Another month slipped quietly by.
Orochimaru looked at the thin remittance slip in his hand. The amount on it brought a heartfelt smile to his face.
His writing royalties had come in. They couldn't compare to the windfall he'd won at the casino that night, but they were enough to lift him out of the embarrassing poverty where he'd been reduced to eating dirt.
More importantly... he'd gotten his Hidden Blade...
As he thought this, Orochimaru's mind stirred. Chakra triggered the mechanism, and the blade of the Hidden Blade slid out.
Looking at his reflection in the mirror—himself in a white robe with a Hidden Blade—Orochimaru nodded in satisfaction. He really did look a little like the legendary Assassin from his memories.
After a quick tidy-up, Orochimaru headed out. Today was the day their three-person team was gathering.
As soon as he arrived at the training ground, he spotted a familiar golden figure sitting cross-legged beneath the shade of a tree. Her fingers flew as several playing cards darted through her hands like living butterflies, weaving up and down in a dazzling blur.
Jiraiya stood beside her, staring with his eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.
In his mind, the young lady was usually carefree and rough around the edges—a violent girl who could punch him flying. He'd never imagined she could be so nimble.
"Orochimaru, you're here?"
Tsunade caught sight of Orochimaru from the corner of her eye. Rather than stopping, she made her hands move even more dazzlingly. At last, she swept all the cards together with a flourish and caught them firmly in her palm.
After finishing, she lifted her chin and looked at Orochimaru with unmistakable pride.
Her bright amber eyes seemed to say without a word, "Well? Impressive, right? Hurry up and praise me!"
Orochimaru watched her showing off like a child presenting a prized possession. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he pressed a hand to his forehead.
These flashy tricks couldn't be mastered without years of hard practice.
Even though shinobi in this world could use Chakra to strengthen their physical abilities, these purely nimble-fingered techniques still took a great deal of time.
The only reason he could do them was that, in the world of Assassin's Creed, the man he'd transmigrated into—Reed Hayrick—had been a magician by trade before he was captured and used as an experimental subject.
"Have you... been spending seven or eight hours a day practicing this over the last few days?"
Orochimaru asked with some exasperation. He'd taught Tsunade these tricks only to repay a favor. Who knew she'd get so engrossed in them?
At his words, Tsunade's expectant face instantly flushed red. It was obvious he'd hit the mark.
"None of your business! I'm naturally gifted! I only need to practice for three... thirty minutes a day!"
Tsunade shoved the cards into her Ninja Tool Pouch in a fit of embarrassment and turned her head away, her voice carrying a hint of forced bravado.
"Huh?!"
Jiraiya looked from the blushing Tsunade to Orochimaru's expression of "I knew it," and felt that something was very, very wrong.
How had his two teammates gotten so close in just a few days?
Just then,
"You're all here.
Tsunade, what were you doing just now? It looked pretty interesting."
Hiruzen Sarutobi walked over at an unhurried pace, pipe in his mouth. His gaze fell on the playing cards Tsunade had hurriedly put away, and he asked with some curiosity.
"Uh..."
Tsunade immediately grew flustered. Her eyes darted about, and she stammered without managing to get a word out.
She didn't want her teacher to find out she'd been wasting time on a trick associated with gambling. If he did, she'd never hear the end of it.
"Teacher, this is a method I've come up with recently to improve finger dexterity.
"The more nimble your fingers, the faster you can perform Hand Seals, and the faster you can cast ninjutsu.
"Tsunade has a real talent for this. She's improving quickly."
Orochimaru stepped forward, his expression calm as he explained in a matter-of-fact tone.
To make his explanation more convincing, Orochimaru took a few spare blank cards from his Ninja Tool Pouch and casually performed a few simple flourishes that nonetheless showed off his skill.
His smooth movements truly demonstrated astonishing control over his fingers.
"..."
Jiraiya stood to one side, his expression odd as he ranted inwardly. Who do you think you're fooling?
Who needs playing cards to perform Hand Seals? And you're improving your Hand Seal speed? Looks more like you're improving your speed at cheating!
"Hmm, that's an interesting idea. But, Orochimaru, remember that a shinobi's battles are battles of Chakra.
"Hand Seals are ultimately just a means of guiding and assisting Chakra flow. What truly determines a ninjutsu's power and effect is the quality and quantity of Chakra, as well as how precisely you control it.
"Don't get things backward or become overly fixated on these minor details."
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag on his pipe and slowly exhaled a ring of smoke. His gaze passed between Orochimaru and Tsunade before he finally spoke with earnest concern.
These were all minor tricks. Hand Seals were just a way to assist the flow of Chakra, not something essential.
The First, for instance, didn't need Hand Seals to perform ninjutsu. He just clapped his hands and got whatever he called for.
He didn't want this child wasting time on such things...
"Yes, teacher. I understand."
Orochimaru bowed slightly, his manner respectful.
He hadn't been practicing these tricks to improve his Hand Seal speed, of course. He was trying to increase his research budget.
"All right, let's get down to business.
"I have a mission for you."
The Third Hokage nodded and spoke.
"Huh? It's not another D-Rank mission to find cats, is it?"
Jiraiya asked, sounding a little disgusted.
Tsunade secretly nodded. She was getting tired of D-Rank missions too.
"No. After these two months of adjusting and basic training, I believe you're ready to carry out missions on your own.
"So, this time I'm giving you a C-Rank mission..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi sounded rather helpless. It was only because they were living in peacetime that there were so many D-Rank missions. These kids really didn't know how lucky they were.
"A C-Rank mission?! Great! No more boring D-Rank missions to find cats and pull weeds! I'm about to die of boredom!"
Jiraiya's eyes lit up at once, and he nearly jumped with excitement.
In sharp contrast to Jiraiya's excitement, Orochimaru's gaze grew grave the moment he heard "C-Rank mission."
According to the Ninja Handbook, D-Rank missions involved chores inside or near the village and were almost entirely free of danger.
C-Rank missions were completely different. Their range extended across the Land of Fire, and they could involve escorting people, gathering intelligence, or even fighting bandits and rogue shinobi.
That meant they would truly step beyond Konoha's protection and face the cruel world of shinobi for real.
They would face conflict, bloodshed, and even... death...
"All right, go get ready!
"We'll meet in front of the village gate in twenty minutes..."
Before you continue