The Real Advantage

The Real Advantage

"Huh? You're not joining the Ninja Academy to study?"

"Crazy."

"Sigh..."

"Has he really given up?"

"..."

When they entered Konoha to register, everything had originally gone smoothly. With the newcomer status bonus and their clean backgrounds as orphans, all of them easily qualified to study at the Ninja Academy.

Or rather, for these ninja villages, taking in talented orphans and training them—whether as cannon fodder or to select promising candidates through survival of the fittest—was never a losing proposition.

Did anyone really think that the vast number of ninjas dying on the battlefield had all been carefully nurtured like Konoha's Twelve?

On the contrary, an "orphan" like Xu Yue who had "given up" on the ninja path and wanted to become an ordinary person was more of a burden.

Even the registration ninja in a generic Chunin vest, who was responsible for recording everyone's information, showed a faint, almost imperceptible look of disgust.

As for the other newcomer Reincarnators, no one knew what they were thinking.

Both the "commentator" and the mission prompt had emphasized the importance of joining the Ninja Academy, yet someone was deliberately throwing his life away by refusing to join.

There was a difference in treatment between becoming a ninja and not becoming one. Although Konoha had always indoctrinated people with the ideals of the Will of Fire, it was clearly not a charity organization.

Even the ground before Konoha's gates was uneven, with many puddles of standing water. Together with the weathered marks on the gates themselves, it all showed just how strained Konoha was at the moment.

Although the Second Ninja War had entered its final stages and was close to ending, there were still not enough manpower or resources to repair such superficial things.

Xu Yue's appearance of having no desire to become a ninja and only wanting to loaf around was truly speechless.

But he had not joined any of their groups in the first place. After their initial surprise, no one bothered with him anymore.

At a time like this, everyone was too busy looking after themselves. Who had the time to care about others?

Even Liu Shengcai stopped dragging him into conversation.

Well, Liu Shengcai had also become six years old. His fair, chubby appearance made him somewhat cuter, and he was no longer as annoying as before.

Meanwhile, Xu Yue, who had likewise turned into a little boy, still looked utterly uninterested. He followed a middle-aged woman toward the accommodations arranged for him elsewhere.

It was not an orphanage, but a shelter that looked more like a refugee camp.

"Two meals a day, at noon and six in the evening. You get half an hour to eat. Miss it, and you go hungry. Four people to a room. For now, you're the only one here. Clean it up yourself."

The middle-aged woman brought Xu Yue before a dilapidated wooden shack and gave him the instructions with a cold, mechanical expression before turning around and leaving.

Konoha had only just come through a war. Every villager had seen too much death and had become numb to it, so their indifference was understandable.

Through a few brief inquiries along the way, Xu Yue had also obtained the information he wanted.

This was likely the late stage of the Second Ninja War. Aside from some localized conflicts, Konoha itself had entered a period of peace, and Konoha White Fang's name was still renowned.

By that calculation, Kakashi and Might Guy's generation had probably only recently entered the academy.

The next major events should be the Death of Konoha White Fang and Kakashi's record-breaking Graduated at five.

However, there was not much room for him to take advantage of that. At most, he could build a good relationship with Kakashi at the right time.

After all, the power range in the Naruto World was simply too broad. Based on what he had learned from the "commentator," people of any strength level could enter the Mission Space of the "Ninja War."

He needed to establish a solid foundation here.

Still, personal connections had to come after personal strength. The good news was that the war was nearly over, and Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, had already returned to Konoha.

After fighting Hanzo, known as the demigod, witnessing his power, and unlocking his fervor for researching Forbidden Jutsu, Orochimaru had already provided an opening that Xu Yue could approach.

Originally, Xu Yue had intended to take a more conservative approach. He would use his knowledge of modern medicine to gradually distinguish himself, naturally enter Orochimaru's sight, and wait for him to come looking.

But with only three months, there was not enough time. He had to take some risks.

He had been given another life and had come to this space full of limitless possibilities. If he could not find his goal or his own path, then if he failed, so be it...

After looking around the interior of the shabby wooden shack, which was covered in dust and cobwebs, Xu Yue had no intention of cleaning it up. He turned and headed into the village.

Judging from the "commentator's" expression and description, the newcomers' "Plausibility" buff was likely an exceptionally powerful state that would only last for this mission.

Under normal circumstances, its effects might not be obvious. It seemed to merely prevent newcomers unfamiliar with the rules from being casually killed by passersby.

But if used on his current target, it would produce the best possible result.

If he was not mistaken, Xiong Tao was also trying to use this state to accomplish something.

Otherwise, there was no explanation for why a veteran would go to such lengths to pass the information along.

