All night Kano tossed and turned, unable to find a place for himself. Finally he got up, threw on his clothes and went out into the yard to the old tree. Bathed in moonlight, he silently looked at the full moon in the night sky.
He couldn't tell how this moon was different from the one he had seen on Earth. They seemed remarkably similar, like the same satellite, but the worlds they illuminated were completely different.
Kano was not one to lose heart easily. He always looked forward, never stopped or looked back. Even if there was no end in sight, he gritted his teeth and stubbornly moved forward. If his legs broke, he crawled on his hands; if his arms and legs failed, he crawled on his stomach. That is how, as a child, he survived in a gloomy slum area and led his sister out of there.
And yet... now, when both his arms and legs were intact, he froze on this endless path, tormented by a multitude of questions from which it seemed his head was about to split.
He did not close his eyes until dawn, until the morning fog descended. The night was too short to find answers. He did not know what his chances were of returning to Earth, and he had no idea how to do it. Perhaps only when he reached certain heights would he see the possibility.
Finding no answers, he set a goal for himself: to gain power equal to Orochimaru, and then surpass him. Then, perhaps, he could find a way… He would not give up as long as he lived.
Same time, same place, same people.
"The village is short of people, many missions have accumulated," Orochimaru addressed his young students: "But there are few missions suitable for you. Therefore, I give you ten days. For these ten days, I will train you personally."
Konoha was in a period of recovery. Almost all available ninja were busy with missions every day. And the tasks suitable for genin were limited to simple work, which Orochimaru disdained. So he asked the Hokage for ten days of respite to strengthen Kano's team and prepare them for more difficult missions.
He cared little about the possibility of casualties during missions. In his value system, missions were to be taken on after assessing one's strength. If someone died, it only meant that he was too weak.
It was because of these views that the mortality rate among Orochimaru's students reached a horrific one hundred percent. And if he had more students, and more people knew about it, then not a single parent in the village would want to send their child to him for training.
The trio didn't know about his plans, but when they heard that Orochimaru himself would be training them, they were delighted.
Kano, realizing that he lacked knowledge of techniques, immediately blurted out: "I want to learn ninjutsu!"
His gaze was burning with determination. He stated his desire directly and without beating around the bush. Kushina and Haru shuddered at such directness and, casting a timid glance at the impassive Orochimaru, fell silent. Although it was clear from each of them that they all wanted the same thing.
Orochimaru looked at Kano coldly. Three years of acquaintance had not made him any more lenient, and he said in an icy tone: "I am the one who decides everything here."
Kano, who understood his teacher's character, wisely closed his mouth. He had spoken so hastily because he only knew the basic techniques, and his chakra control and volume, in his opinion, were at a good level. If these ten days were devoted to training the basics again, he would simply burst into tears.
"Follow me." Orochimaru headed towards the forest. Ten days wasn't much time, and he didn't have a clear plan. He decided to start with the standard exercises: climbing trees and walking on water.
To master ninjutsu, one must first learn to control chakra. Choosing a place with three trees growing nearby, he explained the theory in detail to his students and told them to begin training.
Kano's expression darkened when he learned that they would have to learn to climb trees. He wanted to ask Orochimaru to start teaching him techniques right away, but remembering his cold answer earlier, he kept silent and obediently began to climb the tree.
Kano was confident in his chakra control. Concentrating a small amount of chakra in his feet, he stepped onto the tree trunk and easily, as if on level ground, climbed to the top. At the same time, he moved twice as fast as Kushina. And only Haru, unable to control his chakra and tearing off the bark from the tree, fell halfway.
All that was happening did not escape Orochimaru's attentive gaze. At first glance, Kano had better control over his chakra, but this was only a superficial impression.
Kushina had never trained in tree climbing before, so she was hesitant and slow at first. However, once she got used to it, she quickly overtook Kano.
Haru, seeing how easily his comrades were doing it, gritted his teeth and silently continued training. And Kano, noticing that Kushina had overtaken him, felt a pang of pride and sped up.
Krr! - there was a sharp crack, Kano's foot slipped, and he lost his balance and fell to the ground. This sudden fall attracted the attention of his comrades.
Kano, ignoring their stares, stared dumbfoundedly at the small dent his foot had left on the tree bark and remained silent. At that moment, he realized that his chakra control wasn't that good.
Taijutsu, chakra volume, chakra control, ninjutsu - all these are stages of development, and each of them requires constant improvement. No one can achieve absolute perfection.
Realizing his problem, he cooled off on the idea of immediately learning ninjutsu. After that, he looked at Orochimaru, who remained impassive.
"I was a bit hasty," Kano said, biting his lip. He thought climbing trees was easy, but as he increased his speed, he realized that his overconfidence in chakra control was worthless.
For three years, he had only practiced pulling objects with chakra, not thinking that climbing trees could be an effective way to train control. However, thanks to this, he had a solid foundation. And now, throwing away the thought of immediately learning ninjutsu, he focused entirely on training in tree climbing.
Unlike Haru, whose goal was simply to reach the top, Kano sought to learn how to quickly move along the tree trunk without creating chakra fluctuations.