Special Tutelage Outside the Village

Outside the village.

In the jungle, the sound of clashing blades rang out incessantly, startling the birds into flight.

Three figures moved at high speed, sparks flying as kunai and shuriken collided; the ground was scarred with scorched earth and craters, while trees of all sizes lay toppled and askew.

Orochimaru kept his word and had indeed brought Uchiha Akashi along for training.

One had to admit that as a mentor, he was highly competent; not only did he teach the Snake Clone Technique, but he also provided personal instruction in live combat, though the scenes were a bit brutal.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Uchiha Akashi shouted lowly, quickly forming hand seals.

The scorching flames surged forward, only to be blocked by a Water Formation Wall that rose from the ground. As vast mists billowed, Orochimaru wove through them like a phantom and lashed out with a kick. Akashi was instantly sent flying over a dozen meters, his back slamming heavily against a tree trunk.

"Huff... huff..."

After several exchanges, Akashi could already feel the gap between them.

Under Orochimaru's terrifying suppression, he had to give his all just to parry, while Anko could barely provide support; even combined, their strength was not enough to fight him.

The power of the Sannin was not something an ordinary jonin could compare to.

Orochimaru held a kunai, his tongue sliding across his cheek as he said in a raspy voice, "You have both improved significantly, especially Akashi—you are already starting to keep up with my speed."

Akashi smiled slightly. "Still a long way to go."

Orochimaru smiled as well. Although Akashi appeared humble, he knew the boy's true potential; this child had already mastered various ninjutsu, including Fire and Wind styles, and had even learned the Snake Clone Technique in just a few days. His talent was remarkably similar to his own at that age.

Against an average special jonin—no, even against a standard jonin—his chances of victory would be quite high.

He was likely on par with that genius, Hatake Kakashi.

"Come, continue."

"Still fighting? I've already reached my limit."

"The fact that you can still stand and talk to me proves that statement false." Orochimaru's gaze suddenly sharpened; he leaped lightly, his kunai flying through the air with a whoosh toward Akashi.

At the same time, six snake shadows lunged from his sleeves, a chaotic mass of gray serpents pouncing from the air, their bodies coiling and twisting.

Akashi retreated hastily, dodging the kunai while forming hand seals with both hands.

The gray snakes surged forward, tangled together, jaws agape to reveal venomous fangs. They combined their physical assault with the intimidation of their gaze, but were met head-on by a ball of flame.

It was a merciful flame that wouldn't burn a person to death, but it was more than enough to scald a snake.

Yet, even so, Orochimaru used only one hand.

His other hand held a ninja blade that had appeared from nowhere; it was a straight-edged sword designed primarily for thrusting, and paired with Orochimaru's graceful movements, he danced like a whirlwind!

Seeing this, Anko immediately threw shuriken to disrupt Orochimaru's pace, then tossed a ninja blade to Akashi.

Clang, clang, clang, clang—

Crisp sounds rang out in succession as Orochimaru easily deflected the shuriken, then followed up by spinning his blade to slash out a silver-white arc.

It looked elegant, but the force behind it was absurdly high.

Akashi barely managed to parry, the blades grinding together with a piercing, shrill sound, and his heels sank half a centimeter into the soil.

Close-quarters combat was not his specialty, and he could only retreat step by step under Orochimaru's assault.

Seeing the situation turn dire, Anko provided long-range support with ninja tools and used special smoke bombs to assist, but these tricks were all within Orochimaru's expectations and rarely found their mark.

After a few more rounds, Akashi's arm was grazed, drawing blood, and several nearby stone pillars were sliced to pieces.

"Is that all?"

Orochimaru performed a mid-air roundhouse kick, sending Akashi flying, then immediately threw his ninja blade, aiming straight for his left flank.

Poof!

A split second before the blade struck, the Substitution Technique was completed.

The gleaming edge pierced a wooden log, while Akashi had vanished from the spot.

