Kin never expected to encounter Orochimaru here, and so suddenly at that.
Then again, among all the people in Konoha, Orochimaru was the one he most wanted to meet.
But not the Orochimaru of this era.
This version of Orochimaru was still wholeheartedly devoted to the village, not yet awakened from the brainwashing of the "Will of Fire."
His later transformation began after losing to Namikaze Minato and failing to become Hokage.
If Kin handed over his Basic Internal Energy to Orochimaru now, the man would undoubtedly turn it over to the village immediately.
That would completely disrupt all of Kin's plans.
While submitting the Basic Internal Energy to the village would undoubtedly speed up its dissemination—especially since only elite ninjas would be able to practice it—there was one critical problem.
His surname was Uchiha.
He had no idea how the village would react to him. Most likely, their attitude wouldn't be friendly.
The Konoha higher-ups were the last people who wanted to see a capable Uchiha rise to prominence.
As Kin fell silent, lost in thought, Orochimaru's snake-like eyes bore into him. The killing intent radiating from the man felt like a warning—any unusual movement would provoke an attack.
Even though this Orochimaru hadn't yet reached his peak, he was still an elite jōnin.
Kin, with only the strength of a special jōnin, was like an ant in comparison.
Orochimaru spoke lazily, as if the matter was of little consequence.
"Care to explain why someone known to be incapable of ninjutsu can freely use shadow clones and Fire Release?"
Damn it.
Not only had this man witnessed him using ninjutsu, but he also knew exactly who Kin was.
Kin's reputation was widespread, but few knew what he looked like. How had Orochimaru found out?
Heart pounding, Kin replied calmly and respectfully, "I'm surprised someone like you would know a nobody like me."
Being recognized by Orochimaru was practically a death sentence.
This was tantamount to telling the village he was up to something.
"Danzo's doing. To undermine the Uchiha's reputation."
Orochimaru's tone was indifferent, but his words revealed the reason behind Kin's infamy.
That man lurking in the shadows would stop at nothing to tarnish the Uchiha name.
"Damn that Danzo."
Kin gritted his teeth internally. If not for that troublemaker, his reputation wouldn't be in the gutter.
He'd settle that score later.
Orochimaru studied Kin with curiosity and suspicion. Though the boy maintained a neutral expression, subtle shifts in his demeanor didn't escape Orochimaru's notice.
"You seem to know about Danzo."
Danzo was part of Konoha's higher echelons, but he was also the village's shadow. Only jōnin and above were privy to his existence—other ninjas had no right to know.
Otherwise, how could he be called "Root"? Buried deep beneath the tree, his death wouldn't even cause a ripple on the surface.
Of course Kin knew Danzo—the future "5.5 Hokage," the first "Scapegoat Hokage."
But Orochimaru's killing intent surged even fiercer at this realization.
Kin's body stiffened. Years of living in peace had left him unprepared for such oppressive killing intent.
He forced out his words one by one.
"My parents' diaries... mentioned him."
Orochimaru's face betrayed nothing—hiding emotions was a ninja's basic skill.
But Kin knew the man hadn't believed a single word.
The killing intent grew even sharper.
"You don't... think... an Uchiha... would spy... for outsiders... do you?!"
Kin nearly shouted the words, as if expending all his strength in that one sentence.
The effect was immediate—the killing intent lessened.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Orochimaru reached a conclusion.
True.
If there was one clan in Konoha least likely to betray the village, it was the Uchiha.
In Orochimaru's eyes, any clan could turn traitor if the benefits were great enough—especially since some of the old war hawks from the Warring States era were still alive.
But the Uchiha were different. From the ancient relics of the past to the new generation, they all saw Konoha as their own.
As the Uchiha radicals put it: "Konoha belongs to the Uchiha."
They would never willingly give up what was theirs.
To Orochimaru, the Uchiha were eccentric, but they were also the last people he'd worry about stabbing him in the back.
Even if they did, they'd do it openly.
Yet the Konoha higher-ups guarded against them like vipers.
It made no sense.
"Were you afraid of war?"
Orochimaru's eyes lowered, his expression unreadable.
If only Nawaki had been afraid of war—if only he had run away.
"No!"
With the killing intent gone, Kin collapsed onto the ground, hastily correcting himself—no, explaining.
"Both chūnin exams tested ninjutsu. Back then, I really couldn't use any. I only recently succeeded."
Orochimaru had no interest in Kin's excuses and turned to leave.
"Lord Orochimaru... have you ever thought that ninjas could achieve immortality?"
Kin's words made Orochimaru pause. He glanced back, his gaze deep and inscrutable.
