The Seed Planted

Following Jun Tianlin's words, the atmosphere turned slightly awkward.

"Heh heh, kid, you're very clever. But sometimes, being too clever isn't a good thing!" Orochimaru chuckled, his voice eerie enough to make one's scalp tingle. Immediately after, a faint killing intent enveloped Jun Tianlin.

In an instant, Jun Tianlin's face turned pale. After all, in his past life, he was just a shut-in, and in this life, he was merely a young child; how could he withstand the bloody killing intent of Orochimaru?

"Put away your killing intent. I know you haven't even shown your true abilities. Besides, if you really wanted to kill me, you wouldn't need to waste time saying so much, right?" Slowly standing up, Jun Tianlin endured the physical discomfort and walked to Orochimaru's side, his eyes flashing with wisdom.

Hearing Jun Tianlin's words, Orochimaru was not angry; instead, he withdrew his killing intent and opened his mouth in a wild, arrogant laugh.

"Hahaha, not bad at all. I value you two more and more. A powerful body, a sharp mind, and superior talent—all of this is the most perfect thing I have ever seen. Even the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan cannot compare to you. Is this the power of those who possess the Kaguya Clan's Kekkei Genkai, the Shikotsumyaku?"

Seeing Orochimaru reveal a rare, genuine smile—though it was filled with arrogance—the oppressive atmosphere finally dissipated.

Quietly, Jun Tianlin turned around and walked toward the unconscious Kimimaro, standing guard by his side once more, waiting for him to wake up.

A small gesture, performed inadvertently, can fully reveal a person's character.

Jun Tianlin did not know that perhaps this accidental action of his made Orochimaru value him even more, to the point where this level of regard surpassed that of the unconscious Kimimaro.

For a person, the most important thing is the heart!

For a heart, the most important thing is protection!

And for protection, the most important thing is the care revealed through those unintentional actions!

Ever since his parents died, Orochimaru had stopped believing in emotions, trusting only in himself and his power, eventually embarking on a path of no return in pursuit of "immortality."

But at this very moment, watching Jun Tianlin silently guarding Kimimaro, Orochimaru, who believed he had discarded all emotion, surprisingly felt the urge to take on an apprentice.

Unfortunately, this thought was only a fleeting flash, instantly replaced by Orochimaru's greed.

However, once such a thought appeared, it was not easily erased. After all, Orochimaru had already begun the forbidden path of human experimentation and was already walking a lonely road of no return.

Even the two close friends he grew up with were abandoned once he started his human experiments.

Although Orochimaru had not yet left Konoha, he was already lonely, no longer having any close friends, partners, or even family and teachers.

But humans are, after all, social animals. Even if he claimed not to fear loneliness, it didn't mean he enjoyed being entirely alone, without even a soul to talk to.

No one knew that this casual thought of taking an apprentice would one day become reality.

Time flew by, and three days passed.

With the legendary Sannin, Orochimaru, providing protection, Jun Tianlin and Kimimaro spent three days finally making it out of the first stop of their journey.

Over the next ten days or so, because Jun Tianlin and Kimimaro had been imprisoned in a cave by the Kaguya Clan for so long, they were severely malnourished and physically weak. Orochimaru deliberately slowed the pace of their travel; calling it travel was barely different from a slow walk.

At the same time, the food Jun Tianlin and Kimimaro ate was high-nutrition fare that Orochimaru had specifically spent money to purchase. In Orochimaru's words, "You two are people I value, my important pawns; I won't watch you starve to death!"

It should have only taken a few days to leave the Land of Water and return to the Otogakure in the Land of Rice Fields, but because of these two little burdens, it took over ten days, exhausting the last of Orochimaru's patience.

However, what they gained in those ten days was a massive transformation for Jun Tianlin and Kimimaro.

Thanks to sufficient nutrition and appropriate exercise, the two were no longer as weak and thin as they had been in Kirigakure. Instead, during these days, their superior bodies displayed incredible recovery powers.

In just over ten days, they had transformed from sallow and emaciated children into two strong, healthy boys.

"How is it? Surprised, right? Although it was only recently established, the scale of this Otogakure is quite large, isn't it?"

Orochimaru glanced at the two boys beside him, his voice filled with pride. It was understandable; as a Konoha ninja, to secretly build a ninja village through one's own ability was indeed something to be proud of.

"Heh, indeed. I didn't expect a human trafficker like you to actually have a village!"

Jun Tianlin's first sentence nearly made Orochimaru choke with rage. Since when was he a human trafficker?

Seeing the identical expressions on Jun Tianlin and Kimimaro's faces—the look of someone convinced he was a human trafficker—the Cold Lord Orochimaru, one of the Sannin who struck fear into most of the ninja world, simply turned his head away.

"Heh heh, you two brats actually have the nerve to call me a human trafficker. Fine, I was going to let you rest for a few days before starting training, but it seems your spirits are much better than I imagined. It's decided: starting tomorrow, prepare to undergo the hellish training I've arranged!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Orochimaru glared at Jun Tianlin with a fierce look, summoned someone to arrange their rooms, and then vanished using a Body Flicker Technique.