Obviously…
He was just Orochimaru…
Crack!
A crisp sound of bone splitting rang out, yet Orochimaru’s expression did not change.
“Could you be a little gentler?
I think the bones in my hand are broken.”
Shingetsu stood up indifferently and let go of Orochimaru’s hand.
“What can you teach me?”
That cold attitude was a sharp contrast to his earlier eagerness to show off.
Orochimaru paid it no mind and said calmly, “That depends on how well I understand your body, but at the very least, I can teach you Taijutsu and Kenjutsu.”
“Your movements rely too much on your physical strength.
There’s still plenty of room for improvement.”
“If you’re willing, can you tell me what you understand about your own ability?”
Shingetsu hesitated for a moment, then said, “Heavenly Restriction.
That’s the name I gave my ability.”
“A restriction I was born with.
The instant I fuse spiritual energy and physical energy to form chakra, the chakra directly strengthens my body instead.”
“I see…
simple and easy to understand.”
Orochimaru placed a hand on Shingetsu’s shoulder.
“Then can chakra transferred to you by someone else also be used to strengthen your body?”
“You can try.
People in my clan already have.”
Shingetsu curled his lip.
“Their chakra purity was too low.
It was basically useless.”
Orochimaru tried using the Mystical Palm Technique, but it felt like he was channeling chakra into a piece of metal with no chakra compatibility.
Clearly, his chakra was useless too.
“Maybe it’s not a purity issue,” Shingetsu said, trying to spare Orochimaru some dignity.
“No, it should be exactly the purity issue you mentioned.”
Orochimaru pinched his chin and said seriously, “Since your own chakra can be converted, there’s no reason other chakra shouldn’t work.”
“High-purity chakra…”
Such a thing did exist in the Ninja World.
Orochimaru thought of something, but since it involved that revered figure, he immediately dismissed the idea.
“We’ll discuss that later, but your Constitution…” Orochimaru frowned.
“What happens if you get injured?
Wouldn’t Medical Ninjutsu be useless on you?”
BOOM—!!
Shingetsu raised his hand and smashed a boulder by the riverbank, sending broken stones flying.
“I don’t think that’s much of a problem.
With my current physical strength, I can recover from minor injuries pretty quickly.”
“As for serious injuries…
against enemies like that, the chances of being rescued would be slim.”
“Don’t be so pessimistic, Shingetsu-kun.”
“In any case, today I’ll teach you some bone-setting techniques and suturing first.
We can use the hand you just crushed as the model…”
“Sorry, Orochimaru…
sensei.”
Orochimaru smiled faintly.
“Don’t worry about it.
I’ll get my revenge during Taijutsu training.
Snakes hold grudges, you know.”
…
The next day.
“Good morning, Shingetsu!”
Nawaki was still full of energy, waving as he greeted him.
Shingetsu gave a slight nod and walked past.
Nawaki’s hand froze in midair, tears welling in his eyes.
Yesterday, Shingetsu had ignored his morning, noon, and afternoon greetings.
Nawaki hadn’t expected any response at all…
But today, he nodded!!
Maybe tomorrow he’ll greet me too!
As long as I keep at it, we’ll definitely become friends!
He really is easy to get along with!
Shingetsu-kun!
Greatly encouraged, Nawaki stopped paying attention in class and kept pestering Shingetsu from across Hiashi.
“Hey, hey!
Shingetsu-kun, what do you think of Fujiwara-sensei’s lecture?
I think it’s super boring!”
“The principles of the Clone Technique and all that are way too hard to understand.
I’m so jealous you don’t have to learn it…”
“Shut up!
Make one more sound and I’ll kill you!”
“Don’t just say terrifying things like that!
Sorry, Nawaki-kun!”
Because of Orochimaru, Shingetsu had wanted to be a little nicer to Nawaki.
He had been wrong.
Someone like Nawaki would take the slightest encouragement and run with it.
Shingetsu absolutely could not let his guard down!
