Orochimaru

Ever since Minato had been taken away by Jiraiya that day, he had not returned to school.

Soji, Uchiha Homura, and the other little companions from Ino-Shika-Cho had asked Teacher Kimura several times. Every time, they were told that Minato had been taken away for further training.

And so, about another two months passed without Minato at school, and time entered the scorching month of July!

In a forest south of Konoha, a young boy stood beneath a waterfall, enduring the pounding current.

"Minato, that's enough training. Come eat." The speaker was a white-haired young man.

These two were Minato Namikaze and his teacher, Jiraiya.

Yes, Minato had officially become Jiraiya's disciple.

Although when Jiraiya had first taken Minato away two months ago, Minato had still been full of concerns about becoming his disciple.

But after thinking it over for a while, he had ultimately decided to accept him as his teacher.

Fortunately, after Minato became his disciple, Jiraiya finally displayed the breadth of knowledge expected of a teacher.

Whenever Minato encountered something he did not understand from his lessons at the Ninja Academy, Jiraiya's explanations made it easy for him to resolve it.

Over those two months together, Minato had also frantically absorbed knowledge from Jiraiya to enrich himself, whether it was theoretical experience or the study of various basic ninjutsu.

At this time, the Ninja Academy had not yet begun teaching students the Three Body Technique. Those who had already learned it were all clan ninjas.

They had usually learned it at home from their clansmen or relatives.

As an ordinary person, Minato Namikaze had no such means. But becoming Jiraiya's disciple gave him that opportunity.

Now, Minato lacked nothing compared to the students from ninja clans. In fact, thanks to his exceptional talent, even with only two months of Jiraiya's instruction, he had already surpassed most clan students.

Jiraiya was also very satisfied with Minato Namikaze. Whether in character or talent, Minato was among the very best in Jiraiya's eyes.

Thinking of the Great Toad Sage's prophecy that the Child of Prophecy would have blue eyes, and seeing that Minato's pupils were sky-blue, Jiraiya became increasingly convinced through their time together that Minato was the person from the Great Toad Sage's prophecy!

"Okay, Sensei."

After drying himself and getting dressed, Minato stepped out from beneath the waterfall. His handsome features already faintly resembled the future Fourth Hokage.

Whoosh!

A kunai flew out and pinned to death a water snake crawling toward Minato.

Seeing the snake his teacher had killed with a kunai, Minato was startled. He had not even noticed such a snake quietly approaching him. He had been far too careless!

"Sensei..."

"Minato, don't speak. Orochimaru, since you're here, show yourself. Stop sneaking around."

Jiraiya was certain that after selecting this place to train Minato, he had driven away all the dangerous snakes, insects, rats, and ants nearby with the toads.

Yet now, another snake had appeared. The only snakes that would not fear the toads of Mount Myōboku were likely those from Ryūchi Cave.

And who could summon the snakes of Ryūchi Cave? Only his creepy little companion, Orochimaru.

"Heh heh, Jiraiya. It's been a while. Your perception has improved."

Not far from Minato, a patch of ground suddenly bulged upward. Then, a person slowly emerged from the earth.

It was none other than Orochimaru, one of the Three Sannin alongside Jiraiya after the Second Shinobi War.

To young Minato, Orochimaru's hoarse voice sounded like an unbearably grating violin.

"Tch. The old man called you back too, huh? Then Tsunade should have returned as well. Why isn't Tsunade here?" Jiraiya glanced at Orochimaru, then quickly pulled Minato behind him to keep the boy from being frightened.

Orochimaru's gloomy presence, combined with that hoarse voice, was indeed difficult for ordinary people to endure. Most people felt an inexplicable fear when they saw him.

"Tsunade will arrive later. By the way, Jiraiya, you took on a disciple, didn't you? Is that the one behind you?" Orochimaru extended his long tongue to lick his lips, his vertical snake pupils staring straight at Minato Namikaze behind Jiraiya.

That one look made Minato unconsciously grab Jiraiya's clothes.

No matter how gifted a child was, there was none who would not be afraid when facing Orochimaru. Even Minato Namikaze at this time was no exception.

Orochimaru himself was not giving off any hostility, but merely being watched by him was enough to make one feel fear.

"Hey, Orochimaru, you're scaring my disciple."

Seeing Minato's nervous eyes, Jiraiya was quite displeased that his long-unseen companion had come over only to frighten his disciple.

"Oh, really? What an outstanding child, Jiraiya. How about handing him over to me? I guarantee I'll train him into a ninja capable of surpassing both you and me. What do you say?" Orochimaru slightly shifted his gaze away and addressed Jiraiya again.

After Orochimaru had just returned to the village, his subordinates had reported that the newest class at the Ninja Academy had produced a genius Civilian Ninja. This had greatly interested Orochimaru.

But then his subordinates told him that the child had already been accepted as Jiraiya's disciple, which made him even more curious. He could not help investigating the boy's background.

And sure enough, even through Orochimaru's discerning eyes, he was immensely satisfied with this child. No wonder Jiraiya had been unable to resist taking him as a disciple.

