Blood dripped from the cracked glass of the test tube. The sound echoed in the dark chamber, mixing with the faint wheeze of dying test subjects.
Orochimaru stood in the middle of his laboratory, skin paler than ever, eyes burning with obsession. His hand trembled as he injected himself with the experimental serum.
It was supposed to be his masterpiece.
The culmination of decades of research.
A bridge to immortality.
Instead, his body convulsed, his blood boiled, and his vision dimmed.
"Impossible…" His voice was a low hiss as black veins crawled up his skin like spiderweb cracks. His knees buckled, and his body collapsed. Shelves of scrolls toppled around him, snakes slithered into the shadows, and fire spread from an overturned vial.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
When Orochimaru opened his eyes again, there was light.
The sharp sunlight stung his vision. His body felt… small. Too small. He blinked rapidly, adjusting, only to see rows of children seated at wooden desks.
A classroom.
The Academy.
His hand shot to his chest. Smooth. Youthful. No scars, no frailty. His reflection in the windowpane showed pale skin, black hair framing his face, but the face itself was much younger. Six, maybe seven years old.
A child again.
"What…" Orochimaru muttered under his breath.
And then—
SYSTEM BOOTING...
Infinite Knowledge System Activated
Neural Capacity Enhanced: Supercomputer Simulation Online
Memory Recall: Perfect
Linked Database: Global Internet (Live)
Blue holographic text shimmered before his eyes, invisible to anyone else. His mind sharpened instantly, splitting into countless threads. Every scrap of memory from his past life was crystal clear. Every experiment, every betrayal, every technique.
And more.
Survival guides. Engineering tutorials. Earth's military technology. Recipes from every cuisine. Internet trivia. Forums. Cat videos. Even cursed late-night otaku rants.
Somewhere, somehow, the memories of a hopelessly obsessive man from Earth had fused with him. And the Infinite Knowledge System gave him the processor to use it all at once.
Orochimaru smirked. This… was better than immortality.
"Hey, pale freak. What are you staring at?"
The taunt broke his concentration. A loudmouth boy two seats away sneered at him, his posture arrogant. Uchiha Kenji. Not a name he recalled from later generations — an older cousin line, perhaps.
The other children giggled.
Beside Kenji sat Hyuga Satoshi, rigid and perfect, with his back straight as a blade. Across the aisle, an Inuzuka pup yapped under his desk while its master, Kenta, tried not to laugh. Toward the back row, a timid Aburame adjusted his oversized glasses.
And at the far corner sat Jiraiya, snoring with his head on the desk. Tsunade flicked a paper wad at him, muttering insults.
Orochimaru tilted his head, golden eyes narrowing. He didn't feel shame or anger. Instead, he felt something far more satisfying — the itch to make this arrogant child squirm.
In less than a millisecond, his brain recalled everything about Kenji. Stern father. A prodigy brother. Constant comparisons. The kind of child who strutted loudly to cover the void inside.
Perfect.
Orochimaru's lips curled into a faint smile. "Strange… You speak as though drawing attention fills the emptiness left by your father's disappointment."
Kenji froze. His smirk collapsed.
The giggles around the room died. Some kids covered their mouths. Tsunade raised an eyebrow, then snorted into her hand.
"How did he—" Kenji stammered, face reddening.
The teacher, a chūnin named Irukae-sensei, cleared his throat loudly. "Settle down, children." His tone was stern, but his eyes flickered nervously toward Orochimaru. Even adults could feel something unsettling from this boy.
Orochimaru leaned back in his seat, expression blank, as if the exchange meant nothing. But the shame burning in Kenji's eyes was delicious.
Hours later, sparring practice began in the training yard.
Fate, in its generosity, paired him against Kenji again.
The Uchiha came at him with textbook taijutsu, fists fast and sharp. The other kids cheered, expecting Orochimaru to fold. Jiraiya shouted, "Beat that creepy snake-lookin' guy!" Tsunade smirked, "My bet's on the creepy one."
Instead, Orochimaru moved with casual grace. Every step efficient, every dodge calculated. His movements were minimal, no wasted effort. A trip here, a shove there, a twist of the wrist.
Kenji hit the ground face-first, his arm pinned painfully behind his back.
"Match… over?" the teacher said, baffled.
Gasps rippled through the class.
Orochimaru released Kenji without a word, brushing imaginary dust off his hands. He turned his back before Kenji even rose, making the boy's defeat sting deeper.
The whispers started.
"Was that luck?"
"He doesn't look strong…"
"Creepy guy got him somehow."
Perfect. Exactly as he wanted. Let them underestimate him. Let them think it was luck.
Lowkey. Invisible. While he planned everything.
That night, Orochimaru sat beneath a tree near the Academy, the moon casting pale light over his sharp features.
"System. Show me my stats."
STAT PANEL
Name: Orochimaru
Age: 7
Chakra Control: 55%
Ninjutsu Proficiency: Academy Level
Taijutsu Proficiency: Basic
Intelligence: ∞ (Supercomputer Brain Active)
Database Access: Earth Internet (Live)
Memory Recall: Perfect (100%)
His smirk widened.
Earth internet, live.
He typed a query mentally.
[Search: Latest Military Technology 2025]
Schematics flooded his mind. Drones, stealth jets, nuclear propulsion.
Another thought.
[Search: How to make money fast]
Results exploded. Stock trading. Real estate flipping. Shady hustles. Even scammy ads promising "Get rich in 3 days."
Orochimaru chuckled. "Money is power. And power… is everything."
Something slithered beside him. A snake emerged from the grass, black scales shining in the moonlight.
"Yesss… you understand," it hissed.
Orochimaru glanced down — and paused.
The snake was wearing tiny round glasses.
"…Where did you get those?" he asked flatly.
The snake tilted its head innocently, then slithered onto his lap. The glasses slipped sideways.
Orochimaru pinched the bridge of his nose. Even with godlike power, fate insisted on mocking him. Still… it was amusing.
He chuckled quietly. "Very well. Read with me, then."
And so, under the pale moonlight, a reborn Orochimaru sat with a bespectacled snake, scrolling through Earth's secrets, already plotting how to twist this new life to his advantage.
MISSION UNLOCKED
Objective: Accumulate Wealth
Reward: System Upgrade
Note: Riches pave the way for research, influence, and control
Orochimaru's grin widened. Yes. Wealth. Influence. Power.
This world was unprepared for what he was about to unleash.
The serpent had been reborn.
And this time, nothing would stop him.