Uncle Snake's Scroll

Sato Hideaka walked toward the alley, heading for a spot that was both quiet and secluded, yet positioned well enough to allow for a quick dash back to the main street should he need to seek help. He wanted to flush out whoever was tailing him, and this location offered him a swift escape route into the dense crowds if things went south.

He stopped abruptly and addressed the silent alley, his voice calm. "Come on out. Stop hiding; I've already found you."

The sound echoed through the dim alleyway. Aside from the wind rustling the nearby leaves, there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary.

Could my senses have failed me? Perhaps my nerves have been too frayed lately.

Sato Hideaka shook his head and let out a bitter laugh, tucking his books under his arm as he prepared to leave. Just then, a black figure leaped down from the wall and blocked his path.

The intruder was none other than Sarutobi Asuma, who had been glaring at him in class with gritted teeth. Sarutobi Asuma looked at him with a grave expression and said in a heavy tone, "Transfer student, from the very first day you arrived at school, I knew you weren't simple. But I never expected you to detect my presence so easily!"

Watching Sarutobi Asuma act as if he were facing a formidable enemy, Sato Hideaka was stunned. I was already planning to leave—where did I detect your presence? You're the one who jumped off the wall yourself, aren't you?

Seeing Sato Hideaka remain silent, Sarutobi Asuma seemed to take it as a slight. He placed one hand on his hip, pointed at Sato Hideaka with the other, and struck a dramatic, cringeworthy pose. "You'd better stay far away from Kurenai!"

Sato Hideaka sighed, speechless. "Hey, how am I supposed to stay away from Kurenai? We're seatmates. You don't expect me to sit out in the hallway, do you? That would look terrible..."

"I'm not talking about physical distance, I'm talking about our relationship! Our relationship! Are you even listening to me?" Sarutobi Asuma demanded, exasperated.

"I think I get it, but then again, I don't. Isn't that basically the same thing?"

"Ugh, talking to you brats is exhausting. Anyway, just don't get too close to Kurenai. Besides, the Genin Exam is in twenty days. Transfer student, do you dare make a bet with me? Whoever loses isn't allowed to speak to Kurenai or hang out with her ever again. No backing out, or you're a coward!"

"The Genin Exam? That's actually interesting." Sato Hideaka pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "I'll be at the Genin Exam, but I can't take this bet. Interpersonal relationships are a two-way street. I can't just cut off a friendship with Kurenai because of a bet with you. Besides, if you truly value a friendship, you shouldn't be using it as a wager."

"Hmph, I knew a coward like you wouldn't dare. But I'm taking the Genin Exam too. Let's see who passes and gets their headband first!"

Sarutobi Asuma declared this like a vow. Although he acknowledged the logic in Sato Hideaka's words, he remained stubborn, thinking to himself that if he became a Genin while Sato Hideaka failed...

That way, he would be "protecting" his friendship with Kurenai without actually using it as a stake, and Kurenai would surely look at him with newfound admiration.

"Fine, fine, whatever you say. I'm heading to the Konoha Library now. You coming?" Sato Hideaka asked listlessly, waving a hand.

"The library? Hmph, what do you need to go there for? I advise you to take this Genin Exam seriously. I'm going back to train. This time, I will become a Genin!"

With that, Sarutobi Asuma leaped onto the wall, his body perpendicular to the surface, and sprinted across it before vaulting over and disappearing from sight. It seemed he was off to train hard for the exam.

But why go through the trouble of climbing a wall when there's a perfectly good road?

Shaking his head to clear the strange encounter from his mind, Sato Hideaka continued toward the Konoha Library alone. After about twenty minutes, he arrived at the largest library in Konoha.

The Konoha Library was a domed stone structure with a vast interior housing a mountain of books. It contained an ocean of knowledge, including ninjutsu, literature, geography, history, law, art, medicine, and sociology—covering the majority of the knowledge in the Naruto world.

Sato Hideaka went to the ninjutsu theory section and picked out books like Classification of Hand Seals, Nature Transformation and Hand Seals, and The Relationship Between Hand Seals and Ninjutsu. He sat down in the reading area and began to study.

