Becoming Orochimaru's Disciple

"Damn it! Get out of the way!"

Anko wanted to rush over, but she was nowhere near fast enough to beat the giant snake's falling speed. She could only watch helplessly as Muzan was crushed beneath it.

The two in the Hokage Building watched Muzan get pinned under the giant snake. If Sakumo's child died at Orochimaru's summoned beast's hands, it would become the laughingstock of Konoha and might even cost them the support of a Kage Level powerhouse.

"Not good!"

Tsunade immediately tried to rush over to check on him, but suddenly felt resistance on her shoulder. She turned back to see the Third Hokage's grave expression as he pointed somewhere within the smoke.

"By the time you get there, it'll already be too late. We might as well see how he handles it. Don't forget, he learned your Monstrous Strength."

Anko and Mari immediately charged into the smoke in the forest, wanting to drag Muzan out, only to witness a scene they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

Muzan really was pinned beneath the giant snake, but it was not what the two of them had imagined.

Both hands braced against the giant snake's lower jaw, his small body seemed to bear the weight of a mountain. Terrifying strength flowed from his body into the ground, leaving a broad depression beneath his feet.

"Get up!"

At that moment, he understood what it meant to possess the strength to pull up mountains and the spirit to overwhelm the world!

With every step he took, the ground trembled. Then, he flung the giant snake aside. Scarlet blood seeped from the muscles beneath his black robe, filling it with the stench of blood. As for the broken parts of his body, they healed at a visible rate. Muzan panted heavily and dropped onto the ground.

"Good thing I'm strong. If I were any weaker, I'd have been smashed into paste."

Even in such a situation, Muzan was not overly worried. Instead, he looked at the two rushing toward him, laughed heartily, and cracked another joke.

"Were you stunned by how cool I looked just now?"

Mari was not amused by Muzan's joke. He examined Muzan's condition with a worried expression. As for Anko, she punched him in the chest and shouted,

"Bastard! Do you know you almost died?!"

That punch gave Muzan internal injuries. The moment he opened his mouth, Anko immediately pulled out a skewer of dango from behind her back and stuffed it into his mouth.

The cloyingly sweet taste made Muzan struggle not to spit it out.

"It tastes awful! I hate dango!"

Bang!

The giant snake turned into smoke, signaling that Orochimaru's summoned beast had been defeated by the three of them working together. Even Muzan felt that they had been lucky this time. Thankfully, with the others' help, they had managed to stuff an Explosive Tag into the giant snake's mouth and deal it a fatal blow.

Otherwise, on his own, he could at most have injured it. Whether he could have escaped was still largely a matter of luck.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Applause came from the depths of the Forest of Death. Orochimaru stepped over dead branches and fallen trees, approaching them one step at a time.

"Congratulations. You have become Genin."

"From today onward, you may call me Teacher."

His gaze swept over Anko and Mari, lingering on Mari for several seconds in particular.

"I never expected cowardly Ito Mari to pick up a Kunai and protect his companions. But remember this: before a true powerhouse, your so-called protection is nothing but a burden."

Faced with Orochimaru's merciless rebuke, Ito Mari lowered his head and tried to suppress the grievance in his heart. His face was already streaked with tears.

"Yes... I understand, Teacher Orochimaru..."

If it hadn't been for me, Muzan would definitely have dealt with the giant snake much faster...

Ito Mari could accept Orochimaru's rebuke, even if it hurt.

That did not mean Muzan would accept it.

"Teacher Orochimaru, you were wrong this time."

"Without my teammates' cooperation, I couldn't have stuffed the Explosive Tag into the giant snake's mouth either."

Orochimaru did not respond to Muzan's rebuttal. Instead, a dangerous aura, like that of a venomous snake, locked onto the three of them.

I'm going to die! I'm going to die!

Ito Mari's heart trembled wildly. This was a predator a hundred times more dangerous than the giant snake, and his body suddenly froze.

But in the next second, that oppressive pressure vanished.

"Ha ha ha!"

Orochimaru stuck out his tongue and licked across their faces. Anko and Mari stiffened, while Muzan felt sickened. No wonder they called him Snake Uncle!

"Interesting boy. If you don't want to become dead weight, then keep up!"

"I hope you can bring a breeze that stirs this decaying Konoha!"

"Now then, my dear disciples, I'll be the one to make you stronger!"

At this stage, although Orochimaru had gradually become indifferent toward life, he still loved the village and hoped to change its rotten atmosphere in his own way.

Of course, after the Third Ninja War, Orochimaru's plans failed, causing him to gradually sink into mad science. He even destroyed Konoha later on!

"Yes, Teacher Orochimaru!"

From that day onward, they could directly call Orochimaru their teacher rather than address him according to rank.

Muzan had also joined the Hokage Faction, and he was a thoroughly legitimate candidate.

After all, both Sakumo and Orochimaru were candidates for Hokage. Before the Yellow Flash became famous throughout the Shinobi World, the two of them had held up Konoha.

As for Muzan's identity, he was both a descendant of the Hatake Household and Orochimaru's disciple, as well as the strongest of Konoha's new generation.

If nothing unexpected happened, the position of Fifth Hokage might truly fall to him in the future!

That was provided his father did not commit suicide, Orochimaru did not betray the Hidden Leaf Village, and Muzan still had a long road ahead of him.

There was no need to doubt Orochimaru's teaching ability. In the future, he would train the Sound Four and many other young powerhouses, which was enough to prove his skill as an instructor.

Muzan's foundation was extremely solid. From a young age, he had controlled Chakra, and his Chakra reserves were terrifying.

His weakness was that he lacked powerful offensive methods. When dealing with the giant snake, he had actually needed to use an Explosive Tag, which also revealed his shortcoming.

"Whether it's Taijutsu or the swordsmanship passed down through generations of the Hatake Clan, they can no longer improve you very quickly."

"On top of that, you possess Chakra of all five natures. Next, I'll teach you all kinds of ninjutsu, even forbidden techniques!"

During the time that shameless snake was engrossed in science, he had invented quite a few forbidden techniques capable of altering the human body.

As for Anko and Mari, their training focused on Chakra control. They would train their abilities through tree climbing and water walking.

It was fairly conventional.

Moreover, Orochimaru did not make them handle the village's D-rank missions. If the goal was to gain experience, taking on several high-rank missions was far more useful than pulling weeds.

Bang!

Muzan spent all his time training in ninjutsu and constantly fighting all kinds of enemies. In order to cultivate the new generation as quickly as possible, Orochimaru chose to take a risky approach.

He would make them face the darkness of the Shinobi World ahead of time.

"Starting tomorrow, you'll leave the village with me on a C-rank mission!"

"Make sure you take proper precautions, because we may encounter enemy ninja!"