The Hokage Wouldn't Even Dare Beat Me Like This!

"Next, as your Team Leader Jōnin, I have an announcement!"

Orochimaru looked at the three Little Radish Heads crouching in the corner with their hands over their heads, his arms folded across his chest.

"Gather at Training Ground 7 at nine tomorrow morning. We'll be holding a Survival Exercise then!"

"Oh, and don't come too full tomorrow. Otherwise, you might get beaten until you throw up."

Orochimaru looked at the three Genin with an amused expression.

The next morning.

Warm sunlight shone upon the hurried pedestrians. The slightly chilly morning could not stop those struggling for a living from breaking free of their blankets' seal.

"I'll be at the training ground by eight! This time, I have to leave a good impression on Teacher Orochimaru. I can't embarrass myself like yesterday again!"

Anko Mitarashi clenched her fists and vigorously encouraged herself.

She failed to notice that the surroundings were unnaturally quiet. Even the morning birdsong had vanished.

Something was obviously wrong.

"Just as I thought! I'm the first one here!"

Anko Mitarashi smugly prepared to do some exercises as morning training when she suddenly sensed movement behind her.

She spun around—and saw a giant snake with its jaws wide open lunging at her.

"Ah—!"

A strand of purple hair drifted to the ground.

Half an hour later.

"Huh? Anko still isn't here? On the way back yesterday, she was saying she'd definitely be the first to arrive."

Kurenai Yūhi figured that her good friend was probably still unable to crawl out of her warm bed.

She did not notice the strand of purple hair by her feet.

Just as she continued forward, she discovered that she had somehow been tied to a wooden post.

Beside her was none other than Anko Mitarashi, the good friend she had just been talking about.

"Genjutsu... I didn't notice it at all. To cast Genjutsu of this level without a sound or any trace... even Father..."

At 9:01.

Asuma strolled over slowly with a yawn, then suddenly narrowed his eyes.

An inconspicuous Kunai was embedded in a tree.

Asuma carefully scanned the surroundings and soon spotted the hair lying on the ground.

Just as he crouched down to inspect the strand of purple hair, he realized that a shadow had suddenly fallen over him.

When he looked back, he saw Orochimaru staring at him with his long tongue out and a perverted expression on his face!

"Ah! Teacher Orochimaru! What are you doing?! Wah, my stomach hurts so much! No, you can't take off my pants!"

Asuma vomited up last night's meal. Orochimaru hung him from a tree with one snake and viciously whipped his butt with another.

When Asuma slowly came to and found himself tied to a wooden post beside Kurenai Yūhi—

His eyes immediately turned even redder than Yūhi's.

"Yūhi! I never thought Teacher Orochimaru would do such things to you too!"

"Asuma, what unhappy thing happened to you? Tell us so we can be happy about it."

Anko Mitarashi looked at Asuma with glee and mocked him.

Just as Asuma tearfully recounted Orochimaru's evil deeds, Orochimaru strolled over while eating steamed egg custard.

"I'm very dissatisfied with your performance!"

Orochimaru set down his empty bowl and elegantly wiped his mouth with a handkerchief.

Elegant. He had to be elegant!

The three of them fell silent.

Even though they knew Orochimaru was a powerful ninja, they did not yet have much of a concept of what true strength meant. Being instantly defeated still left them somewhat ashamed.

"First, Anko. Although you arrived first, you failed to notice that something was wrong with the surroundings. On the battlefield, that can be fatal!"

Anko smiled awkwardly. She really had been too reckless.

"Next, Yūhi. Your performance was even worse than Anko's! I deliberately left behind extremely obvious clues, yet you still noticed nothing. On the battlefield, perhaps you'll be the next one to die!"

Yūhi was so frightened that she did not dare speak. Orochimaru was being a little too harsh right now.

Orochimaru's previous disciple, Nawaki, who was also Tsunade's younger brother, had been similarly careless and easygoing. On the battlefield, he had died after carelessly falling into an Explosive Tag trap.

Now, the first thing Orochimaru taught his Disciples was caution—to pay attention to every detail.

He could tolerate his Disciples being killed by an outstanding enemy ninja. In that case, he only needed to kill that ninja.

But he could not tolerate Nawaki's tragedy happening again. Orochimaru would not make the same mistake twice; when it came to experiments, he never did.

"What about me, Orochimaru-sensei?! I did everything you said! Why did you hit me so hard?"

Asuma Sarutobi shouted indignantly through tears and snot.

"Wrong! Asuma, your mistake was even worse than theirs!"

Asuma froze.

"Those who understand without being taught are geniuses; those who learn after being taught once have potential; those who still cannot learn after being taught ten or a hundred times are fools!"

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and looked at Asuma with an angry expression.

In truth, he had been quite satisfied with Asuma's performance that morning.

Going by the original course of events, Asuma would also become the most accomplished of the three.

So he decided to be even stricter with Asuma.

That boy's current personality would definitely hinder his early growth, and that would have a certain impact on the future.

He needed to properly train him. He did not need to completely smooth out the boy's rough edges, but he could not let him remain this recklessly unruly.

"First, Asuma, I told you yesterday that you had to be here by nine, yet you were late!"

Asuma curled his lip. "Does one minute even count as being late?"

Thwack~

The lump on Asuma's head, which had only gone down yesterday, swelled up again.

"Second! Do not interrupt when your teacher is speaking!"

The three of them nodded meekly. Asuma made a gesture of sewing his mouth shut.

"Third, I told you yesterday not to eat too much. Yet this morning, you were beaten so badly that you threw up your breakfast. Are you really so incapable of listening to me?"

It was fine if this brat did not listen to the Third Hokage, but he had to listen to him! He had to make him remember that.

Asuma had only just begun practicing his silent meditation when he broke his vow, unable to stop himself from shouting:

"That wasn't what I ate this morning! I got up too late and saw I was about to be late, so I didn't even eat breakfast! What I threw up was from last night!"

"Then it was your fault for eating too much last night!"

Are you messing with me? His mother, Biwako, had specially piled extra food onto his plate last night to celebrate his joining Orochimaru Squad.

Asuma grumbled inwardly, but he did not dare say another word, afraid of being hit again.

"There's one more thing!"

Orochimaru said as though he had suddenly remembered something.

"The second point I just mentioned! Do not interrupt when your teacher is speaking! Asuma, you broke that rule again!"

Thwack~

The bumps on Asuma's head became symmetrical once more.

No way! Even the Hokage wouldn't dare hit me like this! Otherwise, he'd have to kneel on a washboard.

Orochimaru dared to strike him because Biwako had asked him to.

If that little brat Asuma misbehaved or refused to listen, then as long as he was not beaten to death, beat him within an inch of his life.

Asuma Sarutobi: TAT.

Kurenai Yūhi & Anko Mitarashi: ┌(.Д.)┐!

Kurenai Yūhi cautiously raised her hand, indicating that she had something to say.

Orochimaru nodded. Since he had finished speaking, they could say whatever they wanted. After all, he, Orochimaru, was not some kind of devil.

"Orochimaru-sensei, is this what today's survival exercise is about?"

Orochimaru shook his head.

"No. Your exercise is this."

With that, Orochimaru held out a bell.