Hearing from Kabuto that Naruto had recently been under Hyuga Kagami's guidance, Orochimaru grinned. "Kagami really is patient!"
Kabuto smiled. "Actually, Naruto is quite talented."
Orochimaru glanced at Kabuto. "I remember you taught Naruto before too, didn't you?"
"Yes. That kid's chakra control isn't refined enough, and he isn't the sort of genius like Sasuke whose talent is obvious at a glance. But his physique is exceptional, and he has tremendous potential."
Kabuto gave a fair assessment.
He understood perfectly why Orochimaru looked down on Naruto. Naruto was not the kind of dazzling genius Sasuke was, the sort who impressed at first sight, and Orochimaru had always lacked patience for people who were not especially clever.
But having gotten to know Naruto deeply, Kabuto knew Naruto was by no means stupid. He was simply a little scatterbrained and did not pay much attention to minor details.
"After all, he's from the Uzumaki Clan. It's only natural for him to have a strong physique."
As he spoke, Orochimaru smiled faintly.
Kabuto asked curiously, "Lord Orochimaru?"
Orochimaru, seated in a high-backed chair, tilted his head and propped his chin on one hand. "If I remember correctly, Jiraiya and Kakashi are the ones teaching Sasuke, aren't they?"
Kabuto nodded. "Yes. Jiraiya is Sasuke's teacher, while Kakashi is Sasuke's Jonin instructor."
"Then I've won again!" After a pause, Orochimaru laughed. "That fool Jiraiya, even after finding a genius like Sasuke, still can't teach disciples as well as I can."
Kakashi was the Fourth Hokage's disciple and thus Jiraiya's grand-disciple. Therefore, whether one counted Jiraiya as Sasuke's teacher or Kakashi as his Jonin instructor, Sasuke belonged to Jiraiya's lineage.
Orochimaru had personally taught Naruto, while Hyuga Kagami and Kabuto were also Orochimaru's disciples. From that perspective, Naruto clearly belonged to Orochimaru's lineage.
And now that