Orochimaru

The Yamanaka Clan had recently earned quite a bit from selling Healing Talismans, and Yamanaka Tohru, their developer and maker, had a much fatter wallet, too.

After Obito and Rin arrived, the four of them feasted at the Barbecue Restaurant. Even Obito forgot all about arguing with Kakashi when the grilled meat was set in front of him, and buried himself in eating.

Afterward, the four of them strolled down the street, catching one another up on what had been going on lately.

"Obito, who do you think our Jonin instructor will be?"

"Uh... I don't know either." As a member of the Uchiha Clan, Obito usually had a pretty good ear for news. Rin had just tried asking him, but to her surprise, he didn't know.

"Huh? You already know you'll be on the same team?" Tohru hadn't heard the Ninja Academy teachers mention the teams, so he asked in puzzlement.

"Obito told me before the exam. He said everyone would pass this time, and that I'd be on a team with him and a Chunin."

"Looks like war is about to break out!" Their graduation had already been decided in advance. All it would take to start a war was the right pretext.

Tohru remembered that, in the original story, the Third Shinobi War began when the Third Kazekage went missing. Before that, Jiraiya had gone to Sunagakure to gather intelligence. After he returned, there had been far fewer troop movements in the village. Putting that together with the original story, Tohru guessed that Sasori of the Red Sands had gone rogue.

Not long after going rogue, Sasori of the Red Sands killed the Third Kazekage, who had come after him. Sunagakure would use this as a pretext to start a war. The Third Shinobi War was drawing closer and closer.

"Kakashi, Obito, Rin, the war's about to start. We'll all be sent to the battlefield. These are Healing Talismans I developed—thirty in all, ten for each of you. They work about as well as the Mystical Palm Technique." Tohru handed the talismans out to the three of them.

Kakashi knew about the Healing Talismans, so he accepted them and put them away. When Obito and Rin saw him take them, they didn't refuse either.

"This is all I can do. Be careful on the battlefield, especially you, Obito. Don't go doing anything stupid or trying to play the hero."

Tohru knew that, in the original story, Obito had been taken away by Madara during the Battle of Hizashi Bridge, and Rin had been accidentally killed by Kakashi a year before Minato became Hokage. But that was only the original story. Living through each passing day made Tohru increasingly certain that the world he lived in was real.

Tohru couldn't guarantee that Kakashi, Obito, and Rin would have the same experiences during the Third Shinobi War as they had in the original story. They were among the few friends he had in the world of Naruto, and all he could do was his best to keep them alive.

After saying goodbye to the three of them, Tohru returned to the Third Training Ground. Uzuki Yugao was still swinging her blade without pause. It wasn't easy for a four-year-old girl to reach this level.

"Yugao, stop for a moment. I need to talk to you."

Hearing Tohru's voice, Yugao stopped training. Tohru never interrupted her practice, so his unusual behavior left her puzzled.

"Brother Tohru, what is it?"

"Yugao, starting tomorrow, don't come to the Third Training Ground for a while." Tohru spoke with some reluctance.

"Why?"

"Because a war is about to break out, and I have to make some preparations."

Yugao nodded. She had never experienced war herself, but she had heard her parents and the people around her talk about how terrible it was.

"Then, Brother Tohru, teach me again after the war is over." Yugao's bright smile eased the heaviness in Tohru's heart.

After watching Yugao leave, Tohru began making Healing Talismans with all his might. Thirty a day was the number he had told the Third Hokage, but the actual number was much higher.

Another month passed. Tohru had made more than 1,100 Healing Talismans that month. After handing 900 over to the Yamanaka Clan, he still had more than 200.

With over 200 Healing Talismans in reserve, Tohru felt much more at ease. He didn't plan to keep making them. Over nearly three months, he had made more than 2,700. He would keep 200 for himself, and the village's 2,500 would be enough.

For the time being, Tohru planned to put some effort into Wind Release. Sunagakure would be the first to declare war on Konoha during the Third Shinobi War, and most Sand Shinobi used puppets and Wind Release.

Tohru wasn't worried about puppets. He could handle both their mechanisms and their poisons, but he wasn't very familiar with Wind Release. He wanted to see a few more Wind Release techniques before the war began.

Namikaze Minato and Jiraiya were both experts in Wind Release, but Minato had just become a Jonin instructor and was busy putting Kakashi, Obito, and Rin through intensive training to improve their abilities.

Meanwhile, the Third Hokage had sent Jiraiya to Sunagakure to gather information. With neither of them around, Tohru decided to go to the Konoha Library and study the basics of Wind Release.

But just after leaving the Third Training Ground, Tohru sensed a powerful, chilling Chakra behind him.

As the Chakra drew closer, Tohru calmly entered Ice Release and opened his Yin Seal.

Tohru took a few more steps forward when an Earth Release technique suddenly struck from behind. He unleashed his Lightning Release Chakra Mode and activated Ice Lightning Mode. The instant the Earth Release technique came at him, he dodged with Lightning Body Flicker.

Tohru turned around to face the person who had attacked him. Long black hair, golden snake-like eyes, purple eye shadow, pale skin, and blue-green earrings shaped like Tomoe—it was Orochimaru!

"Uncle Orochimaru, master of core technology!" It was something Naruto fans had often said in his previous life. Orochimaru was the only ninja in the world of Naruto who believed in science: cell cultivation, human experimentation, reincarnation, cloning.

"Yuan-kun, it's our first meeting. I couldn't help testing you. Please don't take offense." Orochimaru's slightly hoarse voice held little emotion, but to Tohru, it sounded rather familiar. They were both believers in science, after all.

"Are you Lord Orochimaru?" Tohru asked, pretending not to know.

"That's right. It's me."

Seeing that the attacker was Orochimaru, Tohru breathed a sigh of relief. At this point, Orochimaru still cared about Konoha and was quite respectful toward his teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen. So Tohru wasn't worried about Orochimaru doing anything to him.

"Yuan-kun, I heard you successfully developed the Healing Talisman?"

Orochimaru had just returned from the Land of Earth when the Third Hokage told him that Tohru had successfully developed the Healing Talisman—the same one Orochimaru and the others had failed to complete.

This wasn't the first time Orochimaru had heard Tohru's name. He knew, of course, that Tohru was a Medical Ninja said to rival Tsunade.

At first, Orochimaru had thought Tohru was merely a pawn the village had put forward to stabilize Konoha's medical system after Tsunade's departure. Later, he learned that Tohru had earned the title of a Medical Ninja who rivaled Tsunade by saving the White Fang after his suicide attempt. That changed Orochimaru's opinion of him.

Even so, Orochimaru still felt Tohru didn't deserve the title. No one understood better than he did just how advanced Tsunade's Medical Ninjutsu was.

It wasn't until he heard from the Third Hokage that Tohru had completed the Healing Talisman that Orochimaru became even slightly interested in him.

Orochimaru had previously heard from Jiraiya that Tohru often trained at the Third Training Ground. He'd planned to go there to meet him, but happened to run into Tohru heading out. That was what had led to his test just now.

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru. I was lucky enough to develop it." Orochimaru watched with interest as Tohru spoke calmly in his presence. After testing him just now, he had to admit the boy was exceptional.