c30 – Ultimate Recognition
"As long as you demonstrate sufficient talent and can grasp its essence, I won't withhold ninjutsu from you."
"Now come. Find somewhere calm. We'll talk."
After speaking, Orochimaru turned and walked toward a shaded area untouched by the earlier battle.where the dense canopy completely blocked the sunlight.
It was worth mentioning that no matter how violent or explosive the training sessions in this place became, no other ninja would intervene. So long as the conflict didn't breach the perimeter, everything was permitted.
After all, the training ground was built precisely for such duels. Combat here whether for tempering skills or settling disputes was considered private and sacrosanct.
Uchiha Gen nodded silently and followed. A short distance from Orochimaru, beneath the wide boughs of a thick tree, he settled onto the grass. The air was cooler here. Quiet.
Orochimaru leaned against the tree trunk in a casual sprawl, one leg crossed over the other, hands behind his head. His narrow golden eyes gazed languidly at the sky, reptilian and contemplative.
"Gen," he asked suddenly, "do you have a dream?"
Gen tilted his head slightly.
Why does everyone in this world love to ask about dreams?
Can't they just ask about favorite jutsu, or what you've eaten today?
But then again... this was Orochimaru.
Is he probing me? Seeing if my goals align with his own ambitions?
Suppressing the complaint that rose in his heart, Gen answered calmly, evenly.
"Of course. Everyone has a dream. Otherwise, what's the difference between living and being a salted fish drying in the sun?"
Orochimaru chuckled lightly, his thin lips quirking into a faint, amused smile.
"Interesting metaphor."
"And what, then, is your dream?"
He lowered his head to peer at Gen, his expression unreadable. That half-smile remained, but on his pallid face, it looked slightly eerie mirthful, but predatory.
"I've got two," Gen replied without hesitation. "Maybe more in the future."
"Greedy, aren't we?" Orochimaru murmured with faint amusement. "Let's hear the first one."
"My first dream... is to live freely."
Orochimaru's brow lifted just slightly. Not in surprise, but in intrigue. A rebellious nature. How fitting. He'd sensed it from the start.
Freedom.
That was something even Orochimaru had chased endlessly, in the form of forbidden jutsu, the rejection of death, and the transcendence of mortality.
Still—he'd learned long ago that true freedom in this world was an illusion.
"A difficult dream," he mused softly.
"Everyone is shackled. By clan, by duty, by the village, by law, by the conventions of the shinobi world. Even by the fleeting limits of lifespan... If one seeks to do whatever they want... even I cannot claim to be free."
But Gen shook his head.
"Freedom doesn't mean doing whatever I want. It means having the strength to say no to what I don't want to do."
"I want to be able to refuse. That's all."
Orochimaru looked at him again, now with quiet appreciation.
"That... does make it easier."
"And with my strength and my reputation there's no one left who can compel me to obey."
"Not even my former teacher."
Gen nodded, silently affirming Orochimaru's words.
Indeed, Orochimaru's history with the Third Hokage was proof enough. Even when Sarutobi Hiruzen, a man hailed as 'The Professor,' had discovered his darker pursuits, he could not bring himself to stop Orochimaru. Could not force him to abandon his path.
Jiraiya and Tsunade, too—both Sannin wandered far from the village without ever being truly reeled in. Their freedom was earned not by defiance, but by sheer power and reputation.
Only those who stood high enough could afford to live unbound.
That's the kind of strength I need, Gen thought.
Orochimaru's golden eyes narrowed slightly, curiosity not yet sated.
"What is your second dream?"
Gen Uchiha's expression turned hesitant, a subtle trace of unease flickering across his features as the question settled in the air. Yet, for a long moment, he said nothing.
Orochimaru's interest only deepened at this visible hesitation. He leaned forward ever so slightly, voice low but urgent.
"Come now, don't keep your teacher in suspense," he coaxed. "Tell me. What is it like?"
Seeing that he had no way out, Gen gritted his teeth and spoke with a rare boldness.
"I want to pursue the pinnacle of power. I want the strength to control everything I desire the right to choose the life I live, the women I wish to embrace, the sights I want to see, the food I crave to taste…"
His tone lowered.
"And if there must be a deadline to achieving all that—then I hope that deadline is… eternity."
Eternity?
Orochimaru's golden eyes flashed sharply. That single word pierced through everything else Gen had said.
Wasn't that… immortality?
His own long-cherished obsession?
