In Konoha Year 31, 6-year-old Nawaki had already attended the Ninja Academy for two years.
Orochimaru would take time to instruct him between missions.
Nawaki possessed impressive talent in Taijutsu, having mastered the Senju Clan's Super Strength. The Kunai and shuriken he threw with Super Strength were highly lethal, though his accuracy was somewhat lacking. It was the kind of thing where no matter how much he practiced, it wouldn't help; hitting the target was entirely up to fate.
He couldn't hit people, but it was quite intimidating.
Orochimaru wondered if the child had put all his talent points into close combat.
As for Ninjutsu, Orochimaru was not in a hurry to teach him.
"Orochimaru-nee-chan, look over there! There's a toad with goggles around its neck!"
Nawaki, walking slowly on the tree trunk with his feet, spotted the red toad over there.
"A toad?"
Orochimaru looked over and saw a rather familiar toad.
Is this a toad from Mount Myōboku?
Jiraiya must have sent it... It seems it's for that matter.
She knew that Jiraiya had sought help from the White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Company to care for the war orphans.
This was not necessarily a bad thing for the White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Company. Spending some time to cultivate loyal personnel for the company, it was possible that some of those war orphans might possess a Bloodline Limit.
In the original work, Orochimaru traveled the world, luring — no, taking in — many children, including some with Bloodline Limits, such as Guren and Kimimaro.
"I found you!"
The red toad saw Orochimaru and hopped over.
"Did Jiraiya send you?"
Orochimaru looked down at the red toad.
"How did you know?"
The red toad was very surprised, then said, "That's right, Jiraiya sent me. My name is Gama Kosuke, and this is what Jiraiya asked me to give you."
Gama Kosuke spat out a scroll and placed it on the ground.
"Bye-bye!"
Bang—!
Gama Kosuke disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Gama Kosuke... So it was him!
Orochimaru remembered why the red toad looked familiar; it was the messenger toad killed by Danzo Shimura in the original work.
"Jiraiya..."
Nawaki remembered who Jiraiya was and said with a sudden realization, "He's that perverted white-haired guy, right! Nee-chan told me to stay away from him so I wouldn't be led astray."
Orochimaru, who was looking at the scroll, almost laughed out loud when he heard Nawaki's words. The scroll in her hand turned to ash and disappeared. She looked at Nawaki and said, "Nawaki, the assignment I'm giving you is to train your Chakra control ability."
"Understood!"
Nawaki nodded vigorously and asked expectantly, "Then, Orochimaru-nee-chan, when will you teach me Ninjutsu?"
"Once your Chakra control ability meets my requirements, I'll start teaching you Ninjutsu, how about that?"
Nawaki's current Chakra control ability was already good, but Orochimaru felt it was a bit too early for him to learn Ninjutsu. His foundation wasn't solid yet, and it wasn't the right time to learn Ninjutsu.
"How can this be..."
Nawaki was utterly disappointed. He jumped down from the tree, hugged Orochimaru's arm, and said, "Orochimaru-nee-chan, can't you teach me Ninjutsu now?"
"If your Chakra control ability is too poor, using Ninjutsu might hurt yourself. Besides, your foundation isn't solid yet. Once you've mastered the Ninja Academy's Three Body Technique, I'll consider teaching you powerful Ninjutsu."
Orochimaru patted Nawaki's head. Teaching him Ninjutsu now was a bit too early; the Ninja Academy's Three Body Technique was enough for him.
Konoha had not yet fallen to the point where children needed to go to war.
"Really!"
Nawaki looked at Orochimaru excitedly.
"Of course, when have I ever lied to you?"
Orochimaru had tested Nawaki's Chakra nature transformation when he was very young.
Fire, Earth, Water, Yang—these were the Chakra nature transformations Nawaki possessed.
After Nawaki left, Orochimaru pondered whether she should make a trip to the Land of Waves.
The war between the Four Great Shinobi Villages had been going on for over a year, and Konoha had absolutely no intention of participating. Not only that, but the Konoha Higher-Ups had also suggested to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire to relocate civilians in border Villages to prevent Ninja attacks.
Orochimaru didn't know how the Konoha Higher-Ups had convinced the Daimyo of the Land of Fire to relocate all the civilians in the border Villages.
However, the Four Great Shinobi Villages should have realized by now that if they continued fighting, Konoha, which was not involved in the war, would benefit the most.
The flames of war had not reached Konoha, but faced with pleas for help from smaller countries, Konoha could not pretend not to see. It could be said that apart from Konoha not officially participating in the war, Konoha Ninja could be seen in many countries, taking on so many requests that their hands were soft.
In a sense, Konoha was also profiting from the war.
As a disciple of the Third Hokage and possessing considerable strength, Orochimaru often went out on missions, such as gathering intelligence, protecting Daimyo, and suppressing internal rebellions.
"Orochimaru, what are you thinking about?"
Uchiha Hikari hugged Orochimaru's neck from behind, her whole body hanging on her.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you so much for your support!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"