Taking a Disciple, Uzumaki Clan

"..."

Hidden in the shadows of an alley, the Leopard Mask Anbu raised his brow.

He noticed me?

It seemed that anyone who could return from reconnaissance missions on the front lines really had some skill.

But the Hokage had ordered him to watch for any signs that he was training in Wood Release. Even if he had been discovered, he could not abandon the mission.

Hm?

Something was wrong!

The direction he was looking in was...

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

When had that child followed them?

"Are you still not coming out?"

Uchiha Ao looked toward a concrete wall not far away and pulled three kunai from his waist.

"If you don't come out now, I'm going to throw them..."

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Before his words had even faded, the three kunai flashed with cold light and flew straight at the concrete wall.

Water Release: Water Prison Technique!

The wall, which had been smooth and flawless moments ago, suddenly revealed a slender figure.

A thin Water Curtain surrounded him, firmly suspending all three kunai in midair.

"Orochimaru?!"

Might Duy recognized the newcomer and cried out in shock.

"Oh?"

Sou raised his brow and peered through the Water Curtain. Long, beautiful hair, a delicate little face, and skin pale enough to be called ghastly.

Aside from lacking that signature long tongue that could reach the back of his head, he looked remarkably like Orochimaru from the original story.

Why had this guy followed them?

Was he interested in Duy's taijutsu?

No.

Going by the original story, he had never shown much interest in taijutsu from beginning to end, not even during his most unhinged years.

And judging by the timeline, the First Shinobi World War had not yet begun. His parents were still alive, so his personality should not have become twisted or extreme yet.

His personality had not changed... he was still a child... then...

As if he had thought of something, Sou's eyes lit up as he looked at Orochimaru.

Clang!

The three kunai fell to the ground.

Orochimaru dispelled the Water Curtain and walked directly toward Sou and Duy with a calm expression, showing none of the embarrassment of having been caught.

"Hello, Teacher Sou."

Orochimaru stopped before Sou and gave a slight bow. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Orochimaru, and I am a student of Class 2-1 at the Ninja Academy.

I apologize for following Duy, but my purpose was to find a renowned teacher like you."

"A renowned teacher?"

Sou pointed at himself with a stunned look. "Me?"

But he quickly recalled what Duy had just told him about learning the Substitution Technique. Had this kid noticed something?

As expected of the future Shinobi Scientist. What sharp powers of observation!

With that thought, his expression turned solemn, and he immediately put on an act.

"So, what did you come to see me for?

You should know that casually following people is not a good habit. If Duy were a girl, your behavior would be considered that of a creep."

Orochimaru's mouth twitched.

A creep? It was the first time anyone had described him that way. Though he usually did not talk much, his pretty face and excellent grades meant that girls often stuffed love letters into his desk drawer.

It seemed this Teacher Sou was not as easy to deal with as he looked...

"Hehe..."

Before he could answer, Duy waved his hand and chuckled foolishly. "It's fine, I don't mind. Senior Orochimaru probably doesn't mean any harm, and besides... ow!"

Bonk!

Sou flicked him on the forehead and shot him a sideways glance. "Adults are talking. Kids shouldn't interrupt."

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

Duy pursed his lips and squatted off to the side, drawing circles miserably.

I didn't even say anything. Why was Brother Sou being so mean?

Duy's interruption had deflated Sou's momentum, so he simply abandoned his strategy of intimidating Orochimaru.

After all, with Orochimaru's intelligence, even if such a petty trick worked temporarily, he would figure it out afterward.

With that in mind, Sou got straight to the point. "When I taught at the academy, I heard about your reputation as a genius.

Since you sincerely want to learn from me, then come with me."

With that, he called over Duy, who was still sulking nearby, and said he would teach him a few more techniques.

The boy immediately brightened up again, hopping along beside Sou toward the Lake.

Orochimaru's eyes flickered. As long as he could learn from Teacher Sou, who seemed to be a renowned teacher, that was enough.

He said nothing else and followed behind them.

"That little fellow named Orochimaru has mastered Ninjutsu of at least two attributes. To be such a monstrously talented child while only in second grade..."

The Leopard Mask Anbu continued following them carefully, inwardly astonished.

"But for such a genius to call this Uchiha Ao a renowned teacher... could it be that aside from his formidable Ninjutsu, he also has exceptional teaching talent?"

"Record it 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. Smiling broadly, he raised a white porcelain bowl filled with sake in a distant toast.

"Most of the elite our clan could send out have been dispatched recently, so there are rather few people here to keep you company. Please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality."

"Not at all, not at all."

Uzumaki Longya and the other Uzumaki Clan shinobi smiled as they raised their cups in return.

"At a time like this, we are already deeply grateful that you, Kiryu, could prepare such a feast for us."

The two were Clan Elders of their respective clans and had fought side by side in their youth, so the atmosphere at the table was quite harmonious.

After three rounds of drinks, everyone was somewhat tipsy. Uzumaki Longya set down his cup and revealed the purpose of this visit.

"Kiryu, does your village have any Jonin available right now? Actually, I came to Konoha this time to issue a commission.

I would like to hire Jonin from your village to help us eliminate a Cloud Village outpost.

Over the past few years, all the major shinobi villages have gone mad, especially Kumogakure. They have been launching relentless attacks near Uzushiogakure, trying to steal the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Technique secrets.

You know the reason as well. It is simply because our clan possesses Secret Techniques for sealing Tailed Beasts.

The Jonin in our village must not only carry out commissioned missions, but also guard against Cloud Village sneak attacks. There are barely any shinobi left for us to use.

Could Konoha provide us with some support...?"

As he said this, Longya's old face reddened. The relationship between the two clans was good, but asking another village for protection was not exactly something pleasant to speak of.

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

Kiryu took a small sip of sake, looking somewhat troubled.

"But you also know that Cloud Village has recently been constantly probing the Land of Fire. More than half the shinobi in our village have been sent out.

There are Jonin we could use, but they either have missions of their own, or they are Jonin from other clans.

To persuade them to take action... Tobirama would have to step in. But you know Tobirama's personality. He always puts Konoha's interests first..."

Seeing the disappointment on his old friend's face, he could not bear it. After thinking for a moment, he finally came up with an alternative.

"...However, if the payment for your commission is high enough, perhaps we will not need Tobirama. The shinobi from those major clans might be tempted as well!

When the time comes, I will step in and put in a good word. This matter should be possible."

"To be honest with you, old friend..."

But Uzumaki Longya did not smile at that. Instead, he looked even more embarrassed.

"Actually, we only brought five hundred thousand ryo this time, which is the commission fee for an A-Rank Mission. If it is any more than that, we cannot gather it on short notice."

A commission fee of five hundred thousand ryo was considered rather low even for an A-Rank Mission...

Even in ordinary times, if the target of the mission was shinobi from a major village, the price would need to be at least double that amount.

It was not that they were stingy. Ever since Hashirama's death, the harassment from the other major shinobi villages against Uzushiogakure had only grown worse.

Normal mission commissions were either destroyed, or the people carrying them out died during the missions.

As a result, Uzushiogakure's financial situation had remained terrible.

"So little money..."

Kiryu immediately showed a troubled expression upon hearing that.

"That will be difficult."

Just as the atmosphere around the table turned awkward, a commotion came from outside the door.

"Tsunade Highness, they are discussing business inside. Please do not go in."

"Move, move. Grandpa Longya is here, so why can't I go in?

Grandma Mito was talking about Uzushiogakure not long ago. Perfect, I'll take Grandpa Longya and the others to see Grandma."