"Yes, there are plants inside that box over there."
Since the roots are tied to the soil with a bag, Orochimaru-sama probably wants me to plant those plants properly.
"Take these plants out of the cave. We need to plant them, but it's too late for today. You two pour a handful of water on the bases of the plants, then find a suitable spot for a vegetable patch and place them all there. The spot you choose should get at least 10 hours of sunlight every day, be close to a water source, and ideally be somewhere that was used for planting last year. That way, I can regulate the soil's nutrient content. But be careful and don't pour too much water on any of them when I tell you to. Also, keep watch or arrange for someone else to keep watch to make sure nothing happens to them overnight."
With the relief of finally finishing all my work, I straightened my back and was about to head to my own cellar when I heard someone's heavy footsteps behind me, followed immediately by another person's footsteps.
When I turned my head, I saw one of the two jonin I had just given orders to trying to attack me, while the other held him back.
"Hey, you damn brat! I already told you my name! How dare a brat like you think you're something and try to give us orders like Orochimaru-sama! You're just a prisoner here!"
Two insignificant ninjas whose names weren't even mentioned in the anime... Could they really dare to harm me?
I don't think so. Even though I'm weak, Orochimaru terrifies them to death, and they wouldn't dare touch me for no reason.
I don't remember these two's names, but I remember they were childhood friends. He probably acted because he knew his friend would stop him, and his real goal must be to scare me.
Hmm, this could be an opportunity. After all, I've been living so cautiously for so long that I haven't been able to focus on the system.
If I were Arataka Reigen, I probably wouldn't hesitate to use this opportunity by acting like someone else. If it were up to me, just looking down on him would be enough. This is going to be embarrassing.
"What happened? Why did you fall silent? Did you remember who you are? ... Don't be foolish. My knowledge of plant cultivation is possessed by very few people in the world. What you possess, however, is something found in every ninja village. Don't forget that again. I am in charge here. You are merely brute strength, with thousands of alternatives... So, who is in charge? Say it out loud!"
"What the hell is this guy talking about?"
Clearly, my sudden outburst had startled him, because he stopped pretending to struggle out of his friend's arms. I put my hands in my pockets and moved closer to him, tilting my head back as if looking at something on the ground.
"You worthless creature. If you had knelt down and shown respect the moment you saw me, you wouldn't be the ignorant and insignificant being you are now. Get out of my sight! Your ignorance is affecting my life!"
This time, seeing the veins on both their foreheads begin to bulge, I turned away without risking myself further and said in a barely audible, anxious voice that Orochimaru must have arrived by now.
I didn't need to be a fortune teller to guess that they lost all their anger the moment they heard Orochimaru's name.
Well, system, it's your turn.
[Template similarity -10%]
What? Am I taking this risk for nothing?
[A hint from Arataka Reigen: It's really rude of you to make fun of someone in such a desperate situation, Eren. You should be giving them advice.]
Fuck off! Do you really think you're an 80-year-old loving old man character? Nonsense!
System, I object.
[Sorry Host, but the system calculations are never wrong]
[More importantly, your template's 50-day period will expire in just 12 seconds. My advice is to increase your template similarity as soon as possible]
Damn this system! You're warning me with only 12 seconds left?
[Your template has expired. Your template similarity is 30%.]
[You will be penalized because your template similarity is below 50%.]
Damn it, the 12 seconds I already had ran out while I was reading the warning message.
Also, why didn't you tell me I had 50 days earlier, system?
[I notified you, host. I can show you the history of system notifications at any time. I notified you that you had 50 days immediately after you obtained the template, host.]
I remember I was about to kiss Orochimaru when I got the template. Fuck.
What kind of punishment will I receive, and when exactly will it happen?
[After the template similarity is revealed, if your similarity is below 50%, you will receive a punishment proportional to your proximity to 50%. A 30% similarity punishment is contracting all the diseases the character in the template suffered from throughout their entire life and feeling all the pain they endured throughout their entire life. And the penalty will be enforced exactly 3 minutes after the template similarity is revealed. So you have 3 seconds left until your penalty.
Right after I started reading the system notification, before I even got halfway through, I heard a sound. The first thing that came to mind was that the ninjas I provoked had forgotten about Orochimaru and were attacking me.
It started as a faint hum. Inside my right ear, like a kunai slicing through the air. But it grew louder, sharper, turning into a ringing that felt like it would tear my eardrum.
Then... suddenly. Pain struck my entire body like a hammer. First in my shoulders, then in my ribs. It was as if all my bones were cracking at once, each fracture echoing inside me. My legs gave way, and I collapsed to my knees. After a reflexive cough, a metallic taste spread in my mouth.
"Fuck!" The last thing out of my mouth was an English curse.
Then my vision first turned red, as if a bloody curtain had fallen, and immediately afterward transformed into a dark curtain that both relieved and terrified me.