Thanks to his highly lucrative trip to the Land of Hot Water, Senzan enjoyed a rare, well-deserved period of leisure.
His eventual return to the Ninja Academy, however, was met with a chorus of agonizing groans from his students.
Still, a few were brimming with newfound confidence—namely, Kakashi and Obito.
“Hmph!
So the Demon Teacher is back!” Obito pointed a challenging finger.
“I’ll have you know, my concealment skills have leveled up massively!
There’s no way you’ll find me this time!”
Beside him, Kakashi didn’t say a word, but the sharp glint in his eye radiated the exact same quiet confidence.
“Is that so?
Hahaha, then let the game of hide-and-seek begin!” Senzan clapped his hands together.
“Everyone!
You have five minutes to prepare your hiding spots!”
With that, the entire class scattered and vanished in an instant.
Senzan instinctively activated Chomei’s Mother Bug’s Eye.
Watching the kids scramble into what they believed were flawless, impenetrable hiding spots, he couldn’t help but chuckle.
Once the five minutes were up, the harvest began.
Senzan strolled through the grounds, plucking the students from their hiding spots as easily as pulling radishes from the dirt.
One by one, the little runts were dragged out and tossed back into the classroom.
Finally, only Kakashi and Obito remained unfound.
This actually made Senzan see them in a slightly better light.
Sure, his first sweep was just a casual glance, but managing to evade round one was a massive improvement on their part.
“Not bad at all.
Too bad it’s still not enough.”
A moment later, Senzan leaped effortlessly onto the academy roof, his feet landing casually on two specific roof tiles.
“Well?
Are you two going to show yourselves, or do you want me to keep standing on you?”
Yes, the two tiles beneath Senzan’s boots were actually Kakashi and Obito in disguise.
He had to admit, the boys had been incredibly meticulous.
They had discarded the original tiles and flawlessly used the Transformation Jutsu to blend right into the roof’s pattern.
If Senzan hadn’t amplified his vision with Chomei’s compound thermal eyes, he genuinely might not have spotted them with a naked eye.
Poof!
Poof!
Two clouds of smoke erupted as Kakashi and Obito reverted to their true forms, trapped firmly beneath Senzan’s feet.
“Oh, come on!
How did you find us?!” Obito yelled in absolute frustration.
“We hid perfectly!
We spent ages coming up with this strategy!”
Senzan just kept his foot planted on Obito’s back, pinning him to the shingles.
“Hehehe.
You’ve definitely improved, but you’re still a hundred years too early to fool me, boys.
Next time—”
Senzan’s voice abruptly cut off.
A chilling, venomous aura suddenly spiked directly behind his neck.
“Who’s there?!”
In a flash, Senzan leaped away, putting distance between himself and the source of the killing intent as his eyes locked onto the empty space.
The sudden, drastic shift in their teacher’s demeanor startled Kakashi and Obito.
“Hehehe…
Excellent reflexes.”
A hoarse, raspy voice drifted through the air.
Hearing that distinct, slithering tone, Senzan’s heart skipped a beat.
A figure slowly stepped out of the shadows.
The newcomer radiated a cold, sinister, and oddly captivating aura.
With sickly pale skin and a gaze full of arrogant detachment, he was unmistakable.
It was one of the Legendary Sannin, Hiruzen Sarutobi’s favorite disciple—Orochimaru.
Orochimaru’s strength had already firmly crossed into the Kage-level realm, and he was highly confident in his stealth.
For Senzan to actually detect his approach genuinely surprised the Sannin.
After all, the person before him might be an Academy assistant instructor, but he was ultimately just a teenager.
For a fourteen-year-old boy to sense his movements so sharply was no small feat.
“No wonder I felt like someone was watching me.
It’s Lord Orochimaru,” Senzan said, relaxing his stance.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Even facing someone as terrifying as Orochimaru, Senzan didn’t show a hint of panic.
They were right in the middle of the village; he was absolutely certain Orochimaru wouldn’t try anything funny.
