Apprenticeship, Uzumaki Clan

"..."

The Leopard Mask Anbu, hidden in the shadows of the alley, raised an eyebrow.

He found me?

It seems the other party really has some skills to be able to return from a reconnaissance mission on the front lines.

But the Hokage ordered me to monitor him for any signs of Wood Style ninjutsu. Even if he found me, I can't abandon my mission.

Huh?

No!

The direction he's looking is...

The Leopard Mask Anbu followed his gaze, his pupils contracting.

When did that kid start following me?

"Still not coming out?"

Uchiha Ao looked towards the cement wall not far away, pulling out three Kunai from his waist.

"If you don't come out, I'm going to shoot..."

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Before he finished speaking, three Kunai flashed with cold light, shooting straight towards the cement wall.

Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!

The wall, which had been smooth and flawless moments before, suddenly bulged out, revealing a thin figure. A thin water curtain surrounded the figure, firmly holding the three Kunai in mid-air.

"Orochimaru?!"

Might Duy exclaimed loudly as he recognized the person.

"Oh?"

Ao raised an eyebrow and peered through the water curtain. Long, flowing hair, a pretty small face, and an almost pale skin color. Except for the absence of his signature long tongue that could reach the back of his head, he looked very much like Orochimaru from the original story.

What is this guy doing following me?

Is he interested in Duy's taijutsu?

No.

From the original work, he never showed much interest in taijutsu from beginning to end, even during his most unhinged moments.

And looking at the timeline, the First Shinobi World War hadn't started yet, his parents weren't dead, and his personality shouldn't have become twisted and extreme.

Personality hasn't changed... still a child... then...

As if thinking of something, Teacher Sou's eyes shone astonishingly as he looked at Orochimaru.

Clang!

Three kunai fell to the ground.

Orochimaru dispelled the Water Curtain and walked calmly towards the two of them, showing no embarrassment at being discovered.

"Teacher Sou, hello."

Orochimaru arrived in front of Teacher Sou and bowed slightly, "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Orochimaru, and I am a student in Class 2-1 of the Ninja Academy.

I apologize for following Guy, but my purpose was to find you, a Master Teacher."

"Master Teacher?"

Teacher Sou pointed at himself in astonishment, "Me?"

But he quickly remembered what Guy had just told him about learning the Substitution Technique. Had this kid figured something out?

As expected of a future Shinobi Scientist, such keen Observation Skills!

Thinking this, his expression turned serious, and he immediately put on an act.

"So, what business do you have with me?

You know, the habit of randomly following people is not good. If Guy were a girl, your behavior would be considered perverted."

Orochimaru's mouth twitched.

Pervert? This was the first time anyone had ever called him that. Although he usually didn't talk much, his beautiful face and excellent grades meant his drawers were often filled with love letters from girls.

It seemed this Teacher Sou wasn't as easy to deal with as he looked...

"Heh heh..."

Before he could reply, Guy waved his hand and said with a simple laugh, "It's okay, I don't mind. Senior Orochimaru probably doesn't mean any harm, and... Ouch!"

Thwack!

Teacher Sou flicked him on the forehead and shot him a sideways glance, "When adults are talking, children shouldn't interrupt.

Go on, go squat in the corner and draw circles."

Guy pouted, squatting dejectedly to the side and drawing circles.

I didn't say anything, why is Brother Sou so fierce?

With Guy's interruption, Sou's momentum faltered. He decided to abandon the strategy of overwhelming pressure. After all, with Orochimaru's intelligence, such a petty trick might suppress him for a moment, but he would figure it out later.

Thinking this, Sou cut straight to the chase: "When I was teaching at the academy, I heard about your reputation as a genius. Since you wish to learn from me, then follow me."

With that, he called Guy, who was still sulking to the side, and said he would teach him some techniques. The kid immediately regained his spirits, bouncing along with Sou towards the lake.

Orochimaru's eyes flickered. As long as he could learn from this Teacher Sou, who was suspected to be a Master Teacher, that was enough. He didn't say anything further and followed behind the two.

