He believed the little brat in front of him couldn't complete the assessment.
Because…
The one in charge of the assessment was none other than him—Orochimaru!
When he arrived, the Third Hokage had already spoken with him, and from the teacher's vague words, Orochimaru understood what he meant.
Five minutes for the assessment.
Be ruthless, but don't kill them.
Orochimaru's original intent wasn't to get involved with the Senju clan's mess.
But Sarutobi had told him that if Yukika passed the assessment, he would become his disciple.
The head of the Senju clan… would be my disciple?
In that case, he seemed to have no reason to refuse.
And this was also the main reason Orochimaru had come here to observe Yukika.
He wanted to see his "disciple" in advance, to assess the target.
But now, the so-called disciple and assessment target didn't matter!
"She's fine. In the stage of a stalemate in the war, there's no danger."
His voice was hoarse, cold as always.
But Orochimaru's fiery gaze was locked onto the ninjutsu manual in Yukika's hands.
He desperately wanted it!
That was the precious legacy left by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama!
But he…
Dared not make a move.
Slipping into the Senju clan's territory was already a taboo.
He was certain that even if he showed the slightest ill intent, he'd face the fury of Uzumaki Mito the next moment.
Don't underestimate the perception abilities of the Uzumaki clan, especially Uzumaki Mito!
Orochimaru even understood that the moment he approached Yukika, Uzumaki Mito had already sensed it.
After all, this was the Senju clan's territory.
So, even though he desperately wanted the ninjutsu manual, he couldn't take it by force.
That would be suicidal.
And it would drive that old woman mad.
"Do you want it?"
Yukika casually fiddled with the ninjutsu manual. The system's built-in copy function had already recorded everything from the manual.
Including the Second Hokage's understanding of ninjutsu, even his proud water style techniques, Yukika still knew them all well.
With a smile, Yukika looked at Orochimaru and suddenly had an idea.
To be honest, he hadn't planned on forming any kind of friendship or bond with Orochimaru. That was all fake.
The most reliable thing between people was interest.
Orochimaru wouldn't be here unless he had something of interest.
Without a doubt, the only thing that could interest him now was the assessment target.
"Here."
As the boy's voice fell, he casually tossed the precious ninjutsu manual to Orochimaru.
Shocked, Orochimaru reflexively reached out to catch the manual with both hands. He then glared at Yukika, resisting the urge to open it right away.
This brat… What does he mean by this?
Suddenly, something seemed to click in his mind.
Orochimaru frowned. "Yukika… You don't mean… you want me to go easy on you?"
Sometimes, talking to clever people is quite effortless.
Yukika had guessed that Orochimaru was the one in charge of the assessment, and Orochimaru had made no effort to hide it.
"Go easy on me?"
"No need."
Yukika lightly shook his head.
The entire village of Konoha already knew about the assessment, and there would be plenty of people watching.
In that case, if he went easy on him, people would only criticize him for not being worthy of graduating as the head of the Senju clan, and it would instead tarnish his reputation.
What Yukika wanted wasn't just a mere victory…