Knock, knock, knock—
Orochimaru lightly tapped on the wooden door of Hiruzen Sarutobi's Hokage Assistant office.
"Come in!" came Sarutobi's familiar, gentle voice from inside.
Orochimaru pushed the door open, walked in, and stood before Sarutobi's desk. He bowed and offered a greeting: "Sarutobi-sensei!"
Sarutobi, who was reviewing documents, put down his pen upon hearing Orochimaru's voice and smiled with satisfaction: "You're here! Are you completely healed, Orochimaru?"
"Yes, Sensei!" Orochimaru replied.
Sarutobi walked out from behind his desk and affectionately patted Orochimaru's shoulder. His eyes held an unconcealed look of satisfaction: "You all completed this mission very well. I will grant Jiraiya and Tsunade each a B-rank mission credit, and you will receive an A-rank mission credit!"
"Thank you, Sensei!" Orochimaru maintained his calm and deeply respectful demeanor.
Sarutobi chuckled: "Relax, child. Don't be so reserved. Being too precocious isn't always good, haha!"
Sarutobi led Orochimaru to a nearby sofa and coffee table, motioning for him to sit down. Then, he asked cryptically, "Your chakra level is at the Chūnin standard now, correct?"
Orochimaru didn't hide it: "Yes, Sensei. This near-death experience finally allowed me to reach the Chūnin level."
Upon hearing Orochimaru's answer, a sharp gleam suddenly shot out from Sarutobi's eyes. He slapped his thigh: "Good! Very good!"
Sarutobi was growing increasingly satisfied with this disciple; the more he looked, the more he liked him. Setting aside his excellent talent—reaching Chūnin level at age six—and his terrifying combat ability, even his character and conduct suited Sarutobi's temperament. Multiple ancestors of his clan had made great contributions to the Leaf Village, and his family history was impeccably clean. He was a truly rare genius in Konoha!
Orochimaru noticed Sarutobi's slightly distracted and flickering gaze and knew Sarutobi was pondering something. He did not interrupt, quietly waiting by his side.
After a long time, Sarutobi recovered and said seriously: "Orochimaru, hold off on the report for your Chūnin promotion for now. In a while, I will hold a Chūnin Exam in the Leaf Village. At that time, I need you to severely 'warn' the ninja from other countries during the exam. Let them know that the Leaf Village is not a soft persimmon to be casually squeezed, hmph!"
As he finished speaking, Sarutobi seemed to recall the intelligence that Orochimaru and the others had brought back, and he couldn't help but let out an angry cold snort. The oppressive aura around him instantly surged and then receded.
Orochimaru's body stiffened. Sensing the slight presence that Sarutobi had inadvertently released, he was a little stunned. He secretly compared it to his own peak state in his past life and still lacked confidence. He couldn't help but inwardly lament: The Sarutobi of this era is terrifyingly powerful!
Sarutobi noticed Orochimaru's slight tremor and nodded slightly. He knew that all geniuses possessed a degree of arrogance, so he deliberately leaked a bit of his aura to temper Orochimaru's pride. His intentions were certainly profound!
Sarutobi continued: "However, before the Chūnin Exam, I have a secret mission to complete, and I need you to come along. Are you willing?"
Orochimaru's heart stirred. He knew he was finally earning Sarutobi's full attention. There was no reason to refuse, so he immediately replied readily, "I will follow whatever my Sensei commands!"
"Haha, good! Alright then, I'll give you three days to spend time with Little Maji and the others. Report to me here early on the morning of the fourth day!" Sarutobi was delighted, seemingly having expected Orochimaru's answer all along.
Orochimaru nodded.
The two chatted for a bit longer before Orochimaru took his leave.
During these three days, Orochimaru did not slack off on his training. Instead, he prioritized putting extra effort into body tempering and curse seal enhancement.
In the bandit extermination mission, he profoundly realized the practicality of Tsunade's famous Super Strength Taijutsu from his past life. Arguably, once skillfully used, it was a series of instant-release jutsu with the power of C-rank or even B-rank techniques. Now, with Yamata's help, Orochimaru could execute it smoothly, which deeply interested him.
