"Naruto: My Ninja Skills"Chapter 180: On Snake Catchers 2.0
As the saying goes, if you can avoid stirring up trouble, then by all means do so—otherwise, there will always come a day when the consequences catch up with you.
Yūshin followed behind Shichimi, calculating what kind of sealing method to employ. The difficulty of sealing a summoned beast capable of both Space-Time Ninjutsu and Time Ninjutsu was beyond imagination... The activation and cancellation of summoning techniques naturally qualified as spatial abilities, and to this day Yūshin still had no idea where Shichimi's "lair" was located.
But regardless of which sealing technique he chose, that was a matter for next time. At the very least, this time Yūshin still had to obediently watch Shichimi continue her summoning activities.
If this type of summoning could be "targeted," it would be completely fine. Yūshin could treat it as entertainment—perhaps even bringing Kakashi over. The father finishes his work, then the son takes over; after settling the "old popsicle," he could arrange for the "young popsicle." What difficulty would that pose?
But Shichimi's summoning was fraught with uncertainty, and such uncertainty represented extreme danger.
Yūshin had no choice but to take action.
He exhaled deeply, steeled his resolve, and continued silently following Shichimi.
Late at night, with snow falling no less, Yūshin had to work the night shift, with his workplace deep in the forest—who could he complain to about this?
As they walked, Shichimi suddenly stopped and immediately began summoning.
Several minutes later, a figure tumbled out of the space-time portal, wearing a Konoha uniform just like Sakumo Hatake.
At the same time, whereas the previous arrival had been covered in blood, this one was blood-soaked throughout.
But unlike the previous two summoned individuals, this third person seemed unaffected by the space-time ninjutsu after materializing. He rolled to his feet, rapidly assessed his surroundings, then instantly identified Yūshin as a target for attack.
"Don't move." Yūshin offered a kindly warning.
Ice crystals began crystallizing in midair... It would be a shame not to use Ice Release in this weather.
The forest seemed to come alive... This environment was also quite suitable for Wood Release.
Using the moonlight and reflected light from the accumulated snow, Yūshin clearly saw the man's pale face and those narrow, dangerous pupils.
"I said, don't move around."
The overcast sky cleared, and Yūshin's face was illuminated.
Upon seeing Yūshin's appearance clearly, the man instantly lost focus and ceased his attack preparations.
He then narrowed his eyes, stared at Yūshin for just a moment, and seemed to comprehend his situation.
"Could you possibly be... Lord Yūshin?"
"That's me. Who are you?"
Yūshin answered the other's question while continuing to condense ice crystals... The crackling sounds of ice formation stimulated the other's nerves.
Given his current condition, he absolutely didn't dare clash directly with a legendary ninja like Yūshin.
So this person calculated silently, then had an inspiration.
He ceased resistance, raised both hands in surrender, and continued speaking:
"Is this the era when Konoha was just established?"
"Lord Yūshin, my name is Orochimaru. I'm a Konoha ninja from the future, born from The Fireflies... More precisely, I'm a ninja of the Yūshin Clan."
So the Yūshin Clan was a problematic ninja clan—its flaw lay in having no unified surname whatsoever.
Look, even bad apples could infiltrate.
Orochimaru, eh...
The people Shichimi summoned seemed to have an increasingly dangerous trend, and by now she had once again fled the scene.
Though it was Orochimaru, this was already the third time, so Yūshin wasn't particularly surprised.
As for Orochimaru's words, Yūshin didn't believe a single one, but this didn't prevent him from continuing to toy with the other.
"So you're one of our own? Do you think I should believe you?"
Though no blood relationship could exist—the Yūshin Clan was merely The Fireflies' backup seed—theoretically Orochimaru was actually Yūshin's clansman, with Yūshin theoretically equivalent to Orochimaru's ancestor.
"This future you speak of—what specific time period?"
Orochimaru sensed something amiss. This Lord Yūshin showed absolutely no surprise at his sudden appearance as a "future person." Could it be... However, historical records contained no relevant documentation of this.
Unlike the previous two uncultured ninja, Orochimaru particularly enjoyed reading and possessed great research spirit.
The crackling sounds in the air continued unabated. Orochimaru's forehead not only bled but began sweating... He wouldn't just be killed like this, would he?
Given Yūshin's attitude, Orochimaru knew he must speak carefully.
"I... come from the Third Shinobi World War."
