Two Teachers

Ichiraku Ramen was a long-established noodle shop. Located in the Hidden Leaf Village, it had witnessed the rise and fall of many ninja.

Orochimaru leisurely blew on the steam before slowly bringing a mouthful of fragrant ramen, drenched in rich broth, to his lips.

His long, slender tongue brushed against it as the rich savory flavor coated his lips and teeth.

"Not bad. The taste is acceptable."

That was high praise coming from such a cold and indifferent man.

"Hahaha! You could say my ramen is loved by everyone! Hahahahaha!"

Uncle Ichiraku doesn't have that many wrinkles yet... But were his eyes already so narrow that he couldn't open them?

Uncle Ichiraku laughed and rubbed Xuanhui's head. Xuanhui did not resist; after all, he was a loyal customer of this shop!

Whenever his parents got too lovey-dovey and ruined the food, he would bring the whole family here to eat.

"You two go ahead and eat. I'm not done with my work yet!"

Ichiraku wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned to enter the small room.

"Uncle might be taking care of his daughter."

Xuanhui chatted with Orochimaru as he ate his noodles.

"A daughter? Why doesn't her mother take care of her?"

"I don't know. Maybe there are all sorts of reasons. I don't want to dig into them."

Orochimaru tactfully did not continue the conversation. A ripple passed through his eyes as he seemed to be thinking about something.

The atmosphere suddenly grew a little heavy.

"Teacher Orochimaru, what do you think the meaning of life truly is?"

"Hmm?"

Orochimaru put down his chopsticks and looked at Xuanhui with a hint of surprise.

Was that a question an eight-year-old child would ask?

"Probably survival. After all, life is fragile. No one wants to throw their life away for nothing."

Orochimaru recalled kneeling before a grave, holding a tiny snakeskin in his hands. This should count as his answer to Xuanhui...

"No, Teacher Orochimaru. Wanting to live is not the meaning of life. What you described is a biological instinct. Every creature's genes compel it to survive."

Orochimaru could not help but be moved as he watched an eight-year-old lecture him.

"You..."

What the child said actually made some sense. How did he understand so much?

Xuanhui took a sip of soup, then turned and stared into Orochimaru's eyes, straightening his back.

"Teacher Orochimaru, I believe the meaning of life lies in exploration and trying new things... I want to uncover the mysteries of ninjutsu. I want to become a powerful ninja, travel the world, learn all kinds of knowledge, and then use it to enrich myself."

Why was this child suddenly talking about something so serious?

That expression... He's so earnest...

"Please continue teaching me! I want to achieve all of this, Teacher Orochimaru!"

Xuanhui lowered his head toward Orochimaru in a respectful posture.

Orochimaru's mouth parted slightly. The words of refusal reached his lips, yet he simply could not say them.

If it had been before, he would have long since driven away some random child who came asking to become his disciple.

But this child... he was no ordinary child!

He was a child Teacher Sarutobi thought highly of—exceptionally intelligent, with thoughts of his own.

The topic he had raised, the meaning of life, had deeply touched Orochimaru.

Once upon a time, he too had knelt before his parents' graves and pondered that very question.

Perhaps we are kindred spirits...

Though the dream of traveling the world suited Jiraiya better!

"Raise your head, Xuanhui."

Xuanhui raised his head and fixed his gaze on the top of Orochimaru's head, making sure his eyes did not seem too presumptuous.

"Life is a fragile thing, Xuanhui. Do you truly possess the resolve to become a ninja?"

"Teacher Orochimaru, life is not fragile—it is tenacious. If I cannot change anything, then I am a failed ninja!"

Xuanhui knew that only by discussing matters concerning life with Orochimaru could he truly pique his interest and earn his acceptance.

He was gambling now, betting that Orochimaru was still a good person with human warmth!

If he won, he could stay by Orochimaru's side, change him, and prevent him from going astray.

"Fine... From now on, you are my disciple!"

Orochimaru patted Xuanhui on the shoulder. His expression remained calm, but it was clearly no longer cold.

At this moment, he held this child in extremely high regard.

The plan worked!

"Then, Teacher Orochimaru, Hiruzen... Teacher... What should I call him?"

"You can call him Teacher as well."

Without even thinking, Orochimaru gave Xuanhui his instruction.

That old bastard! He ran off and left me behind. Was this his plan all along, to make me take over?

Forget it. Having a disciple like this isn't such a bad thing. But Teacher Sarutobi, I'll give you a little lesson!

Whenever Orochimaru thought of himself becoming Hiruzen Sarutobi's peer, a sinister smile would flash across his face.

That smile gave Xuanhui an enormous headache.

"Teacher Orochimaru, let's go out for a moment. I want to show you something."

Xuanhui reached into his pocket and pulled out several banknotes.

He placed the money on the counter, then grabbed Orochimaru and pulled him out of the shop.

"Huh? Where did they go?"

Ichiraku had just finished his work. When he turned around, the two were gone, leaving behind only two bowls of leftovers and several bills.

"That kid was in quite a hurry!"

"What... what is this?"

Orochimaru touched the pattern on Xuanhui's stomach and examined it closely.

Xuanhui bit his thumb, and a trace of blood seeped out.

He swiped the blood across his right palm. He did not even need to form hand seals.

Summoning Technique!

Xuanhui knelt and pressed his hand to the ground. An ancient wooden door, old yet brimming with vitality, appeared before them.

"What?! Xuanhui, didn't you say you couldn't use ninjutsu?"

The surprise in Orochimaru's eyes was impossible to conceal, and his hands and feet trembled slightly with excitement.

"I don't know why either, but I was born knowing this technique. I clearly don't even know how to use chakra, yet my body can naturally draw on it by itself."

Xuanhui had discovered this a few years ago when he had tried practicing ninjutsu on his own.

It was also how he had learned the secret of the tattoo on his stomach.

Back in the present, Xuanhui slowly pulled open the wooden door before Orochimaru.

"Teacher Orochimaru, welcome to my library!"

Xuanhui glanced at Orochimaru, who stood frozen in place, then grabbed his sleeve and pulled him through the door.

With a bang, the wooden door vanished amid a cloud of smoke.

Inside the wooden door, Orochimaru stood with his mouth open, looking up at the ceiling over five meters high before surveying the rows upon rows of bookshelves around him.

As far as the eye could see, books filled every space.

"This... could it be a sacred place like Dragon Cave?"

Xuanhui heard Orochimaru mutter and added, "Teacher Orochimaru, there are no living creatures here besides us!"

With that, Xuanhui walked over to a bookshelf, took out a book, and handed it to Orochimaru.

Orochimaru accepted the book and glanced at its title.

Cell Biology?