Chapter 25: Team Assignment and Teammates
When Nan saw who had come looking for him, he was filled with confusion.
Orochimaru?
Why would he come to see me? As far as I know, the original host never had any real connection with him.
Though puzzled, Nan still stepped forward. Orochimaru had come asking for him by name—it would be too suspicious to ignore it.
Since the original Nan never knew Orochimaru personally, he had to pretend he didn't either. No slip-ups.
"Who are you? And why are you looking for me?" Nan asked, his gaze fixed on Orochimaru's inhuman, snake-like pupils.
It was the first time he had seen Orochimaru's eyes in real life, and they piqued his curiosity.
Could those be some kind of dōjutsu too?
"Oh? You're not afraid of me?" Orochimaru remarked with intrigue, inwardly impressed.
Due to his unsettling appearance and intense killing intent, most children who hadn't graduated—sometimes even freshly minted genin—were terrified upon seeing him. Some trembled. Others cried.
But Nan wasn't scared in the slightest. Orochimaru took this as a sign of compatibility.
Of course, Orochimaru had no idea that Nan's true strength might actually surpass his own. Why would Nan fear him?
In fact, Nan was already mentally prepared—if Orochimaru discovered his secret and tried to attack him, he'd simply unleash Susanoo and slap him into oblivion.
Unaware of the stormy thoughts behind Nan's calm expression, Orochimaru got to the point.
"I am the commander of the Wind Country front line—Orochimaru. There are some matters I need to inform you about. I suggest you prepare yourself."
Nan breathed a small sigh of relief.
So he's not here to start trouble. That's good.
He nodded respectfully. "Understood, Lord Orochimaru. I'm ready. Please go ahead."
Orochimaru then informed him of the disappearance of Uchiha Han.
"He's been missing for several months now. It's almost certain he's died in action."
Nan furrowed his brow.
They were brothers… so it makes sense that I'd be informed. But does the commander of an entire front line really need to deliver the news himself?
Now wasn't the time to question it.
My older brother died… I should probably look sad, right?
He lowered his head and said nothing, putting on a convincingly sorrowful expression.
Orochimaru assumed Nan needed time to digest the tragic news.
Little did he know, Nan wasn't sad at all. He just didn't know what kind of reaction would be appropriate here, or how to fake one that would satisfy Orochimaru.
"You don't need to be too sad," Orochimaru said flatly. "Life is fragile. To fall in battle… that is a shinobi's fate."
Though his words sounded like comfort, there wasn't a trace of warmth or empathy in his tone.
Nan finally forced out a few tears, then looked up and shook his head.
"Thank you for your concern, Lord Orochimaru," he said quietly. "I've been prepared for this. My parents also died on the battlefield. Deep down, I always suspected Han would meet the same fate someday. I can handle it."
He made it clear he wasn't fragile.
But he still had a lingering doubt.
"Still… my brother was just a regular shinobi. Does news of his death really require you— the commander—to deliver it personally?"
Nan finally asked what had been bothering him.
Orochimaru was a bit surprised. He'd heard stories that Nan had acted strangely following his mother's death. Yet here he was—composed, rational, and even questioning him.
Apparently, the boy had grown stronger this past year, perhaps even matured.
And to be honest, Orochimaru wasn't planning to hide the reason behind his personal visit.
"I've heard you're a gifted medical-nin. I've been looking for a student with talent in the medical arts… Would you be willing to become my apprentice?"
So that's what this is about.
Nan was surprised—but now it all made sense.
Orochimaru had come in person because he wanted to take him on as a student.
That explains everything.
Nan didn't know exactly when Orochimaru began his experiments on immortality, but he figured it had to be around this time.
Maybe the experiments had become too complex, and Orochimaru realized he needed a capable assistant to help carry them out.
Originally, Orochimaru had probably set his sights on Kabuto, whom he would meet by chance not long from now.
But now, with Nan—a highly gifted medical-nin—in the picture, he decided to make his move early and extend an olive branch.
