Golden Rotation

The Hokage's office.

The man before him had long black hair, pale skin, and handsome features. He wore blue-green, tomoe-shaped earrings, and purple eyeshadow that stretched from around his golden, snake-like pupils to the sides of his nose. He was none other than his beloved student, Orochimaru.

Sarutobi Hiruzen handed him a file. "These are the records for Nawaki, Chiba Genichi, and Minato Namikaze. Why are you interested in them? Are you thinking of taking on students? Nawaki goes without saying, but Chiba Genichi and Minato Namikaze are the most outstanding civilian-born prodigies of their generation. If you're willing to teach them, I can rest easy."

Looking at his well-behaved student, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't have been more pleased. He had taken on three students in all his life.

Tsunade had inherited the Senju Clan's legacy, so he hadn't needed to put much effort into teaching her. Jiraiya was a late bloomer who seemed foolish but was actually clever, so he had mostly left him to his own devices. The one he had truly devoted himself to, spending the most time and energy on and passing on most of his ninjutsu knowledge to, was the student standing before him—Orochimaru.

"I was worried that you've been spending all your time alone in the lab lately, studying those strange techniques. It's wonderful to see you're thinking of taking on students. When you run for Hokage someday, they'll be valuable political assets." Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled, feeling that the Will of Fire, passed down through generations, was blazing in his student's heart.

"Heh." Orochimaru licked his lips, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

"What! Orochimaru became Hokage?" Jiraiya, his head of white hair bobbing, climbed in through the window and asked in astonishment.

"Old man, I came by this time to—"

"Shut up." With masterful precision, Orochimaru hurled Minato Namikaze's file into Jiraiya's face. "Idiot, catch your stuff."

"I only promised Tsunade I'd take Nawaki. I was just curious about the other two," Orochimaru explained.

"Are you scared? Never mind that Nawaki's older than you. You don't dare take on a student your own age as I did, because you're afraid your student wouldn't hold a candle to mine, aren't you? Hahaha! Just admit Orochimaru can't measure up to Jiraiya!" Jiraiya continued laughing, oblivious as ever.

By now, Sarutobi Hiruzen understood that Jiraiya had taken an interest in Minato Namikaze. That left Genichi. Perhaps he could ask Tsunade? They seemed to get along well.

Thinking back on how Genichi had performed every bit as well as Orochimaru and was just as eager to learn ninjutsu, with the same serious nature that needed no prodding, Sarutobi Hiruzen said to Orochimaru, "When I see that boy, Genichi, it's like looking at you as a child."

"Heh." Orochimaru gave a cold laugh. He had no habit of arguing with idiots, but the name "Chiba Genichi" had been coming up far too often lately.

"Then I'll see for myself." Putting away the files, Orochimaru turned and left.

The Book of Characters recorded the training method for changing the nature of Wind Release chakra:

The first stage strengthened the "nature transformation." Chakra was used to cut leaves, and Wind Release chakra had to be continuously infused until each leaf was sliced in two.

The second stage increased the amount of change in an instant. To increase the amount of chakra released at once, one trained by cutting through a waterfall.

The third stage combined "nature transformation" with a technique. It was the most difficult, final stage.

Genichi didn't rush to practice Wind Release Ninjutsu. His chakra reserves were limited at this stage, and he couldn't use it more than a few times in a battle. Leaning against a tree at the edge of the training ground, he controlled his chakra to form tiny blades of wind and carved into a huge square stone nearby.

The design he carved was—"Golden Rotation!"

The Golden Rotation began by cutting the largest possible square from a golden rectangle. The remaining section would also be a golden rectangle, from which the largest possible square could be cut again, and so on. This produced an infinite series of largest squares and golden rectangles. With each square's corner as the center and its side length as the radius, one could draw an arc a quarter of a full circle in length. Because there were infinitely many squares, the arcs could be connected without end, forming a spiral that extended infinitely inward. This was the Golden Rotation.

From the outside in, the farther inward it went, the smaller the empty spaces became, and the harder they were to carve.

Genichi had to use less and less chakra each time, while ensuring the blades remained just as sharp after the nature transformation.

"That level of chakra control and nature transformation... from a Ninja Academy student? Heh, not bad." Genichi's daily routine was very regular, so Orochimaru only had to make a few inquiries before finding him at the training ground.

As he moved closer, Orochimaru's attention fell on the design carved into the stone. The shape before him was made of simple lines, yet possessed a unique beauty. It seemed everything was just right, while also containing endless possibilities.

The more he looked, the more entranced he became. Orochimaru couldn't help asking, "What is this?"

"Lord Orochimaru, this is the 'Golden Rotation.'" Orochimaru wasn't just the Hokage's student; he was also a renowned elite jonin in the village. With his distinctive snake-like features, Genichi recognized him at a glance.

Genichi went on to explain the principles behind the "Golden Rotation," then added, "My original technique, the Rasengan, was inspired by it."

As he demonstrated his technique, Genichi also covered his tracks. He couldn't exactly say it had been inspired by a Tailed Beast Bomb.

Looking at the highly destructive ball of chakra in the boy's hand, Orochimaru's pupils contracted. "You really are talented. You were practicing Wind Release nature transformation just now, weren't you? You should..."

Genichi was astonished by Orochimaru's pointers and experience, and learned a great deal from them.

Orochimaru in the original story—spitting out snakes, having snakes spit him out, using Impure World Reincarnation, the Curse Mark, and Living Corpse Reincarnation—had made such a deep impression that Genichi had forgotten Orochimaru himself was also a master of Wind Release.

"With your skill, you're far beyond an ordinary Chunin. Why haven't you graduated early? You're wasting time at school," Orochimaru asked.

"Graduate and go catch cats and dogs? Or risk my life fighting other ninja for a reward of a hundred or two hundred thousand ryo?" Genichi didn't hide his thoughts from Orochimaru. "Besides, Lord Orochimaru, don't you think chakra is fascinating?"

"What?" Orochimaru hadn't expected that answer.

"Chakra is fascinating in itself, not just as a means of forming techniques and killing one another. Where does chakra come from? Why are there exactly seven nature types? How does a Kekkei Genkai work? Why are some people born with the power of their parents? If two natures can combine to form a Kekkei Genkai, what about all seven? Aren't you curious about these questions?" Genichi continued.

Orochimaru came back to himself and pondered his words.

At that moment, he understood: this child was like him. It wasn't because he excelled in his studies, was powerful, or was skilled in ninjutsu. Those things were superficial.

It was his way of thinking.

Most ninja in the Ninja World trained their techniques to make them more powerful and honed their killing skills before fighting one another. They called it protecting their comrades, but if you killed an enemy to protect your comrades, whose comrade was that enemy? The cycle of hatred would never end. It had repeated across this land for a thousand years. It was utterly meaningless.

A thirst for knowledge, a search for truth, and a desire to understand the essence of things rather than being confined to their surface.

"Since I was a child, my dream has been to learn every ninjutsu in the world. But the more I learn, the more I realize how insignificant I am. The farther I travel, the farther away my goal seems. Perhaps there are limits to what one person can accomplish. Now, I've taken the first step on the path to truth. Will you walk alongside me?" Orochimaru asked sincerely.

"Teacher Orochimaru." Genichi bowed respectfully.