"This little guy, Orochimaru, has mastered at least two elemental ninjutsu. To be in his second year, he's truly an astonishingly talented little monster..."

The Leopard Mask Anbu continued to track them cautiously, a hint of surprise in his heart.

"However, such a genius actually addresses this Uchiha Sou as Master Teacher. Does that mean besides his ninjutsu strength, his teaching talent is also very strong? Record this and report it to the Hokage."

Konoha Guest House.

"Longya, welcome to Konoha."

Senju Kiryu, dressed in a red kimono, sat cross-legged before a long table laden with delicious food. He smiled and raised a porcelain bowl filled with clear sake, toasting them from afar.

"Recently, the elites our clan could dispatch have all been sent out, so we have fewer people to entertain guests. Please forgive any lack of hospitality."

"Not at all, not at all."

Uzumaki Longya and the other Uzumaki Clan ninja also raised their cups with smiles, returning the toast.

"At a time like this, for you, Kiryu, to still host a banquet for us, we are already very grateful."

Both were elders of their respective clans and had fought side-by-side in their youth, so the atmosphere at the drinking table was harmonious.

After several rounds of drinks, everyone was slightly tipsy. Uzumaki Longya put down his cup and stated the purpose of his visit.

"Kiryu, I wonder if your village still has any available Jonin? Actually, I've come to place a request with Konoha. I want your village's Jonin to help us clear out a Kumogakure stronghold. These past few years, the major ninja villages have gone mad. Especially Kumogakure, they've been launching frequent attacks near Uzushiogakure, trying to steal our Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Technique secrets. You know the reason, it's simply because our clan possesses the secret techniques for sealing tailed beasts."

The Jonin of the village, besides going out on commissioned missions, also had to guard against sneak attacks from the Cloud Village, so there weren't many ninjas available.

"See if Konoha can lend us some support..."

As Uzumaki Longya said this, his old face flushed red. Although the relationship between the two clans was good, relying on the strength of another village for protection wasn't exactly something to be proud of.

"Ah, actually, given the friendship between our two clans, such a request is only natural."

Kiryu took a small sip of his sake, his expression somewhat troubled.

"But you know as well as I do, the Cloud Village has been probing the Land of Fire relentlessly lately, and most of our village's ninjas have been dispatched.

We do have available Jonin, but they're either on their own missions, or... they're Jonin from other clans.

To get them to move... unless Tobirama steps in, but you know Tobirama's personality; he prioritizes Konoha's interests..."

As he spoke, he saw his old friend's face fall slightly. He couldn't bear it and, after a moment of thought, came up with an alternative plan.

"...However, if the commission fee you offer is high enough, this matter might not require Tobirama. The ninjas from those major clans might be tempted!

Then, I can step in and help persuade them, and this matter should be settled."

"My old friend, to be frank with you..."

But Uzumaki Longya didn't show any smile because of this. Instead, his face became even more embarrassed.

"Actually, we only brought 500,000 Taels this time, which is the commission fee for one A-Rank Mission. If it were any more, we wouldn't be able to gather it right away."

The commission fee of 500,000 Taels could be considered a relatively low fee for an A-Rank Mission...

Even in normal times, if the target of a mission was a ninja from a major ninja village, the price would be at least double this base amount.

It wasn't that they were stingy, but ever since Hashirama's death, the harassment from other major ninja villages towards Uzushiogakure had intensified. Normal mission commissions were either destroyed, or the people involved died during the mission.

So, naturally, Uzushiogakure's financial situation had always been dire.

"Just this little money..."

Upon hearing this, Kiryu immediately showed a look of difficulty.

"That would be hard to manage."

Just as the atmosphere around the drinking table became somewhat awkward, a commotion erupted from outside the door.

"Tsunade Highness, they're discussing matters inside, you shouldn't go in."

"Go away, go away! Grandpa Longya is here, why can't I go in? Grandma Mito was just talking about Uzushiogakure the other day. It's a good thing I brought Grandpa Longya and the others to see Grandma."