Nan began to consider whether or not he should accept Orochimaru's offer to become his apprentice.
Truthfully, it could be quite beneficial for him.
As a member of the Uchiha clan, Nan knew he would inevitably come into conflict with the village leadership in the future. But Orochimaru was one of the Third Hokage's students. If Nan became Orochimaru's apprentice, he'd be partially aligned with the Hokage's inner circle. That could give him a valuable edge for future promotions.
More importantly, while Nan's chakra control was already outstanding, what he lacked were advanced jutsu—particularly high-level or forbidden techniques. Becoming Orochimaru's student could give him access to many of those rare, secret arts.
Still, it wasn't without risk.
Orochimaru was destined to defect from the village one day. Nan could be implicated by association.
After weighing the pros and cons, Nan decided it was worth trying.
As long as he stayed away from Orochimaru's illegal human experiments, things should be fine.
If he noticed any signs that Orochimaru was planning to defect, he could simply start distancing himself. That way, if an investigation ever came, he'd have plausible deniability.
Even in the original story, Orochimaru's student Anko Mitarashi wasn't punished too harshly after his defection.
So, Nan said:
"I've heard about your strength, Lord Orochimaru. I'd be honored to become your student. But I'll be graduating soon… and once I do, I'll probably be deployed to the battlefield with a team. I'm afraid I won't have much time for proper training."
Hearing that Nan wasn't rejecting him outright, Orochimaru smiled faintly.
"You don't need to worry about that. I can request that the Hokage assign you to my squad. That way, I can train you personally—and protect you on the battlefield."
"In that case, I'd be happy to become your disciple, Lord Orochimaru. I'll be counting on your guidance from now on."
With Nan's affirmative response, Orochimaru left, clearly pleased.
He would wait until Nan passed his graduation exam to officially take him under his wing. As for getting Nan to participate in his experiments… well, that would require more persuasion.
Orochimaru disliked using force. He wasn't like Danzo, who relied on curse marks to control others.
He believed that unwilling followers were of little value.
It was far better to win people over through charisma—something Orochimaru was quite confident in.
And indeed, he was charismatic. In the original story, many of his subordinates followed him with unwavering loyalty.
But this time, his target was Nan—a man who had received twelve years of modern education and held firm personal values. Orochimaru's usual tactics were bound to fail.
Nan agreed to become Orochimaru's disciple for his own strategic reasons.
Although he was already strong, having an experienced ninja like Orochimaru as a mentor came with obvious benefits.
In his previous life as a scientist, Nan had always believed that science was the greatest productive force. That belief hadn't changed, even in this world.
And Orochimaru—arguably the most brilliant "scientist" in this world—was someone Nan could learn a great deal from.
In addition, Orochimaru possessed the Summoning Contract for Ryūchi Cave.
As his apprentice, Nan might gain the chance to sign the contract and train in Senjutsu at the legendary Ryūchi Cave.
But perhaps the most important reason was this:
If Nan wanted to awaken the Rinnegan, he would need cells from the First Hokage (Hashirama Senju).
And there were only three people known to have access to those: Danzo, Uchiha Madara, and Orochimaru.
Danzo was out of the question—he used cursed seals and manipulated people like pawns.
Madara was even more dangerous—someone Nan knew to avoid at all costs.
That left only Orochimaru.
As for Orochimaru's inevitable defection?
Nan didn't mind. As an Uchiha, he was never going to be fully trusted by the village's higher-ups anyway.
Through Orochimaru, he might gain access to things he otherwise never could—such as forbidden jutsu sealed away in classified scrolls.
Once Orochimaru defected, Nan could simply sever ties and return to being just another "untrusted Uchiha."
This mindset showed just how different Nan was from other transmigrators.
Most people would be terrified if Orochimaru took an interest in them—always looking over their shoulders, afraid of being used or betrayed.
But not Nan.
He wasn't afraid of Orochimaru at all.
In fact, he was even a little pleased to have become his student.
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