He definitely did not want to get involved with a dead man walking like him.
Even Fujiwara-sensei on the podium could hear them.
But he was just a salaried civilian teacher.
Why would he stick his neck out to manage a bunch of clan heirs?
Did he have a death wish?
Hiashi was having an even worse time than Fujiwara.
He could not endure this awful class for even one more day.
If he could not change seats, he would drop out even if it meant being punished by his father!
…
Hokage Building, office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat with a pipe in his mouth, handling documents, when someone walked in without reporting first.
“How is it?” Hiruzen Sarutobi did not look up.
His tone sounded more like he was speaking to an old friend than addressing a subordinate.
The newcomer sat down on the sofa.
There was a distinct cross-shaped scar on his chin.
His short black hair was neatly cut, his eyes and brows were sharp, and his angular features gave him a cold, hard look.
Konoha’s Hokage’s Advisor, Danzō Shimura.
Resting both hands under his chin, Danzō said in a low voice, “Hanzō has been making bigger moves lately.
According to the intelligence I received, he’s likely preparing to move against the Land of Iron.”
“The Land of Iron…”
Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped writing and looked at the Ninja World map on his right.
“Hanzō’s ambitions definitely don’t stop there.
He probably intends to capture the Land of Iron first, where weapons are plentiful, then invade Konoha.”
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly.
He trusted Danzō’s judgment.
Besides, the militant factions in the major villages of the Ninja World all shared one understanding: once they had enough strength, they should try attacking the Land of Fire first.
After all, the Land of Fire had the richest resources and the strongest economy in the Ninja World.
Only by attacking the Land of Fire could they guarantee returns from a war.
War was not only driven by hatred.
More importantly, it was driven by profit.
That was why, once a major war developed, it often ended up as Konoha against multiple opponents.
Only someone with a strange thought process like the Second Mizukage would cross such a vast distance to seek mutual destruction with the Second Tsuchikage, gaining absolutely nothing from it.
“Should we stop him?”
Danzō paused, then shook his head.
“No.
We can use the opening while Hanzō goes to the Land of Iron, pass through the Land of Rain, and attack the Land of Earth!”
“Reason?”
Danzō took out a scroll and tossed it to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
“This is Iwagakure’s troop deployment in the Land of Grass.
It’s too close to the Land of Fire’s mainland.”
“Attack where the enemy must defend.
We can move the battlefield to the Land of Rain, and that will also force Hanzō to return to defend his own territory and stop his expansion.”
Although the First Shinobi World War, which had swept across the entire Ninja World, had ended, friction between Konoha and Iwa had never stopped, and small battles broke out frequently.
Who knew what had gotten into that fellow Ōnoki?
He clearly disliked Konoha and showed no intention of signing a ceasefire agreement at all.
Huff.
Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a long stream of smoke and nodded.
“Fine.
I’ll leave the front line to you.”
“If the intensity crosses the critical threshold, notify me immediately.
I’ll come over.”
Relying on Tobirama’s final order and the renewed peace treaty with Kumo, he had managed to secure his position, but he also knew he lacked decisive prestige.
At this time, he even hoped for a major war to prove himself.
After finishing his intelligence report, Danzō stood to leave, then stopped and looked back.
“I heard a very strange fellow appeared in the Uchiha clan?”
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and smiled faintly.
“A very interesting boy.
His name is Shingetsu.
Orochimaru has taken him as a disciple.”
Danzō hesitated for a moment, then said, “Keep an eye on him.
I hope Orochimaru can train him into a companion like Kagami.”
Even Danzō was not as gloomy and harsh as he would be in his old age.
Because of Kagami Uchiha’s sacrifice, he still held some expectations for the Uchiha clan.
Time and war were what changed people the most.
“He will.
I trust Orochimaru.
You be careful too.”
“Mm.”
Danzō gently closed the office door behind him.
The usual dramatic scene did not play out.
The golden age of Konoha would be created by their hands, and destroyed by those same hands.