Chapter 2: This Beauty Looks Kinda Familiar
The sound drew closer from the distance, moving at a leisurely pace. It took a full two minutes before it reached the base of the tree.
"Who could it be?"
Lin Mu's heart pounded with unease. He had no idea if the newcomer was friend or foe.
If it was a friend, great—but if it was an enemy, his small, ten-year-old body wouldn't stand a chance.
Five minutes passed in silence.
Unable to contain his impatience any longer, Lin Mu reached out, intending to part the leaves for a peek.
"Looking for me, little boy?"
Before his fingers could move the foliage, an icy hand settled on his shoulder.
Cold sweat instantly drenched Lin Mu's back.
Stiffly turning his neck, he slowly looked behind him—and froze when he saw who it was.
A woman. No, a breathtakingly beautiful woman.
Clear, bright eyes; arched willow-like brows; long lashes that trembled faintly; flawless pale skin with a faint rosy glow; thin lips as delicate and dewy as rose petals.
In either of his lives, Lin Mu had never seen a woman this stunning.
But the reason he stood petrified wasn't just her beauty—it was because he recognized her.
This was... Orochimaru!
Orochimaru, master of the Immortality Jutsu, had once used this very female body.
Forcing down the terror surging inside him, Lin Mu reminded himself: he absolutely could not panic.
The woman—Orochimaru in disguise—had no idea Lin Mu had seen through her.
She reached out with slender, jade-like fingers, gently lifting his chin, and smiled.
"What's wrong, little boy? Is big sister that scary?"
"N-Not at all! You're the prettiest girl I've ever seen!"
Lin Mu quickly suppressed his fear, putting on his most innocent, wide-eyed expression. His voice dripped with honeyed sweetness.
Inside, though, he was screaming:
Why am I so unlucky?! Did finding Hashirama's cells in one try use up all my luck for the rest of my life?! Running into the final boss the second I step outside?!
"Kukuku... what an interesting little boy." The woman chuckled behind her hand, her laughter brimming with seductive charm.
Lin Mu's mind raced, desperately searching for the right answer to her next question.
One wrong word, and he was finished.
"I made a bet with my classmates during the day. They dared me to come into the forest at night and grab this branch I marked earlier."
Inspiration struck. He held up the twig he'd snapped off in his earlier panic.
"See? Pretty big sister, aren't I brave?"
Orochimaru studied the innocent-faced child. A small kid like this probably wouldn't lie, she thought. And he's likely one of the Chunin Exam candidates—killing him now might complicate tomorrow's plan.
She reached out with a pale, soft hand and ruffled his hair.
"Such a brave little boy. But it's late and dangerous out here. Hurry home now."
Lin Mu's heart soared at the words, but he quickly schooled his expression into one of worry.
"Aren't you scared, pretty big sister? My classmates say there are man-eating ghosts in this forest at night!"
The disguised Orochimaru laughed again, lightly poking his forehead.
"If a little kid like you isn't afraid, why should I be? Now go!"
Relief flooded Lin Mu.
Still pretending to be reluctant, he waved goodbye before finally leaving.
Once the boy was out of sight, Orochimaru smiled faintly.
"What an amusing little brat."
She turned, her lower body slowly morphing into a serpentine tail as she slithered toward the tree hollow.
"Kukuku... time to check on my precious little experiments."
Meanwhile, Lin Mu was already sprinting out of the forest.
Exhausted and lungs burning, he didn't dare stop.
That was Orochimaru!
Orochimaru—one of the Legendary Sannin, every bit as infamous as Jiraiya and Tsunade.
Tricking him and escaping with his life was nothing short of a miracle.
Once Orochimaru entered the lab and discovered the missing Hashirama cells... who knew what he'd do?
Driven by sheer survival instinct, Lin Mu pushed his ten-year-old body beyond its limits, running all the way from the forest back to the village.
Only after leaping through his window into the safety of Konoha did he finally allow himself to relax a little.
Sure, Orochimaru's invasion was coming tomorrow—but for now, he was safe.
Collapsing onto his bed, Lin Mu gulped down water from the table and lay there gasping.
"That was too close... way too close..."
"Ding! System activation complete!"
The cold, mechanical voice rang in his ears just as he caught his breath.
He blinked. Only half an hour had passed since activation began?
Talking to Orochimaru had felt like an eternity.
He never wanted to dance on the edge of a blade like that again.
After lying still for another fifteen minutes to calm down completely, Lin Mu opened the system panel.
Name: Lin Mu
Rank: Genin Mid-Tier
Status: Healthy
Skills: Clone Technique
Coins: 0
Current Quest: Devour Hashirama's Cells → Awaken Wood Release
Seeing "Genin Mid-Tier" gave him pause.
From his memories of the Naruto series, ranks were generally genin, chunin, jonin, and kage-level.
After a moment, he understood: the system had subdivided the ranks for precision.
Kids like Neji Hyuga, Shikamaru Nara, and Sasuke Uchiha at the Ninja Academy would likely be Genin High-Tier—strong candidates for promotion to chunin.
Someone like him at Mid-Tier had slim chances.
Naruto right now, still unable to control his power properly, was probably Genin Low-Tier.
The Status and Skills sections made sense.
As for the big fat 0 in Coins... he pretended not to see it.
The quest brought another wave of emotion. Three long years of hardship—all for this moment.
Opening his inventory and selecting Hashirama's Cells, Lin Mu didn't even bother reading the description.
He immediately chose: Use.