Ninja's Path

After a series of smooth maneuvers that eliminated the rogue ninja Nakaya, Agent Zero calmly drew his Seal Short Sword.

As the sound of the Transformation Technique ending rang out, Agent Zero's bizarre attire vanished, revealing Shuichi wielding Kunai.

Transforming into Seal Unit was, of course, a whimsical act on his whim. Shuichi was fairly satisfied with the process of using Flashbang to kill the missing-nin. It seems he should keep an eye on the latest technological advancements of the Land of Fire; perhaps he can come up with something even more interesting.

After completing his mission as a messenger for several days, the Third Hokage assigned him the task of eliminating missing-nin. Due to the great war between Konoha and Sand Village, a large number of elite ninjas had rushed to the front lines to fight, which naturally weakened the control of the Land of Fire.

This Nakaya is a rogue Jonin Sunagakure. According to Konoha's intelligence, he was promoted very recently, possibly as a way to replenish Sunagakure's fighting strength after suffering losses.

Before he could even enjoy the benefits of Jonin, he was sent to the front lines to fight against Konoha. Finding the high-level decision-making so terrible, he became dissatisfied and betrayed several teammates, becoming a fugitive ninja and fleeing into the Land of Fire, intending to find a place to settle down based on his skills.

Unexpectedly, the war between Sunagakure and Konoha ended so quickly, allowing the missing newly Jonin to be tracked down immediately and put on the kill list.

After dealing with him, Shuichi followed procedure to dispose of the body, cutting off the head and storing it in Scroll, then burying the body in the ground to erase any traces, before disappearing from the spot in a flash.

After completing this mission, Shuichi did not return directly to Konoha. He deliberately chose a location undetected by the Anbu to eliminate the man, partly to test the effectiveness of the Flashbang, and partly to take the opportunity to do something else.

Night falls in Aoba Castle, the main logistics base in the western part of the Land of Fire, which is a major city and relatively quiet at night.

After the large-scale war ended, due to significant financial pressure, the advance model relying on supply lines has shifted to small-scale ninja operations, with Konoha Squad now using these as their bases for operations.

In a secluded hut in the city, after carefully checking his surroundings to make sure everything was alright, Shuichi opened the Barrier and entered, then skillfully used a hidden door to transfer underground.

"Teacher, I've brought the equipment you requested."

Opening the Storage Scroll, Shuichi began helping Orochimaru arrange various experimental tools.

This is the new laboratory. In order to maintain control over the situation in the Land of Rivers, Orochimaru, as the commander, cannot retreat to the village yet. Aoba City is now essentially a small branch of Konoha.

Therefore, Orochimaru had to open a new location to conduct his experiments, and the two of them had to do these things secretly, which was indeed hindered by the ninjas serving in the village.

"Thank you for your hard work. What you requested is complete." Orochimaru led Shuichi to the deepest part of the laboratory. "If this corpse is kept powered, it can generate a considerable amount of chakra every day, which should be enough to meet your training needs."

Shuichi followed and looked at the large container. Inside, the corpse of the Hoga was covered with black patterns, very similar to the Future Cursed Seal.

"Now I can begin my cultivation!" He was secretly delighted, and as he approached, he sensed the life force. "Teacher, your research on the Cursed Seal has made progress again?"

"There have indeed been new discoveries regarding physical activity, but there are still many problems to be solved before we can complete it."

Speaking of this, Orochimaru's expression remained normal, but he was somewhat irritated. He seemed to be getting tired of the repetitive ninja life he had been living for many years, as his research progress was always interrupted by various missions and orders.

Whether on a whim or not, he spoke to Shuichi, "I remember the day we met a few years ago, you shared your thoughts on the village. Now, after being a ninja for so long and carrying out extremely dangerous missions, do you have any new feelings about the life of a ninja?"

Shuichi snapped out of his daze after hearing his words. When he became Orochimaru's apprentice, he acted as a successor to the Will of Fire who loved his village and comrades, and he also carried the aspiration to be a ninja.

Of course, a large part of it was an act; at that time, he just wanted to become a powerful ninja smoothly.

Over the past few years, his young hands have been stained with blood. He has accepted numerous missions in the name of protecting the village and the country, killing many enemies. He has discovered that he is no different from the ninjas on the opposing side; everyone is killing each other for their own interests.

Orochimaru's meaning is easy to understand; it's a discussion about the fate of ninjas that runs throughout the original work.

Become a ninja, accept missions, fight against enemies for profit, forge hatred, and then continue to compete due to new interests and hatred, repeating this cycle until death.

This cruel cycle of fate seems inescapable, and peace will almost never arrive.

Jiraiya chose to travel the Shinobi World in search of the Child of Destiny, following the instructions of the Sage when he didn't know what to do. Orochimaru, on the other hand, began to pursue the path of immortality, caring nothing for peace as long as he succeeded.

"I roughly understand your thinking. I have indeed killed quite a few people before," Shuichi said calmly. "No one enjoys killing. I infiltrated Sunagakure and wiped out their Medical Unit because it would reduce casualties in Konoha and end the war sooner. Otherwise, if we continued fighting for several more months, even more people might die."

"My actions have proven effective, although they have caused deeper conflicts, and the Sunagakure may make a comeback, resulting in even more deaths in the future."

"But I am still young, and the future holds endless possibilities."

"Although the world is still cruel, it's better than the Warring States Period! The First Hokage changed the course of the world, and the Shinobi World has been progressing ever since. Perhaps when I have the ability to change this situation, I will take action. But if not, I can only adapt to the current environment."

Orochimaru paused for a moment after hearing this, then said, "It seems you already have your own ideas. I have nothing more to teach you."

"Teacher, are you planning to leave the village?" Shuichi asked tentatively. "Are you tired of the ninja life?"

Orochimaru paused, his hand holding the test tube still, completely unprepared for such a direct question, "Why do you think that?"

"You seemed a bit listless when you were in the village, like... you were being dragged along by something." Shuichi and offered a rather mystical description. "Never mind, just pretend I didn't ask."

After the exchange, he carefully put away the container containing the Hoga's corpse, intending to return and begin his research on Explosion Release. He bid farewell to Orochimaru and left the laboratory.

After Shuichi left, Orochimaru stopped his experiment in the darkness and began to recall his many years in Konoha, "Being dragged by something..."

Various images flashed through his mind: the kind Sarutobi Hiruzen, Jiraiya and Tsunade fighting side by Tsunade, Jiraiya disciple Nawaki who was killed in the explosion, and Shuichi had been with him for the past few years. "Leaving the village? That's interesting..."