Orochimaru: "Come be my XX!"

"Such sharp senses!"

The icy praise came out of nowhere. The voice was filled with a malice beyond measure, and Dōmeki found it colder and crueler than the gales of the Land of Wind's coldest season.

A faint rustling sounded across the open desert as a giant brown python, several times larger than the giant wolf from before, poked its head out of the sand.

Its vertical golden pupils swept over Dōmeki.

In an instant, the python's jaws opened at an angle they could hardly reach under normal circumstances.

A man covered from head to toe in some mysterious mucus slithered out of the python's mouth with snakelike movements, as though he had no bones in his body.

An entrance that horrifying would surely have made plenty of children cry if it had happened in Sunagakure.

Dōmeki frowned deeply at the sight, and the corners of his mouth could not help twitching.

Yet as the boy looked at the long-haired man before him, a trace of nostalgia involuntarily flashed through his eyes.

The long-haired man who had appeared so suddenly was both strikingly handsome and sinister. His gleaming eyes resembled a snake's vertical pupils, adding an even more uncanny quality to his bearing.

Those vertical pupils studied the boy, and the moment they settled on his dark red hair in particular, a long tongue excitedly licked back and forth across the man's face.

Dōmeki could clearly sense waves of unpleasant, snakelike coldness radiating from the man.

"An impressive amount of Chakra, and at your age, you've already mastered shape transformation for Wind Release, Earth Release, and Lightning Release. That Lightning Release in particular has the makings of a hand-seal-free Ninjutsu. It reminds me of a certain remarkably gifted youngster."

Dōmeki's performance seemed to have stirred memories of the past in the man. Over the course of his decades-long career, he had seen many astonishingly gifted children. A certain old friend's disciple, who had also defeated him, and that man's child had both amazed him in their youth.

Judging by his current talent, this child from the Land of Wind was a rarity even across the entire Shinobi World, enough to make him wish to nurture such talent. After all, now that he had gone into business for himself, he still lacked useful subordinates.

But there was something even more valuable about this child. The man's gaze kept returning to Dōmeki's red hair. If his guess was right, the child was an extraordinarily precious specimen!

He had never expected to gain so much from a trip to the Land of Wind undertaken merely to earn a little money.

These thoughts raced through the man's mind in the blink of an eye, and he gave the unsupported child before him a warm smile.

The uncanny man reached straight out to Dōmeki. The chill surrounding him vanished in an instant, replaced by an approachable air and an irresistible charm.

"Hey, kid, come be my subordinate!"

Dōmeki fought back the urge to put his hand in the man's, while his body involuntarily took a step back.

Who besides those starved for affection could accept an invitation to become a subordinate in name, but expendable material or a guinea pig in reality?

"Oh?" The man grew even more interested in the boy.

It was no boast: across the entire Shinobi World, there were hardly any orphans who could refuse his invitation—or temptation.

Give these people abandoned by the world just a little warmth, and they would flock to him like moths to a flame.

He rubbed his chin, recalling how the boy had shown no panic at all upon seeing his entrance, and asked as though he had realized something.

"Kid, you seem to know who I am?"

Dōmeki calmly put away his Kunai in front of the man, then gritted his teeth and wrapped a rag around his charred right hand. After all, none of the means currently at his disposal would work against this man's strength.

Only after tending to his wound did Dōmeki answer the man's question calmly.

"After all, there's no one in the Shinobi World who doesn't know your great name. I grew up listening to stories about you."

"The disciple of the strongest Hokage of the strongest shinobi village, the victor over Sunagakure in the Third Shinobi World War, one of the Konoha Sannin, and an emissary of Ryūchi Cave-Lord Orochimaru!"

Also a mad scientist, philosopher, philanthropist, educator, kidnapping maniac, shota lover, Uchiha fanboy, master grave robber and escape artist, granter of dreams, and the man who eventually becomes Aunt Snake! Dōmeki silently added in his heart.

Orochimaru could not help looking surprised. Although information about him was no secret throughout the Shinobi World, that was only true among powerful shinobi. It seemed this child was far from as simple as he appeared!

Orochimaru immediately became even more interested in the child. "Let me think. The last time I was this excited was over that boy with the Sharingan!"

"So, will you join me?" Orochimaru extended the invitation again.

Come to think of it, the Orochimaru-branded orphanage really would be a good place for me right now, whether for food or for learning Ninjutsu. Besides, Orochimaru's reputation as a top-tier teacher is well deserved!

Dōmeki's eyes flickered, and then he grabbed Orochimaru's large hand, as slick as snakeskin.

"Of course! It would be my greatest honor to become your subordinate, Dōmeki Shun!"

"Hahaha!" Orochimaru was in excellent spirits. Flecks of green light emerged from the hand the boy was holding.

In an instant, Dōmeki felt a soothing coolness spread through his stinging right hand. Then, as an itch penetrated deep into his bones through his blood vessels, muscles, and nerves, the dead skin on the hand charred by the bursting lightning gradually peeled away. In the blink of an eye, it was replaced by soft, pale new skin.

