Shin'un raised his eyebrows. He had not expected Orochimaru to tell him these things.
"Hand over my ninjutsu? Why?"
"Phew..." The piles of documents before Orochimaru seemed to have tired him out. He sighed, then turned to Shin'un.
"This was one of the policies proposed during the Second Hokage's tenure."
"In a proper major ninja village, ninjutsu-the true foundation of a ninja village-must constantly develop and evolve with the times. Only then can we ensure that every generation produces powerful ninja to protect the village."
"So, having recognized this problem, the Second enacted a policy."
"If a ninja in Konoha develops an innovative ninjutsu, creates a valuable ninja tool, or revolutionizes an important concept that has remained unchanged for over a decade, the village encourages that ninja to hand over his results as a way of strengthening the village's foundations."
"And the village will give that ninja a corresponding reward."
At this point, Orochimaru glanced at Shin'un.
"Of course, the final choice is yours. This policy isn't mandatory."
"It's simply my duty and responsibility as your teacher to tell you that Konoha has such a policy."
After listening, Shin'un asked without hesitation.
"Then... what's the reward?"
"The reward?" Orochimaru set the document in his hand back on the desk and began to think.
"According to past practice, if you give the village an A-rank ninjutsu, and its practical value matches its rank, the village will count it as your having completed an S-rank mission. It will be entered into your personal file, adding an S-rank mission to your record."
"You'll also receive the standard payment for an S-rank mission, approximately twenty million ryo."
As he spoke, Orochimaru glanced at Shin'un.
"Whether you hand it over or not, I hope you'll decide soon. The war will grow increasingly intense. Before long, you may not have the free time to think about these things."
Hearing this, Shin'un began to consider it.
Whether to hand it over seemed easy enough to decide. Lightning Release: Lightning Ring Wall was not a ninjutsu that needed to be kept secret. It was simply a conventional A-rank elemental ninjutsu.
Besides, with those twenty million, he could arrange his training more freely, without letting other miscellaneous matters take up his training time.
Raising his eyebrows, Shin'un made his decision.
"I'll hand it over!"
Orochimaru nodded and replied evenly.
"Good. Once you go back, find time to record the hand seals and chakra circulation paths for Lightning Release: Lightning Ring Wall in a booklet. I'll help you submit it to the Third Hokage."
"All right. Thank you, Teacher."
After thanking his teacher, Shin'un was just about to turn and leave when Orochimaru called him back.
"Wait."
Shin'un stopped walking toward the exit and looked at Orochimaru again.
As though considering something difficult to decide, Orochimaru straightened, leaned against the back of his chair, and began to think with a frown.
Two or three seconds later, he looked at Shin'un.
"In three days, I'll take you all on a mission."
"There will be some danger, so spend these next few days training properly according to the plan I gave you. I may not have the capacity to look after you then."
"Understood?"
Shin'un stood at attention and answered solemnly.
"Understood!"
Orochimaru nodded and said nothing more. He returned his attention to the piles of documents before him, merely waving a hand to dismiss Shin'un.
Seeing this, Shin'un slowly stepped back, then turned and left.
After passing the "strategists'" round table, Shin'un gave Nara Shikahito a slight nod of acknowledgment, lifted the tent flap, and stepped outside.
Finding the direction he had come from, Shin'un slowly headed back, lost in thought.
Two days later.
Shin'un, Shiina Kō, and Yūichi stood fully equipped in a clearing, waiting for Orochimaru's summons.
Apart from Shin'un, neither of the other two could keep still.
Knowing that he was about to undertake his first mission as a ninja, Yūichi was too excited to contain himself and paced back and forth in front of Shin'un.
Shiina Kō, meanwhile, feared she would hold her teammates back on their first mission, so she stood off to the side alone, familiarizing herself with the new elemental ninjutsu Orochimaru had found for her.
"Mission! Mission! Mission!"
"Why isn't Teacher here yet?"
Yūichi kept pacing, muttering nonstop.
Shin'un was sitting cross-legged on a stump, checking the ninja tools he had brought, when Yūichi's words drew his attention.
With a slight movement of his wrist, the sharp kunai he had finished inspecting spun nimbly between his fingertips, tracing sharp arcs through the air.
Whoosh!
As Shin'un casually let go, the spinning kunai carried on under its own momentum. With a faint whistle through the air, it slid perfectly into the slot in the quick-draw ninja tool pouch on his thigh.
Then Shin'un looked at Yūichi in front of him.
"Be patient. Don't rush."
"If you have time to pace around here, you'd be better off checking your ninja tools, or familiarizing yourself with your ninjutsu like Shiina Kō."
Seeing Shin'un's casual demeanor, Yūichi took several breaths. In the end, he did his best to calm down and went aside to check his ninja tools.
"Not bad. It seems making you the squad captain was the right decision."
"You're already able to make your teammates more patient and face problems with a better mindset."
The voice that suddenly sounded beside Shin'un's ear startled him.
He turned and saw that Orochimaru had appeared beside him at some point.
"Teacher."
Shin'un quickly jumped off the stump and greeted Orochimaru.
Orochimaru nodded slightly in acknowledgment, then immediately grew serious.
"Gather them up. We're leaving."
With that, Orochimaru turned and walked away.
"All right."
Shin'un turned and loudly called for his two teammates, then hurried after Orochimaru.
Without a word along the way, the three followed Orochimaru to another clearing.
Five fully equipped squads were already waiting there. Seeing Orochimaru approach with a squad of three obvious rookie Genin, they all turned their gazes toward them.
At this point, following the usual procedure, Orochimaru should have said something inspiring, but he had never been good at speeches.
So, under everyone's gaze, Orochimaru said:
"What are you looking at me for? Check your equipment one last time. We leave in two minutes!"
Then Orochimaru quietly pulled Shin'un aside, glared Yūichi back when he tried to follow out of curiosity, and lowered his head to look at Shin'un.
"This mission is to destroy an important Stone Ninja stronghold. It was assigned to me and these five Jonin squads. Your squad is merely tagging along because I used my authority as commander to bring you."
"So."
At this point, Orochimaru nodded at Shin'un.
"Do you understand what I mean?"
Shin'un blinked, somewhat confused. "What do you mean?"
Orochimaru glared at Shin'un, then continued.
"I mean that I specifically brought you along this time."
"Keep an eye on Yūichi and Shiina Kō. Don't go foolishly charging ahead. Your greatest problem right now isn't ninjutsu or strength, but a lack of real mission experience."
"A truly experienced ninja is someone worth trusting, even if their strength isn't outstanding."
"Take them with you and pay close attention to how those experienced ninja carry out their missions."
Hearing this, Shin'un looked at Orochimaru in astonishment, as though he had never expected this future deranged missing-nin to say such things.
Seeing Shin'un looking at him in astonishment, Orochimaru seemed to have trouble maintaining his cold, sinister expression.
"Don't look at me like that. The Third said the same thing to me back then!"