Nawaki

"One million ryo."

Bai Lin hooked the corner of his mouth into a smile that suggested he held the entire situation in his grasp.

"Bai Lin, I do not have that much money on me right now," Orochimaru said, clearly moved.

"Just pay me whenever you have it in the future. From now on, any secret you want to know will cost ten million ryo per piece. Consider this current secret a transaction."

"Tell me, which secret have you chosen to learn?"

Bai Lin narrowed his eyes and smiled gently.

"I will take the one that allows me to quickly verify its authenticity."

Orochimaru calmed his mind, finally making up his resolve. He still wanted to confirm whether what Bai Lin said was true or false; what if the previous secrets were all fabrications?

"Very well. Since you have made your choice, you now owe me one million ryo."

"I do not know if you have begun your research into Hashirama Cells yet, but the secret is this: the rejection reaction of Hashirama Cells can be suppressed by using the Uchiha Sharingan as a medium."

"There, the deal is struck. Remember my previous condition."

After Bai Lin finished speaking, his figure vanished from the spot.

"Bai Lin? What an interesting little brat." Orochimaru looked at the place where Bai Lin had disappeared and licked his lips. "Hashirama Cells and the Uchiha Sharingan, you say?"

"A truly remarkable research proposal. I hope the experiments can be completed smoothly."

Early the next morning.

Just as Orochimaru's unit left Konoha, Bai Lin, Uchiha Mikoto, and Nawaki were pulled away from the main force by Orochimaru under the guise of a reconnaissance mission.

"Hello, Bai Lin! I am Nawaki, and I am the man who will become the Hokage."

"I had heard your name back in the village and was hoping to meet you, but I never expected to be placed in the same squad."

"I acknowledge your Will of Fire. Once I become Hokage, you can be the captain of my Anbu!"

The three of them sped through the dense forest, leaping from the branch of one tree to another.

While traveling, Nawaki flashed his cheerful smile and spoke to Bai Lin.

He did not know why his teacher had grouped him with Bai Lin. A ninja's duty was to follow orders; although having Bai Lin as their captain made him quite dissatisfied, it was his teacher's command, so he had no choice but to comply.

"Nawaki, I heard from your sister that you have been under Orochimaru for two years now. What exactly have you learned?"

Bai Lin was also puzzled. In this era, students graduated from the Ninja Academy at ten, unlike the twelve-year-old graduation age during Naruto's time.

Logically speaking, from the time Nawaki graduated from the Ninja Academy to studying under Orochimaru, it should have been at least a year, if not two.

How could he perform worse than an average genin? To be so pathetic as to be blown up by an Explosive Tag—it was simply absurd.

"I've learned plenty!" Nawaki immediately puffed out his chest, his face full of pride, causing the branch beneath his feet to sway. "Teacher Orochimaru has taught me a lot. Since my chakra affinity is water, the teacher taught me all of the Second Grandfather's Water Style ninjutsu. I even mastered a few B-rank Water Style techniques recently. Pretty impressive, right?"

He gestured wildly as he spoke, nearly falling off the branch. He quickly steadied himself and added, "If we run into danger, you two can just hide behind me and stay safe."

"As the future Hokage, protecting my subordinates is my duty."

Bai Lin raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a hint of probing. "Since you've learned so much, how is your actual combat experience? How many missions have you executed?"

Mentioning combat, Nawaki's confidence clearly wavered. He scratched his head, his voice dropping. "Combat... I've had a few combat experiences! I always followed Teacher Orochimaru's team to clear out some mountain bandits and thugs, but most of the time we just did low-level missions in the village."

"The teacher says I'm not suited for high-level missions yet, even though my strength is clearly high enough."

Bai Lin frowned. It was not in Orochimaru's nature to be so cautious in training a disciple, and he did not know much about Nawaki.

He had wanted to see Nawaki back when he was at the Senju residence, but Nawaki hadn't returned then; today was the first time Bai Lin had actually met him.

"Nawaki, I am your sister's man. Remember to call me brother-in-law when we are out in the world. Don't be so disrespectful." Bai Lin said indifferently.

"Brother-in-law? Aren't you my sister's student?" Nawaki was shocked, his face full of disbelief.

"What? Is that not allowed?"

"I absolutely don't believe it! There is such a large age gap between you and my sister; you must be lying to me."

"What does an age gap matter?" Bai Lin's pace remained steady, his tone tinged with mockery. "I'm not even complaining that she's robbing the cradle!"

"If you dare spout nonsense again, I'll beat you up!" Nawaki immediately bristled. He loved his sister dearly, and if anyone tarnished her reputation, he would be furious regardless of his good temper.

Bai Lin stopped in his tracks, narrowed his eyes, and smiled gently. "Beat me? Do you have the strength for that?"

Nawaki clenched his fists, ready to charge. "Don't push your luck! Do you really think I'm afraid to hit you?"

"Nawaki, do you still not see yourself clearly even now? With your talent, you simply aren't cut out to be a ninja."

"Orochimaru not letting you execute high-level missions is nothing more than an attempt to protect you."

"You are an ordinary ninja who doesn't even realize it, yet you dream of becoming Hokage. It's a joke. The gap between you and me is like the difference between mud in a swamp and the stars in the sky—seemingly in the same world, yet worlds apart."

"Forget about beating me; if you can even touch my sleeve, I'll call you capable!"

"You're lying!" Nawaki's eyes turned red instantly, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fists. "I am not an ordinary ninja! I am a descendant of the Senju clan, I can master B-rank Water Style, and I will definitely become Hokage! How dare you say that to me!"

"I say it based on strength." Bai Lin sidestepped the punch he threw.

"Lightning Style: Chidori Senbon."

Bai Lin instantly condensed dozens of fine Lightning Release chakra needles in his hands, firing them toward Nawaki like a torrential downpour.

He deliberately avoided vital points, leaving only charred, tiny holes in the hem of his clothes and pant legs.

Nawaki's fist, mid-swing, was forced back by the sudden assault; he stumbled, fell from the tree branch, and slammed heavily into the ground.

The numbing, stinging sensation brought on by the Lightning Release made it clear: after just a simple exchange, Bai Lin had already gauged the extent of Nawaki's strength.

"Look," Bai Lin retracted his chakra, his tone so indifferent it was almost cruel, "I haven't even used much of my strength, and you're already completely powerless. Is this your so-called confidence? You can't even touch the hem of my clothes, yet you dare claim you want to become Hokage?"

Uchiha Mikoto stood on a nearby branch watching the scene, her heart urging her to help, but she held back, knowing that Bai Lin would never harm Tsunade's younger brother.

"It is precisely because your sister is Tsunade that Orochimaru goes to such lengths to protect you."

"Without that identity, given your talent, do you think Orochimaru would even look your way?"

The Orochimaru of this time was not yet a man who would stop at nothing for eternal life; his bonds with Tsunade and Jiraiya meant he still possessed 'humanity' and had not yet truly shed his skin to become a snake.

It was only Nawaki's death, coupled with the cruelty of the Ninja World war, that would completely sever Orochimaru's ties to "humanity," causing him to sink entirely into the research of immortality and devolve into the cold-blooded, heartless monster he would later become.

Nawaki was never a genius; he was a fledgling bird carefully sheltered under Orochimaru's wings, never having experienced the baptism of wind and rain.

Orochimaru's tutelage provided him with the foundations of ninjutsu, but it failed to teach him how to survive on the battlefield.