Space-Time Ninjutsu

Although his inner thoughts were venomous, Orochimaru was an old fox who had seen it all.

His face, however, wore a kindly smile, as if he hadn't cared about the earlier incident in the slightest.

"You are too polite, Yao-kun. It was I who proposed the spar, so how could I mind? Why don't you come inside my base so we can discuss the upcoming plan?"

As Feng Yao followed Orochimaru toward the building, the latter's eyes darted, and he spoke again.

"Yao-kun, since we are now allies, could you perhaps remove your mask before we proceed?"

Feng Yao understood that Orochimaru was trying to verify his identity. While his face beneath the mask was indeed different from the photos on his wanted posters, he knew that if he refused, Orochimaru would likely not let it go. He had no choice but to reach up and peel the mask away.

In an instant, time seemed to stand still.

So handsome. How can such a beautiful person exist in this world? Tayuya stared at Feng Yao, completely mesmerized.

Even those around them were momentarily dazed. Orochimaru was startled for a moment, but his mind raced quickly.

This person's constitution is extremely unique, but his appearance... it looks nothing like the one on the wanted poster. Could he also possess a jutsu like the Face Copying Technique? No matter. What I desire now... is his body!

Orochimaru coughed, pulling everyone back to reality, and addressed Feng Yao.

"Yao-kun, you should put your mask back on. Otherwise, I fear my subordinates will all be bewitched by you. Your appearance is quite different from the wanted poster, but everyone has their secrets. I am still willing to trust you, Yao-kun."

Tayuya blushed and lowered her head.

Feng Yao, noting that Orochimaru hadn't pressed the issue of his appearance, vaguely sensed that the man had an ulterior motive. After all, true trust with someone like Orochimaru could never be bought with mere words.

After putting his mask back on, he followed Orochimaru and the others into the building.

Inside the house was an opening, with rough stone steps leading down into the dark underground.

A long, pitch-black, and frigid tunnel stretched out, filled with various cages and the sounds of constant weeping, fighting, and painful groans.

These were the people Orochimaru had captured to serve as his test subjects.

Feng Yao was no saint; he had no intention of saving people who had nothing to do with him. He simply followed Orochimaru with a blank expression until they reached a stone door.

Inside were several stone chairs and a few pieces of precision equipment. After ordering the Sound Four to stand guard outside, Orochimaru sat down to discuss the next phase of the plan with Feng Yao.

"Yao-kun, attacking Konoha requires more than just individual strength; it requires the power of a nation! You have come at a very opportune time, for I have already selected a candidate."

Feng Yao sat to the side and listened quietly. He knew that the person Orochimaru was referring to must be the Fourth Hokage, Rasa.

In his memory, due to the severe lack of funding in Sunagakure, Rasa had become acutely aware of Konoha's strength and the looming crisis.

Consequently, Orochimaru and Rasa had conspired to launch an assault on Konoha.

"The nation I speak of is the Land of Wind's Sunagakure. Because that foolish Daimyo of the Land of Wind keeps cutting the number of ninja and the village's budget, Sunagakure's combat power has been in constant decline. They are the nation that fears Konoha the most, making them the perfect choice."

As Orochimaru spoke, he suddenly stood up and walked to Feng Yao's side, his golden pupils widening.

"And thanks to you, Danzo has become the Fifth Hokage. I have dealt with him before; he will never adopt the soft-handed policies of the Third Hokage. Conflict between the two sides is inevitable, and that is when we can..."

"I believe I understand your meaning, Mr. Orochimaru. We shall unite with the Sand ninja to attack Konoha."

Feng Yao met Orochimaru's gaze with his deep blue pupils. It was currently April, and the Konoha Crush plan was set to begin during the Chunin Exams in mid-July.

This meant he had three months to prepare.

"It is so simple to speak with a clever person like you, Yao-kun. I will notify you when the plan commences. For now, I shall have you shown to a place to rest. If you wish, you are welcome to look around my facility a bit more~"

Orochimaru patted Feng Yao on the shoulder, greedily inhaling the scent radiating from him.

His resolve to seize this body only hardened.

Upon stepping outside, the four members of the Sound Four—excluding Tayuya—remained deeply wary of Feng Yao, casting unkind glares in his direction.

Ignoring them, Feng Yao brushed past them and said coolly.

"Where is my room?"

Those near Feng Yao felt their emotions stabilize involuntarily, though Kimimaro shook his head, his eyes remaining vigilant.

"Um... Lord Feng Yao, I will take you there."