The dream of immortality had only just begun to take root in his heart. For now, his focus was on pursuing the pinnacle of ninjutsu.
No one could have known this nascent desire of his.
Ignoring Orochimaru's reaction, Kin pressed on.
"I've developed a ninjutsu that grants immortality. It allows the user to accumulate chakra continuously without harming the body. In theory, with enough chakra, one could live forever."
And it had to be one's own chakra. Jinchūriki, who borrowed their tailed beasts' chakra, risked shortening their lifespans.
Orochimaru considered this carefully. The theory was sound. Most ninjas died young in battle.
Others drained their chakra recklessly, effectively burning through their lifespans. Even so, many lived well into their sixties or seventies.
"May I see this technique of yours?"
Orochimaru approached, his tone almost pleading.
When faced with unknown knowledge, respect was warranted.
"I happen to have a copy on me."
Kin grinned, flashing his white teeth as he pulled a small booklet from his tool pouch.
"But in exchange... would you take me as your student?"
After some quick thinking, Kin realized he couldn't afford to be labeled a coward—it would hinder his future plans.
Besides, an opportunity like this was too rare to pass up.
Orochimaru might have unique insights into the Basic Internal Energy, perhaps even improve it.
So Kin decided to craft a new identity for himself: a genius ninjutsu researcher.
As for the higher-ups' hostility, becoming Orochimaru's student would alleviate much of that pressure.
Kin's plan was perfect—except reality had other ideas.
Orochimaru hesitated as he took the booklet, flipping through it as he spoke.
"I have no plans to take on a student at the moment."
The shadow of Nawaki's death still loomed over him. He wasn't ready for another disciple.
The contents of the booklet consisted of three stages, all constructed from sealing techniques. With just a glance, Orochimaru recognized them as a single seal, disassembled and then reassembled.
The first disassembled seal alone explained why Uchiha Kin had previously been unable to use ninjutsu.
No further explanation was needed.
This level of skill was far beyond what a teenager could achieve.
Orochimaru's dark eyes studied Kin, who now wore a look of tearful disappointment.
Internally, Kin was cursing Orochimaru's ancestors eighteen generations back.
This wasn't how things were supposed to go!
"A genius in ninjutsu research... How very Uchiha," Orochimaru mused silently.
The Uchiha had produced someone akin to the Second Hokage. Whether this was good or bad for the village remained to be seen.
"I'll keep your secret."
Orochimaru closed the booklet, his gaze meaningful.
"I won't be your teacher, but I'll find you one."
Poof!
With that, Orochimaru vanished in a cloud of smoke.
Kin stood there, bewildered. Things had deviated completely from his expectations. Orochimaru had chosen to help him—and even promised to find him a teacher.
"Who? Could you at least give me a name?"
Preferably Tsunade—beautiful, curvaceous, and a master of medical ninjutsu.
Please, not that destiny-obsessed Jiraiya!
He and fanatics didn't mix.
At the Ninja Academy
Namikaze Minato stared at Kin, whose dark circles made him look like a panda.
"What happened to you? You look exhausted."
They'd only been apart for a day, yet Kin looked like... well, like he'd overindulged in something.
"Don't ask." Kin sighed.
Too tired to notice Minato's odd look, he slumped forward.
He'd been running around all day yesterday, then stayed up all night. At first, he'd been thrilled about mastering the Eight Gates.
But then he'd run into Orochimaru.
Who's going to be my teacher? At least give me a hint!
Instead, the man had vanished without a trace. Kin didn't even know where to find him.
After returning home, he absorbed the memories of his shadow clone—the one studying ninjutsu—and continued refining his Lingbo Weibu (Floating Steps).
Eventually, he pinpointed the flaw.
The steps were too large. His body was limited, yet he'd tried to stretch the Eight Trigrams positions to an impractical size. Not only did it fail to dodge attacks, but it also lost the deceptive nature of the technique itself.
Reluctantly, he abandoned Lingbo Weibu and shifted his focus elsewhere.
While light-footed techniques were impressive, they were designed for ordinary martial artists—nothing like ninjas' capabilities.
Unless it was from a high-level martial world like Fengyun, where warriors surpassed ninjas, but those techniques were too vaguely described to replicate.
He had no starting point.
So he took a different approach. After a sleepless night, he finally succeeded.
This time, he wouldn't create something like the Basic Internal Energy, which required gradual progression.
Kin devised an ability that, once mastered to the first level, could unleash its full power immediately.
"I didn't sleep all night." Kin yawned.
"Wake me when class ends."
With that, he collapsed onto his desk and fell asleep.
At the front of the classroom, Inoue Satoru's face darkened like a burnt pot.
This repeat student really had no respect for him.
(End of Chapter)