Orochimaru: You Child, You Truly Delight Me (Seeking Monthly Votes)

"For a ninja, preserving one's life is the primary directive."

Orochimaru tossed the towel he had been using to wipe his hands onto the rack of the laboratory bench and turned around.

Those golden, slit-like pupils landed on Qingyu; he intended to teach Qingyu an Earth Style ninjutsu.

"Today, I will teach you an Earth Style ninjutsu."

He did not start with the basic chakra theory as the teachers at the academy did, but instead jumped straight to a more practical level.

Orochimaru led Qingyu outside, raised his right hand, and formed several hand seals with his long, pale fingers.

The moment the final seal was cast, the hard stone floor beneath Orochimaru's feet rippled like water, and his entire body sank into the ground silently, as if submerging into a pool.

Qingyu stood where he was, his gaze sweeping over the cracks and the surrounding ground.

Orochimaru had just vanished into the earth.

The next second, the ground beneath Qingyu's feet suddenly split open.

A hand reached out from underground and firmly gripped his ankle.

The force of that hand was perfectly controlled; it merely rendered Qingyu unable to move without causing him any pain.

Qingyu looked down as Orochimaru's head emerged from the ground.

"This is the Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu."

Orochimaru released his grip and rose from the earth, the ground beneath his feet automatically restoring itself, even the cracks vanishing without a trace.

"You use Earth Style to submerge underground and launch a surprise attack when the enemy is completely unaware."

"When dealing with ninjas far weaker than yourself, a single strike is often enough to finish the job."

Qingyu's eyes brightened.

"This is a great jutsu for escaping."

He spoke with complete candor.

"If I can't win, I can just dive into the ground and leave. Plus, hiding underground can block a lot of damage and keep my life safe."

Orochimaru was adjusting his cuffs, and at these words, his movements paused slightly.

He raised his eyes, re-evaluating the black-haired, black-eyed child before him.

When most people learn a new ninjutsu, their first reaction is usually how to use it to attack, how to defeat an opponent, or how to prove their own strength.

This is the instinct of a ninja, and the nature of a child.

But Qingyu's reaction was completely different.

He thought of running away and self-preservation first.

The corners of Orochimaru's mouth slowly curled up, as if he had heard something that truly pleased him.

"Qingyu, what do you think is the primary duty of a ninja?"

Orochimaru did not offer an immediate critique, but instead asked a counter-question.

"To survive."

Qingyu's answer was without hesitation.

This was indeed what he thought in his heart.

Possessing the

Trait System

, as long as he continued to live, he had an infinite future.

"Only by surviving can there be a future."

Orochimaru was somewhat surprised.

He had not expected a six-year-old child to understand this principle better than the adult ninjas on the battlefield.

It reminded him of his previous student.

Tsunade's younger brother, Nawaki.

That child had also been quite a talent back then.

Cheerful and full of passion, he was like an inextinguishable flame, warming everyone around him wherever he went.

But it was precisely that cheerfulness that made him too careless.

Coupled with the treachery of the enemy, Nawaki ultimately died young in the explosion of an explosive tag, leaving not even a complete corpse behind.

Orochimaru had witnessed that moment with his own eyes.

From that day on, he had thoroughly understood the fragility of life.

Life was like a bubble in a test tube; it would shatter at the slightest touch, meaningless and worthless.

That was why he had begun his pursuit of immortality.

Only an eternal life could carry eternal truth.

"Qingyu... no, Qingyu-kun."

Orochimaru pulled back his thoughts, refocusing his gaze on Qingyu.

"After obtaining the Sharingan, have you felt any changes?"

Qingyu raised his eyes, meeting those golden vertical pupils head-on.

Being stared at by such a gaze felt as if a snake were slowly crawling up his spine, its cold, clammy scales scraping against his skin.

Even if Orochimaru did nothing, that innate sense of oppression would make anyone instinctively want to retreat.

But Qingyu did not retreat.

He met Orochimaru's gaze openly and generously.

After all, Orochimaru could not cast genjutsu through his eyes.

But he could.

When one gazes into the abyss, the abyss gazes back.

Orochimaru seemed to realize something, subconsciously shifting his gaze slightly downward to land on the bridge of Qingyu's nose.

This was his instinctive reaction when dealing with a Sharingan user.

A habit cultivated over many years had long been etched into his muscle memory.

After making this reaction, Orochimaru let out a self-deprecating chuckle in his heart.

Qingyu was merely a child.

What threat could a single-tomoe Sharingan possibly pose to him?

"Yes."

Qingyu nodded, his expression becoming a bit more serious.

"I feel that the me from before was simply wasting time."

"To think there are so many ninjutsu in the world waiting for me to learn; if it weren't for the Sharingan, I fear I would have spent my entire life on it."

Orochimaru's gaze shifted back upward, landing on Qingyu's black eyes.

According to his research and the intelligence left behind by the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama, members of the Uchiha clan would fall into a state of hatred after awakening their eyes.

As the Sharingan evolved, this emotional distortion would become increasingly severe, leading them to become more paranoid, extreme, and filled with dangerous impulses.

Uchiha clansmen often did things that were inexplicable, hysterical, and impossible for others to understand.

Following this theory, an Uchiha who was bright and kind before awakening their eyes would likely transform into an incredibly evil Uchiha afterward.

And an example like Qingyu, who awakened his eyes naturally, was theoretically the perfect proof for the existence of the phrase "the Uchiha are born evil."

Yet, based on Orochimaru's observations during this period, Qingyu had not displayed any extreme tendencies.

This child was very normal.

He was even more rational than most Uchiha who had awakened their eyes.

This made him all the more curious.

And now, Qingyu's words seemed to have triggered some underlying code within Orochimaru.

The pursuit of ninjutsu.

The craving for time.

Such a demeanor made Orochimaru feel that Qingyu was somewhat like himself.

"Why would you think that?"

Orochimaru asked.

"Because time is simply too short."

Qingyu said without reservation.

"Because time is too short, I believe that for every person, time is the most important thing; only then is there enough time to learn ninjutsu, or rather, the truth. It is no wonder that some in the Warring States period attempted to seek techniques for eternal life."

Qingyu's answer dealt a direct blow, leaving Orochimaru in silence.

Eternal life... truth...

These two keywords made Orochimaru realize that perhaps Qingyu was the same kind of person as he was.

They were different from those frogs at the bottom of the well, those ninjas who looked at the sky from a narrow perspective; they had jumped outside the framework of the mundane world.

"Hehehe..."

He stood before the laboratory bench, his golden vertical pupils narrowing slightly.

You child, you truly delight me.

[Collectable trait detected: Serpent's Gaze]

[D-rank trait: Serpent's Gaze]

[Effect: You possess a level of caution beyond that of an ordinary person, allowing you to quickly deduce the most advantageous choice for yourself even in chaotic situations.]