe, a thought flashed through his mind, and he couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Lord Orochimaru, are you checking if I'm under a genjutsu?"

After Kabuto Yakushi raised this question, he himself raised his hand with some doubt and formed a hand seal to dispel the illusion, but he did not find any signs that he had been under the illusion.

At this moment, Orochimaru also gave the results of his investigation: "You are indeed not under the influence of genjutsu, Kabuto."

Meeting Kabuto's questioning gaze, Orochimaru paused, a strange glint of curiosity and fervor for the unknown and novel flashing in his eyes—a trait familiar to Kabuto.

He continued, "Since you weren't under a genjutsu, then Kabuto, tell me, why did you say something so absurd as to say that Sasuke's Team 7 has five members!"

Orochimaru's eyes flashed with the coldness and focus of a snake as he stared sharply at Kabuto Yakushi and said, "If it were you, even if it were betrayal, you wouldn't utter such a clumsy lie."

Kabuto was taken aback, his expression becoming even more bewildered. He said, "Kakashi's team has always had five members. I've reported that to you before..."

At this point, Kabuto Yakushi abruptly stopped, his expression suddenly turning horrified.

Seeing Kabuto's expression, Orochimaru understood that Kabuto had noticed the discrepancy in his memories, and couldn't help but chuckle, "Heh heh heh, how interesting. To be able to alter cognition and memories so subtly and without anyone noticing, truly astonishing..."