Entering the Academy

Ye Zi, feeling the urgency, went straight to Orochimaru's room as soon as he returned to the residence. Seconds later, after enduring Orochimaru's icy glare, he was unceremoniously thrown out of the room.

Tossed out, Ye Zi obediently returned to his own room. The snake-like cold gaze sent shivers down his spine. He felt that if he angered Orochimaru further, he might even be killed. Based on this almost accurate guess, not being reckless in the future became one of the rules he needed to remember.

That evening, it was time for dinner again. The meal was as usual, a table of standard dishes, and the rule of silence during meals remained.

Orochimaru ate with a detached expression, as if the disturbance to his rest by Ye Zi earlier hadn't happened. Although at that time, he had been like a snake about to pounce on its prey.

Ye Zi didn't even dare to glance at Orochimaru cautiously, focusing only on eating his meal. During his first meal at the same table with Orochimaru at noon, he hadn't eaten much, afraid of overstepping. Now, determined to regain his strength, he let loose and ate heartily.

Orochimaru noticed this but didn't pay much attention. After silently consuming his fill, he got up and walked towards the yard, leaving behind a cold remark.

"Clean up after you're done eating."

Ye Zi, who was eating, froze for a moment and looked up at the doorway, but Orochimaru was already gone.

"Oh."

He responded to the empty air, then swept away all the food on the table before washing the bowls and chopsticks one by one.

After tidying up, it had only been about ten minutes, but Ye Zi suddenly felt the weakness in his body slowly disappearing.

"Huh?"

He raised his arm in confusion and clenched his fist. It seemed he could now exert some strength, and he no longer felt as weak and limp as before. No wonder he hadn't felt much strain while washing the dishes earlier.

As expected... the only way to quickly regain his strength was to eat more.

Thinking this, Ye Zi was unaware that his body now possessed an excellent characteristic for energy absorption. Every grain of rice, every drop of water, could provide energy to his body. However, it wasn't about how much he ate, but how efficiently his body could absorb the energy. Similarly, there was a limit to the amount of chakra a person could absorb and contain. Although it could be increased through training, it would ultimately be limited by the body's capacity.

Just one meal had slightly restored his physical condition, instantly improving Ye Zi's mood. Thinking of the decision he made today, he mustered his courage and headed towards the yard.

As he reached the wooden corridor leading to the yard, he saw Orochimaru sitting quietly on the corridor, his feet resting on an oval stone that served as a step.

Ye Zi hesitated for a moment where he stood, then gathered his courage and walked to sit beside Orochimaru. Orochimaru showed no reaction to Ye Zi's action.

Ye Zi remained silent at first, pondering how to start. The last rays of the setting sun shone on both of them, casting a warm, yellow glow.

"In a while, I'll send you to the Ninja Academy."

Just as he was contemplating, Orochimaru suddenly spoke, his slightly hoarse voice as cold as ever.

"Ninja Academy?" Ye Zi blinked in surprise.

Orochimaru looked at the old tree in the yard, his gaze deep, and said calmly, "Three years. That's how long it will take you to graduate from the academy."

Although Ye Zi didn't know what the Ninja Academy was, he wasn't stupid. A little thought was enough to guess that it was a place where one could learn extraordinary abilities.

"If I enter the Ninja Academy, can I learn the same power as you?" Ye Zi asked, his eyes shining.

Orochimaru turned his head slightly to look at Ye Zi, nodded, and said coldly, "It's just a place to build a foundation. Ultimately, you can only rely on yourself to truly gain power."

"I understand."

Ye Zi nodded heavily, clenching his small fist. The Ninja Academy was the first step, but the time seemed too long.

One year, no, half a year to build a solid foundation.

Ye Zi thought to himself, unaware that with the recent great war having just concluded, Konohagakure temporarily had no need for newly-emerging forces to be rushed. To reduce the casualty rate of new forces, everyone had to diligently study for three years to graduate from the Ninja Academy.

In the following days, Ye Zi's daily food intake increased, while Orochimaru either left early and returned late, or simply disappeared for several days.

