Orochimaru waved his hand, and the summoned giant serpent dissolved into a wisp of smoke.
As one of Konoha's top figures, he naturally overlooked Anya—just another face in the crowd. This time, he had come on orders from his mentor, the Third Hokage, specifically to recruit this student.
After this little test, Orochimaru genuinely became interested. Whether it was quick thinking or effective use of ninjutsu, this kid had done pretty well. In fact, he hadn't even used his full strength yet.
Originally here on a mission, Orochimaru's gaze toward Anya brightened slightly.
Anya felt uneasy under that stare and hesitantly asked, "Um... did I pass the test?"
"Of course," Orochimaru replied in his distinctive hoarse voice. "From now on, I will be your teacher."
Upon hearing that, Anya's heart quivered. Teach me? Are you kidding? Even though you're still Uncle Snake right now, not yet Auntie Snake, and haven't started being creepy yet, I'm still from the Uchiha Clan. What if you take an interest in me one day and suddenly take a bite out of me? That'd be like dying.
Thinking this, Anya quickly lowered his head and said, "I'm sorry, Lord Orochimaru, but I already have a teacher."
"Hm?" Orochimaru's interest grew further. Already found a teacher before graduation? How interesting. He didn't care—what difference did it make if you already had one? Who's dumb enough to challenge me for this talent? Even if you were seeking Jiraiya or Tsunade, he could still find ways to take you away.
Therefore, Orochimaru asked curiously, "Who did you choose as your teacher?"
Anya responded promptly, "The Legend of the White Fang of Konoha."
Orochimaru frowned slightly. It's him again? Such a coincidence?
The Legend of the White Fang was probably the only person in the village who had solidly surpassed Orochimaru in strength. If it were him whom he had to ask for a student, Orochimaru wasn't very confident—but he still didn't believe it.
With a sinister grin, Orochimaru sneered, "Kid, don't tell me you're lying to me."
Anya answered fearfully, "How dare I lie to Lord Orochimaru? It's true—I had prior arrangements. He told me to seek him out when I graduate, and he'll wait for me at home."
"Oh really?" Orochimaru formed a hand seal and summoned a massive serpent, saying with apparent concern, "Since you've passed my trial, let my summoning animal send you over as a reward."
Anya clasped his hands together gratefully. "Thank you, Lord Orochimaru."
Without hesitation, he immediately climbed onto the snake's back.
Watching the giant serpent carry Anya away, Orochimaru's pupils constricted twice, while thinking inwardly: It seems like this little guy really did tell the truth after all. A bit of a shame...
The giant serpent escorted Anya all the way to Sakumo Hatake's doorstep, disappearing completely only after seeing him walk inside.
Anya mentally mused, "What a paranoid guy. But considering Orochimaru's temperament, along the way, Anya had already thought it through—if Orochimaru saw me stealing the Scroll of Seals, he wouldn't have waited this long to act. He would've made his move back at the Ninja Academy itself. Therefore, that previous incident must've been noticed by the Third. This time, he sent Orochimaru to take me under his wing. After all, Orochimaru is his favored disciple right now—whether in Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, or wits, he's top-tier. With him around, there's no way I can stir up any trouble..."
Entering Sakumo Hatake's home, Anya inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Good thing I met Konoha's White Fang beforehand; otherwise today I'd surely become Orochimaru's student. The consequences... Hmph.
Hardly stepping two paces indoors, Anya suddenly heard loud thudding sounds. Walking over, he saw a white-haired toddler, about three years old, kicking repeatedly at a training post. Admittedly, judging purely from the form, his movements were quite standard. As for their impact, though...
The white-haired child seemed to sense someone nearby and turned around. Seeing an unfamiliar face, he haughtily asked, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
"You actually think this is *your* house?"
Right! Anya suddenly realized—Konoha's White Fang indeed has a son. So this white-haired brat must be Kakashi Hatake—the future "Fifty-Fifty Guy." A popular character.
He can spar with anyone but never truly defeat them. Something like that, if memory serves. Anya vaguely recalled that he later even awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.
From Kakashi's perspective, however, this child was clearly incredibly rude—ignoring his question entirely, pulling out a Kunai knife from his person and hurling it straight at Anya.
Feeling danger approaching, Anya instinctively dodged aside. Glancing back at the embedded Kunai, he muttered, "Damn, that's the real thing—not some wooden dummy weapon. This brat deserves a spanking."
Should I teach him a lesson? Anya contemplated. At that moment, White Fang emerged from the house, handing over a forehead protector: "This represents the Leaf ninja. Wear it."
Anya looked at White Fang, accepted the protector, tied it on his forehead, then stood still awaiting instructions.
White Fang glanced back at the visibly annoyed Kakashi behind him: "His name is Anya. From now on, he's my student. You will address him as 'Big Brother,' understand?"
"Big Brother?" Kakashi unconsciously echoed.
Anya cheekily used Shunshin no Jutsu to appear beside Kakashi, affectionately patting his head: "Little bro, so obedient! Big brother will bring you candy next time."
Kakashi flushed bright red with anger, swiping away Anya's hand: "I won't call you Big Brother! You're a bad person!"
With that, he stormed off.
White Fang frowned slightly but didn't call after him, calmly saying to Anya, "Come with me."
They soon arrived at a large yard—it looked like a training ground. In its center stood numerous training posts. In the middle rested a rack hanging various blades.
White Fang asked first, "Have you ever trained with swords before?"
"Learned before?"
"Good." White Fang pointed at the pile of knives. "Go pick one."
Anya came to the wooden rack and immediately set his eyes on the tanto. The shortest blade among them resembled the finger blade he used before, so he couldn't resist picking it up and examining it carefully.
Seeing how Anya chose such a small knife, White Fang felt slightly puzzled. As he watched the tanto move as if it were part of Anya's fingers—fluid, precise, and incredibly flexible—he finally understood. Anya hadn't just trained with blades before; he was truly skilled.
White Fang walked over and praised, "You have remarkably dexterous hands."
Anya was just as confident in his hands. After all, in his previous life, he had made a living with them. In this life, performing hand seals for ninjutsu also depended entirely on them. By speed alone, he was confident that no one could match his.
"This is perfect," White Fang said happily. "My swordsmanship relies most upon technique. Fighting with a short blade against long weapons—relying on intent rather than brute strength. Emphasizing speed, proximity, lightness, realism versus feinting, deception, and finishing opponents with decisive strikes."
"Watch carefully."
After speaking these words, White Fang's figure shot forward like lightning, appearing beside the wooden dummies in an instant. A flash of white light cut through the air, and at first glance, the logs appeared undamaged.
But Anya's eyes widened in shock—for each of the seven wooden posts now bore a single thin yet deep slash mark across different sections. If those had been seven living people standing there, they wouldn't have lived to tell the tale.
This sword art… incredible beyond words.
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