The content wasn't entirely in Japanese, and having never systematically studied the language, Sato Hideaka found it quite difficult to read. He had to rely on his spoken knowledge and a dictionary to barely grasp the meaning.

However, the material wasn't much deeper than what Yano Koji had taught; it was simply more comprehensive and systematic. Deducing the hand seals for Crystal Release wasn't the hard part—the challenge lay in the specific chakra pathways required to match those seals.

For instance, different Fire Release techniques required different chakra flow paths within the body. Furthermore, different types of ninjutsu required chakra to gather at different points; Fire Release usually gathered in the throat, Earth Release in the palms, and Wind Release in both the throat and palms.

With these low-level ninjutsu books, he could deduce the hand seals, but determining the internal chakra pathways was a different matter entirely.

Just as Sato Hideaka was closing the books in disappointment, preparing to return them, he noticed someone staring at him with great interest.

The man wore a grey-and-white robe with long, straight black hair draped over his shoulders. His skin was deathly pale, as if powdered, and he wore blue magatama earrings. His eyes were like those of a snake, glowing with a dangerous light.

A man with such distinct features could only be one person... Orochimaru!

Sato Hideaka couldn't think of anyone else in Konoha with such snake-like traits. Why was this guy targeting him? Based on the timeline, he hadn't even started his human experiments or the Living Corpse Reincarnation yet.

"Hideaka-kun, are you researching large-scale Lava Release ninjutsu?"

Orochimaru looked at the five-year-old Sato Hideaka with genuine interest. There was no trace of condescension in his eyes; he treated the boy as an equal. His voice was raspy yet magnetic, enough to make one feel an inexplicable sense of affinity.

Sato Hideaka felt a shiver run down his spine. He knew Orochimaru was a madman who conducted human experiments. The man possessed immense charisma and was a master at manipulating children, making them willing to die for him.

But no matter how deceptive he appeared, a snake was always a cold-blooded animal.

"Mister, I don't think I know you," Sato Hideaka said, blinking his cyan eyes with a look of confusion. "How do you know my name, and how do you know I'm researching ninjutsu?"

A wicked smile curled on Orochimaru's lips. "That is unimportant. What matters is, why does a five-year-old like you want to research your own ninjutsu?"

"To become stronger. In this world, only the strong can protect the people they care about!"

Sato Hideaka's expression turned solemn. Whether the Third Hokage was testing him or Orochimaru was genuinely interested, "strength" and "protection" were perfect answers for someone like them.

"I see. Your interests are somewhat similar to mine. As it happens, I have a scroll here regarding the relationship between chakra flow and hand seals. It might be of some help to you."

With that, Orochimaru opened his mouth, his throat expanding three times its size, and spat out a scroll covered in slime. He held it out to the stunned Sato Hideaka.

Sato Hideaka froze. Looking at the slime-covered scroll, he didn't know whether to take it or not. If he took it, the slime was disgusting; if he didn't, would Orochimaru think he was looking down on him?

After a moment's thought, Sato Hideaka took the scroll. After all, he couldn't fight the inevitable. If he angered the volatile Orochimaru, he wouldn't be as easy to deal with as Tsunade Senju.

"Thank you very much, sir. I've been searching the library for ages, and this is exactly the information I was missing. I haven't asked your name yet, so I can thank you properly in the future."

"My name is Orochimaru. If you truly manage to develop your own Lava Release ninjutsu, there is no need to thank me. Thousands have read this material, but fewer than ten have ever truly grasped a ninjutsu from it."

Sato Hideaka offered a wry smile. "I see. I might not be able to master it either, but regardless of the outcome, thank you. Oh, it's getting late, I should head back... Until we meet again, Orochimaru-sama."

"Until we meet again, Hideaka-kun. Let me see just how much potential a 'genius once in a century' truly has!"

Watching Sato Hideaka disappear into the night, Orochimaru extended his tongue—defying human anatomy—nearly half a meter long, and licked his pale lips. He whispered to himself, his voice filled with a morbid, sickly excitement.