The Land of Fire, Konoha, Shinobi Academy.
In this season of blooming cherry blossoms, the academy's cannon fodder... I mean, its graduates were about to embark on a brand-new life.
"Hey, Hanazuki, I heard a new Three-Color Dango shop just opened nearby. Want to go try it?"
Uchiha Hanazuki, who had been fast asleep with his head on the desk, his thick black hair tied in a ponytail, and an inexplicable beauty about him even in his laziness, was shaken awake. He looked around instinctively.
"Is it already that time? I'm going back to sleep for a while. Remember to wake me when the jonin instructor gets here."
He laid his head back down on the desk without a care. Anko, sitting beside him, glared at him in exasperation. Was he going or not, anyway? What a jerk...
Uchiha Hanazuki was a boy who had graduated from the Konoha Ninja Academy at the age of ten. He and Mitaraishi Anko, who sat beside him, were in the same class.
It was the time of the Third Shinobi World War. With the Third Kazekage missing, the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire was in turmoil, and the surrounding nations seemed eager to make a move as well.
Hanazuki and his classmates were lucky. At least they had still gotten to experience the full curriculum at the academy.
They were unlucky too, because the moment they graduated, those old geezers in Konoha were about to send them off to the battlefield to make a name and build prestige for someone else.
"Hanazuki, I mean, at least pretend to be enthusiastic in front of your juniors. Don't make them lose faith in you, okay, Yugao?"
Though still young, Uzuki Yugao had already blossomed into someone who showed every sign of becoming a beauty. She smiled gently, her expression helpless.
Yet in a world within that no one could perceive, on the pale blue waters of the Heart Lake, a pitch-black fox was staring down Hanazuki, their red eyes locked.
"Hey, brat from the Uchiha Clan, offer me a bag of chips and I'll give you chakra. Make sure they're fish cake flavored. Try to swap them for bamboo shoot flavored and I'll kill you!"
"And I'm sick of this scenery. Change it to a maple-leaf courtyard... No, on second thought, a cherry blossom grove would be better."
The black-and-orange fox before him seemed to be having a hard time choosing. Hanazuki's mouth twitched, and he couldn't help asking in confusion,
"If I remember correctly, what I just got was the Nine-Tails. Are you really the Nine-Tails, Kurama?"
"You little brat! Of course I'm the Nine-Tails. But how do you know my name? Did that Menma fellow tell you?"
Wait, Menma? Could this Sign-in System be...
Hanazuki hurriedly looked toward the sudden Sign-in System. The three black Tomoe in his eyes spun wildly, and only then could he make out the faint words before Ninja World Sign-in System.
"Limited Tsukuyomi Ninja World Sign-in System. Limited Tsukuyomi? No wonder this black-and-orange fox is so easy to talk to. It's the Black Nine-Tails."
He nodded slightly. Limited Tsukuyomi was a world where everything was the opposite of the original one. Uchiha Sasuke had become a playboy, Naruto had become Menma, and Hinata had become a big sister...
"So that's why. Because this is an inverted world, even Kurama is easier to talk to?"
His blood-red Sharingan gleamed. Just as he was about to strike up a friendly negotiation with the Black Nine-Tails, who was still struggling to choose, a violent shaking jolted Uchiha Hanazuki awake from his inner world.
"Damn it! Who interrupted me?"
"Idiot! The jonin instructor is here. Can't you stay awake for once?"
Anko urged him under her breath, her face gone pale. A thick, slick, brownish-black python was slowly tightening its coils around Hanazuki, who looked utterly bewildered. The two girls were so frightened they turned pale.
"Ninjas can't let their guard down. Students who lack a sense of tension are so irritating. My adorable students, heh heh..."
"You're so noisy. What a troublesome pervert."
The python suddenly tightened its coils. A puff of white smoke dispersed, and the Hanazuki who should have been lying in his seat had turned into a wooden post.
"Heh heh. Saying what you really think in front of other people will make them dislike you, my adorable student."
A slender figure appeared quietly behind the three of them. His cold, composed gaze carried a hint of scrutiny as it moved from Anko and Yugao to the black-haired boy at the front of the room.
"Teacher Orochimaru? I'm sorry, I'm sorry. He's always like this. Please don't hold it against him."
Anko hurried to apologize, while Uzuki Yugao remained silent, her brow slightly furrowed.
Ignoring Anko's apology, Orochimaru's eyes flashed with surprise. As he sized up Uchiha Hanazuki, he realized that Hanazuki was sizing him up too.
His long hair hung loose, his features were hard and angular, and his skin was as pale as a snake's. He was hardly someone who inspired any warmth.
"An apology is unnecessary. It seems one of you thinks rather highly of himself. Now, head to Training Ground 3. Your first mission is about to begin."
'Training Ground 3. Could it be...'
Having mostly guessed what Orochimaru was up to, Hanazuki said nothing. Anko and Yugao hurried after him.
Konoha's Training Ground 3.
The stream burbled, birds sang, and flowers bloomed. They stood before a wooden post used for practicing with shuriken.
Uzuki Yugao had arrived early and was waiting in the training ground with a single-edged sword in hand. Anko was adjusting her ninja tool pouch, while Hanazuki's eyelids drooped. He had already guessed what was coming.
"Heh heh. You children are right on time. I don't dislike students who are punctual."
"Yes, yes. Then let's get started. Whether it's grabbing the bells or going one-on-one, I won't lose, Teacher Orochimaru."
At Hanazuki's words, Orochimaru simply smiled and held up his right hand. Two bright bells dangled from it, and his dangerous eyes glinted with amusement.
"It seems you've heard a few rumors. With your abilities, you'll have to take the bells from me to decide who gets to graduate from the academy. Those who fail deserve only to return to school."
"Good. Begin."
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
The moment he finished speaking, scorching heat dried the air. The fireball hurtling toward Orochimaru made his face light up with excitement.
"I almost forgot. I should have reminded you that you could attack me with the intent to kill. It seems I worried for nothing. Heh heh heh..."
His body melted like earth, and a supple form as flexible as a snake's dropped from a nearby tree branch.
"Uchiha Hanazuki. His grades were middle of the pack among his classmates at the academy, and he never showed any particular talent. It seems he's been hiding his abilities well."
"You two, as ninjas, must never turn your backs to the enemy. Hidden Shadow Snake Hands."
One snake after another coiled around Anko and Yugao like ropes. Orochimaru's figure appeared from the mouth of a snake slithering over them, and his dark purple tongue gently licked Anko's face.
"My, my. Thank you for the praise, Teacher Orochimaru. But as a ninja, one must never turn one's back to the enemy. Please remember that. Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique..."
Heat enough to boil the stream surged toward him once more. The excitement on Orochimaru's face grew more pronounced, and he let out a quiet laugh.
"What's wrong with Teacher Orochimaru? Why has he been chuckling over there ever since he said 'begin'? What happened?"
Beside him, Anko looked utterly confused, while Yugao gripped her sword hilt tightly, her face full of shock.
"Could it be... Could Teacher Orochimaru have... fallen under a genjutsu?"
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