Several days later, in the Hokage's office.
Failure!
Upon hearing that Hinowa had rejected the well-paying, easy job that had been arranged for her, Hiruzen Sarutobi tugged at his beard with a troubled expression.
Why was this woman so stubborn?
What did she mean by saying she might not be suited for such work and preferred to stick with familiar jobs she enjoyed?
Playing the zither for a bunch of lecherous old men counted as enjoyable work? How could this girl be so obstinate?
Didn't she realize that without cleaning up her current identity, she'd have no real opportunities left?
"We've discreetly arranged three high-paying, easy jobs for her through people around her, but she rejected them all."
Hearing this supplementary report from the Anbu operative codenamed Byakuren, Minato wore a similarly conflicted expression as the Third Hokage.
But then Minato thought of a possibility and tentatively suggested.
"Lord Third, do you think... perhaps she doesn't want to leave because that's where she first met Orochimaru? Kushina often sneaks back to the forest where I rescued her too, saying the place holds special meaning..."
"Ah..." The Third sighed deeply, clasping his hands behind his back as he walked to the window.
"That does seem to be the only explanation now. Very well, let the girl be for now. Assign an Anbu to protect her—after all, she is Orochimaru's child..."
This time, both the Third and Minato had learned their lesson, keeping this matter truly secret and not sharing it with anyone.
Not even their closest confidants!
However, they both overlooked one thing: those who lose their memories due to dark substances might retain some recollection of events during their amnesiac period after recovering their memories...
...
April, with cherry blossoms dancing in the air and spring returning to the land.
It was also the fourth month of pregnancy for the entertainer named Hinowa.
As the period exceeded three months, her belly had begun to swell slightly.
Thanks to her modest performance attire, it wasn't noticeable yet.
But Hinowa knew it would only be a matter of time before her condition became obvious.
So for now, she had to take as many performance opportunities as possible without harming the baby's development.
Combined with her savings, she planned to resign and move somewhere unknown when concealment became impossible.
In a new environment, she would use her savings to give birth and start a new life with her child, raising them with her own hands.
Perhaps because she had lost her parents young and grew up without family love, Hinowa often fantasized at night about her child calling her "Mother" someday.
The thought filled her with indescribable happiness and fulfillment.
From the moment she learned of her pregnancy, Hinowa stopped resenting that famous shinobi.
Of course, she wouldn't foolishly go to his home claiming to carry his child like some of the courtesans she knew at the establishment.
She would go far away and live a good life with her child, making sure that ninja lord would never know.
Similarly, she wouldn't tell her child who his father was either.
If he asked when he grew up, perhaps she would say…
But what would she say?
No, not having a father might make him feel inferior in front of other children. She had to come up with a proper explanation!
She couldn't sleep tonight!
At three in the morning, on the treetop outside the rented house where Hinowa lived.
Hidden in the shadows, the Anbu ninja assigned to protect this woman—for reasons unknown to him by the Hokage's orders—let out a big yawn.
Though he didn't know what was so special about this woman, a mission was a mission, and he had to do his job properly!
After slapping his cheeks to wake himself up, the Anbu rookie steeled his focus—only to suddenly feel something like an insect bite on his ankle.
Since it didn't hurt much, the rookie dismissed it as a mosquito or something similar, shaking his leg before ignoring it.
Half a minute later, the Anbu rookie slumped against the tree trunk, falling into a deep slumber.
At the same time, a small white snake, no thicker than a pinky finger, slithered silently along the branch, inching its way toward the balcony outside the second-floor rental window.
The sliding window wasn't fully shut, leaving just enough of a gap for the tiny snake to slip through…
...
Uncommonly ash-gray hair, a plain but pleasant face free of makeup, and pale skin—not naturally so, but due to slight malnutrition.
Orochimaru (snake clone), standing silently by the bedside, gazed at the woman named Hinowa, unable to suppress the memory of that absurd night.
And also somewhat distraught—why was it that, of all things during his amnesiac episode, this was the one thing he remembered?
Moreover… after some investigation spurred by his lingering unease, he discovered that this woman… was pregnant!
His first reaction at the time was…!
His first reaction was…!
He couldn't even remember.
Upon learning she had no intention of telling anyone, he had locked himself in his lab for days, burying himself in experiments.
But he couldn't focus!
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't forget!
Kill!
Only by killing this woman could he be free!
This was the final conclusion Orochimaru reached, driven to the brink of mental collapse by his own torment.
Only by killing her could he regain his calm, only then could he devote himself fully to his experiments again!
Orochimaru drew a kunai, his eyes flashing with the same cold, silent madness as the blade.
...Then he thrust it down!
But stopped mid-motion because of a single gesture from the woman.
A mother's instinctive care—even in sleep, she turned slightly to avoid pressing on her belly, her hand resting protectively over it.
The kunai, hovering less than five centimeters from her neck, trembled…
No, it was Orochimaru's right hand that trembled.
Damn it!
Cursing inwardly, Orochimaru reached out with his left hand to steady his shaking right.
Orochimaru, gripping the kunai tightly with both hands, forcibly suppressed the strange subconscious resistance within him.
—He didn't want to care, nor did he want to think about this inexplicable subconscious reluctance to strike!
After two minutes, Orochimaru finally overcame this unconscious or instinctive resistance.
His hands stopped trembling, and he felt he could now end this woman's life effortlessly, without her feeling a hint of pain.
But... the strike never came.
Because Orochimaru detected an extremely faint movement from the woman's belly—a slight kick from the unborn child...
In the end, Orochimaru abandoned his intent to act. His subconscious had reached an answer: having witnessed that tiny movement, he simply couldn't bring himself to do it.
Clink!
The sound of the kunai hitting the floor jolted Hinowa awake.
Seeing Orochimaru standing by her bedside and the kunai on the ground, she instantly understood what had almost happened.
Then, she did something Orochimaru never expected.
"Please, Lord Orochimaru, I beg you! It won't affect you at all, and no one will ever know—not even this child when they grow up! Please, spare this child's life!"
Watching Hinowa kneel, her forehead pressed against the bed as she shielded her belly, tears streaming uncontrollably, Orochimaru found himself at a loss for words.
All he knew was that the phrase "not even this child when they grow up" stirred an inexplicable irritation within him.
After a long silence...
"Pack your things. You're coming with me."
Hinowa looked up, stunned, then quickly shook her head, her entire being rejecting the idea.
"If you don't come with me, I'll kill you right now."
Orochimaru spoke again, his killing intent making Hinowa—a mere ordinary woman—shiver uncontrollably...
Jiraiya, you're dead!!
The moment Orochimaru turned away, he resolved in his heart: he would definitely kill Jiraiya.