Orochimaru wore Konoha uniform and Konoha forehead protector—theoretically his words held some credibility.
The crackling sounds finally ceased, but Orochimaru didn't know whether this meant Yūshin had abandoned hostility or completed his preparations.
"The Third Shinobi World War, you say? So you're truly a Fireflies ninja who fought for Konoha?"
In the original timeline, Orochimaru definitely participated in the Third Shinobi World War, but Yūshin instinctively felt this person's words couldn't be trusted.
Well, actually it didn't matter which era's Orochimaru this was—Orochimaru would eventually develop into that kind of Orochimaru anyway. This couldn't even be attributed to personality... To some degree, Orochimaru as a character carried a heavy sense of destiny.
"Yes, Lord Yūshin... Aren't you interested in the Shinobi World Wars?"
Orochimaru began cautiously probing.
"Not interested... Come with me. Your injuries need treatment."
Yūshin waved his hand, dispersing the ice crystals in the air... No need for excessive tension. Regardless of whether Orochimaru spoke truthfully, a Konoha-uniformed Orochimaru couldn't be the complete version.
"Lord Yūshin, is this truly Konoha's founding era? How did I arrive in this space-time?"
Orochimaru followed behind Yūshin, and this question was one he absolutely had to voice.
Yūshin smiled slightly—this expression made Orochimaru's mental state relax somewhat.
"Currently it's the second year after Konoha's establishment. Hashirama Senju only recently became Hokage."
"As for how you arrived in this space-time, I honestly can't explain it clearly. Just consider it a supernatural phenomenon—you were accidentally caught up in it."
At this moment, faint bell sounds drifted from the distant city... That was the direction of Kikyō Castle.
Coincidentally, in the original timeline, Orochimaru very likely served as commander of the Kikyō Castle campaign.
"Oh, it's Konoha Year Three now."
Konoha had only been established for slightly over a year, but according to the calendar system, this was indeed Konoha Year Three.
"Konoha Year Three..."
After learning the specific time point, Orochimaru appeared even more dazed.
Just then, Yūshin suddenly asked:
"Orochimaru, do you still love the Uchiha and Sharingan that much?"
"I..."
This sudden question instantly made Orochimaru's heart skip a beat. Cold sweat continuously emerged from his forehead, threatening to wash away the blood traces on his face.
Cities might have deep schemes, but why would they be this deep?
As a time-traveler, shouldn't Orochimaru possess absolute information superiority over a native space-time inhabitant like Yūshin? Why would Yūshin ask such questions?
How to describe Orochimaru's current feelings?
Well, he felt like he'd been doxxed.
"L-Lord Yūshin, why do you ask this?"
Orochimaru struggled to suppress his urge to flee. In his view, if these heroic figures who founded Konoha learned of his deeds, they would surely incinerate him instantly.
Currently, he had no confidence for combat.
Yūshin stopped walking. He gave Orochimaru a meaningful glance but didn't answer the question.
"Indeed, why would I ask such a thing? How strange."
Yūshin continued forward, with Orochimaru silently following behind.
Sneak attack? Heh, Orochimaru had studied Yūshin—he knew that only Yūshin ambushed others, never the reverse.
In an instant Orochimaru had figured out two things: first, Yūshin had heard of him; second, ninja like himself arriving from the future in this space-time were definitely not limited to one.
The crucial question now was exactly how much Yūshin understood about him... Orochimaru was in agony.
Yūshin truly lived up to his reputation. Even facing someone as cunning as Orochimaru, a single sentence instantly killed 180,000 of his brain cells.
After returning to The Fireflies village, Yūshin treated Orochimaru's injuries... Heh, no "soft body modification" yet—Orochimaru was merely a small snake.
"Orochimaru, since you're here, make yourself at home. What do you plan to do next?"
"Me? I'm a Fireflies ninja. Having arrived in this space-time, naturally I'll continue following Lord Yūshin... just like the others have done."
Orochimaru's words carried implications—he was still trying to quietly extract intelligence from Yūshin.
"That works. Orochimaru, if I'm not mistaken, you should be research-oriented talent... Like this, I happen to have a research project to assign you."
Orochimaru definitely couldn't extract any intelligence; conversely, Yūshin continued exposing his background.
Orochimaru's heart rate accelerated, but he had to pretend nothing happened. He was somewhat worried that next Yūshin would directly recite his ninja registration number.
