Naruto :I will survive

In the endless pouring rain, Kano stared at the two people standing in front of him, his eyes full of alertness. With a barely audible slap, he threw the food he had worked so hard to get to his feet without hesitation, clutched the bloody stone tightly in his hand, and slowly took a step back.

Despite the excruciating hunger, despite the urgent need for food, at this moment, the body of the little yellow dog would only become a burden in escaping.

"Who... are you?" - in a desperate situation, he did not want to refuse the food he had just obtained, but the question he asked made him himself dumbfounded. This language was unfamiliar to him, but the words came out of their own accord, and he understood their meaning.

"Black hair, black eyes..." Orochimaru looked at Kano who turned around, not answering the question right away. Black hair and black eyes easily brought to mind the Uchiha clan, but this was not their exclusive feature. He looked at the dog Kano had abandoned, the corners of his lips slightly raised, and the interest in his eyes became even stronger: "Tsunade, this boy is interesting..."

"Hm?" Tsunade immediately asked, "What are you going to do?"

"Take him to the village," Orochimaru replied.

Tsunade was taken aback, and then stated decisively, "That's impossible."

"Impossible? Heh... It might be difficult, but I want to try."

"Orochimaru, you..." Tsunade stared at her comrade with a searching gaze. If it had been Jiraiya, she might not have been so surprised, but it was Orochimaru who said those words.

Tsunade, I am not Jiraiya. He stayed to care for those children out of guilt and a desire to atone for his sins. I want to take this child to the village because I believe he is a sapling that can grow into a mighty tree. If that were not the case, I would kill him without hesitation.

Orochimaru thought silently. At first, he didn't think he could take Kano back to the village either, but his growing interest in the boy made him want to do it.

Kano heard their conversation and without thinking, he ran away. He mistook Tsunade and Orochimaru for slave traders, and now, as it seemed to him, was the best time to escape.

The noise of his escape naturally caught their attention. Orochimaru smirked coldly and quickly formed hand seals: "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Several brown snakes as thick as an arm quickly jumped out of his sleeves and in just a few moments caught up with Kano, wrapping themselves around him. Fortunately, Orochimaru was careful enough to control the snakes' power, otherwise they could have simply strangled the boy.

Despite this, Kano cried out in pain several times, breaking out in cold sweat.

"Snakes?!" - looking at the snake tongues hissing in front of him, his heart began to pound wildly, and he was overcome with horror.

Orochimaru slowly approached Kano, who had fallen in the rain and was entangled in snakes.

Tsunade stood there, silently watching her comrade's back. For some reason, for a brief moment, she felt uneasy... Why was Orochimaru so insistent on taking this child back to the village?

She could understand Jiraiya's actions in staying behind to take care of the children, but she couldn't understand Orochimaru's decision.

"Boy," Orochimaru walked up to Kano and leaned down to look into his rebellious eyes, "If you want to survive, then follow me... This is your only chance."

Kano raised his head with difficulty and looked into the cold snake eyes. At that moment, he finally realized that the world he found himself in was not so simple. And indeed, he had no choice. He nodded with his last strength and lost consciousness, plunging into oblivion.

Looking at the unconscious Kano, Orochimaru suddenly smiled. What was the reason for this smile? Why did he feel a little nervous at this moment?

He bent down and picked up Kano, slinging him over his shoulder and turned to Tsunade, "Let's go."

Tsunade looked at the boy's pale face, hesitated a bit, and asked, "Are you really going to take him to the village?"

"Of course," Orochimaru replied, not taking his eyes off her.

Tsunade pursed her lips and said, "Then we should at least give him first aid. I don't think he'll be able to survive to the village in this condition."

"Hehe..." Orochimaru chuckled coldly: "No need. Healing or food - let him ask for it himself when he wakes up. If he doesn't wake up, we'll just throw him out somewhere."

Tsunade stared at the indifferent Orochimaru and said nothing more. The rain continued to pour and pour, and it seemed like it would never stop...