Teacher Orochimaru!

The air fell perfectly still for a moment. The Third's decision had left Yemo utterly stunned, and he was now torn between accepting and refusing.

The Third turned to Yemo and asked with a smile, "What do you think, Yemo? Many people in Konoha wish to have Orochimaru as their teacher. Unfortunately, my disciple has very high standards, and no one has ever caught his eye before. You're the first."

After giving it careful thought, Yemo cupped his hands and said, "I'll leave everything to your arrangements, Lord Third. It would be an honor to become Lord Orochimaru's disciple."

With that, Yemo turned to Orochimaru and bowed respectfully. "Teacher Orochimaru!"

"Good!"

Orochimaru was also delighted to take Yemo as his disciple. He smiled and nodded.

"Haha..." the Third laughed. "I didn't expect this to come of today. It really took me by surprise."

Yemo had given the decision to become Orochimaru's disciple careful thought. Although Orochimaru was cruel, cold-blooded, and inhuman, that would only come later. The current Orochimaru had yet to fall into such a sinful abyss. Right now, he held the Third in great respect and had the village's interests at heart in everything he did. Yemo had felt that deeply. Besides, at the end of Naruto, hadn't Orochimaru turned over a new leaf?

Orochimaru hadn't been an evil man to begin with, or he wouldn't have devoted himself to Konoha up to this point. The cruelty of war had simply changed him bit by bit, driving his personality further into darkness, making his methods increasingly unscrupulous and his faith in ninjutsu and power blind, until he even disregarded the fundamental nature of life.

Overall, Orochimaru was still righteous now. Moreover, in terms of his qualifications as a teacher, he was no worse than Jiraiya. Otherwise, Sasuke would not have grown so quickly under him. Sasuke's natural talent was one factor, but Orochimaru's teaching was another.

Yemo was still a newbie in the Shinobi World and had a great deal to learn. Naturally, he needed a good teacher who could teach him enough, and there was no better teacher in all of Konoha than Orochimaru.

He needed Orochimaru's guidance so he could grow stronger quickly and learn a great deal.

As for Orochimaru's influence on his thinking, Yemo wasn't worried in the slightest. He looked like a kid, but mentally he was already very mature. He had his own standards for judging good and evil, and Orochimaru could not change them.

Those were the reasons Yemo had decided to become Orochimaru's disciple. Orochimaru could give him what he needed, and not just knowledge.

"All right, Yemo, you can go back now. Today's questioning is over," the Third said.

"Yes!"

Yemo had wanted to leave for some time. As soon as the Third finished speaking, he was eager to go, but just as he was about to leave, Orochimaru spoke.

"Yemo, I'll be waiting for you at Training Ground Three at six tomorrow morning!"

"All right, Teacher Orochimaru!"

Yemo had thought Orochimaru would give him a few days to adjust and hadn't expected it to be so soon. Still, that suited him just fine. He was eager to see what Orochimaru would teach him.

Only after Yemo had left and his departing figure had disappeared beyond the door did the Third and Orochimaru look away.

The Third withdrew his gaze and said, "Does it have to be so soon, Orochimaru? Your injuries should take two or three days to heal."

"Although my injuries haven't healed, they won't affect my basic movements. For the next few days, I only plan to teach him some basics, so it won't interfere with my recovery," Orochimaru replied.

Orochimaru had also been severely injured in his fight with the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Blue B. Although he had received prompt treatment from a medical-nin, he still needed several days to recover completely.

After a pause, the Third asked, "Orochimaru, do you understand the significance of my asking you to take Yemo as your disciple?"

"Not entirely, Teacher!" Orochimaru shook his head.

"First of all, there's Yemo's talent. This young man is exceptionally gifted, and he needs a good teacher to bring his talent out fully." The Third was quite emotional. Yemo's talent was even greater than Orochimaru's had been back then.

The Third continued, "A gifted young man like him needs a good teacher even more to guide him on his future path. If he takes the right path, he will be the village's future. If he goes astray, he will become a demon threatening the entire Shinobi World. That is why I'm placing him in your hands."

"Rest assured, Teacher. I'll teach him well. I believe he'll become the village's most brilliant figure in the future." Orochimaru had never doubted that. Given Yemo's talent, he was confident it wouldn't be long before Yemo's name became known throughout the Shinobi World.

The Third nodded. "Recover as quickly as you can over the next couple of days, then head for the border battlefield. The fighting there is growing fiercer, and I'm a little worried about Jiraiya being there alone."

"My injuries should heal within three days. I'll head straight for the border battlefield after that." From his teacher's words, Orochimaru could surmise that the situation in the border war was growing increasingly dire.

Meanwhile, Yemo walked out of the Hokage's office feeling as though it had all been a dream. He had actually become Orochimaru's disciple, and the thoroughly wicked Orochimaru had actually become his teacher. Somehow, it all felt unreal.

The cold night wind blew gently against Yemo's face like blades of ice, bringing a faint sting to his cheeks and snapping him out of his thoughts.

Forget it, Yemo thought, shaking his head slightly. Things have already turned out this way, so there's no point dwelling on it. If Orochimaru is my teacher, then so be it. It's better than wasting time at the Ninja Academy, sitting in a classroom and listening to a teacher like those other kids.

Although it was late, the light in the room was still on. How could Kushina sleep when she was so worried? Minato was keeping her company and reassuring her that everything was fine.

Yemo pushed the door open and called, "Sis, I'm back!"

Before his voice had even faded, a fiery red figure came running out and rushed up to him. Kushina grabbed the bewildered Yemo with both hands, looking him over and feeling him here and there. Only after making sure he was all right did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Sis, what are you doing? You're grabbing me so hard it hurts!" Yemo rubbed his aching arms with both hands. His arm muscles were already a little sore, and Kushina's grip had made them hurt even more.

"What am I doing? I'm worried about you!" Kushina reached out a slender finger and jabbed Yemo hard in the forehead. "Honestly, I was only gone a few days, and you've already gotten yourself into so much trouble. Even the Third summoned you. Oh, right, what did he ask you about?"

"What else could it be?" Yemo said as he put on his slippers. "It was about yesterday's fight with the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki..."

Before Yemo could finish, Kushina interrupted him. "Let me guess. The Third Hokage called you over and gave you a good scolding, asking why a little guy like you ran over there and got caught up in the fight."

Yemo smiled. "Sis, you guessed wrong. The Third didn't scold me at all. He even praised me, and in the end he had Lord Orochimaru become my teacher and teach me ninjutsu."

"What?!"

Kushina stared at Yemo in shock, her disbelief practically written on her face. She couldn't believe it at all.

Minato Namikaze, who happened to be coming out, heard this and was equally stunned. Lord Orochimaru had actually become Yemo's teacher.

They knew how difficult it was to become Orochimaru's disciple. Many people in Konoha hoped to have one of the Sannin as their teacher, but Jiraiya had taught Minato Namikaze, and only Orochimaru had yet to take a disciple. Even the Third Hokage had failed to persuade Orochimaru to take one.

Many people thought Orochimaru didn't want to be a teacher and might never take a disciple in his life. Yet today, Yemo had become his disciple, so of course Kushina and Minato were utterly shocked. If the two of them knew Orochimaru had agreed without even thinking about it, who knew how shocked they would be?

"How did that happen? Yemo, tell me everything! ..."