Orochimaru's Arrival

"Jiro Yamakawa, Reiichi Abe, Matsushita Shimu!"

"I'm your squad leader. Come with me."

One student after another was chosen. Those remaining in the classroom exchanged glances as jonin continuously entered and took students away.

Even Uchiha Yū had been waiting for his squad leader to arrive.

At that moment, a white-haired middle-aged man walked in with a lecherous grin on his face.

"Inuzuka Umeko, long time no see."

"Jiraiya, don't look at me with those disgusting eyes."

The Inuzuka Clan's jonin squad leader glanced at Jiraiya. If he had not been the Third Hokage's disciple, she would have punched him flying.

Being scolded in front of a group of juniors, Jiraiya coughed awkwardly twice before looking solemnly at the blond-haired boy.

"Hey, kid, I'm your squad leader."

"Jiraiya, disciple of the Third Hokage and Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku!"

Minato Namikaze had not expected Jiraiya to choose him. He had wanted to follow the two of them to find Tsunade, but Jiraiya had cut in halfway.

Before he could say much, Jiraiya had already spoken. Given his status as one of the Sannin, Minato immediately prepared to follow him.

Only Kushina muttered softly:

"Why did it have to be Lord Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya was an elite jonin. Having that said to his face, he had wanted to teach her a lesson, but the moment he saw it was Kushina, he immediately deflated.

After all, she was a little girl who had spent years by Tsunade's side. Of course Jiraiya knew that. Besides, Kushina was the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki.

"Huh? I'm Jiraiya, Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku! I'll make your little boyfriend stronger. And don't forget, Tsunade and I studied under the same master. If you have time, you can come play with Minato Namikaze."

"Really?"

Only after hearing Jiraiya say that did Kushina relax somewhat. At least they would be able to see each other often.

After Jiraiya took Minato away, he ran into Tsunade as she walked in.

"Tsunade! I made quite a bit of money this time. Want to go out for drinks?"

"Sorry, I have a boyfriend."

Crack, crack, crack!

Everyone present could hear the sound of something shattering. Jiraiya froze on the spot, and Minato Namikaze ultimately had to drag him away by force.

From then on, there would be one more heartbroken person in the world.

After sending Jiraiya away, Tsunade silently offered an apology. He was a good man!

Turning her attention back to the little brats, Tsunade looked at Kushina and said directly:

"Kushina, I'm here to pick you up. From now on, you'll study by my side."

"Come on, You. Let's study medical ninjutsu under Tsunade together!"

Kushina tried to grab Uchiha Yū's hand, but he dodged away.

"What's wrong?"

He could hear that something was off. For Tsunade to choose students, she needed the Third Hokage's approval. Clearly, You was not Tsunade's disciple.

"Lady Tsunade didn't say my name, so I can't go with you."

Tsunade nodded cautiously and apologized. The Third Hokage had originally intended for her to teach him, turning him into an outstanding ninja while also building a connection between the village and the Uchiha Clan.

However, something unexpected had happened.

"That's right. I'm only taking Kushina with me this time. You have another squad leader. That guy should be here soon."

As soon as she finished speaking, the slanting rays of the setting sun cast a long shadow through the doorway, and a pale man slowly walked in.

His light purple eyeshadow and dark yellow pupils revealed his identity.

"Orochimaru, you're a little late. You haven't even changed out of those bloodstained clothes. Why do you seem even less reliable than Jiraiya?"

"I just finished a mission. The fact that I made it here before dark means I hurried as fast as I could."

His sinister aura was like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, making people wary.

Noticing the blood on himself and the terrified students behind him, Orochimaru showed what he believed was a warm smile.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Orochimaru. From now on, I'll be your teacher."

Orochimaru's team was made up of standard great-clan heirs. Besides Uchiha Yū, there were Nawaki and a member of the Hyuga Clan's main family.

At the same time, he observed You's reaction. He had not deliberately released killing intent; it was merely the lingering killing intent from his mission. Yet Uchiha Yū's expression did not change in the slightest.

He was much better than those students behind him.

Why Orochimaru?

Though he did not say it aloud, Uchiha Yū was doubtful. Logically speaking, Orochimaru had no connection with him. If the goal was to cultivate his sense of belonging to the village,

Tsunade would have been the best choice as his teacher.

"Yes, Teacher Orochimaru."

A blessing amid misfortune was that Orochimaru had not yet reached the point of conducting experiments by any means necessary. He had not experienced the deaths of his disciples or the crucible of war, so his personality had not become twisted.

However, compared to the other two, Orochimaru possessed the standard ninja style.

He had every virtue of a ninja and bonds with friends, but missions came before everything else.

Training under Orochimaru would certainly be extremely strict.

After Orochimaru led Uchiha Yū out of the classroom, the students behind them finally let out a long breath.

"That was terrifying. Is that Lord Orochimaru, one of the Sannin?"

"With that kind of presence just now, it felt like I was going to be killed!"

"You's teacher is so terrifying. I hope our teachers won't be like Lord Orochimaru."

Orochimaru led Uchiha Yū to the training grounds and gave him an appraising look.

He had become Uchiha Yū's squad leader because of Danzō.

He had recently been working with Danzō on certain matters, and Danzō had recommended that he become You's squad leader. Naturally, Orochimaru had received some benefits from Danzō.

He just did not know what Danzō was plotting.

"Today is just for you to get to know your teammates."

Two people stood on the training grounds. One was the familiar Nawaki, while the other was a Hyuga Clan member with pale eyes.

There was no forehead protector on her forehead.

"A member of the Hyuga main family."

A dojutsu clan as famous as the Uchiha Clan in the ninja world, the Hyuga Clan lacked top-tier experts, but their eyes surpassed the Uchiha Clan's in reconnaissance ability.

"My name is Hyuga Reiko. I'm very happy to become teammates with You."

Hyuga Reiko wore a sweet smile. As the eldest daughter of the main family, she was completely different from Uchiha Yū. She had received the education of a great clan from childhood, and her etiquette in particular was flawless.

"It's nice to meet you, Reiko."

Nawaki, standing to the side, did not introduce himself. They already knew each other.

"How interesting."

Orochimaru watched the three of them as they became acquainted. He recalled how, when the Third Hokage had taught him, they had met in much the same way. He had never expected that one day, he would lead students himself.

"Come to the entrance of the Forest of Death tomorrow. You are all talented disciples from great clans, so I'm not worried about your strength. As for the rest, I'll make you genin in the shortest possible time."