Orochimaru

"Orochimaru, you really are here!"

In the cemetery, Orochimaru, who had been kneeling before a tombstone in a daze, slightly raised his head, noticing movement behind him.

"Huh? Tong Ren?" He recognized the newcomer and slowly rose to his feet. "Did you need something?"

Tong Ren came running over with Uchiha Nen behind him, both of them panting heavily.

"Orochimaru, we're friends, more or less, so there's no need to be so formal." Tong Ren waved grandly. "Don't use honorifics when you talk to me from now on."

Orochimaru was slightly stunned. He was merely of Commoner Origin, and coupled with his gloomy personality, he basically had no friends at school, much less children from a great clan like the Uchiha Clan.

But Uchiha Kirito was different. This guy had none of the arrogance of a Noble Scion. He was easygoing, spoke without putting on airs, and with his delicate looks and Purple Hair even prettier than a girl's, he was extremely popular in class.

As a result, he got along with everyone, and Orochimaru was one of the friends he had "claimed" by default.

"Alright, Tong Ren. What did you need?"

Tong Ren pulled Uchiha Nen from behind him to the front. "Today, I'm introducing you to a new friend. This is Uchiha Nen. He'll be enrolling next year, and you two should have plenty in common."

Another child from the Uchiha Clan... Orochimaru's gaze fell on Nen, thoughtful.

At the same time, Nen was sizing up Orochimaru before him.

The boy wore a White Robe and had a pale complexion, long black hair, and narrow eyes. He looked very refined; one glance at his face was enough to tell he was extremely introverted.

"H-Hello, I'm Uchiha Nen." Nen gathered his courage and, just as Tong Ren had taught him, held out his little hand toward Orochimaru. "N-Nice to meet you. Please take care of me..."

Orochimaru froze for a moment before belatedly extending his own hand. Though the other boy's gaze kept darting away, he could still see a trace of inferiority and timidity in Nen's eyes.

That had once been him, too.

"Hello. I'm Orochimaru."

Under Tong Ren's approving gaze, the two children clasped hands.

The three returned to the center of the village together. Orochimaru and Nen were both people of few words, but with Tong Ren acting as the glue between them, the atmosphere never turned cold.

Young children were mostly simple-minded, and no one disliked making friends. Especially children like Nen and Orochimaru, who were both unusual, longed for companions deep down. Before long, the three had grown familiar with one another.

"Orochimaru, I still think that Wind Release Technique you showed during training that day was amazing. Can you let us see it again?" Tong Ren patted Nen on the back. "This guy really wants to become stronger."

"Ninjutsu?" Orochimaru thought for a moment, then nodded. "I can, but first we need to find a Training Ground."

As he spoke, they turned off halfway there and entered the Hidden Leaf Forest. There was a secluded Training Ground there. According to Orochimaru, it was basically unguarded, so even Nen could sneak in. It could serve as their Secret Base from now on.

They passed through layers of trees and walked down a path overgrown with branches before finally reaching a somewhat rundown Training Ground.

Though simple, the grounds were extremely spacious, with everything from throwing targets to Wooden Stakes for practice.

Nen's Eyes lit up as he Cannot help but rub his Shuriken. Today was definitely the happiest day of his life.

"Alright, this will do."

Orochimaru had the other two stand to the side, then began forming Hand Seals with methodical precision.

"Rabbit, Rooster, Rat, Dragon, Rooster."

Nen watched intently. Orochimaru ended with the Rooster seal, then extended one hand straight ahead.

"Wind Release: Airflow Dance!"

A light breeze suddenly rose before them, making the branches shake wildly and the leaves tremble in unison.

Orochimaru took a slight breath and explained, "This is a Ninjutsu Scroll Father left me. Once mastered, it can summon gale-force winds and render all Shuriken thrown at the caster useless."

"Hehe, let me show you something too!"

Tong Ren rolled up his sleeves and swiftly formed Hand Seals. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

He strained so hard that his little face turned red, then opened his mouth toward the empty field.

"Whoosh."

A cluster of crimson flames flashed into existence like an ephemeral bloom. Though it was only as large as a watermelon, it still made the air slightly warmer.

"This was the first Ninjutsu my sister taught me." Tong Ren panted from exhaustion, planting his hands on his hips with some pride.

"So amazing..." Nen stared blankly, deep envy flashing through his eyes. But he suddenly felt dejected. His Father... what had he left behind for him?

At that moment, Orochimaru walked over and tapped his shoulder. "If Nen wants to learn, I can teach you."

"That's right, me too." Tong Ren smiled and slung an arm around Nen's neck, but then his tone shifted. "Still, first we need to confirm your Chakra Nature. You're an Uchiha, so you definitely have an affinity for Fire Style. The question is whether you can learn Orochimaru's Wind Style."

"That is indeed a problem. Testing Chakra Nature requires Chakra Paper..." Orochimaru Stroked his chin. "You'll be enrolling next year anyway, but since you want to become stronger so badly, I can think of a way to get some Chakra Paper..."

"Then thank you both!" Nen bowed politely, his eyes bright with excitement. "If I can master these Ninjutsu, I'll definitely become a powerful ninja!"

But Orochimaru sighed. "Though I don't want to discourage you, in my view, these Ninjutsu are nothing special."

"Why?"

"My Father's Wind Style could easily cut through rock, yet he still died in war." Orochimaru lowered his eyes. "If there were some Ninjutsu that could make one immune to injury, transcend the limits of birth, aging, sickness, and death, and reach... Immortality, that would be a truly powerful technique!"

Just then, an invisible ripple spread outward, sweeping across the Training Ground like a breeze.

The three children all pricked up their ears as the wind carried faint voices to them.

"What kind of move was that?"

It was a somewhat low voice. The instant they heard it, Tong Ren and Nen exchanged Eye Contact, both seeing shock in the other's eyes.

"Don't be nervous. It's just a simple Barrier Technique. It can conceal our presence as much as possible and weaken the wind. You don't want Hidden Leaf Village to know we're fighting here, do you?" A Young man answered him.

"Hmph. You don't really think this is just a simple sparring match, do you?"

"Sorry, but in my eyes, this doesn't even count as a warm-up."

"How arrogant."

Orochimaru immediately grabbed both of their hands, quietly lowered himself, and crawled into the thick grass.

Tong Ren carefully tapped Orochimaru's shoulder, then raised both Hands and made a gesture for "run."

Orochimaru cautiously shook his head, signaling for them to look east. Then he placed a finger across his throat and slowly drew it sideways.

Nen had never been this nervous before. Carefully parting a narrow gap in the grass, he looked in the direction Orochimaru had indicated.

Through the forest several dozen meters away, they could vaguely make out two figures facing off.