First Encounter

In a silent, empty clearing, Ye Wuji slowly opened his eyes. Just as he was about to check his surroundings, a sudden wave of pain surged through his body. He tried to cry out, only to find his throat parched and aching; the intensity of the pain made him feel dizzy.

Ye Wuji shook his head, struggling to clear his mind. As he prepared to stand, he realized he felt shorter. Looking at his hands, he saw they had changed—they were small, like a child's, and the skin was soft and tender, no longer the dry, cracked, and pale hands he remembered. Just as he was about to ponder what was happening, the pain in his body flared up again, making it impossible for him to think clearly.

The pain made him disregard the changes to his body as he tried to stand, only to realize something was pinning him down. Judging by the sensation, it was a person. What is going on? Am I still trapped underneath? Who is on top of me? Is it Uncle Zhang from work? Does this mean the rescue team hasn't arrived yet? Ye Wuji thought to himself.

He tried to push the person off, but realized he was being held, and held tightly. He couldn't break free at first. Taking a few deep breaths, he exerted all his strength and shoved the person away. The effort sent black spots dancing before his eyes, and he swayed before finally managing to stand. It took him over ten minutes to recover, and once he did, he wanted to see who had been pinning him down—to see if it was Uncle Zhang who had come to help during the earthquake.

Looking down, he saw a young man he didn't recognize, and beside him, a beautiful young woman. From their positions, it was clear this couple had been holding him in their arms.

Ye Wuji looked around and realized he was standing in the middle of a pile of corpses. There were nearly a hundred bodies scattered about, young and old, alongside many wooden carts.

He looked up and saw he was in a canyon, flanked by towering, lush green mountains that reached into the clouds. Looking ahead and behind, he realized there was only one path through this area, and he was standing right in the middle of it.

After observing this, he finally had a moment to examine himself. Based on his own perception, this body was between six and ten years old. He looked at the wound on his chest, then back at the young couple. The man had a wound through his chest, likely caused by something that had pierced through him and into Ye Wuji. Seeing how this couple had held him tightly even in their final moments, Ye Wuji realized they must have been this body's parents.

Looking at the couple on the ground, Ye Wuji felt a sense of disorientation. Although he didn't know them, tears streamed down his face, and a wave of sorrow washed over him. He sat down beside them and wept in silence.

"Looks like we're too late," a low voice sounded beside him, followed by a thud, as if a fist had struck the ground.

"Indeed. But there's still a brat alive. What a stroke of luck—or is it a misfortune?" Another voice spoke. For some reason, hearing this voice made Ye Wuji's already sorrowful heart contract sharply.

Ye Wuji turned his head and froze. He saw a pale face framed by long, flowing black hair, and a signature mark: a snake head coiled around the person, its tongue flicking out. As Ye Wuji turned, the snake's cold pupils narrowed, staring right at him.

How is this possible? Ye Wuji thought, before losing consciousness.

As he drifted into darkness, he thought he saw a blonde boy of about eleven or twelve walking toward him.

At the same time Ye Wuji fainted, the blonde boy reached his side, checked him over, and seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He immediately began using chakra to treat Ye Wuji's wounds.

Afterward, he set Ye Wuji aside. "Lady Tsunade, this person's injuries are relatively light; it seems he fainted from blood loss. But just to be safe, could you please take a look?"

As he spoke, a beautiful woman with honey-blonde hair, dressed in ninja attire, appeared beside them.

"Alright, Minato, just leave him there for now. I'll check on him in a moment, but if you've already looked at him, there shouldn't be any issues." The woman said, while inspecting the corpses on the ground.

Once she finished, she walked over and re-examined Ye Wuji. She treated him again, and it must be said, her medical skills were far superior to the blonde boy's. In just a moment, the wounds on Ye Wuji's body vanished, leaving no scars behind.

"Aside from this child, there are no survivors. Those damn rogue ninjas," the honey-blonde woman said to the white-haired young man after treating Ye Wuji.

"Those bastards! To commit such slaughter against ordinary people—they deserve to die," the white-haired youth cursed.

"Enough, Jiraiya. This is war; there is no logic to it."

"Can war not be avoided? Is peace really that difficult?" The white-haired youth, Jiraiya, asked, though in his heart he was thinking of the Great Toad Sage's words: "The one who can bring change to the current ninja world."

"Perhaps," Orochimaru replied, not wanting to argue with Jiraiya.

