Seven Years Later

"Enough, you little brats. Get some good rest over the next few days. I'll come find you myself in a few days, and I'll personally train you both."

"Under my tutelage, I'll bring your astonishing potential and talent to full fruition!"

"As for the rest, you're free to move around Otogakure, but don't take a single step outside the village. You know how frightening I can be when I'm angry, so don't test my patience."

"In return, while you're staying in Otogakure, I'll give you unrestricted access to the many ninjutsu, genjutsu, secret techniques, and forbidden techniques I've collected over the years. I'm sure you'll find them useful."

"One last thing: although your Kaguya Clan's Shikotsumyaku is powerful, history shows that every Shikotsumyaku user has suffered from the same affliction—the Bloodline Disease. It's a true curse that shortens your life!"

"Based on years of research, I'm confident I've mostly figured out what causes the Bloodline Disease associated with your Shikotsumyaku."

"You wouldn't understand the reason even if I explained it, so just remember this: from now on, whether you're training or fighting, never put any bone you've taken out of your body back inside."

"If you follow that one rule, I'm ninety percent certain you'll never contract the Bloodline Disease associated with Shikotsumyaku!"

With Orochimaru's final words, time slipped by like a white colt flashing past a crack.

In the blink of an eye, seven whole years had passed.

During those seven years, several earth-shaking events took place across the vast Ninja World, plunging it into turmoil.

In Konoha's forty-seventh year, Cold Lord Orochimaru, one of Konoha's pillars and one of the legendary Sannin, inexplicably turned against the village and defected, becoming the first S-rank missing-nin in Konoha's history.

That same year, a month after Orochimaru defected from Konoha, Sunagakure began attacking Konoha's northern region, while Iwagakure seized the opportunity to launch an assault from the south. At the same time, Kumogakure and Kirigakure took advantage of the chaos and began invading Konoha's borders in force. The Third Shinobi World War had officially begun.

Under the joint assault of Sunagakure, Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure, Konoha was beset on all sides and left with no one to rely on. The entire Land of Fire descended into chaos.

The fighting continued for two years. It was not until the end of Konoha's forty-eighth year that the Third Shinobi World War finally came to a halt. Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure all made peace with Konoha, leaving only Kumogakure to keep causing trouble.

The following year, Minato Namikaze, Konoha's Yellow Flash, was formally appointed the Fourth Hokage in recognition of his great contributions during the Third Shinobi World War, becoming Konoha's highest authority.

〔These events are all true and were mentioned in Naruto. I worked out the dates myself, though, so please forgive me if they don't match the original~~〕

Of course, Kimimaro, who was diligently training in Otogakure, knew nothing about the major events unfolding across the Ninja World. As for Jun Tianlin, although his memories from his previous life gave him a clear understanding of Naruto's plot, he paid little attention to it, devoting all his focus to improving his strength instead.

After all, this was a brutal world where the strong preyed on the weak. Strength was the only true law!

Orochimaru really was the most suitable teacher in the world, bar none.

Under his ruthless but measured methods, Jun Tianlin and Kimimaro, who had once known only how to fight with the simplest applications of Shikotsumyaku, had both undergone a complete transformation.

Even now, neither of them would be easy for Orochimaru to beat one-on-one if he held back.

As an aside, over the years Orochimaru had already developed his so-called immortal forbidden technique, Living Corpse Reincarnation. It was only after his extensive human experimentation was discovered that he had no choice but to defect from Konoha.

Having developed a forbidden technique like Living Corpse Reincarnation, Orochimaru had become so obsessed with eternal life that, in just seven short years, he had secretly reincarnated several times.

Though Orochimaru had kept his reincarnations well hidden, Jun Tianlin, who had spent years in Otogakure, still noticed the telltale signs.

After all, Living Corpse Reincarnation required Orochimaru to change bodies repeatedly. Even a god would show signs of it after changing bodies, let alone Orochimaru, who was no god, but merely a rather powerful man!

Although Jun Tianlin could see that Orochimaru's soul had grown increasingly damaged with each reincarnation, leaving him weaker and greatly diminishing his strength, he had no intention of warning him.

After all, Orochimaru was still an enemy to him and Kimimaro—or at least, he seemed to be for now. Orochimaru's greed for Shikotsumyaku had never lessened in the slightest...

In Konoha's fiftieth year, Kimimaro and Jun Tianlin, who had followed Orochimaru to Otogakure, had both become handsome young men, around seventeen years old. The traces of the children they had once been could still be glimpsed in their delicate features.

That was also the year when, at last, the world began to change under Orochimaru's strange gaze...