Let You Become a Wind That Can Blow Through the Sky

After praising Chiyu, Orochimaru began pointing out his problems.

"First is your hand seal speed. You still need more practice. In battles between ninjas of similar strength, it all comes down to who can form seals and cast jutsu faster. If your seal speed is slow, you lose the initiative, and the ensuing battle will fall into a passive position. So, your future training needs to include hand seal practice.

This is the main issue. The rest are minor problems that have shown up during your usual training. After you return, continue training specifically to address them.

Overall, everything else is fairly good. Because you had quite a few issues before, your Summoning Jutsu training was put aside. Once these minor problems are resolved, you will sign a contract with Ryūchi Cave. Then you can gradually begin mastering the Summoning Jutsu and my secret techniques."

Chiyu was extremely interested in Orochimaru's secret techniques. Hearing that he could finally learn them, he said excitedly, "Yes, Teacher Orochimaru!"

Orochimaru patted Chiyu on the shoulder, then abruptly changed the subject and said in a low voice, "Chiyu, I understand very clearly what you are thinking. Konoha is a prison to you. You strive so desperately to become stronger because you want to break free of that prison. Sooner or later, you will leave Konoha..."

"Teacher Orochimaru..."

Chiyu frowned and was just about to argue when Orochimaru ignored him and continued, "I said before that we are the same kind of person. I want to learn every ninjutsu in this world, but this limited body will eventually become a burden to me. Just as Konoha is your prison, this body is also my prison.

I want to break free of this prison at any cost. As one of your kind, I naturally know what lies in your heart."

At that moment, a gust of wind swept past, lifting Orochimaru's and Chiyu's hair.

Orochimaru raised his head to look at the bright moon in the sky. His voice was hoarse, yet carried a unique charm. "I have expectations for you now. I want to see where this wind, as my disciple, will blow."

Chiyu stared blankly at Orochimaru, not knowing what he meant.

Regardless of what Orochimaru meant, it was better to state his position for now. "Teacher Orochimaru, I will always be a ninja of Konoha."

Orochimaru lowered his head and looked at Chiyu with a smile, but an indescribable emotion showed in his eyes.

At this time, Orochimaru was also in a period of confusion.

During the Second Great Ninja War, he had witnessed the deaths of his friend Dan Katō and his disciple Nawaki.

Nawaki in particular. Though his personality was completely unlike Orochimaru's and was somewhat similar to Jiraiya's, Nawaki was still Orochimaru's most cherished disciple.

During the Second Great Ninja War, Nawaki had charged toward the front lines with burning enthusiasm, only to be killed by an Explosive Tag trap the enemy had set in advance.

By the time Tsunade and he arrived, Nawaki was already dead, and his internal organs had been removed.

Even Tsunade, with her powerful Medical Ninjutsu, was unable to save him.

Faced with the tragic death of his beloved disciple, Orochimaru began contemplating the meaning of life. At the same time, he had personally witnessed how little people respected life during wartime, leading him to believe that life was unbearably fragile.

However, Orochimaru believed that the human body contained power that could never be exhausted in a lifetime. Only by learning every ninjutsu could one grasp the truth of the world.

But there were far too many ninjutsu in the ninja world. Even a lifetime would not be enough to master them all.

Thus, Orochimaru increasingly felt that this body was a burden.

Orochimaru secretly killed the guards and infiltrated Konoha's forbidden jutsu facility, seizing a large number of Ninjutsu Scrolls, along with something immensely important to him: the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, which could summon the souls of the dead from the underworld into the living world and revive them.

Orochimaru had been studying the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu. Although he had not yet mastered it, it gave him an idea.

That was, the soul.

The human body was merely a vessel. The essence was the soul.

If one could transfer a soul into another person's body, could one then achieve immortality?

For now, Orochimaru was only at the theoretical stage and had not formally begun any experiments.

But if he were to conduct experiments, he would inevitably have to touch upon the taboo of human experimentation.

Yet human experimentation was absolutely forbidden in Konoha—indeed, throughout the ninja world—because it violated human ethics. Especially for someone who was the disciple of Konoha's Third Hokage.

Orochimaru felt that what bound him was not only his flesh, but also these worldly ethics.

If he were not the Hokage's disciple and not a ninja of Konoha, then he could conduct experiments to his heart's content.

Orochimaru was deeply confused. He could not abandon these worldly ethics, nor could he carry out human experiments without restraint.

And Chiyu.

At first, Orochimaru had only agreed to Hiruzen Sarutobi's request to see whether Chiyu was qualified to become his disciple.

Chiyu's talent was exceptional. There was no doubt that he was a genius.

But what truly made Orochimaru decide to take Chiyu as his disciple was the look that Chiyu occasionally revealed without realizing it.

It was the gaze of someone willing to stop at nothing to achieve his goal.

Back during the Second Great Ninja War, Orochimaru had possessed that same look.

Orochimaru recalled the Second Great Ninja War, when Jiraiya, Tsunade, and he had been surrounded by Iwagakure ninjas. The three of them had been trapped inside a cave.

Jiraiya had suffered extremely severe injuries. Even Jiraiya himself believed that he would not survive.

At the time, Orochimaru believed that Jiraiya's injuries were too serious. If this continued, Jiraiya would only become a burden and might even drag Tsunade and him down with him. He had intended to personally finish Jiraiya off.

Tsunade said he was too ruthless, that he actually intended to kill his own comrade with his own hands.

Orochimaru believed Tsunade was right. He was indeed a man willing to stop at nothing.

Orochimaru felt that if he were still his former self, he would probably have carried out human experiments without the slightest hesitation.

Now, when he looked at Chiyu, Orochimaru felt as if he were seeing his former self. Chiyu suited Orochimaru's tastes very well.

So Orochimaru wanted to see whether Chiyu, who resembled him, would become a wind that rose up—or stop midway.

Chiyu felt deeply uneasy under Orochimaru's gaze, completely unable to guess what Orochimaru was thinking.

Orochimaru turned around, his back facing Chiyu. "Do not concern yourself with it. Just continue according to your own plans. I will not obstruct you. I will even help you, because you are my disciple. I will do my utmost to train you and make you a wind that can blow through the sky."

Chiyu looked at Orochimaru's back with a strange expression.

He had the distinct feeling that something was off with Orochimaru right now.

Moreover, Chiyu seemed to feel that Orochimaru's attitude toward him had changed somewhat.

Because you are my disciple.

It sounded as though Orochimaru had acknowledged him as his disciple.

But would someone as self-centered as Orochimaru truly acknowledge him as a disciple?

Hopefully he would not end up like Orochimaru's future subordinates, nothing more than a tool.

Chiyu was completely confused, but he would not make any further declarations.

Orochimaru had seen that he would leave Konoha sooner or later, but since he had said, Just continue according to your own plans, Chiyu probably did not need to worry for the moment that others would learn of his true intentions.