Next Time, Definitely

"I've come to pay my respects, Teacher Orochimaru."

Itachi bowed, and just like that, the bond between master and disciple was established. Orochimaru, who had already gained quite a bit from the Uchiha Clan, became even more excited.

These days, finding a good teacher was difficult, but it was just as hard for a teacher to find a disciple who was a good match.

For instance, the ones Orochimaru had met earlier—Guy, Kakashi, and Yamato—were all quite talented.

But Guy and Yamato's talents were focused on Taijutsu and Kekkei Genkai, respectively. Apart from general abilities, there was almost nothing he could teach them.

More importantly, both of them were emotion-driven ninja.

The closer they came to a particular emotion, the more fully their power and potential were unleashed.

Chakra was a product of the combination of spiritual and physical energy, and emotion-driven ninja who experienced explosive surges in power were terrifying.

Therefore, to bring out Yamato's potential as much as possible, Orochimaru had entrusted him to Jiraiya's tutelage.

It was easy to imagine how much Yamato's strength would improve once Jiraiya had taught him about friendship, comradeship, and protecting others, and helped him emerge from his confusion.

Orochimaru acknowledged Jiraiya, and he accepted this way of getting stronger. He was far more open-minded than most people. Still, he had to admit that this kind of genius wasn't a good match for him.

Orochimaru had more appreciation for ninja like Kakashi.

They suppressed their emotions and desires, had a clear understanding of their goals and the steps needed to achieve them, and possessed the ability and resolve to carry out each step.

If he'd met Kakashi earlier, Orochimaru might have taken him as a disciple.

Unfortunately, Kakashi was already Minato's disciple, and he'd lost his purpose and become a failure.

But now, Orochimaru had found an even better disciple.

Orochimaru glanced at Itachi, who was holding a child, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. His smile took on a hint of menace.

Passing down his legacy was one reason, of course. He also wanted to use this opportunity to study how the Sharingan suppressed the First Hokage Cells.

Itachi sensed Orochimaru's gaze and felt a little pressure, so he instinctively took a step back.

He'd gained a teacher out of nowhere, but his life wouldn't change much in the short term. He'd still have to attend the Ninja Academy.

Orochimaru had no interest in teaching such basic subjects, and he believed that with Itachi's talent, he'd finish his studies quickly, just like Kakashi had.

"Whoosh..."

Amid a rush of wind, a figure appeared before the three of them.

"Clan Head, the personnel have all assembled."

"We'll head over now."

Fugaku kept a stern expression and nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to Orochimaru.

Orochimaru looked at Itachi and smiled. "Why don't you come along? This is a good opportunity to see a battle between ninja."

Itachi hesitated, holding the still-young Sasuke, but under his father's gaze, he had no choice but to nod.

"Why did the clan head summon us?"

"You didn't get any news either?"

"Maybe he's taking us to protest together. The rumors in the village have been getting more and more outrageous lately..."

"..."

At a training ground far from the clan grounds, everyone was talking over one another. These cold-faced men, who ignored everyone in the villagers' eyes, were chattier than anyone else among their own people and within their little circles.

"Captain Shinsuke, do you happen to know anything?"

Seeing that Shinsuke Uchiha had remained silent, one clan member assumed he had some inside information and asked him.

"No, I don't. But..."

Shinsuke Uchiha paused. He thought of Orochimaru, whom he'd met earlier.

At a time like this, aside from one of the Sannin, there was probably no other reason for the clan head to suddenly summon most of the clan's elite.

"What exactly is Orochimaru planning?"

Shinsuke Uchiha wondered.

The clan member hadn't gotten the answer he wanted, so he rejoined the discussion around him.

The training ground was in an uproar. Only when Fugaku Uchiha, the clan head, appeared did the noise gradually die down.

Fugaku raised a hand to quiet everyone and slowly began, "I've gathered you all here for a mock exercise."

Fugaku briefly explained that when the Nine-Tails Incident broke out, the Police Force had been slow to respond to the crisis and lacked experience in organizing a response to a Tailed Beast. To regain the trust of the Third Hokage and the other village leaders, he'd asked Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, to help train them.

"A Tailed Beast? Training?"

The group exchanged looks. How were they supposed to train to deal with a Tailed Beast? Catch one and let it loose?

Konoha didn't have a Perfect Jinchuriki, and no one could fully control a Tailed Beast. How could they train to deal with one while keeping the risks under control?

Besides, was it really necessary to train for a Tailed Beast attack?

The Nine-Tails already had a Jinchuriki again. Could the Third Hokage and the others really make the same mistake twice?

In response to the Uchiha's questions, Orochimaru spoke up at just the right moment, sneering, "So narrow-minded, with no sense of crisis. Is this really all the Uchiha Police Force is capable of? I'm disappointed."

Hearing someone belittle the Police Force, the Uchiha elites glared at Orochimaru. Almost none of them cared about his status or position as they shot him furious looks.

Being stared at by a crowd was enough to make anyone feel pressured, let alone a crowd of powerful ninja. But Orochimaru paid them no mind and spoke in an unhurried tone.

"Three years ago, before the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, took office, a ninja named Rin Nohara from his team had the Three-Tails sealed inside her by the Mist Ninja. They intended to break the seal in Konoha. If Minato's disciple Kakashi hadn't stopped her, you would have seen a Tailed Beast attack the village back then."

The training ground fell silent once more. The Uchiha elites looked at one another, their faces full of uncertainty and disbelief.

The news that Rin Nohara had been forced to become the Three-Tails' Jinchuriki and had later been stopped by Kakashi wasn't top secret, but one needed a certain standing in the village to know about it. Most of the Uchiha present didn't qualify.

Still, they believed Orochimaru wouldn't make something like that up.

"What's more, the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails' attack on the village still hasn't been caught. Whether or not he might steal the Nine-Tails again, what if he uses another village's Tailed Beast to attack Konoha...?"

As he spoke, Orochimaru's eyes sharpened. He suddenly barked, "How would you respond? Would you hide in the rear again, like last time?"

At that challenge, the faces of most of the Uchiha elites flushed red, as if all the blood in their bodies had rushed to their heads. They felt both shame and fury.

They'd heard too many accusations like this in recent days.

The problem was that they couldn't refute them. The Uchiha Police Force's core responsibility was to protect Konoha.

Whatever the reason, failing to do their job was a fact.

That was the reality, but it didn't mean the Uchiha elites would accept it. There was no way they'd lie down and give up.

Each of them harbored anger, vowing that next time would be different.

Their indignation united them; their resolve was firm!

Under their watchful gazes, Orochimaru nodded to himself and once again wore a cold smile. "You don't need to worry about the Tailed Beast. I'll handle that. But before then..."

"Who is 'Body Flicker Shisui'?"