The voice drew closer from the distance, moving at no great speed. It took a full two minutes or so to reach the tree.
"Who is it?"
Lin Mu was anxious. He couldn't tell whether the person was friend or foe.
If they were a friend, that was fine. But if they were an enemy, with Lin Mu's scrawny little body, he was probably in serious trouble.
After about five minutes, there was no more movement outside.
Unable to contain his impatience, Lin Mu reached out a finger, wanting to part the leaves and take a look.
"Little brother, are you looking for me?"
Before Lin Mu could part the leaves, he felt a cold hand settle on his shoulder.
Lin Mu was startled. Cold sweat immediately ran down his back.
Turning his stiff neck, Lin Mu slowly looked back. When he saw the person before him, he couldn't help but freeze.
It was a woman—or, to be precise, a woman as beautiful as a celestial maiden.
Her pupils were clear and bright, her brows arched like willow leaves, and her long lashes fluttered ever so slightly. Her flawless, fair skin held a faint blush, and her delicate lips were as tender as rose petals.
Neither in his past life nor in this one had Lin Mu ever seen a woman this beautiful.
But he was standing there dumbfounded not because of her looks. It was because he recognized her.
This was...
Orochimaru!
Orochimaru was skilled in the Living Corpse Reincarnation technique. This woman was one of the bodies she had used before.
Lin Mu forced down his shock. He knew he absolutely couldn't panic now.
Orochimaru, who had taken the form of a woman, had no idea that Lin Mu had already seen through her identity.
She reached out a fair, jade-like finger and hooked it under Lin Mu's chin, smiling.
"What's wrong, little brother? Is big sister so scary?"
"How could you be? You're the prettiest girl I've ever seen, big sister!"
Lin Mu quickly suppressed his fear and put on an innocent expression. His words were as sweet as honey.
But inside, he was screaming...
Why am I so unlucky? Did finding Hashirama Cells all at once use up all my luck? How did I run into a major villain as soon as I went out?!
"Hehehe, what an interesting little brother. It's so late. What are you doing here?"
After hearing Lin Mu's words, the woman Orochimaru had transformed into covered her mouth and chuckled, radiating irresistible charm.
Lin Mu's mind raced as he thought about how to answer Orochimaru.
If he said the wrong thing, he was finished!
"During the day, I made a bet with my classmates about whether I dared to come into the woods in the middle of the night and take the branch I marked earlier."
After his mind raced, inspiration struck Lin Mu, and he came up with a plan.
He held up the branch he had broken earlier because he was so nervous, showing it to Orochimaru.
"Here it is, pretty big sister. Aren't I brave?"
Orochimaru glanced at Lin Mu's innocent face and thought, A child this young probably wouldn't lie. Besides, he looks like a participant in the Chunin Ninja Exams. Killing him now might interfere with tomorrow's plan.
So she reached out her snow-white hand, patted Lin Mu's head, and said,
"You're such a brave little boy. But it's very late, and it's dangerous to be outside. Hurry home!"
Lin Mu was overjoyed when he heard that, but then he quickly put on a worried expression.
"Pretty big sister, aren't you scared? My classmates said there might be man-eating monsters in this forest at night!"
The woman Orochimaru had transformed into smiled again. She reached out and poked Lin Mu in the forehead.
"If a little rascal like you isn't scared, what would big sister be scared of? Go on!"
Lin Mu felt relieved when he heard that.
Still pretending to be reluctant, he waved goodbye to Orochimaru before leaving.
When Lin Mu was out of sight, Orochimaru smiled.
"What an interesting little rascal."
She slowly turned around. Her lower body gradually transformed into a snake's, and she slithered toward the hollow in the tree.
"Hehehe, I should go see how my little experimental darlings are doing!"
By then, Lin Mu was almost out of the forest.
Although he was exhausted, he didn't dare stop for a moment.
That was Orochimaru!
Orochimaru!
One of the Sannin, she was every bit as famous as Jiraiya and Tsunade.
The fact that he had managed to fool Orochimaru and save his own life was already a stroke of incredible luck.
Once Orochimaru got into her lab and discovered that the Hashirama Cells had vanished...
Who knew what she would do!
His desperate desire to live pushed Lin Mu beyond his physical limits. Though he was only ten years old, his body somehow managed to run all the way from the forest to Konoha.
Only after entering Konoha did Lin Mu finally relax a little.
Orochimaru would invade Konoha tomorrow, but at least he was safe for now.
Lin Mu climbed through the window into his little house, picked up the water on the table, and gulped down several mouthfuls. Then he collapsed onto the bed, panting heavily.
"That was close... too close!"
"Ding! The system has been officially activated!"
Lin Mu had only just caught his breath when the system's emotionless, mechanical voice sounded in his ear.
He was stunned. It had only been half an hour since he first started activating the system.
Talking with Orochimaru had made every second feel like an eternity.
He never wanted to dance on the edge of a blade again!
After lying in bed for another fifteen minutes, Lin Mu had finally calmed down and opened the system panel.
Name: Lin Mu Rank: Mid-level Genin Status: Good Skills: Clone Technique Gold Coins: 0 Task: Absorb Hashirama Cells and awaken Wood Release.
Lin Mu paused when he saw that his rank was mid-level Genin.
Based on his memories of Naruto from before he transmigrated, the ranks in the Naruto world were roughly Genin, Chunin, Jonin, and Kage.
After thinking it over, Lin Mu understood what it meant.
The system had divided these ranks into more specific levels based on the host's strength.
Lin Mu thought that, according to this system, students at the Ninja Academy such as Neji Hyuga, Shikamaru Nara, and Sasuke Uchiha should be considered high-level Genin.
High-level Genin could potentially become Chunin. Someone like him, a mid-level Genin, had little hope.
Naruto Uzumaki probably still couldn't control his own power, so his strength might only be that of a low-level Genin.
Lin Mu could understand the status section.
As for the skill section, the only thing he could call a ninjutsu as a mere Genin was the Clone Technique.
As for the 0 in the Gold Coins section, Lin Mu pretended he couldn't see it.
When he saw the current task, Lin Mu paused again.
Although he had already obtained Hashirama Cells, recalling the hardships he had endured over the past three years still stirred something in him.
He opened his inventory and selected the Hashirama Cells. Without even reading their description, Lin Mu eagerly chose to use them.
Before you continue