"Orochimaru, your Medical Ninjutsu is amazing!" Dōmeki showed him a look of admiration at just the right moment.

"Orochimaru?"

The odd form of address left Orochimaru stunned for a moment, but he soon put it out of his mind. Orochimaru was not a man who would be troubled by such worldly forms of address.

"Dōmeki-kun, we'll be leaving soon. Is there anyone you need to say goodbye to?"

Images of his parents in this life flashed through Dōmeki's mind, finally becoming a grave no one paid any attention to. Then he thought of the blonde girl who had placed a rice ball in his palm. In the end, he shook his head.

"No need, Orochimaru. Let's go!"

Orochimaru chuckled, and the enormous brown python crawled out of the ground once more.

"Wait!" Cold sweat beaded on Dōmeki's forehead. "Orochimaru, I think we should use a somewhat more normal means of transportation..."

"Ah!!!"

Before the boy could finish, the python had opened its great jaws and swallowed Dōmeki in one gulp.

Everything went dark before Dōmeki's eyes, and he felt his body enter a narrow, foul-smelling passage. Enveloped in slick fluid, he slid along faster and faster.

At last, Dōmeki opened his eyes wide and found himself lying in a damp, dim cave. Its stark rock walls, however, were a deep red and even undulated gently.

A warm breeze occasionally rushed through, though the moving air carried a salty, fishy smell.

"At first, it was so narrow that it barely admitted a person..."

The words floated into Dōmeki's mind. No, no, no, this godforsaken place isn't my Peach Blossom Spring!

The python's esophagus was only slightly cramped even for an adult, leaving Dōmeki to marvel again and again, "The pythons of Ryūchi Cave really are amazing!"

"Dōmeki-kun! Would you like a cup of tea?"

Orochimaru's distinctive, magnetic, slightly hoarse voice rang out in the tunnel.

Dōmeki looked toward him and saw him sitting beside a tea table, leisurely holding a cup of tea from who knew where.

The boy saw that the tea was still steaming hot.

Seeing Dōmeki standing there in a daze, Orochimaru took a sip of tea and said leisurely, "It will take another two days to reach our destination from here, Dōmeki-kun. You can relax a little."

Dōmeki obediently sat down at the table and poured himself a cup of hot tea, his thoughts wandering all the while. I suppose this counts as riding the Orochimaru-branded high-speed rail!

"Oh, right! Orochimaru!" Dōmeki suddenly asked curiously, "Where are we going?"

"The Land of Rice Fields!"

The Land of Rice Fields was a small country bordering the northern reaches of the Land of Fire. With abundant rainfall and fertile soil, it had highly developed agriculture, but that was its only advantage.

As a small country that did not even have its own armed forces—a shinobi village—the Land of Rice Fields had always kept to itself. All in all, it was a peaceful place.

That was until a certain man appeared. The daimyō, blinded by the lure of money and the chance to increase his country's strength, allowed him to establish a new shinobi village-Otogakure. From then on, the Land of Rice Fields fell into Orochimaru's hands.

Dōmeki walked along the road with Orochimaru. The scenery was beautiful, and caravans carrying vegetables, fruit, and grain passed by from time to time. Beside the road, villagers worked hard in lush rice paddies, happy smiles on their faces.

"Dōmeki-kun! What do you think of this country?" Orochimaru asked with a hint of pride.

"It feels like the people here live better than those in the Land of Wind!" the boy answered honestly. At the same time, he could not help marveling at Orochimaru's ability to govern a country, though Orochimaru regarded the place only as a source of funds and a place to conduct experiments.

But in this world, even a brief period of peace and a prosperous life were already luxuries beyond reach.

And so the two walked through the Land of Rice Fields like ordinary travelers. Orochimaru even stopped now and then to let Dōmeki buy some local snacks for them to sample together. Passersby who knew nothing of the situation might have taken them for a father and son on a trip.

Until...

"Lord Orochimaru! We've come to welcome you back!"

Three shinobi a few years older than Dōmeki suddenly leaped out and dropped to one knee before Orochimaru.

Dōmeki could sense the fanatical admiration for Orochimaru in their gazes, though their eyes also kept darting over to him.

The cow trio? I know these people! Dōmeki rubbed his chin as he looked at the three wearing matching cow-patterned scarves. He wondered whether he should get one too, so he could fit in with the group, but it looked so silly.

"Dosu, Zaku, and Kin, make arrangements for our new member, Dōmeki-kun." Orochimaru promptly left Dōmeki to the cow trio, then suddenly paused as he was about to leave.

"Oh, right, Dōmeki-kun, please come find me after dinner. I have a little experiment I need your help with!"

With that, Orochimaru's body abruptly vanished.

At that moment, Dōmeki sensed the three fierce-looking seniors all giving him jealous, hostile looks.