Every night, after absorbing the chakra leaking from Orochimaru's curse mark, Yamata would exhale its strange pale-gold air, helping Orochimaru temper his body and reinforce the curse seal. With Yamata's powerful assistance, Orochimaru's progress was incredibly fast. He redesigned a new 50-pound weighted training outfit and didn't even find it strenuous!
Next, Orochimaru followed the old monk's prescription to make several doses of the Cooling Powder. He had been anticipating the miraculous effect of this potent healing medicine since the chase.
Then, Orochimaru spent a significant amount of time compiling all his assassination experience and techniques from his past life, creating a customized training scroll for Chi.
Chi excitedly took the assassination training scroll, which was about as thick as a bowl and nearly as tall as himself. Having only recently learned to read, he didn't care whether he understood it or not. The entire day, apart from studying with Orochimaru, he would eagerly hug the scroll, deciphering it one character at a time.
Orochimaru did not plan to send Chi to the Ninja Academy or a regular school. In his vision, Chi was to be his sharpest sword in the darkness, so the fewer people who knew about him, the better. Furthermore, with his two lifetimes of experience, Orochimaru was confident he could train Chi into a sufficiently sharp weapon.
Orochimaru only taught Chi the basics of literacy and chakra refinement techniques. He didn't intend to interfere with Chi's interpretation of the training scroll. In Orochimaru's view, only knowledge that one painstakingly researches and discovers leaves the deepest impression and leads to the most profound understanding. Of course, he wouldn't allow Chi to blindly train, so he established a rule of testing him after every mission before letting Chi manage his own practice.
During these few days, Orochimaru also took Maji and Chi to many restaurants in the Leaf Village. The young girl brought Orochimaru much joy and warmth. During this time, Jiraiya and Tsunade also frequently dropped by for free meals. After a lot of coaxing, Maji finally reconciled with Tsunade. The friendship between the girls, as volatile as the weather in the desert, went from Maji giving Tsunade the cold shoulder to them being as close as real sisters after their reconciliation.
On the final night, everyone gathered at a barbecue restaurant in the Leaf Village for a farewell dinner for Orochimaru. Being just children, they couldn't arrange anything fancy, simply exchanging words and well wishes.
Upon hearing that Orochimaru would be accompanying Lord Sarutobi on a secret mission, Tsunade and Jiraiya were incredibly envious. However, they were well aware of their current abilities; they were already busy with the training assignments Sarutobi had given them.
Jiraiya, sitting opposite Orochimaru, was the most straightforward. Slightly tipsy, he wrapped his arm around Orochimaru's neck and boasted: "Orochimaru, I admit you're a genius, but you still have a ways to go before you match the handsome and gallant Lord Jiraiya!" As he spoke, Jiraiya vigorously slapped his youthful chest, making a loud "Slap, slap!" sound. "Come back safe, and Lord Jiraiya will consider giving you a chance to challenge me, haha!"
Mumbling the last of his words, Jiraiya promptly collapsed onto the cushion and fell soundly asleep.
Orochimaru watched him helplessly.
Though young, Tsunade was clearly the best drinker of the three. That evening, she seemed preoccupied and didn't drink much. After Jiraiya finished speaking, she hesitated for a moment, leaned closer, and whispered, "Be careful tomorrow."
Orochimaru paused, then smiled and nodded. Surprisingly, his usually keen senses failed to notice Little Maji, who was watching from the side with a slight pout.
In the corner of the private room, Chi, who had finished eating, was sitting with his knees hugged to his chest, gazing intently at Orochimaru and Maji, his eyes full of affection and resolve.
The next morning, while the dew was still fresh, Orochimaru bid farewell to Little Maji, who was once again crying buckets, and offered words of encouragement to Chi. He arrived at the Hokage Tower early.
🗒️Note:
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
Explore up to 10 chapters in advance!