Time flowed like sand through an hourglass, and two years passed without anyone noticing.
Over these two years, the ninja continent fell into a strange calm.
In the past, high-level commissions caused by friction between small countries would surge, but now they suddenly became much rarer.
Yet because the economy was gradually becoming unbalanced, the four great villages, whose main business relied on draining small nations and then seizing chances to recruit subordinates or expand territory, strangely did not create conflict at all. It was as if they were still licking the wounds left by the First Great Ninja War, quietly recuperating.
Konoha and the Land of Fire, as the victors of the First Great Ninja War, had already sensed something was off. They secretly mobilized spies planted across various nations, ordering them to closely watch the major villages for any large-scale movements.
What they did not know was that the conspiracy of the four great villages had already shifted from the continent to overseas.
By the time Konoha reacted, they would lose a powerful ally.
…
Konoha Year 33, March 27.
The Land of Waterfalls, some distance from Konoha.
On the edge of a pool stood a white-haired child, about 160 centimeters tall, but with a face that still looked youthful. His left hand gripped his right wrist, and his ice-blue eyes were fixed on his right palm.
A blue sphere of energy, about the size of a billiard ball, spun above his hand.
The sphere was white on the inside and blue on the outside. The white core within was a high-speed rotating chakra vortex, the heart of the sphere.
The technique was extremely stable, clearly a completed jutsu.
But the white-haired child still was not satisfied. His expression was serious, as if he wanted to add something more.
His body did not move, yet it felt as if he was forcing power into it.
Under his effort, within that white core made of countless chakra vortices, one thin strand suddenly turned black.
That hint of black was almost unnoticeable. If you were not looking closely, you would miss it entirely.
But the moment it appeared, it disrupted the balance of the sphere. Like water in a sealed container suddenly boiling, it became scorching hot and on the verge of bursting apart.
The white-haired child did not hesitate. He immediately pressed the sphere against the nearby cliff wall.
A thunderous explosion followed. Rocks flew, dust billowed.
When the wind dispersed the dust, the cliff revealed a massive dent carved with spiraling grooves.
Just from those grooves, it was easy to imagine that if the sphere struck a person, they would be launched into the air, sent flying backward while spinning violently.
If the chakra could penetrate the body the way the Hyuga Gentle Fist could, even the internal organs might be shredded.
There was no doubt.
This was a high-level, extremely lethal technique, and it was also a rare jutsu in the ninja world that required no hand seals.
Yet the white-haired child who used it, Yami, now nine years old, showed no joy at all. Instead, he muttered in frustration.
"Failed again. Is it really this hard?"
"Your chakra control and shape transformation are already good enough. Maybe you should focus on nature transformation."
"Who?!"
That sudden voice instantly changed Yami's expression.
He had chosen this place carefully, a forest-wrapped area in the Land of Waterfalls.
He had set countless wires and bells throughout the surrounding forest. Touching even one would trigger a chain reaction and detonate deeply hidden explosive tags, creating a loud blast to warn him.
Even if an animal accidentally set off an alarm, Yami would end his training for the day.
With that setup, anyone who could appear here without making a sound was no ordinary person.
Yami prepared to mobilize the space-time chakra within him, then turned toward the direction of the voice.
When he saw who it was, his pupils tightened slightly.
Then Yami immediately adopted a respectful posture and bowed a little.
"Orochimaru-sama."
On the edge of the pool, a young man wearing a green flak jacket had appeared at some point.
Long black hair, pale skin, golden slit pupils, and purple eye markings. Those were unmistakable features.
This young man was one of Hiruzen's three personal disciples, the future Orochimaru, who would later be known as one of the Legendary Three Ninja.
At this time, Orochimaru did not yet carry the sinister, treacherous air of the future. Instead, he felt similar to Itachi and Sasuke, handsome and aloof.
Yami was not afraid of Orochimaru in this era.
Orochimaru had not yet gotten entangled with Danzo, and he had not fallen into darkness. In Hiruzen's eyes, Orochimaru was the best candidate for the next Hokage, a Konoha ninja who embodied the Will of Fire, and a reliable partner that Tsunade was willing to entrust her younger brother to.
"What is your name? How old are you?" Orochimaru studied Yami, his curiosity growing the more he looked.
From a distance, Orochimaru had assumed some genin was training here.
He did not expect it to be a child who had developed early.
That face looked even younger than Nawaki's. Could he be below fifth year?
Yami, of course, had no idea what Orochimaru was thinking. He answered honestly.
"My name is Yami. I'm nine."
"Yami?"
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow and asked, "What are Sa and Mio to you?"
"They're my father and mother."
As expected, Orochimaru thought. On the surface, he praised softly, "Your parents were heroes. You're a genius too. That jutsu just now was beautiful, and very powerful."
"You flatter me, Orochimaru-sama." Yami looked humble, but inwardly he finally relaxed.
Parents who were jōnin really were invisible connections.
"Why don't you train in the village? Why come all the way out here?"
After learning Yami was the child of familiar people, Orochimaru grew even more curious.
He had come here because on his way back, he accidentally noticed a large number of wires and some explosive tags. He could not resist checking, using an earth-style movement technique to investigate. That was when he unexpectedly witnessed Yami training the Rasengan.
A body that developed early implied physical energy and spiritual energy far beyond normal.
The jutsu contained chakra control and shape transformation at a level that made it at least B-rank difficulty, and very likely A-rank, because Orochimaru suspected Yami had been trying to inject nature transformation into it.
If you combined top-tier shape transformation with nature transformation, that was an S-rank ultimate.
At nine years old, mastering a technique with that level of training difficulty meant Yami was qualified to graduate early. Many chūnin, and even special jōnin, did not possess a trump card like this.
With talent like that, yet refusing to show it and specifically coming here to train, was he trying to hide his edge?
(End of Chapter)
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