After the War

Battle of Kikyo Pass, many towns and villages in the Land of Fire were destroyed, and Konoha suffered a severe blow to its population, taking in numerous refugees and orphans.

In the forest next to Konoha, a woman with long blonde hair, accompanied by several children, helped up a toddler with gray hair.

"He's from that village, right? There was a battle there recently. What should we do, sister? This guy's head is bleeding profusely, he looks like he's about to die. Should we take him with us?"

A child wearing a hat asked a question to a blonde woman. As the child spoke, the blonde woman gently stroked the gray-haired child's head with both hands, emitting a green light.

"Urushi, compared to your injuries back then, his is relatively minor. Don't worry about me. Despite my appearance, I still know some Medical Ninjutsu."

The blonde woman stopped the bleeding from the gray-haired toddler's wound. She then gently asked the toddler, who had stopped breathing:

Where are your parents?

The toddler stared blankly at the blonde woman, then lowered his head.

"May I have your name?"

The child seemed dazed, lowering his head even further when asked the question, his eyes glancing to the other side as if he were somewhat frightened.

"You don't remember anything at all? Honestly!"

Urushi, standing behind the blonde woman, couldn't help but complain about the gray-haired toddler's lack of response.

"Urushi, help him up."

The blonde woman spoke softly, Urushi stepped forward upon hearing this.

"You lucky bastard, come here and lean on my shoulder."

The amnesiac child was taken back to the simple wooden house by the blonde woman and her group.

Inside the house were many children and orphans. The blonde woman looked at the dazed child she had brought back, who was wearing a helmet and seemed to have lost his memory, having no recollection of what had happened before.

What should we call him?

The blonde woman stroked her chin, pondering, then looked at the helmet on the child's head and smiled.

"What do you think of the name 'Dou'?"

The amnesiac child entered the house and saw many children his age, which eased his guard. Then, upon hearing the blonde woman's words, a slight smile appeared on his blank face.

The children nearby, innocent and outspoken, readily offered their opinions.

"Ugh, it doesn't sound good."

So casual

"So-so"

The blonde woman smiled, her eyes crinkling. Wearing black-rimmed glasses, she exuded a friendly aura. She looked at the children with a smile and said:

"Simplicity is best."

Urushi, however, was surprised to see the amnesiac boy smile and exclaimed in surprise:

"Ah! This guy just laughed; looks like he really likes the name!"

The blonde woman noticed this and said gently:

"Very good."

At 9:20 p. m., the orphanage had already closed for the night, but Dou was still walking around the orphanage.

The plump woman in black monk's robes led her bag to the clock on the wall and asked:

"Hey, do you see this clock? What time is it? It's been twenty minutes since lights out, so what time is lights out?"

The plump woman asked, her tone stern, and added:

"You're right here now, so remember this!"

Upon hearing the fat woman's words, Dou, with bandages wrapped around his head, looked at the clock on the wall but couldn't see it clearly; he seemed to be nearsighted at such a young age.

"Hey, what time is it? Give me a proper answer, and remember it."

The plump woman continued to ask, explaining that she was usually very tired from taking care of a large group of children, as she had to teach them about time management and rest.

Dou stared at the large clock on the wall, sometimes widening his eyes and sometimes squinting, trying hard to see the clock clearly, and some sweat beaded on his forehead.

The blonde woman next to him looked at Dou's eyes with some surprise and guessed what was going on.

Another elderly man, dressed in a black suit and wearing square-framed glasses, said softly:

"This child is still young. It's perfectly normal that he can't do arithmetic or even tell time. Let's just let this matter go today."

It's 9 o'clock.

Dou's childish voice answered at this moment.

"Um?"

The two monks looked down at the child below.

"Correct answer"

After the blonde woman put the glasses on the child, she gently affirmed when the child answered correctly, "Little Dou already knows the time and clock numbers at such a young age."

"Haha, it seems he just has poor eyesight. He's so smart at such a young age, we need to get him a pair of glasses soon!"

The bespectacled old monk laughed heartily, clearly quite pleased with Dou's intelligence.

Dou reached out, preparing to take off his glasses and return them to the blonde woman.

The blonde woman stopped Dou from doing so and helped him put his glasses on.

Dou looked at the blonde woman with some surprise.

"This way you'll be more punctual from now on. I hope these glasses are the right prescription for you."

The blonde woman's voice was as gentle as ever. Dou stared blankly at her, at her warm smile.

Dou seemed a little scared. He turned his head and glanced at the blonde woman out of the corner of his eye. The child looked very uneasy and anxious, and something seemed off.

Out of the corner of his eye, Dou saw the blonde woman, her eyes crinkling with laughter. Seeing her smiling face, Dou, who had lost all support, felt his eyes well up with tears, and his voice choked with sobs.

"Thank you... thank you... thank you..."

Dou kept repeating the same sentence, crying more and more sadly, but at this moment, her anxiety about life completely disappeared.

The blonde woman looked at Dou and felt a pang of sympathy. She wondered what Dou had gone through to suffer from amnesia, and gently ruffled Dou's hair.

"It's all alright now..."

Konoha

Hokage Building

Bang bang

Orochimaru knocked on the Hokage Office door.

"Please come in."

The Third Hokage's powerful voice rang out from the office.

Orochimaru pushed open the door and Orochimaru, somewhat reluctant to be summoned by his teacher.

Orochimaru has begun research into the forbidden art of immortality, and has made breakthroughs and breakthroughs, becoming increasingly obsessed with his experiments.

Previous research projects on Cursed Seal seals and soul-related Ninjutsu have also made significant breakthroughs. During the Ninja War, Orochimaru captured many ninjas from various countries and obtained the data and speculations he wanted through cruel experiments.

During the Ninja War, Orochimaru acted as a firefighter, being dispatched to wherever the danger was greatest. During his rare rest, the Third Hokage summoned him again, leaving Orochimaru somewhat helpless.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at his beloved disciple before him, a strange light flashing in his eyes, and said softly:

"Orochimaru, you've worked hard these past few days. Danzo's forces lack strong and reliable ninjas. I want to transfer you to Danzo's command to assist Danzo in his work and to gather all the intelligence on Danzo's organization. I hope you will take on important responsibilities in the future."

Orochimaru frowned slightly upon hearing this. Orochimaru and Danzo had been secretly in contact for a long time, and his teacher had previously transferred him away from Danzo.

Now, he's been transferred back into the Root, and this cycle continues. Orochimaru doesn't quite understand Sarutobi Hiruzen's intentions.

"Danzo? Yes, teacher. I will monitor him for you."

Orochimaru had no complaints about the transfer; Danzo's darkness was exactly what Orochimaru liked, and the two were birds of a feather.

"You seem to have forgotten the key point I gave you: to uncover all the intelligence on Root. I hope you can complete my mission this time."

Sarutobi Hiruzen knew his beloved disciple very well; he was a ninja with superb intelligence and Ninjutsu. As Professor of Ninjutsu, Orochimaru's dream was to learn all Ninjutsu, which could be seen as another way of inheriting his mantle.

Upon hearing his teacher's earnest instructions and the show of appreciation and promotion, Orochimaru licked his lips, greatly satisfying his slight desire to compete for favor among the Sannin Orochimaru. He replied seriously:

"I will, teacher, don't worry."

"Yes, I hope you can become the root of Konoha. However, you are not suitable for the position of Jonin Class Leader. I will arrange another ninja to take over tomorrow."

After Sarutobi Hiruzen finally revealed his true purpose in summoning Orochimaru.