CHAPTER 202: CHAPTER 202 : HONEST OROCHIMARU

"I can tell you the secret, but what happened between us in the Forest of Death in Konoha will also be considered settled," Orochimaru said reluctantly.

"And I won’t give you a single penny!" he added firmly after a brief hesitation.

Money?

Tsunade was a bit surprised.

In her mind, Orochimaru was never someone who cared much about money.

Why did he keep bringing up money now?

Was this really a bargaining chip?

It felt somewhat crude.

Yet, she couldn’t recall how much money she had lost to gambling before, so she didn’t realize how significant the amount Orochimaru demanded truly was.

It was an enormous fortune.

"Impossible," Uchiha Haru said firmly, locking his gaze on Orochimaru.

Today, he wanted both the money and the truth.

Orochimaru furrowed his brows. He hadn’t expected Haru to refuse so quickly, without hesitation.

This situation was more complicated than he’d assumed.

"It’s not that simple," Orochimaru said cautiously.

"What exactly do you want?" he asked.

He had made up his mind: unless Haru offered something worthy, he wouldn’t reveal a thing.

Haru replied steadily, "I promise I will spare your life if you make a mistake next time."

Orochimaru blinked, stunned.

"Next time? After all the times before, you still don’t remember?"

And if he truly intended never to provoke Haru again, then what use was this promise?

"No, no, no!" Orochimaru refused outright.

"You have no grounds to bargain."

"If you won’t talk, I’ll kill you, extract your soul, and learn everything anyway."

"I’m giving you a chance. Understand?"

Haru’s voice was icy and lethal.

Orochimaru’s heart pounded.

But was he really afraid of a single threat?

No way.

Even standing before Haru, his mind raced.

If extracting souls was truly that easy, his life would have ended long ago.

The fact that Haru was still speaking meant the threat was bluff.

Either it was impossible, or it came at an exorbitant cost.

Either way, it showed Haru had something to negotiate with.

"What if I refuse?" Orochimaru asked tentatively.

Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of danger washed over him.

His pulse raced; he felt like falling into an abyss.

Had he underestimated Uchiha Haru? Did Haru truly dare kill him?

As if reading his thoughts, Haru’s cold, emotionless voice sliced through the silence.

"Then you’re asking for death."

With a blur, Uchiha Haru, who had been some distance away, closed the gap in an instant.

The speed and crushing presence left Orochimaru gasping for breath.

Haru seemed colossal, like a god or demon looming above him.

Orochimaru felt as tiny as an ant—instantly crushable with a mere flick of Haru’s finger.

"No... No..." Orochimaru’s face drained of color as he screamed at the top of his lungs.

But Haru remained ruthless and unmoved, his eyes burning with murderous intent.

He raised his foot—and then it slammed down!

Orochimaru, powerless as an insect, watched the gigantic foot descend like a mountain from the sky.

Despair flooded him as he desperately tried to activate Body Flicker or Substitution Jutsu.

But his body felt rooted to the ground, unable to move.

Then, the massive foot landed.

Darkness swallowed him.

He didn’t know how long passed before a faint light pierced the blackness.

"I... I... Am I dead?" Orochimaru murmured weakly.

His whole body was drained of strength; even his vision wobbled.

He seemed truly dead.

After a lifetime of cleverness, he had fallen victim to one grave miscalculation.

He shouldn’t have provoked Uchiha Haru.

Remorse filled his heart.

He still had so much unfinished business...

He was unwilling to die like this.

"Eh? Something’s wrong!" Orochimaru suddenly sensed two more presences nearby.

Or perhaps they had been there the entire time, and he hadn’t noticed.

Instinctively, he tried to use Body Flicker to put distance between them.

But for some reason—his weakness or something else—he couldn’t move at all.

Raising his head abruptly, his face turned pale.

"Uchiha... Uchiha Haru!"

"Tsunade?!"

He suddenly realized he was still inside his hidden cave. Uchiha Haru and Tsunade stood before him, unchanged—as if nothing had happened.

