"Everyone, look! I brought the essentials of the Sarutobi Clan's Fire Style!"
Asuma lifted the scroll high above his head, grinning like he'd just unveiled buried treasure.
"Whoa!"
The others gasped on cue, more than willing to play along.
The Sarutobi Clan's Fire Style had a solid reputation across the shinobi world. That wasn't an exaggeration.
"If anyone wants to work on swordsmanship or taijutsu, check this out."
Kakashi shot a glance at Guy, then calmly took out his own manual. "My father picked a few techniques he thought would suit us."
"Ohhh! Guidance from Lord White Fang? That gets the blood pumping!"
Guy crowed like a rooster, flipping into a one-handed handstand and flashing a thumbs-up. "As expected of my lifelong rival, Kakashi! Let us duel!"
Kakashi's eye twitched. He instinctively edged away.
Who would want to duel a guy like this…
They'd barely entered the academy when Guy latched onto him out of nowhere, declaring they were destined rivals for life.
Still, it was similar to Obito.
Kakashi could sense the goodwill and sincerity in Guy's challenge. And deep down, he wanted friends more than he let on.
So despite the way he complained, he quietly accepted it.
"Hey, hey! Didn't we agree you'd get through me first?" Obito shouted.
"You are…" Guy frowned hard. "You're called… sorry, but…"
Obito's face went blank.
He'd introduced himself two or three times already. Guy still couldn't remember his name.
"I'll tell you again! I'm Obito Uchiha!"
Shisui watched the group bicker and laugh, the corner of his mouth lifting.
He loved this kind of atmosphere. Light. United.
Compared to the tension simmering within the Uchiha Clan's district lately, this felt like heaven.
Recently, some clan members had joined the Patrol Unit and started viewing the village more favorably.
Others insisted it was just sugar-coated bait, a ploy by the village to divide the Uchiha Clan.
Neither side could convince the other. The air had grown strange, even more strained than before.
Shisui had once believed his talent might be enough to change something.
But after hearing Kakashi describe the situation outside the academy…
He decided to hold back a little longer.
Besides, he wasn't ready to graduate yet.
The sincerity his friends showed when they shared their knowledge without reservation was addictive.
"I've got something on genjutsu!" Kurenai Yuhi raised her hand.
"I know a little about medical ninjutsu…" Rin added shyly.
One by one, manuals came out, like picnic boxes opened to reveal carefully prepared dishes. Everyone displayed what they had brought, eager to trade and taste something new.
"I brought a Water Style manual," Shisui said, pulling out a thin booklet with yellowed pages.
The group went quiet for a moment.
An Uchiha… bringing Water Style?
Was that even reasonable?
Shisui scratched his head awkwardly.
"Well, I heard Asuma was bringing Fire Style. The techniques passed down in my family are mostly Fire Style or nin-taijutsu tailored to the Sharingan. They're not exactly easy for everyone else to practice…"
"Shisui, I want to learn that!" Obito blurted, his face flushing.
"I don't have anything to trade you right now, but I will someday. I promise!"
"Of course, Obito."
Shisui smiled warmly. "We're brothers in the Azure Dragon Gang. We're supposed to help each other. No need to talk about paying anyone back."
It was funny. When he first heard the name Azure Dragon Gang, he'd felt a bit embarrassed.
But after saying it often enough, it started to feel strangely satisfying.
Maybe that was just the Uchiha's dramatic streak showing.
"But this isn't ordinary Water Style," Shisui added, clearing his throat.
"It's a streamlined version of the Water Dragon Jutsu personally refined by the Second Hokage."
At the mention of Tobirama Senju, the boys and girls lit up like stars.
Aside from the Uchiha Clan, the Second Hokage's reputation in the Hidden Leaf was still quite good.
Asuma and Kakashi exchanged a look.
Both sons of high-ranking figures in the village, they couldn't help feeling something was off.
The Second Hokage passed secret techniques to an Uchiha? Shisui must be trying pretty hard to fit in.
Noticing their gaze, Shisui sighed inwardly and explained.
"I'm a descendant of Kagami Uchiha. My ancestor was friends with the Third Hokage and served in the Second Hokage's guard unit."
Asuma blinked in realization. Kakashi nodded.
"That makes sense."
"In any case, I'm not particularly skilled in Water Style. And not many in the Uchiha Clan are interested in it."
"But if it can help everyone, I think both the Second Hokage and my ancestor would be happy."
He pressed his palms together, earnest.
Someone started clapping.
Then another.
Soon the applause swelled.
Shisui's face flushed, not from embarrassment, but from excitement.
Asuma stepped forward dramatically. "Everyone, look at how united we are. How strong we are!"
"With these manuals, if the Azure Dragon Gang trains as one body and one heart, the adults will see our determination!"
His eyes burned with fire.
He remembered that Minato Namikaze was Jiraiya's student.
That shameless toad sage catching him red-handed was a scene he would never forget.
If the master owed a debt, then the student paying it back was only natural, right?
The group plunged into animated discussion, trading manuals according to their needs, explaining insights to one another.
"Everyone! I brought gifts too!"
Guy shouted excitedly. "Do you want to try on the Youth Suit my father and I designed? Once you wear it, your training power increases!"
He pulled out a bundle from nowhere, revealing set after set of tight green bodysuits.
"No. Let's hold off on that, Guy," Asuma said, covering his face.
But a thought flickered through his mind.
Maybe he could make a bet with Minato Namikaze.
If they won, he'd make him wear one. Heh.
"Oh, right. My father asked me to tell you all something."
Asuma planted his hands on his hips.
"If you run into difficult problems, write them down. Don't force your training and get hurt. And if you gain any insight, try to explain it to your classmates. He calls that learning through teaching."
"Once you've gathered enough questions, he'll make time to answer them."
"What? The Hokage?"
"The Hokage is going to teach us?" The children erupted in cheers, anticipation shining across their faces.
Their motivation to challenge Minato only grew stronger.
While the children pushed each other forward through shared effort…
Orochimaru's Forbidden Jutsu was finally complete.
Its name was Immortality Jutsu.
Its effect: forcibly invading another person's body with one's own soul, achieving a form of "eternal life."
Orochimaru hesitated for a moment, then shook his head lightly.
He had already decided to tell his teacher.
Objectively, the Hokage had likely noticed his unusual obsession with soul-related texts.
Subjectively, he did not want to hide it.
He wanted acknowledgment.
Acknowledgment from Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was both mentor and father figure. Acknowledgment of this radical technique.
Or perhaps… acknowledgment of his ninja way.
For that, conflict was preferable to suspicion.
"How bold of you, Orochimaru," he murmured to himself.
"If this fails, everything I have now will vanish."
After a pause, he smiled.
"But if it succeeds, I'll lack nothing."
He chose to gamble.
That night, he sought out Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Sensei, would you take a walk with me?" Orochimaru asked softly.