Zhengyi: "Apologize to my teacher!"

"Drink."

After Orochimaru finished explaining, he handed Zhengyi the drink he'd mixed in his cup.

It was white, and the bottle smelled faintly of milk powder.

As students, how could they make their teacher happy? Naturally, they drank whatever he handed them without a second thought.

Zhengyi didn't hesitate. He unscrewed the cup and downed the drink without the slightest suspicion of Orochimaru.

After all, he wasn't an Uchiha or a Senju. Even if his teacher wanted to take over his body, he couldn't target Zhengyi.

The trouble was that Orochimaru didn't care about these social niceties. He was a pure scientist, interested only in whether the results matched his expectations.

After finishing the drink, Zhengyi smacked his lips. "Protein Powder?"

Orochimaru paused. "Oh?"

"Did you extract it from milk, Sensei?"

Orochimaru looked at Zhengyi in surprise, then clapped his hands. "Not bad. Based on my research over the past few days, things like milk..."

At first, Zhengyi could just about follow what Orochimaru was saying.

But before long, it sounded like gibberish.

In short, Orochimaru had extracted whey protein from milk. One hundred grams of whey protein contained as much protein as 320 grams of beef or twelve eggs.

Was this really Orochimaru?!

Zhengyi was utterly stunned.

It had only been a few days!

He'd merely suggested eating a healthy diet, and his teacher, Orochimaru, had already developed a high-protein food in the Shinobi World.

This research of Orochimaru's would absolutely revolutionize the Shinobi World.

To put it in scientific terms, the body needed protein to build muscle.

Why were ninjas so skinny on average? Because they didn't get enough protein. To keep functioning, their bodies broke down their own muscles.

In other words, if ninjas got enough protein every day, their strength could improve by several levels.

Genes determined the upper limit of one's strength; adequate nutrition ensured one's baseline.

"Is there more, Sensei?"

Zhengyi... Zhengyi was just too eager to improve. He was a twelve-year-old Chunin, and he was a little afraid—afraid he wouldn't be able to keep up with the Shinobi World's top tier.

"Our ranch doesn't produce enough milk, Zhengyi," Orochimaru said meaningfully.

"Sensei, looks like we'll have to go to the Land of Lightning."

"Zhengyi, you'll be the one to find a way to stop the AB Brothers from Kumogakure."

"? I'm supposed to stop them?"

"I know this is difficult, but it's an order."

Hiruzen Sarutobi had thought his student would stall for a while before heading to the battlefield again.

The front line where Kumogakure and Konoha were at war.

Two days earlier, Orochimaru had returned to the battlefield with his students and subordinates.

Leading the Cloud Ninja against Konoha were the AB Brothers of Kumogakure.

They were the future Fourth Raikage, A, and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer B.

Their father was still alive and commanding from the rear, so carefree A was less interested in fighting a war than in seeking the thrill of battle.

"Not enough, not enough! You're still not enough! Bring out Orochimaru!"

With an elbow strike, A sent a Konoha jonin flying. A comrade caught him, but the Konoha Ninja were at a loss against the dark-skinned man.

A's thick, bulging muscles alone were enough to make him intimidating as he stood there. "Why doesn't Orochimaru dare to show up?"

"Yo! Orochimaru's a bastard, Orochimaru's weak, Orochimaru's too scared to come to the front and fight us!"

Killer B's "contempt" cut the Konoha shinobi to the quick.

His clumsy rap only made it sound more like mockery.

They hadn't expected Kumogakure to be so good at taunting people.

But there was nothing they could do. Orochimaru knew all too well how much the two sides differed in ability. How could he possibly engage them head-on? So he'd fought very cautiously.

"Konoha's commander is nothing but a coward."

A and Killer B were growing bored. They couldn't make any headway, and Orochimaru really was like a slippery snake. Another day of retreating.

"Konoha really is a gathering place for cowards."

"What?!"

"Don't fall for his provocation. We're no match for them. Retreat if we can."

The Konoha shinobi were seething with anger, but the more level-headed ones tried to comfort them.

Everyone understood. They all swallowed their anger, though it burned inside them.

"But I suppose a useless commander does get his whole army killed."

"What did you say?!"

Just as A and Killer B were getting bored and preparing to lead the Cloud Ninja back, someone called out.

"Stop!"

A child who looked about twelve stepped out from the Konoha shinobi ranks and roared at A, overcome with rage.

A turned around, a huge question mark appearing over his head.

The Kumogakure shinobi were puzzled, too.

"Hey, Zhengyi, don't take him seriously." The speaker was a ninja from the Inuzuka Clan. Seeing the Cloud Ninja already retreating, he broke into a cold sweat when Lord Orochimaru's student turned back to argue.

Someone immediately explained to A who Zhengyi was.

Orochimaru's student.

"What's wrong? Did I say anything incorrect?" A crossed his arms and looked at Zhengyi. "Your teacher is a complete coward."

"Damn you!!"

A: "?"

A had thought Zhengyi would toss out a few insults before leaving. But he could hardly believe his eyes: the kid was charging right at him.

He thought he must have seen wrong.

But he hadn't.

"Lariat!"

That was what Zhengyi shouted as he bent his arm, seemingly intending to elbow A to death.

"Interesting."

If the kid had used any other move, A would have killed him outright. But the brat was imitating Kumogakure's Taijutsu.

It would be a terrible look if someone imitating their village's strongest Taijutsu got killed.

"Come on, let's see what you can do."

The outcome was inevitable. If twelve-year-old Zhengyi could pin the grown A down and grind him into the dirt, the Shinobi World would be over within two years.

A gave Zhengyi a taste of the real Lariat.

Zhengyi flew off like a kite whose string had snapped.

"Hahaha, you've got a pretty sturdy body." Zhengyi had gone flying, but every action had an equal and opposite reaction. A had held back just now, and even he'd felt some pain.

His assessment was that Zhengyi had physical strength close to a jonin's.

"I don't pick on kids. Go." A looked at Zhengyi lying on the ground, staring up at the sky. He didn't kill him, but instead turned, beckoned to the Cloud Ninja, and led them away.

They hadn't gone far when—

"Wait!"

A turned around again and saw Zhengyi struggle to his feet and take up a fighting stance.

A: "?"

"Who gave you permission to insult my teacher?!"

Zhengyi charged again.

The Konoha shinobi hadn't tried to stop him. They'd never imagined Zhengyi would come at A again after coughing up blood. They hadn't been prepared for it at all.

Seriously, was he that reckless?

"Now that's guts!" A hated cowards. A reckless fool like Zhengyi—no, someone with that much courage—was right up his alley.

Zhengyi charged, and Zhengyi flew again.

"He isn't a shadow clone." A looked at him with approval. "Right now, I'm an insurmountable mountain to you, kid. Come challenge me again in a few years."