"I can afford to wait that long!"
Xia Le nodded slightly, then pointed out a path for him.
"Head to the Land of Rain first. Someone will meet you when you arrive!"
Orochimaru looked thoughtful at his words and nodded.
A moment later, he turned and left.
But what he had learned today had shaken him to the core, overturning everything he had believed all his life!
A brand-new path had appeared before him.
It Was Time to Begin
Orochimaru's visit caused little disruption to Xia Le's peaceful life.
In truth, Xia Le had no intention of keeping this new path of cultivation to himself.
Guiding an entire world's cultivation and forging a wholly new path held a certain appeal for him.
At the very least, it would bring him a considerable sense of accomplishment.
For now, though, he was the only one who had succeeded on this path. More research would be needed before it could spread widely.
He had not hidden some of his abilities, and he was sure they had left a profound impression on Orochimaru.
From that day on, Xia Le was certain that one of the Naruto World's Big Bosses had bound his future to Xia Le's.
The days that followed remained peaceful.
Xia Le had no real complaints about being stationed on the Northwest Border, even though he knew it was the Third Hokage's doing.
To him, such tricks were nothing more than childish power struggles, almost laughable.
In a sense, since his rebirth in this world, he had grown detached, as though he had seen through it all.
Three days later, Jiraiya arrived.
"Jiraiya, I didn't expect you to come all the way here."
Still inside the tent, Xia Le spoke with some surprise.
"There's something important I need to ask you!"
Jiraiya's