"I... I’m not dead?!" Orochimaru stammered, confusion thick in his voice.

He wasn’t sure whether to feel relief or despair.

Relief that his life was spared.

Despair because he still had to face Uchiha Haru—the one he considered his tormentor.

"Are you willing to talk now?" Haru asked calmly, his gaze piercing.

If his only goal was to ask about the Nawaki, it wouldn’t be impossible for Haru to have killed Orochimaru already. He had countless chances to squeeze useful information from him.

But beyond the Nawaki matter, there were other things Haru needed Orochimaru’s help with.

Those things were critical.

Orochimaru was still valuable; he couldn’t be discarded yet.

Orochimaru stared at Haru with a conflicted expression.

He thought back to his life—once hailed as a prodigy ninja for mastering ninjutsu at a young age, then a respected adult warrior during the great Ninja World War, earning fame as one of Konoha’s legendary Sannin.

What a glorious life.

Later, he was forced into exile from Konoha and ended up joining the enigmatic and powerful Akatsuki organization.

He had the freedom to stay or leave as he pleased.

Wanted to catch him? Cause him trouble?

He had the capability.

But now... under Uchiha Haru’s command, his once great prestige seemed utterly diminished.

In fact, it felt like he was being toyed with.

Here he was, clearly in the right, yet Haru was the one begging for his assistance.

And this was the result.

He really didn’t want to share the information with Haru.

But what else could he do? He just tried resisting, and Haru almost killed him.

Besides, he didn’t want to face death again.

Since Haru had made his move, Tsunade quietly watched from the sidelines, not intervening.

She feared losing control and crushing Orochimaru herself.

Besides, since Haru promised to handle this matter, why should she interfere?

She trusted in Haru’s ability.

If things went south, she could always step in.

Still, even so, Tsunade was shocked at how fast Haru acted.

No matter how diminished Orochimaru’s power had become, he was still one of the most famous Konoha ninja.

His strength was on par with a Kage.

Now, after so many years, his power was undoubtedly formidable.

At least in Tsunade’s eyes, if she fought Orochimaru one-on-one, she wouldn’t be hopeless.

Generally speaking, Orochimaru would have the advantage.

That was even after she showed her own incredible strength. Haru’s sudden strike caught Orochimaru completely off guard.

If the two had fought directly, her chances would have been much slimmer.

After leaving Konoha, Orochimaru relentlessly strengthened himself through all means to make up for his flaws.

Tsunade, however, had fallen into gambling addiction and abandoned ninjutsu.

The gap between them grew wider.

Now, the once-powerful Orochimaru was as weak as a child before Uchiha Haru.

She only saw Haru’s Sharingan ignite, and Orochimaru’s spirit broke instantly.

It took only seconds.

That kind of power was terrifying.

"Alas," Orochimaru sighed deeply.

After a mental battle within himself, he finally made up his mind.

It was okay to feel aggrieved.

But he couldn’t throw his life away.

Especially after experiencing everything in Haru’s illusion.

He had slaughtered so many shinobi and witnessed rivers of blood.

He once believed he was fearless in the face of death.

But he was wrong.

He thought he understood death, but had never truly experienced it.

Now, having confronted it directly, he was not just afraid—he was petrified.

What Orochimaru didn’t realize was that all this dread was the residue of Haru’s illusion.

Though the illusion ended, its influence lingered, constantly undermining his mind, soul, and emotions.

Making him weak without him noticing.

Making him fear death.

Just like his current state.

To survive, let alone force the Nawaki to perish...

Even if Haru asked about other matters, Orochimaru would disclose whatever he knew.

"I... I’m willing to tell you everything," Orochimaru finally said.

"Hurry and speak!" Tsunade urged anxiously.

Now, with the truth about her brother Nawaki’s death within reach, how could she not be eager?

Haru looked at Orochimaru calmly and replied lightly, "Alright, tell me."

Orochimaru glanced at Haru, eyes swimming with fear.

Though afraid, this was a fear unlike any before.

It seemed that after the illusion, everything inside him had changed.

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