He, Orochimaru, sought the total mastery of ninjutsu and the unraveling of all truth in the shinobi world. That was the dream that consumed him. In comparison, Gen's pursuit though adorned with more earthly desires—resonated with the same core ambition.
Ultimate strength yes, a noble goal. Political power, research funding, influence over the Five Great Nations—all possible through sheer might. That, he respected.
But women? Scenery? Food?
So vulgar. So utterly trivial. The splendor of a landscape was transient. Women were nothing but vessels unless needed for propagation. Food—nothing more than fuel to keep the body moving.
Yet... there was something refreshing in the bluntness. For all its coarseness, Gen's desire to cling to the pleasures of life eternally was… relatable.
It was the same destination via a different road.
They were the same kind of people.
Everyone else treated immortality like a taboo—a pipe dream reserved for myths and villains. But Orochimaru had long since thrown away the shackles of morality. Let fools mock him. He would be the first in history to transcend death.
And now, before him, was a kindred spirit.
The thought electrified him.
His stare grew intense—hot with unspoken emotion.
That gaze made Gen's skin crawl, goosebumps rising on his arms. Still, he stayed composed. He knew this wasn't some lecherous impulse from Orochimaru—it was the ecstatic reaction of a man who had spent decades alone with his unshared dream, finally finding someone who understood.
Orochimaru's obsession with immortality was legendary. It defined him. And for someone to echo that desire—even in a cruder form meant something.
He wasn't just useful to Orochimaru. He was indispensable.
For someone so consumed by the path of forbidden knowledge, what Orochimaru lacked most was companionship. Not even Hiruzen Sarutobi, his former teacher, or Jiraiya and Tsunade, his old teammates, could understand his drive.
Orochimaru walked a road of one. But… what person truly desires to be alone forever?
Even a time traveler like Gen, blessed with cheats and a bloodline, knew Orochimaru's value.
And he wasn't lying.
He genuinely wanted to live forever.
After all, what is more desirable than immortality? It is the ultimate form of indulgence—the apex of all worldly ambition.
People kill for a few more years. They experiment, sacrifice, and gamble for a little more time under the sun.
So if it is possible to live forever in this world, why shouldn't he chase it?
Gen cleared his throat.
"Ahem… perhaps my second dream sounds too unrealistic."
Then he shifted subtly, eyes curious.
"What about you, Orochimaru-sensei? What's your dream?"
"To become Hokage?"
When Orochimaru heard that, the fervor in his eyes softened, cooling slightly. A crooked, almost nostalgic smile tugged at his lips.
"My teacher... I'm greedy, too."
"Becoming Hokage was my first dream. Once. But it pales in comparison to the second one."
"What's your second dream?" Gen asked instinctively.
"I want to master every ninjutsu in the world… and unlock every secret this world hides," Orochimaru said, voice hushed but electric. "But a single lifetime… isn't enough."
His gaze sharpened again, and his next words struck like thunder.
"So I seek immortality."
For the first time, Orochimaru revealed this truth aloud—to a disciple.
And not just any disciple.
Gen Uchiha sat frozen, stunned by the sheer scale of the ambition. Only after a long pause did he respond.
"Sensei… your dream is far greater than mine."
Orochimaru smiled again, this time in open satisfaction.
"Don't sell yourself short. Yes, your dream has a vulgar sheen to it... but our ambition is aligned. The pursuit of immortality puts you leagues above the honor-bound nonsense your Uchiha kin cling to."
Gen nodded deeply, conviction burning in his eyes.
"Thank you for enlightening me, Orochimaru-sensei. I'm willing to follow you—to walk the path of eternity, no matter how dark it gets."
"Hahahaha...!"
Orochimaru rose and laughed, his voice echoing like wind through a crypt—sharp, eerie, but jubilant.
It might well have been the happiest he'd been since Gen entered this world. Not even when he'd stood alone against Hiruzen or evaded death in the shadows had he felt this alive.
He finally wasn't alone anymore.
"No slacking," he warned with a playful but dangerous grin. "If you want to walk this path, you'll earn your keep."
"We're done for today. Come to my mansion tomorrow at 2 p.m."
"You know where it is?"
"I'll ask Anko."
"Good."
With that, Orochimaru's form began to sink seamlessly into the earth—his signature Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique and in moments, he was gone.
As the dust settled and the forest grew quiet once more, Gen Uchiha stood still for a beat… and then walked away with a satisfied smile curving his lips.
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