Orochimaru: They're Still Just Kids

"Orochimaru, is this how you teach him?"

After breakfast, Itachi Uchiha followed A Luo to his next destination.

Watching A Luo enter the study room, sit down, and immediately have Kimimaro set down pile after pile of scrolls before leaving, he felt it was necessary to have a proper talk with Orochimaru about education.

A child under ten who had never been exposed to learning before was being left alone somewhere to read ninjutsu scrolls?

Never mind whether he could understand them—what if something happened when he tried them out after understanding them?

"Your little brother is smarter than you. If you don't believe it, go take a look. Today he's reading... let me see. Today's lesson is Sand Village puppet techniques. Kimimaro, bring A Luo a few prepared puppet parts. Give him the poison during his next lesson."

Orochimaru picked up the disciple's curriculum schedule from beside him, checked the time, confirmed what was being taught that morning, and then instructed Kimimaro to bring over a few toys.

"Puppet techniques? You're having A Luo learn Sand Village puppet techniques already?!"

Itachi Uchiha slammed both hands onto the desk in front of Orochimaru. He had arrived too early and had not even seen what was written in those scrolls.

"What's wrong with that? He's already learned the basic ninjutsu. His chakra is insufficient right now, so he needs to build up his knowledge first. Oh, and the ninjutsu your Uchiha clan developed in recent decades—remember to teach those to him. Anything older than that isn't necessary. Your ancestors are teaching him everything from before Konoha was founded. They know far more than you do."

Orochimaru was in a very good mood.

Though his expression was disdainful, that did not stop him from seizing the chance to take a jab at Itachi Uchiha's former status as a genius.

"He's still a child!"

Itachi Uchiha himself was not much older, but long ago, he had become accustomed to ignoring his own age.

Seeing Orochimaru looking so pleased with himself, he could not help stressing it again. Making a child under ten learn so much would be exhausting!

"Mm... you're right. He's still a child. By the way, are you fourteen this year, or fifteen...?"

Orochimaru suddenly raised both hands and propped up his chin, looking at him with particular affection.

A child!

The one in front of him was not that old either.

"Hmph!"

Itachi Uchiha felt uncomfortable under Orochimaru's gaze. He snorted coldly and left, heading once more to the room where A Luo was studying.

"Kids sure have terrible tempers!"

After irritating Itachi Uchiha into leaving, Orochimaru cheerfully continued organizing the current examination reports and information.

Besides A Luo's and Itachi Uchiha's, most of them concerned Kimimaro.

Orochimaru had always been worried about Kimimaro's physical condition. Even if he was not going to use him as a spare vessel, he still hoped Kimimaro could grow up healthy.

But Shikotsumyaku...

There was still far too little information on Shikotsumyaku.

Moreover, in the past, there had been almost no treatment information at all.

The stronger Shikotsumyaku became, the more likely it was to cause problems. Yet powerful warriors usually died on the battlefield while still young...

While Orochimaru pondered where to begin treating Kimimaro's illness, A Luo looked at the scroll in his hands and felt somewhat conflicted over all these secret techniques.

[Host, if you find learning difficult, you can purchase them directly from the system.]

As A Luo stared unhappily at the puppet-control scroll called White Secret Technique, the system proactively emerged to make a sales pitch. The shop had ninjutsu scrolls that granted understanding upon learning.

I can understand it. I'm just thinking, when they named these things, there was this White Secret Technique, that Red Secret Technique, and later there seemed to be some Black Secret Technique...

A Luo was not conflicted over this puppet-control technique. He simply felt that the Sand Village's naming conventions were a little too formulaic.

Look at Konoha's ninjutsu—there were all kinds of names. Just to remember the ninjutsu names, effects, attack ranges, and other information that appeared in the plot, he had spent two or three days on it.

[Host, study properly.]

For the moment, the system did not want to deal with its host's bizarre train of thought.

What was wrong with the names? Was Konoha's way of naming things any better?

Like Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze's Spiral Flash Super Round Dance Howl Triple Style...

And First Hokage Hashirama Senju's Taijutsu Secret Art Super Fire Release Genjutsu Slash Giant Shuriken Second Stage Technique...

"You can understand all of them?"

Itachi Uchiha came over and stood beside A Luo.

Looking at the several scrolls A Luo had already read, rolled back up, and placed to one side, Itachi Uchiha was uncertain how much of what he was learning could truly be used.

Orochimaru really had a vast stockpile of so many ninjutsu, but if someone wanted to remember all of them, even Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage known as the Professor, might not be able to manage it.

"I can understand them, but if I want to try them out, I may need to wait a few more years."

A Luo nodded, then shook his head.

He could understand them and remember them, but he could not use them.

The strength of his soul made memorizing these things no difficulty, but it was still because he lacked chakra!

He did not know whether the Nine-Tails had made up its mind. He would have to wait until the Nine-Tails could cultivate before he could borrow chakra from it.

Just as he had been able to borrow Izuna's ocular powers and genjutsu after Izuna cultivated and could absorb spiritual energy.

That was also the fundamental reason why he had insisted on making the Nine-Tails listen carefully and try learning.

As for getting himself a tailed beast and creating a sealed space, then having everything he saw watched by that tailed beast—A Luo was unwilling to let that happen.

So, after trying to borrow Izuna's ocular power and genjutsu that time, he had begun planning to borrow chakra from the Nine-Tails.

If his target had not been the Nine-Tails, he could have used the method from when he studied with Sasuke while staying beside Naruto. That method would not disturb the Nine-Tails.