"Hey, hey, hey, Orochimaru. My disciple isn't an object to be traded however you please. Since I've accepted him, I'll teach him wholeheartedly, so there's no need for your concern."

Jiraiya refused without hesitation!

What a joke! He had finally found a disciple who could inherit his legacy and suited his tastes. Had that been easy?

He had only taught the boy for two months, and now his companion had come to poach him. Did Orochimaru take him for dead?

"Then, little one, would you like to come with me? I have all kinds of forbidden jutsu and secret techniques for you to study as you please. What do you think? Want to consider it?"

Orochimaru was not discouraged by Jiraiya's refusal. Instead, he directly spoke to Minato, hoping to use all kinds of powerful forbidden jutsu and secret techniques to lure him away.

"I'm telling you, Orochimaru, you're going too far. Did you come here specifically to pick a fight with me?"

Seeing Orochimaru directly ignore him and turn to seduce his disciple, Jiraiya felt his fists clench.

"Um, Lord Orochimaru, I'm sorry. Lord Jiraiya has been very good to me, and I have no intention of becoming your disciple. Thank you for thinking highly of me." Minato Namikaze likewise directly rejected Orochimaru.

Minato's first impression of Orochimaru had been fear, and moreover, Jiraiya had truly given him his all over these past two months.

Minato was not someone who forgot kindness. Although he had initially worried about Jiraiya's unreliability, after spending time together, he had come to understand Jiraiya's character. He was a good teacher who was young at heart, though he was actually still quite young.

So whether considering Orochimaru or Jiraiya, Minato would not become Orochimaru's subordinate.

"Is that so? What a pity. But if one day you can't stand that idiot Jiraiya anymore and come to me, you'll always be welcome." Although he knew there was little hope, Orochimaru still made the promise he should.

Orochimaru had always been especially patient with people who showed great talent on the surface, but when it came to idiots, he was notably impatient.

Unfortunately, a certain idiot had taken in this talented child.

If he had returned two months earlier, Orochimaru was absolutely confident he could have brought Minato under his wing. Even the old man would have approved.

But there were no ifs in this world, unless you had a Mangekyo...

Just as Jiraiya had endured enough and was finally about to explode, Orochimaru's next words forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart.

"Tsunade will probably return in the next couple of days. The old man told you to prepare yourself. When Tsunade returns, the war will begin."

After saying those final words, Orochimaru used Earth Release to burrow back into the ground and swiftly departed.

He still had many experiments to complete. He had only come to see Jiraiya this time to get a look at Minato Namikaze and see whether he could poach the boy from Jiraiya, not because of the old man's orders to specifically find Jiraiya.

For something as simple as delivering a message, he could have just used a Summoning Jutsu to send a snake to Jiraiya. Why would he travel all this way in person?

After Orochimaru left, Minato and Jiraiya silently ate the rice balls in their hands.

"Sensei, what did Lord Orochimaru mean when he said the war was about to begin?"

Ever since Orochimaru had left, Minato had been deeply worried. He had held it in for a long time, but finally could not help speaking up.

"Children shouldn't worry about adult matters. You're still young. None of this has anything to do with you. The only thing you need to do now is grow up properly and become stronger. We adults will take care of everything else."

Jiraiya smiled and rubbed Minato's head, easing the oppressive atmosphere.

Sure enough, after hearing Jiraiya's words, Minato no longer held himself so tense.

"Understood, Sensei. I'll do what I can now, and in the future, I'll help ease your burdens and the village's burdens." Minato solemnly made his promise to Jiraiya.

Jiraiya revealed a gratified smile.

Whether it was Minato's response to Orochimaru's temptation earlier or his maturity in facing the coming war now, Jiraiya was extremely satisfied.

He had not chosen the wrong disciple!

"Alright, training ends here for today. We've been out here for over two months. It's time to return to the village. Today, I'll take you out to enjoy yourself properly."

As if recalling something wonderful, Jiraiya gradually slipped into his own fantasies as he spoke.

After all, they had spent more than two months in the wilderness, and Jiraiya could no longer endure his restless heart.

Back in the village, seeing the familiar villagers once again, Minato felt a wave of warmth.

Then Jiraiya took Minato to soak in a hot spring. Minato was incredibly embarrassed by how Jiraiya kept trying to peek into the women's bath while they soaked.

At last, Minato came to understand his teacher's hobbies. Aside from occasionally being unreliable, his teacher seemed to be a Lustful person.

Minato also made a decision. If Jiraiya got caught later, he would definitely pretend not to know him. It was too embarrassing!

After the bath, Jiraiya took Minato out for a hearty feast, finally allowing Minato, who had barely eaten any delicious food over the past two months, to properly indulge himself.

That night, the two stayed at an inn. The next day, Jiraiya was gone.

Jiraiya had left only a letter for Minato at his bedside. Its general meaning was that after two months together, Minato had already achieved a certain amount of growth. Jiraiya now needed to prepare for the war, so Minato was to return to school.

"Sensei, I'll work hard. The next time you come back, I'll definitely give you a huge surprise."

After reading the letter, Minato spoke softly.