Orochimaru's Youth

A mission for me? Had it finally come? I was about to go to the battlefield...

"What mission?"

As I waited for the answer, I kept praying with my left hand pressed against the purple heart-shaped pendant Rin had given me.

"You will cooperate with Minato's Team on a mission, serving as their temporary Jonin instructor."

"Huh?"

Wait, wait. What did she mean by making me the Jonin instructor for my classmates?

"Minato's Team accepted a commission outside the village, but their original Jonin instructor, Minato, has temporarily left because of the war. You are one of the more available Jonin in the village right now. This is the Third Hokage's decision."

"What exactly is the mission?"

An outside-village commission... It had been nearly a year since they graduated, and Kakashi was already a Chunin.

"Escort supplies to the front lines at Bellflower Mountain on the Land of Fire's border. The mission is urgent. Go to the Hokage Building immediately and coordinate with the Third Hokage."

"Understood."

Since it was a mission from the front lines, there was no time to waste. As soon as I received the news, I headed for the meeting point and took the three who had been waiting there to the Hokage Building.

"Minato-sensei isn't here, and you're actually going to be our Jonin instructor..."

Kakashi looked thoroughly displeased. That was understandable. Not long ago, we had still been teammates on missions, and before that, we had even sat in the same classroom.

If Kakashi was merely unhappy, then Obito practically exploded on the spot.

Although Obito had never considered me a rival and had always instinctively ignored me while focusing only on Kakashi, he still cared about it deeply.

As for Rin... she was smiling, and it was a very happy smile.

Come to think of it, this was also my first time going on a mission with Rin. I had originally hoped we could be on the same team, but a few things had gone wrong.

"Ahem. With Jonin Minato absent, I, Jonin Qingyue, will temporarily lead Team 7 on this outside-village commission. You all know the details, right?"

Since I was filling in, I had to look professional.

"Come on, bro..."

"Who are you calling bro, Obito? Call me Qingyue-sensei!"

"You..."

This was bad. I might actually fall in love with this feeling. Seeing people my age having to work under me and call me sensei.

"Ahem. Silver hedgehog, you're the Chunin on this team, so you can be considered the squad leader. Tell us about our mission while we're on the road."

Hearing me speak in such a superior tone, Kakashi was naturally annoyed all over.

Ah, that annoyance was exactly what I wanted. This was too satisfying.

In the end, Kakashi gritted his teeth and began explaining today's mission.

"We are escorting a convoy transporting supplies for the border front of the Land of Fire. Our destination is Bellflower Mountain, at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers. It is rated B-rank, and combat with enemy shinobi is highly possible. Once the supplies reach the front lines, we are to hand them directly to one of the Legendary Sannin, Lord Orochimaru."

"That was about right. Frontline supplies are especially crucial, so there can be no mistakes. Rin, stay in the very center of the escort convoy. Kakashi and Obito, take the left and right forward positions. I'll cover the rear. Understood?"

Although neither of them was particularly convinced by me as their Jonin instructor, they still followed my orders.

No matter what, I was their teacher now. You could also say I was their leader, their superior.

Even though we were the same age, my record of completing eleven S-rank missions could not be faked.

We maintained the fastest pace possible along the way. The three carts were loaded with vital supplies, and losing even one of them could very well lead to more deaths among the soldiers at the front.

Normally, escorting supplies should have required at least two teams, but manpower was tight during wartime, and every area urgently needed people.

Still, the danger of this mission would not be very high. The Land of Fire's transport routes were difficult to ambush, after all. They were wide-open roads with nowhere to hide.

Besides, the enemy would not waste Jonin on supplies escorted by a Genin team. That would be a completely unprofitable deal.

At most, one or two Chunin might come to try their luck. If they could destroy even a little of the supplies, that would be enough.

Sure enough, Hidden Sand shinobi soon came to try their luck.

They were probably just a few Genin serving as cannon fodder. I could have dealt with them quickly if I stepped in, but this was Rin and the others' mission. I only needed to watch.

After I sensed their presence, Kakashi reacted quickly as well.

"Slow down. There are enemies nearby."

