Orochimaru stood in the shadow cast by the ancient trees, which covered most of the courtyard. The ground for several meters around him was filled with his ferocious, mottled venomous pythons, creating an atmosphere that sent a chill up one's spine.
Standing amidst the snake array, Orochimaru simply closed his eyes, using his powerful spiritual energy to sense the chakra fluctuations caused by Chi's Bloodline Limit.
Chi, utilizing his Bloodline Limit to hide in the shadow dimension, tightly gripped the sharp kunai in his right hand. Through his unique perspective, he observed Orochimaru's every move.
The shadow dimension was a place of utter darkness, composed of twisting, black-hued spatial lines, making it impossible to distinguish any concrete scenery within. Chi was hidden inside, moving freely and agilely like a fish in water, constantly searching for the perfect opportunity to attack.
However, seeing the Serpent Coil Formation formed by the summoned snakes, Chi's eyes grew increasingly serious. The contents of the assassination technique scroll Orochimaru had written for him flashed through his mind. He quickly synthesized the knowledge, improving himself.
Suddenly, Chi's eyes brightened. He curled into a black shadow, brandishing his kunai, and burst out of the shadow dimension.
Orochimaru's extended spiritual energy was like a vast net, enveloping the area several meters around him. It was truly like the "Net of Heaven, which is vast but lets nothing slip through," as every movement was fully known to him.
His spiritual energy clearly sensed the direction of Chi's attack. Orochimaru smiled faintly. The saying "A hair pulled moves the whole body" was true here: one startled snake would trigger the entire array. The twenty to thirty mottled pythons coiled and swam around him, and under Orochimaru's control, they shot out like vines before Chi could even attack, wrapping him from head to toe, layer after layer.
Chi, encased like a mummy by the snakes, was utterly unable to move. Two to three dozen pythons tightly coiled around his limbs and every vital joint on his body. Furthermore, two to three dozen pairs of cold, ruthless snake eyes focused on his every movement. If Chi made a single abnormal move, he would face the tragic fate of having his bones instantly crushed and dying an agonizing death.
What pleased Orochimaru, however, was that even in this predicament, there was not a trace of fear in Chi's eyes—only shame and self-reproach.
The brief battle gave Orochimaru a solid understanding of Chi's abilities. He didn't continue the test. With a slight shift in his mind, the twenty to thirty pythons wrapped around Chi retreated like homing pigeons, all disappearing back into Orochimaru's wide sleeves.
Chi's kunai had already fallen to the ground when the pythons wrapped around him. He lowered his head, looking somewhat dejected.
Orochimaru recalled the pythons and walked up to Chi, gently stroking his head. Such an action by one child toward another would normally be awkward, but when done by Orochimaru, it carried a touch of heart-warming charisma.
He spoke softly to Chi: "Your ability is very good."
Upon hearing this, Chi's body suddenly shook. His eyes seemed to burst with light as he looked at Orochimaru with intense emotion.
"The important thing is to suppress your entire presence the moment you emerge from the shadow. You must completely suppress and obscure even the chakra fluctuation caused by leaving the shadow. Go practice more. Next time I test you, I expect to see results!" Orochimaru pointed out the flaws in Chi's use of his ability during their brief sparring session, giving him earnest guidance.
Chi nodded vigorously, his eyes full of determination and conviction.
"Big Brother, breakfast is ready!" Manji's soft voice came from behind. During Orochimaru's mission time, Manji's progress wasn't limited to medical Ninjutsu; she had even learned to make simple breakfasts.
Hearing Manji's voice, a gentle smile immediately touched Orochimaru's lips. He patted Chi's shoulder: "Let's go!"
He then walked toward Manji. Chi quietly followed one step behind Orochimaru.
Manji skipped over to Orochimaru, grabbed his hand, and clung to his side like a koala bear, incessantly chattering about some amusing things that happened while he was away.
Orochimaru didn't speak, just smiled quietly, his heart filled with comfort and serenity.
Chi, walking behind Orochimaru and Manji, watched their figures, which seemed to fill his entire world.
After breakfast, Orochimaru was about to head out for training when he suddenly saw Jiraiya running toward him excitedly, with a joyful-looking Tsunade following close behind.
Jiraiya stopped abruptly in front of Orochimaru, panting. His face was flushed with excitement as he exclaimed, "Orochimaru, Orochimaru! Sarutobi, Sarutobi-sensei is going to be the Third Hokage!"
Then, a dazed Jiraiya began to fall into a blissful daydream, muttering to himself: "I, Lord Jiraiya, am the disciple of the Third Hokage, haha! It's fate that I, the handsome and heroic Lord Jiraiya, shall become..."
Hearing the news so suddenly, Orochimaru, who possessed memories of his past life, was not surprised. He immediately turned to Tsunade and asked, "Tsunade, you must know the details. Tell me exactly what happened."
Tsunade, managing to suppress her excitement, laid out everything she knew: "After Sensei left us last night, the village immediately called him away to a secret Jōnin opinion voting session. Sensei won by a large margin and became the Acting Third Hokage! I heard the clan elders say that the village elders and higher-ups decided to let Sensei act as Hokage for three years to test whether he has the capability and qualification to become the Third Hokage."
Orochimaru's brow subtly furrowed after hearing this. The events surrounding Sarutobi becoming the Third Hokage were significantly different from his past life. A figure with a dark, cunning, fox-like aura suddenly crossed his mind. He couldn't help but ask, "Tsunade, do you know a man in the village's high command named Danzō Shimura? What was his reaction after Sarutobi-sensei became Acting Hokage?"
Tsunade looked confused. She pondered for a moment, then said uncertainly, "I heard the Elder say that someone named Danzō seems to have established a new department in the village called the Foundation of Konoha (Root)!"
Orochimaru inwardly thought, I knew it. He quickly did the math. It looked like even with the Second Hokage's personal nomination before his death, Sarutobi didn't become the official Hokage immediately. Danzō and the great clans must have pulled many strings behind the scenes.
Just as Orochimaru's eyes flickered with deep thought, a ninja dressed in Hyūga clan attire interrupted his concentration and stood before Orochimaru and the others.
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