Half a month later, Ye Zi's once skeletal body gradually filled out, and his loose clothes now fit snugly.

One day, Orochimaru suddenly said, "Get ready. I'm taking you to register at the Ninja Academy today."

Although Ye Zi was surprised, he was mentally prepared. He changed into an outfit for going out and followed Orochimaru towards the Ninja Academy.

At the end of June in Konoha Year 29, the Ninja Academy was flooded with new students today. The future renowned Fourth Hokage would enter the Ninja Academy on this very day. Apart from Minato Namikaze, there were no particularly outstanding ninjas among his peers. However, now, Ye Zi was added...

On the way to the Ninja Academy, many ninjas could be seen leading their children in the same direction.

Ye Zi kept pace with Orochimaru's slightly faster stride. Along the way, all the ninjas he saw cast looks of reverence at Orochimaru. After Orochimaru passed them and walked ahead, Ye Zi could always hear ninjas behind him looking at Orochimaru's retreating figure and quietly instructing their children, "You must work hard to become an excellent ninja like Lord Orochimaru in the future."

Besides the ninjas who knew how to guide their children at the right time, quite a few people also glanced at Ye Zi and began to whisper among themselves.

"That child is the one Lord Orochimaru brought back from outside."

"I heard he's a child with exceptional talent."

"And being raised by Orochimaru, it's foreseeable that the child's future achievements will be considerable."

"Heh, even if his talent isn't great, under Orochimaru's tutelage, he'll definitely become very strong. I wish my child's jonin instructor after graduation was Orochimaru."

The journey from the residence to the Ninja Academy was quite long. Walking along the way, Ye Zi realized that the man walking in front of him seemed to be a remarkable existence. At the very least, Orochimaru was the focal point of everyone's discussion.

Listening to the hushed whispers and seeing the undisguised looks of admiration, Ye Zi finally looked at Orochimaru's back. He didn't have any baseless thoughts of wanting to be as great as this person in the future. At that moment, all he could think about was how to obtain power from this man.

Upon arriving at the Ninja Academy, perhaps due to Orochimaru's status, the reception was not only enthusiastic but also terrifyingly efficient. Ye Zi was quickly registered and officially became a child who had just entered the Ninja Academy in Konohagakure.

With all the necessary matters handled, Orochimaru glanced at Ye Zi. Without any proper instructions, he simply left after uttering a single sentence.

"I'm leaving."

Ye Zi, who was already accustomed to Orochimaru's ways, simply nodded and watched Orochimaru's figure disappear from sight before following the Chūnin in charge of reception towards the classroom.

If not for Orochimaru's status, this Chūnin would not have taken the initiative to lead Ye Zi to the classroom.

Halfway there, the Chūnin quietly observed Ye Zi, feeling that Ye Zi was very different from other children his age. The biggest difference was Ye Zi's extreme calmness; he lacked the exuberance expected of a child.

"This is it."

Stopping in front of a door, the chuunin pointed to the classroom door and smiled.

"Thank you."

Ye Zi said thanks, pulled open the classroom door, and walked in.

There were already quite a few people inside the classroom. When they saw the door open, the noisy chatter instantly stopped, and everyone couldn't help but turn their gaze towards Ye Zi, who had just entered.

All eyes stayed for a few breaths before moving away, each person returning to their own business. Only one pair of eyes did not move.

Upon seeing Ye Zi, Minato Namikaze's eyes lit up slightly. When he saw Ye Zi looking his way, he smiled gently and stood up, waving.

The child sitting next to Minato looked at him with surprise, wondering if Minato knew this unfamiliar person.

Before entering the Ninja Academy, even if these peers weren't familiar with each other, they had met many times. Ye Zi was the only one who appeared out of nowhere; before that, none of the children in the classroom had ever seen him.

Ye Zi stood at the doorway, silently looking at Minato. With his golden hair and sapphire-like eyes, this person was one of the few he had interacted with. He was considering whether or not to go over to Minato's side.

Minato seemed to sense Ye Zi's hesitation, a flicker of helplessness crossing his eyes. He could already imagine being ignored by the other boy for the second time.