“Hehehe.
It’s no wonder the old man made an exception and promoted you to Jonin.
With sensory perception and observational skills like yours, you are indeed quite exceptional,” Orochimaru praised, his golden snake-like eyes narrowing.
“The old man told me to pass on a message.
Report to the Hokage building tomorrow to collect your official Jonin promotion orders.”
Orochimaru had watched the entire game of hide-and-seek from the shadows.
While he found the students’ concealment tactics entirely rudimentary, Senzan’s speed in uncovering them was terrifyingly fast.
It was as if any attempt at stealth was completely useless in his presence.
This feat had drawn a rare glimmer of admiration from the usually arrogant Sannin.
Head of the Gekko clan.
Master of the Transparency Kekkei Genkai.
Wielder of the Flying Thunder God Jutsu.
With all these incredible labels attached to Senzan, even Orochimaru felt a sudden urge to take him under his wing.
Such a brilliant genius would make a delightful student.
“Senzan-kun…
would you have any interest in becoming my disciple?”
Senzan physically jolted, his face a mask of utter disbelief.
What did he just hear?
Orochimaru wanted to take him as a student?!
Was the sun rising in the west today?!
But then he thought about it.
In this era, Orochimaru was still outwardly loyal to the Hidden Leaf.
He might be running a few shady experiments in the dark, but in the light of day, he was a Legendary Sannin and one of the top candidates for the Fourth Hokage seat.
It made perfect sense for a genius of his caliber to want to recruit a promising young talent.
Senzan’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Honestly…
the offer was incredibly tempting.
Let’s not forget, while Orochimaru was a ninja on the surface, he was secretly the greatest scientist in the entire ninja world!
If he became Orochimaru’s apprentice… Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
tsk, tsk.
At least half of those glorious scientific research results would inevitably end up in his pockets!
No, maybe even more!
After all, isn’t it the most natural thing in the world for an apprentice to ‘borrow’ from their master?
‘God damn it…’ Chomei grumbled from within the mindscape.
‘Why do you treat the most utterly despicable things as perfectly normal behavior?!’
“Hehehe…
Are you hesitating, Senzan-kun?” Orochimaru asked, genuinely puzzled by the boy’s prolonged silence.
He truly didn’t understand.
He was a Legendary Sannin.
In the entirety of the Hidden Leaf, save for a select few, absolutely no one could match his prestige or power.
Becoming his apprentice was a dream countless ninja would kill for.
Why on earth was this boy hesitating?
Sure, Senzan was about to be officially crowned a Jonin, but until he signed that paper, he was technically still a Chunin.
“Huh?
Oh, you must be joking, Lord Orochimaru,” Senzan replied smoothly, pulling himself from his thoughts.
“Why would I hesitate?
This is an incredible opportunity.
I was just…
thinking about a few logistical details.”
Senzan’s incredibly serious expression actually caught Orochimaru off guard.
He had agreed?
Good.
But what was he thinking about so intently?
“Hehehe…
And what exactly are you thinking about, Senzan-kun?”
“I was just thinking, since you’re officially taking me as your disciple…
what exactly is the enrollment gift going to be?” Senzan asked, his eyes gleaming with unabashed greed.
“I mean, you are one of the Legendary Sannin!
A man of your boundless prestige and wealth wouldn’t possibly be stingy with his new apprentice, right?!”
Orochimaru: “…”
Kakashi: ‘What am I even looking at…?
My god…’
Obito: ‘Holy crap!
You can do that?!
I need to find a master immediately!
Who should I extort…?!’
“Hehehehe…”
Orochimaru laughed.
It was a genuine, brilliant, utterly amused laugh.
It had been years—decades, even.
Ever since he had made a name for himself, everyone treated him with absolute reverence and fear.
He never imagined he would run into a brat brazen enough to stick his hand out and demand a signing bonus right to his face.
Interesting.
Truly, highly interesting.