Time flew by, and more than half a year had passed.
Autumn and winter came and went, and soon, the earth welcomed the arrival of spring once again.
The days at the Ninja Academy had finally come to an end, marking the moment for Xu Ming's class to graduate.
"The graduation assessment is pretty easy."
"Yeah, they're just testing our proficiency in the Three Basic Techniques. Who doesn't know them?"
"By the way, do you know who your squad leader will be?"
"No idea. We don't even know who we'll be teamed up with."
During the graduation ceremony, the students chatted excitedly and curiously among themselves.
For them, leaving the academy signified the beginning of a new journey—the next stage of their lives. However, it also meant parting ways with friends and classmates, leading to an inevitable feeling of reluctance.
Xu Ming, however, was not among those feeling sentimental.
Standing alone in a corner of the academy, he remained indifferent to the scene unfolding before him. After all, he had been absent from class since last year.
Especially throughout this past year, he had been frequently accompanying Orochimaru and had barely attended the academy.
"Hiruzen was right. Someone like you should've left your student status long ago and contributed in a more important position."
A cold voice suddenly spoke from the shadows.
"Uncle Danzo, do you have that much free time today?"
Xu Ming didn't even need to look up; he already knew who it was.
"Haha, it is your graduation ceremony after all. As your senior uncle, I should at least make an appearance."
Danzo jumped down from the corner and sat beside Xu Ming, wearing a slight smile.
"Uncle Master, we know each other too well for such formalities. Let's cut to the chase."
Xu Ming closed his eyes, not believing a single word of Danzo's politeness.
"Fine. I actually have something to discuss with you."
Danzo dropped the pretense immediately, his expression turning serious.
"You're aware that Orochimaru has been participating in the research on Wood Style, correct? I don't think he's suited for it."
"Shouldn't he be focusing on standard team missions instead of this research?"
Xu Ming frowned slightly.
"Why can't he do both? He can still take part in research while completing team missions."
Danzo scoffed. "Do you think just dropping by once a week, reading some reports, and then leaving like a regular employee is meaningful participation?"
"Come on, Orochimaru is only eleven—almost twelve. The whole point of his involvement is for him to learn. You're expecting too much from a kid his age!"
Xu Ming sighed in exasperation.
Danzo, however, remained unfazed. "If I didn't have high expectations for him, why would I let an eleven-year-old take part in such critical research? Just because he's my nephew?"
Xu Ming wanted to argue that it was because Orochimaru was the student of the Hokage, but he held back. He figured saying that would only earn him a scolding.
"So why are you bringing this issue to me?" Xu Ming asked after some thought.
"I want you to join the research team."
Xu Ming blinked in disbelief.
"I'm not interested." He waved his hand dismissively. "You need to have more faith in Orochimaru. From what I've seen, he's been gathering research data quite effectively."
Danzo sighed. "He's good at collecting data, yes. But the problem is, we're not seeing any actual results from it."
Since Orochimaru had joined the research team over six months ago, they had started a secondary research path centered around him—focusing on collecting detailed data on First Hokage's cells.
However, while they had gathered countless parameters and measurements, most of them seemed useless for developing Wood Style. Orochimaru, however, insisted on continuing, as if he were building an enormous database around First Hokage's cells.
"Maybe if you can't see the significance, the issue lies with you?" Xu Ming said hesitantly.
Danzo's face darkened instantly.
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, he turned and left, disappearing over the wall.
Xu Ming chuckled to himself. "He reacted like that? Guess I hit the nail on the head."
He leaned back against the wall, prepared to waste some time until the graduation ceremony ended. After that, he planned to join Jiraiya and the others for dinner at their teacher's house.
Graduation meant the end of student life.
With the looming threat of the Second Ninja War in a few years, peaceful times were about to disappear.
Xu Ming intended to savor this final day of leisure.
However, before long, another uninvited guest arrived.
"Uncle Danzo came to see you?"
A hoarse voice called out from atop the wall. The moment it was heard, the air around them grew colder.
A damp, eerie presence filled the surroundings.
"That's right. He was complaining about how you're slacking off—fishing for three days, drying nets for two, and producing no research results for over half a year."
Xu Ming lazily opened one eye, smirking as he looked up.
"Hehe."
Orochimaru sat on the wall, his pale skin and vertical slit-like pupils giving him a beastly appearance.
The chilling aura around him had grown stronger over time—an effect of his Sage Mode training.
After six months of practice, Orochimaru had reached a stage where he could control a small amount of natural energy. Comparing it to a Jinchūriki, he was at the point where he could harness a fraction of Tailed Beast Chakra without losing control.
In the later stages, he would progress through further transformations—first the Tailed Beast Cloak, then partial transformation, and eventually full transformation.
Xu Ming was experiencing something similar.
However, unlike Orochimaru, his energy was perfectly restrained. The only time he caused any noticeable change in his surroundings was during training, when the temperature would rise.
"The results will come soon. Master Danzo is just being impatient." Orochimaru chuckled.
"First Hokage's cells contain profound secrets. Without comprehensive testing and data collection, there's no way to properly study them. Uncle Danzo's crude transplant methods are simply too primitive."
"So, how's the progress now?" Xu Ming asked.
"Still in the data collection phase. There are countless tests to run, and I can't handle them all alone. I need an assistant." Orochimaru sighed.
Xu Ming's eyes flashed with an idea.
"Would you like me to recommend someone?"
Orochimaru perked up. "You have someone in mind?"
"Yes. There's a classmate of ours named Beiliuhu. He has potential for research."
Orochimaru looked surprised. "Beiliuhu… our classmate?"
Xu Ming nodded. "I've observed him. He's sharp-minded and highly analytical. I think he'd be a good fit."
"Interesting… I'll find some time to meet him." Orochimaru said, intrigued.
He really needed an assistant.
Most of the existing researchers were underqualified and lacked fundamental knowledge. Teaching them from scratch was a waste of time—training his own assistant would be far more efficient.