Obito, who was usually at odds with Kakashi, immediately obeyed and slowed his pace. The entire convoy gradually came to a slower speed.

That way, even if the enemy launched a surprise attack, we could react immediately instead of being caught off guard.

"Rin, watch the supplies. Obito and I will handle the enemy."

"Got it."

Just as they finished making their arrangements, the three Genin hiding in the shadows suddenly rushed at the convoy together.

There was not even a Chunin among them. Charging forward blindly without command was simply the stupidest thing they could do.

Faced with the sudden attack, Kakashi drew the short blade he had inherited from Sakumo without hesitation. After swiftly deflecting two kunai, he cleanly stabbed through the enemy's dominant hand, then used the momentum to pin him to the ground and knock him unconscious.

On the other side, Obito had no trouble either. His Fireball Jutsu blocked several shuriken, and the blast alone knocked his opponent to the ground.

He stepped forward, pinned the man down with his knee, then drove the cold gleam of a kunai into his throat, taking his life.

The last one rushed at Rin. Kunai clashed against kunai, and Rin, lacking the strength, was firmly suppressed by her opponent.

Just as I was about to intervene, Kakashi and Obito arrived one after the other. They kicked him away, then drove a kunai into his throat.

Of the three Genin, two died. The remaining one was tied up by Kakashi and prepared for transport to the front lines, where they could find a genjutsu shinobi to extract intelligence from him.

"Whew, my first real battle against shinobi from another village, and they were nothing before the future Hokage! Hahaha!"

Hearing Obito brag, not just us—even the captured Hidden Sand Genin could not hold back a laugh.

We occasionally sensed Hidden Sand shinobi along the rest of the road, but none of them charged in. Eager to deliver the supplies to the front lines, we had no time to actively engage them.

In the end, we safely delivered the supplies to the front lines. After coming to this world, I finally met the legendary Orochimaru for the first time.

"Hello, Lord Orochimaru. I am Qingyue, the temporary Jonin instructor for Minato's Team. Please inspect this transfer scroll containing our supplies."

He was one of the Legendary Sannin and the commander of the Hidden Sand front. His position was far above mine.

Pale skin, snake-like pupils, a hoarse yet magnetic voice, and the sinister killing intent radiating from his entire body...

Obito and Kakashi beside me were both trembling with fear, and Rin unconsciously hid behind my back.

But honestly, I did not want to face Orochimaru either. This man was too dangerous. I absolutely could not provoke him.

He could not be killed, and he was always somehow coming up with all kinds of bizarre things.

He was terrifyingly insidious.

Still, if I got on good terms with Orochimaru, maybe I could get a Kusanagi Sword for free. Should I try negotiating with him using intelligence?

"You have worked hard, Jonin Qingyue. You are quite a new face."

"I was only promoted to Jonin recently, thanks to Senior Hatake Sakumo's recommendation."

"Sakumo-senpai's disciple? No wonder you constantly avoid exposing any openings in your every movement."

"You flatter me, Lord Orochimaru. I have long heard of the Legendary Sannin. My father often spoke of your great achievements."

"Is that so?"

As expected of Orochimaru, the most elegant of the Legendary Sannin. Aside from the snake-like chill he gave off, both his speech and the distance he maintained in conversation made people feel quite comfortable.

"To become a Jonin at such a young age, where are you from?"

"The same place as you."

"Is that so? Then you truly are outstanding."

By this time, Orochimaru had likely already begun his human experiments. Ten years earlier, Tsunade's younger brother—and also his disciple—Nawaki had been killed by an Explosive Tag during a mission.

Combined with losing his parents in childhood, the ravages of years of war, and living at the center of Konoha's political struggles...

Orochimaru's state of mind had already departed from the realm of humanity. As a modern person, I simply could not accept the human experiments he conducted.

Yet I also had to admit that without Orochimaru, the Shinobi World would not know how much further behind it would be.

After all, even the Karma that the Otsutsuki clan took such pride in had been independently developed by Orochimaru in an inferior version.

"Please look after me in the future, Senior Orochimaru. Once I return to the village and report the completion of this mission, I will probably be heading to the battlefield as well."

"Is that so? Take care."