Orochimaru Squad and Minato Squad

"What?!"

Anko called out in disbelief.

Her outstretched hand was less than a centimeter from the bell—she could even feel the metallic chill of it against her fingertips.

But that hand was caught by Orochimaru's descending right palm.

"Not good, Anko!"

Asuma, though he often bickered with Anko, was still a teammate and a classmate of many years.

Seeing Anko in a tight spot, he immediately charged in to help her break free and share the pressure.

Kurenai Yūhi watched the scene calmly. She didn't rush in recklessly; the earlier exchange had already proven that even the three of them together couldn't do much against Orochimaru in a direct confrontation.

She first tried to affect Orochimaru with genjutsu, but even then, he handled the combined assault of Anko and Asuma with ease.

Finding the effect lackluster, she tossed several shuriken toward Orochimaru.

Explosive Tags were tied to the shuriken.

"Asuma, Anko, fall back!"

Just as Asuma and Anko leaped to the side, the Explosive Tags on the kunai that had stuck into the ground after Orochimaru dodged were detonated.

Flames burst forth, smoke scattered.

Along with the Explosive Tags, a smoke bomb was also set off.

Kurenai knew Orochimaru wouldn't be defeated by such an attack; her goal was to limit his vision.

"Sensing Technique!"

Only by disrupting the field could they fish in troubled waters and snatch the bell. Besides, with her—a rare sensory-type ninja—on their side, the advantage was theirs!

Kurenai tried to direct Asuma and Anko in a sneak attack, but Orochimaru countered each move.

What Orochimaru didn't expect was that Kurenai herself would charge in—only to be punched into a puff of smoke.

"A clone?"

This wasn't a Shadow Clone, but a basic Genjutsu Clone. It lacked the attack power of a Shadow Clone and couldn't move freely, only executing pre-set actions from the caster.

Under the cover of smoke, even a Jōnin would struggle to detect it.

Orochimaru nodded. He could afford to go easy here.

"Lightning Release: Earth Running!"

Anko unleashed her first jutsu of the day, holding back until now.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Asuma's Great Fireball and Anko's Lightning Release came from above and below, front and back, converging on Orochimaru.

Just as Orochimaru moved to dodge, he sensed Kurenai's genjutsu interference.

With a slight smile, he decided to go easier still.

He formed hand seals at half his usual speed, unleashing a Water Release defense that canceled out Anko and Asuma's jutsu.

"We did it!"

Kurenai struck from behind, grabbing the bell, then collapsed into a limp, sitting pose on the ground.

Going easy was a skill in itself—Orochimaru figured Itachi would find it exhausting too, someday.

These three kids had never experienced combat of this intensity at the Ninja Academy.

Anko Mitarashi lay on the ground, panting heavily, not wanting to speak.

She was too tired to talk.

Asuma slumped against a tree, giving Kurenai a thumbs-up.

"Nice work, Kurenai!"

Orochimaru was fairly satisfied with their performance.

He believed that together, they could easily beat a fair number of Chunin.

But if they wanted to survive on the battlefield, they still had a long way to go.

Training them to Jōnin level in a short time was out of the question—even Kakashi would need two or three years for that.

Still, if he spent a few months on targeted training, guiding them to develop suitable tactics and improve their teamwork, the three of them might not beat a Jōnin, but they'd have a good chance of surviving one.

"Congratulations. Whether in tactical choices, team coordination, or individual strength, you all rank among the best of the Genin. I acknowledge you."

"I declare—Orochimaru Squad is officially formed!"

Orochimaru clapped lightly as he spoke.

"Huh? So it's only official now?"

Anko, having caught her breath, asked curiously.

"Not everyone is worthy of being my disciple, my dear disciples."

"What happens if we don't pass?"

Orochimaru looked at Asuma, who had spoken, and gave him a devilish grin:

"I don't know what happens, but I do know you'll definitely get a beating from your old man when you get back."

Asuma's face fell. If they really didn't pass, Biwako probably wouldn't stop Hiruzen Sarutobi—more likely, it'd be a two-parent beating.

"Good thing we passed!"

Kurenai Yūhi let out a heavy sigh, as if a weight had been lifted.

"Since you all passed the assessment, no need to be so serious. Go pack up—I'm treating tonight."

Orochimaru said with a smile.

"Alright!"

"Long live Orochimaru-sensei!"

"Woo hoo! Let's go!"

"Cheers!" ×4

The members of the Orochimaru Squad clinked glasses, and soon heard a matching cheer from the table across.

Before long, a goofy kid in Windproof Goggles ran over, flanked by a smiling Rin Nohara and Kakashi, who nodded at Orochimaru.

"Anko, Asuma, and Kurenai—let's push our tables together!"

Obito said boisterously.

"Is Kushina here too?"

Everyone was taken aback, but Anko caught on.

Kakashi nodded at Orochimaru.

"Everyone! All expenses today are on Minato-sama!"

Two hours later, a bunch of kids stared blankly at the mountain of plates piled beside Kushina.

Was that really a human's appetite?

"Orochimaru-sensei, please, please—my budget might not be enough. Help!"

Orochimaru turned his head and started whistling: (′???`)~~

The next day, a gentle breeze blew.

Orochimaru didn't rush them into missions. Instead, he led the three kids through a review of yesterday's battle.

Missions could be done anytime—they could wait a bit—but a review had to be timely.

The fight from yesterday was still fresh in their minds; this was the last window for a proper review.

If they put it off much longer, they might remember the general flow, but the details wouldn't be as clear as they were now.

He wanted his disciples to get into the habit of reviewing their own battles in their spare time.

Ninjutsu could be learned, taijutsu could be trained, but experience took time to cultivate.

Reviewing was the best way to maximize the absorption of combat experience.

"Asuma, you should do it like this, like this, like this..."

"Kurenai, there's room for improvement in your timing for using genjutsu."

"Anko, there's a bad habit in your swordsmanship. Didn't Zixiao tell you..."

After Kakashi and Guy, these three were the next generation Orochimaru was nurturing.

It wasn't just about ninjutsu—Orochimaru also wanted to pass on his own thoughts, his own will.

What Orochimaru passed on wasn't just the Will of Fire; it was more like a shell of the Will of Fire, stuffed with his own personal agenda.

One day, when they grew up, they would be the main force in reshaping this world.