This was one of the most basic lessons at the Ninja Academy—simple to learn and widely applicable. There were standard substitutions using logs or animals, advanced substitutions using elements like water or earth, and beyond those, special secret techniques like the Orochimaru-style Substitution.

By consuming only a small amount of chakra, one could avoid tons of damage, making it highly cost-effective.

Of course, the Substitution Technique had its limitations.

Ultimately, it was just a "trick of the eye" and not a life-saving skill that could be activated at any time; it required pre-prepared objects, required predicting the timing of the attack, and the replacement distance was generally limited.

The key was "preparation."

The use of substitution was primarily to confuse the opponent with illusions during battle to avoid danger and counter-attack openings, or to attract fire while hiding one's tracks to facilitate an escape.

It was completely different from reality-warping techniques like Amenotejikara or Izanagi.

Akashi completed the swap with the log amidst a cloud of white smoke and appeared on a thick tree branch. Before he could even catch his breath, a snake lunged from below, as if his movements had already been seen through by Orochimaru.

What a miserable ordeal!

Akashi complained silently, firing a shuriken to strike the snake down.

He quickly returned to the ground, only to see Orochimaru closing in, and he hurriedly formed seals: "Wind Style: Breakthrough!"

As the chakra gathered in his mouth reached its limit, a massive wave of wind pressure surged forward, the gale forcing the trees to bow and halting Orochimaru's charge.

Yet Orochimaru merely offered a light, dismissive smile, his fingers dancing as his long hair whipped about: "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

"You've got to be kidding me?!"

Akashi grimaced as his body was caught by the counter-surging gale, sent flying, and slammed hard into the ground right at Anko's feet.

He scrambled to his feet, only to find his line of sight completely empty.

"Your hand seals are too slow; that is your weakness."

Suddenly, the voice came from point-blank range. The ground heaved, and though Akashi and Anko realized something was wrong, it was already too late. The soil burst open as several grey snakes lunged from beneath the earth, coiling tightly around their ankles. This time, Akashi had no clones or substitutions left, and he was bound fast.

Had Orochimaru wished it, the venomous snakes could have struck instantly.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands." Akashi swallowed hard, his gaze darting toward the ferocious serpents, a chill running through his heart.

"You utilize your various ninjutsu with great proficiency, and your chakra reserves are sufficient. You are truly worthy of the Uchiha clan; I might consider teaching you the Hidden Shadow Snake Hands."

Orochimaru loosened his grip, and the grey snakes slithered back into his sleeves.

"You are too kind."

"Help me with tomorrow's experiment." Orochimaru sheathed his blade, turned his back, and began to walk slowly into the forest. "As for you, Anko, you should consult with Akashi-kun more often in the future..."

With that, he leaped away and vanished from sight.

Akashi stared at the empty woods, his taut nerves finally beginning to relax.

Orochimaru was strong.

He had originally assumed that Orochimaru's high stats and bizarre skill set meant he lacked raw damage, but upon closer review of the battles he had witnessed—whether against the Third Hokage, Four-Tails Naruto, or the Kage-level experts of the Akatsuki—he realized that in most cases, Orochimaru hadn't even been at his peak.

If you were to say he was impressive, he seemed to use only those two techniques.

If you were to say he wasn't, he was the only person in the entire ninja world who could use those two techniques.

Had he not ruined his own body, he could have achieved great things after mastering Sage Art; one could only say that fate had played a cruel joke on him.

Akashi wasn't particularly interested in the Hidden Shadow Snake Hands.

What he sought was Sage Art and biotechnology.

However, having just begun his contact with Orochimaru, making even a little progress was good enough; being too impatient would only be counterproductive. Furthermore, his arrangement with Orochimaru was temporary, and he lacked an official position at the research facility. If his family or the Third Hokage found out, it would likely lead to trouble.

Fortunately, he was already used to being targeted, and he had come up with a brilliant strategy.

When in doubt, just claim you're an undercover agent.