Tayuya fidgeted with the hem of her clothes, speaking with a hint of shyness.

"Hey, Tayuya, you can't be serious. This guy just..."

Jirobo, watching Tayuya defect so quickly, couldn't help but chime in with a complaint.

"You fat—er, Jirobo, what are you saying? Lord Orochimaru just asked us to arrange for Lord Feng Yao to rest."

Seeing Jirobo trying to stop her, Tayuya instinctively wanted to start cursing, but with Feng Yao right in front of her, she swallowed the words back down.

"It is fine. Just tell me where the room is."

Feng Yao stood in place, watching the two of them. He only wanted to find a place to rest and think through his next steps.

He certainly wouldn't trust Orochimaru one hundred percent; a man like that required constant vigilance.

Likewise, Orochimaru couldn't possibly trust him either; the two were merely using one another.

"I don't mind at all, Lord Feng Yao. I will take you there."

Tayuya ignored Jirobo entirely, walking in front of Feng Yao to lead him to his room.

Watching their retreating figures, Jirobo sighed helplessly. He had a deep understanding of Tayuya's sharp tongue and always prayed for her to show a little mercy, but he never expected things to turn out like this today.

Orochimaru's base was quite spacious. After walking for about half a cup of tea's time, Feng Yao finally arrived at a somewhat simple room.

The center of the floor was covered with a thick white blanket, and there was a stove for boiling water with unburnt charcoal underneath, alongside an oil lamp.

"This is your room for resting. I hope you won't find it lacking, Lord Feng Yao."

Tayuya bowed slightly, performing the proper courtesies. Feng Yao nodded at her briefly before stepping into the room.

However, Tayuya remained standing at the doorway, refusing to leave, because from that position, she could still sense the pure aura emanating from Feng Yao, and she wanted to linger a while longer.

A full half-hour passed.

Feng Yao rubbed his forehead helplessly, feeling somewhat troubled.

"Tayuya, is there anything else you need?"

Asked this, Tayuya's face flushed, and she felt a bit awkward.

"No, nothing. I... um, is Lord Feng Yao's wish to destroy Konoha?"

In her haste to find something to say, Tayuya recalled the conversation between Feng Yao and Orochimaru earlier.

But at this moment, Feng Yao's eyes darkened, and Tayuya was startled by the sudden change.

Feng Yao replied in a cold, emotionless tone.

"The me of the past was not, but the me of the present has only one wish: to kill the Fifth Hokage."

Listening to Feng Yao's icy tone, Tayuya took a few steps back, her fists gently clenched against her chest. She lowered her head slightly, thinking for a moment as if she had made a decision.

She said firmly, "I... I will definitely become stronger. I will help Lord Feng Yao fulfill your wish."

With that, she turned and sprinted away. Feng Yao sighed.

He could tell that she had developed some kind of feelings for him, but she was only a fourteen-year-old child who didn't understand anything.

The system suddenly chimed in.

"Actually, in terms of biological age, you aren't even as old as Tayuya, Host. You are only twelve years old; you just have a slightly more mature mental age. I think you could perfectly well..."

"Pah! Shut your trap. If it weren't for the aura that comes with this Xiaoyao Wise Heart Body, would I be constantly harassed by these people? Look at Orochimaru; he's probably drooling over my body right now."

"And if it weren't for you, this lousy system, requiring me to swap out ninjutsu, I would have already stormed into Konoha to hack Danzo to pieces. Do you think I'd still be stuck here?"

Feng Yao unleashed a torrent of abuse at the system; it was as if he had finally found an outlet for the gloomy emotions stemming from his parents' deaths.

In this world, the only thing that truly understood him was perhaps this system in his head, allowing him to drop all pretenses and masks in its presence.

"Hmph, this system will settle this account with you when the next mission is issued."

Feng Yao curled his lip and responded in his mind.

"Bring it on, I'll be waiting."

The next day.

"Host, please prepare. This system will once again randomly draw a ninjutsu from the Naruto world for you. From this moment on, your Sage Arts and Sage Mode will be unusable and inaccessible."

As it spoke, Feng Yao felt a strange energy sealing his ability to absorb natural energy. He hadn't forgotten the Sage Arts, but he was simply unable to use them.

"Start the draw." Feng Yao's expression was calm as he took a deep breath.

"Congratulations to the Host for drawing Space-Time Ninjutsu. You will now master all Space-Time Ninjutsu in the Naruto world. Aside from these, you will be temporarily unable to use any other ninjutsu."