Pure uncle-nephew affection in a place like this? That really did not seem likely...

Now, he would see whether this state was worth the price!

"Kid, I heard you've been looking for me."

A cold, hoarse voice with an oddly magnetic charm sounded from behind Xu Yue in the alley.

Xu Yue turned to look.

That familiar appearance, that cold temperament, the purple eyeshadow, pupils like Snake Pupils—his entire being radiated an unusual personal charm and a dangerous aura.

Even though Xu Yue had not gained any strength yet and did not know how to assess him, and even though the other man was not deliberately applying pressure, standing before him still gave Xu Yue the terrifyingly cold feeling of facing a Primordial Giant Python.

Although they were not far from the lively main street outside, it felt as if they had been completely cut off and sealed away. Even the bustling cries of vendors seemed to gradually disappear from his ears.

Orochimaru's ability to make so many people follow him so wholeheartedly truly came from qualities unique to himself.

Xu Yue had not made much effort to conceal his search for Orochimaru, so there was no way it could escape the attention of someone like him.

Relying on his childlike appearance, Xu Yue put on the attitude of someone who worshipped Orochimaru, one of the Sannin. Combined with the "Plausibility" buff on him, he had only attracted Orochimaru's attention rather than being treated as a spy gathering intelligence.

With his clean background and age, even without the status bonus, he would at most have been regarded as a child driven by curiosity.

If Xu Yue had not vaguely revealed that he was the successor of a Medical Family and wished to study medicine, he probably would not have attracted Orochimaru's interest at all!

That was right. Tsunade was currently acknowledged as the strongest in Medical Ninjutsu, yet Xu Yue had deliberately sought out Orochimaru. Along with the bits of information he occasionally and subtly revealed, he had finally drawn Orochimaru's attention on the third day, prompting him to take time to come and see him.

In Xu Yue's eyes, the greatest advantage of that so-called "Plausibility" state was that it allowed him to fabricate an identity out of thin air and completely transform what he had learned in the real world into benefits within the mission.

"Lord Orochimaru, I want power to carry out my revenge. Only you can help me, and I possess knowledge that can help you as well!"

As one of the Sannin, Orochimaru was an important figure. Even if Xu Yue had temporarily piqued his interest enough for him to come here, Xu Yue knew he only had one chance to speak.

If he failed to catch the man's attention, he might never have another chance to meet him.

And for someone as cold and arrogant as Orochimaru, provoking him a little was not a bad idea.

If an adult said something like that, Orochimaru would likely use his tongue to poke several holes through them. But coming from a child, it did not seem nearly as abrupt.

Sasuke was still like that at twelve. Would it really be strange for a six-year-old to act this way?

Xu Yue fully displayed the childish, melodramatic attitude of someone desperate for revenge and willing to pay any price.

"Knowledge that can help me? Kid, do you know what you're saying?"

Clearly, because of Xu Yue's status and age, Orochimaru appeared somewhat impatient but did not reveal any other intentions.

As the future great scientist of the ninja world, Orochimaru had more than enough pride in his own accumulation of knowledge and techniques.

For a child to claim that he had something to teach him was indeed somewhat insulting. Yet his instinctive thirst for knowledge also stirred a faint trace of curiosity.

He had already made up his mind. If this kid could not give him a proper explanation and was merely trying to fool him with worthless garbage or empty boasts, he would certainly receive a "small" punishment.

"My father was an outstanding Doctor. He had unique insights into Organ Transplantation and left behind his own methods of Anti-rejection."

Xu Yue answered without hesitation, then raised his head and stared fixedly at Orochimaru with fanatical eyes.

At this time, Orochimaru had already obtained the First Hokage's Cells from Danzo. What troubled him most was likely the Devouring Nature of the First Hokage's Cells. Whether Xu Yue was telling the truth or not, Orochimaru would definitely become interested and take him away.

The only difference was that if Xu Yue could not show enough to make Orochimaru value him, then after obtaining what he needed, Orochimaru would certainly dispose of Xu Yue in secret—or simply use him as an experiment.

But if Xu Yue could demonstrate support capabilities and potential similar to Kabuto's, he could certainly replace Kabuto's original position and obtain what he wanted.

And since he already knew Orochimaru's personality in advance, as long as he arranged things properly, he would surely have a chance.

Success or failure depended on this one move!

That fanatical gaze represented Xu Yue's truest awakened thought at this moment. Given another life, if he still could not climb to the peak and witness scenery he had never seen before, then it would be better to end it all here...

The first mission would be relatively short, so the early pace would be faster to keep new readers from losing patience. If you have any suggestions, feel free to mention them~