Several days later, early morning.
The morning mist hadn't yet dispersed. In the familiar forest clearing, rapid shouts and the muffled thuds of physical impact echoed.
Night was shirtless, wearing weights. Sweat trickled down his muscles as he engaged in high-intensity taijutsu sparring with Might Duy.
Even though neither had opened the Eight Gates, the pure physical clash was fierce.
"Night, your speed and power are improving so fast!"
Might Duy laughed heartily as he swept a Konoha Whirlwind at Night. Night blocked it with his forearm, creating a dull impact sound.
"It's all thanks to your training, Duy-senpai," Night responded, panting slightly. Although his Mind's Eye of the Kagura wasn't fully active, he vaguely sensed a chakra signature approaching rapidly from a distance.
He used the momentum to retreat, just barely dodging Duy's follow-up Konoha Great Whirlwind.
A figure appeared in the forest—an ANBU directly under the Hokage.
"Chunin Namikaze, Lord Hokage orders you to assemble at Training Ground 3 immediately. Your guiding Jonin is waiting there."
The ANBU's voice was flat. After delivering the message, he left instantly.
Night and Duy exchanged a glance, seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.
Night was surprised that the guiding Jonin arrangement came so quickly. Duy was confused as to why Night, whom he considered to already have Jonin-level strength, still needed guidance.
With a thought, Night condensed a stream of clear water out of thin air to wet a towel, quickly wiping the sweat from his body.
He had thought this matter would take at least a few months to arrange. After all, the people in Konoha qualified to guide him could be counted on one hand, and most were busy with missions.
Duy slapped Night on the shoulder, flashing his signature grin. "To be personally assigned a guiding Jonin by Lord Hokage... I can feel your youth burning!"
Night smiled forcefully, a trace of unease rising in his heart.
Jiraiya, the most suitable candidate to guide him, should still be in the Land of Rain teaching his three "Children of Prophecy."
Although Tsunade was strong enough, she specialized in medical ninjutsu and taijutsu, so she wasn't a perfect fit.
As for who else it could be... he didn't dare think further.
After bidding farewell to Duy, he rushed to Training Ground 3.
Training Ground 3 was located in the eastern part of Konoha. It wasn't the public ground he usually used; it looked more like a private area designed for secrecy.
When Night arrived, he was surprised to see a familiar figure.
"Nawaki?"
Night's call caught the boy's attention.
Nawaki, who had been kicking stones out of boredom, lit up when he saw Night. "Night-nii! You're here too? Teacher Orochimaru told me to wait here today. He said there's a training schedule."
"Orochimaru..."
The unease in Night's heart seemed confirmed.
Just then, the air at the entrance of the training ground seemed to freeze. A cold, viscous chakra aura slowly spread, accompanied by unhurried footsteps.
Night's hair stood on end. His Mind's Eye of the Kagura screamed a warning—the instinctual alert against a dangerous predator.
Orochimaru walked slowly into the training ground. He had changed out of his standard uniform into a common loose kimono. His pale face wore a smile that wasn't quite a smile.
His snake-like pupils swept over the two people in the field, finally settling on Night.
"Chunin Namikaze... starting today, I will be your guiding Jonin." Orochimaru's voice was raspy and magnetic.
Despite having a premonition, hearing it with his own ears still made Night's heart palpitate.
He had even considered Sakumo Hatake, but Orochimaru was the one person he really didn't want.
At this time, Orochimaru was at the peak of his influence in Konoha. With illustrious war merits, he was widely considered a strong contender for the next Hokage.
From Hiruzen Sarutobi's perspective, assigning Orochimaru could be seen as a huge endorsement of Night.
"What? You seem surprised?" Orochimaru walked closer slowly, observing Night's reaction with interest.
"I wouldn't dare. To receive guidance from Lord Orochimaru is my honor."
Night quickly suppressed the turbulence in his heart and bowed respectfully.
Objectively speaking, Orochimaru was impeccable as a teacher.
Top-tier strength, the Third Hokage's favorite student, master of all five nature transformations. If he hadn't gone down the path of pursuing immortality, perhaps he really could have inherited the Hokage seat.
Unfortunately, there were no "ifs." Orochimaru's fall wasn't accidental; it was inevitable.
His near-paranoid pursuit of immortality in later years wasn't something that could be changed overnight.
Night appeared calm on the surface, but a storm raged inside him.
Just yesterday, he was calculating how to exploit the upcoming human experiments by Danzo and Orochimaru.
He had even thought about when to expose them to maximize his profit. But now, he might end up as a participant.
This ironic twist made him almost want to slap himself.
He quickly weighed his options: should he hide his clumsiness or show his strength?
Hiding might mean missing out on tangible benefits from Orochimaru. Revealing his strength meant he might have to personally get involved, potentially dragging him deeper into political strife...
"No need for self-introductions. However, I do have some requirements. Although Sensei highly recommended you, I still need to confirm things with my own eyes."
In reality, this was just an excuse. What Orochimaru was truly curious about was Night himself. The person he had practically sentenced to death in the Rain Country—how had he risen from the ashes to continue his ninja career?
He remembered being surprised when he saw Night's file. As the Hokage's disciple and a quasi-high-ranking official, he had access to more information than most.
Night's heart tightened. As expected, the "Cold Lord" wouldn't easily trust paper reports.
"So." Orochimaru slowly formed a hand seal, the corners of his mouth curling into a dangerous arc. "Let's have a simple test."
Before his voice even faded, Orochimaru's figure blurred!
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
A hideous venomous snake shot out from his sleeve. But the target wasn't Night—it was Nawaki, who was standing aside and hadn't reacted yet!
Nawaki reacted extremely fast, his hands forming seals rapidly.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
An earth wall rose up with a rumble. However, the snake suddenly elongated, vaulted over the wall, and instantly wrapped around Nawaki's body.
The powerful constriction left him immobile, followed immediately by a wave of numbness spreading through his body.
"Ugh!" Nawaki only had time to let out a short gasp before he slumped to the ground, incapacitated.
The whole process took the blink of an eye.
Night didn't even have time to be annoyed at this "comic relief" character for not helping at all, not even wasting a bit more of Orochimaru's energy.
Night's pupils constricted, his muscles tensing instantly.
He hadn't expected Orochimaru, as a teacher, to strike so decisively and use his signature jutsu right off the bat. Even knowing Nawaki wasn't in serious danger, it was startling.
Too late to weigh pros and cons. He didn't want to exit as embarrassingly as Nawaki.
Night focused, staring cautiously at Orochimaru across the field.
The air in the training ground seemed to solidify, leaving only Night and Orochimaru facing each other from a distance.