However, after glancing at Ye Wuji on the ground, Orochimaru flicked his tongue across his lips and asked, "But Jiraiya, what do you intend to do with this child? In my opinion, you should just kill him. Living might be a form of suffering for him, and in these chaotic times, how long do you think he can survive? Or are you planning to waste another three years teaching an apprentice? I must remind you, we don't have that kind of time. The Third Hokage has urged us several times; this great war is reaching its climax. We must return quickly to prepare for the final battle. Don't forget who our opponent is—if you aren't there, Konoha might lose this war." Orochimaru chuckled coldly.

Hearing this, Jiraiya's expression stiffened, and he looked at Ye Wuji with hesitation.

Seeing Jiraiya's anxiety, Orochimaru continued, "Don't think about taking him with us. There isn't enough time, and this kid is just an ordinary person. Even if you forced him along, do you think he could hold out? He'd likely die on the road. And you seem to have forgotten that the Third is already very anxious. Didn't you see that even your student, Minato, was sent to deliver the message? Do you want us to waste more time? I say kill him. If you can't bring yourself to do it, I can. Don't worry, I guarantee he will die without pain. It's the best choice for him and for us. What do you think, Tsunade?"

"This..." Tsunade had heard Orochimaru's words, and for a moment, she didn't know what to choose.

Seeing that Tsunade didn't immediately object and Jiraiya remained silent, Orochimaru walked over to the unconscious Ye Wuji.

At that moment, Ye Wuji looked as if he were in a deep sleep, and with his white hair, he looked quite adorable—after all, children are always cute.

Orochimaru licked his lips and chuckled, and suddenly, the snake head that had been beside him transformed into a black shadow and flew toward the unconscious boy. Just as the shadow was about to strike, a bang echoed out. Jiraiya was standing over Ye Wuji, having punched the snake shadow into the ground, creating a crater nearly a meter wide. The snake's head had burst, clearly dead.

Orochimaru watched this, licked his lips, and smiled without saying a word, though another snake head emerged from behind him.

"It seems you've made your choice. Are you sure about this?" Orochimaru didn't attack again, looking at Jiraiya with a playful expression. In truth, even if Jiraiya hadn't intervened, Orochimaru hadn't intended to kill the boy. The three of them were in a "honeymoon period" of their friendship, and Orochimaru knew exactly what Jiraiya was thinking; he had only been trying to help Jiraiya make up his mind.

"Yes, I've decided. You two go on ahead. I'll make arrangements for him and then catch up as quickly as possible. Don't worry, I'll find a family to take him in, and I'll leave them plenty of money," Jiraiya said, pulling back his fist.

"Is that so?" Orochimaru licked his lips, then pulled a money pouch from his person and tossed it to Jiraiya. "How much money could you possibly have? I don't really need it right now, so consider it a loan. Remember, you have to pay me back." With that, Orochimaru walked away.

Tsunade smiled at this, and wanting to contribute, she reached for her own money, only to realize she had lost all her funds gambling a few days prior. She gave an awkward smile and didn't dare speak up.

Jiraiya and Orochimaru both chuckled at this, and even Minato laughed, leaving Tsunade feeling quite embarrassed. It seemed the Tsunade of this time hadn't yet developed the thick skin of her later years.

Just as Tsunade and Orochimaru were saying their goodbyes to Jiraiya, the blonde boy, Minato, spoke up. "Teacher, Lady Tsunade, Lord Orochimaru, how about this? I'll stay behind to look after him while you head back. After all, the Third has been urging you for a long time. What do you think?"

"That is..." Jiraiya began, but before he could finish, Minato continued, "Teacher, you have urgent business to attend to. I don't think I can be of much help back there right now, so I can probably look after him for a few months. And don't worry, I'm an elite chunin now; there won't be any problems."

"I think that's a good idea," Orochimaru interjected. "It's a good opportunity for Minato to train. Let's decide on that. What do you think, Tsunade?"

"Good," Tsunade said, still feeling awkward from earlier.

Seeing that Orochimaru and Tsunade agreed, and being very satisfied with his student Minato—who was already an elite chunin at twelve and nearing the rank of jonin—Jiraiya nodded. Minato was also very meticulous, so looking after someone would be no trouble at all. Jiraiya had originally wanted Minato to see the war, but since Minato had requested this, he agreed.

With that thought, Jiraiya nodded.

Afterward, the group buried the bodies. Since Ye Wuji had been sitting by the young couple, they were buried separately. In times of war, having a grave at all was a luxury, so no one cared if others were buried in mass graves; if not for Ye Wuji, the couple would have been buried with the rest.

Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade then departed. Shortly after, the three of them would fight Hanzo, and the title of the Sannin would begin to spread across the world.

This was the first meeting between Ye Wuji and the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. That year, Ye Wuji was six, and Minato Namikaze was twelve.

Thus, the two who would later become known throughout the ninja world as the Blade of the Dark Night and the Yellow Flash of Konoha first met.