"I do enjoy researching things."
"Then I'll provide you with a research subject you'll love... Incredibly fresh First Hokage cells. How about it?"
Orochimaru's timing was quite fortunate—Yūshin happened to lack a scientific research leader.
"Hashirama cells—are they the kind of Hashirama cells I'm thinking of?"
"Correct, very fresh."
This Orochimaru wasn't unfamiliar with Hashirama cells, but those he'd encountered were all rigid versions—hardly fresh... Konoha had just been established, meaning the Hashirama cells Yūshin provided were from the First Hokage's peak period.
How could this compare to the inferior goods Orochimaru had researched?
Orochimaru's emotions became somewhat difficult to suppress, while simultaneously he grew even more wary of Yūshin... Yūshin first showed infinite suspicion toward him, then infinite trust—what was going on?
"Then what identity should I use to enter Konoha? The identity of a ninja from the future can't be easily exposed, right?"
Regardless of whether he'd truly gained trust, Orochimaru decided to serve as a Fireflies ninja for a period.
Yūshin considered briefly, then said:
"I don't know if you've heard of Gan Wencui..."
"Gan Wencui? I know him—he was a capable ninja during Konoha's founding period. Records indicate his Taijutsu was extremely advanced."
"Right, that's him. You can transform into Gan Wencui and return to Konoha with me."
"Transform? But I know Gan Wencui's appearance."
"I'm not familiar with Gan Wencui's appearance either, but... you could try transforming into Sakumo Hatake. That way you basically won't be exposed."
"Sakumo..."
Orochimaru continued sweating profusely. He could understand Yūshin's implication... So Gan Wencui was a cover identity, originally belonging to Konoha's White Fang?
White Fang had visited this era—the question was which era's White Fang had received the summoning? Where was White Fang now?
No wonder the Gan Wencui figure in records seemed so contradictory—initially a sword master, later becoming a milestone figure in Konoha's medical field.
Orochimaru suddenly understood: so the one doing medical work was actually himself?
So Sakumo was number what? He was number what? Were there others?
This clearly showed that the so-called summoning was definitely not a natural phenomenon, but a systematic artificial activity.
He had to find this person capable of using special space-time ninjutsu, and the power capable of such feats... Orochimaru first thought of the Uchiha's Sharingan.
Perhaps coming to this era was a good thing?
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed further.
"Ahem."
"Lord Yūshin, I understand. I'll infiltrate Konoha."
Orochimaru instantly stood at attention.
Yūshin thought he'd need Hideyuki to fabricate another explanation to reasonably account for Gan Wencui's return.
However, this was good news for Sakumo Hatake—if Gan Wencui continued operating, it meant his parents' relationship was fine... Round and round, it circled back again.
"There's one key research objective: use the First Hokage's cells to create prosthetic limbs for other ninja. I don't want any other functions—just this practical application... You understand?"
"I understand completely, Lord Yūshin."
Orochimaru naturally understood—he understood even better than Yūshin... How did he initially encounter Hashirama cells? Through prosthetics, of course.
Time truly was circular—how fascinating... Feeling the stinging pain from his wounds, Orochimaru couldn't help extending his tongue to lick his cracked lips.
"Watch your image. Don't you understand Gan Wencui's character?"
"I understand, Lord Yūshin."
Orochimaru wasn't angry—in every sense, Yūshin was his ancestor.
Yūshin wasn't at all worried about the consequences of Orochimaru accessing Hashirama cells. However severe the consequences, could they be worse than Madara accessing First Hokage cells?
If Orochimaru enjoyed tinkering, then let him tinker. Yūshin only wanted to give the First Hokage an explanation, proving he hadn't taken his cells for nothing.
Thus, after Yūshin made a circuit and returned, he brought the fresh Gan Wencui back to Konoha.
But after Orochimaru infiltrated Konoha village, Yūshin didn't immediately allow him to access First Hokage cells... This was to prevent certain people from colluding.
Until...
Just ten days after New Year, at dawn, commotion awakened Yūshin.
"What's happening?"
Yūshin's tone carried morning irritability as he asked a ninja frantically running through the streets.
"Lord Yūshin, disaster has struck—Madara Uchiha has defected!"
Yūshin instantly became alert.
Excellent. Now Orochimaru could enter the laboratory and freely research Hashirama cells to his heart's content.
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