radicalducati Chapter 9 The Calm Before the Storm, Orochimaru
Chapter 9 The Calm Before the Storm, Orochimaru
Time is like fine sand in an hourglass; two years have slipped away unnoticed.
For the past two years, the Ninja Continent has fallen into an eerie calm.
High-level commissions arising from frictions between small countries have suddenly decreased significantly.
However, due to the gradual economic imbalance, the four major ninja villages, whose main business now relies on exploiting small countries and then looking for opportunities to recruit subordinates or expand their territory, have unusually refrained from creating conflicts for them. It's as if they are still licking the wounds left by the First Shinobi World War and recuperating.
As the victors of the First Shinobi World War, Konoha and the Land of Fire had already sensed something was amiss and secretly mobilized their spies stationed in various countries to keep a close eye on the major ninja villages for any major moves.
Little did they know, the machinations of the four great ninja villages had quietly shifted from the ninja continent to overseas.
By the time they realize it, they will have lost a powerful ally.
……
October 27, Konoha 33.
A place with waterfalls some distance from Konoha.
At this moment, on the bank of the pool, there was a white-haired child who was about 1.6 meters tall but had a very tender face. He was holding his right wrist with his left hand and staring intently at his right palm with his icy blue eyes.
Above his right palm, a blue energy ball the size of a billiard ball was swirling.
This energy sphere is white on the inside and blue on the outside. The white part inside is a high-speed rotating chakra vortex, which is also the core of the energy sphere.
This energy ball is very stable overall, resembling a finished ninjutsu.
However, the white-haired child was still not satisfied, his expression serious, as if he wanted to add something more.
Even though the body wasn't moving, it gave the impression that they were exerting a lot of force.
Through his efforts, one wisp of the white core inside the energy sphere, composed of countless chakra vortexes, suddenly turned black.
This touch of black is inconspicuous in the overall composition; you might not even notice it if you don't look closely.
However, the appearance of this black element disrupted the balance of the energy ball, making it extremely hot to the touch, as if the water inside the balloon had been boiled, and it was about to burst.
Without the slightest hesitation, the white-haired child immediately held the energy ball in his hand and pressed it against the mountain wall not far away.
With a deafening roar, debris flew everywhere, and dust billowed into the air.
When the wind dispersed the dust and mist, a huge depression covered with spiral patterns was revealed on the mountainside.
Just by looking at the pattern of this dent, one can imagine that if that energy ball landed on a person, the person would definitely be thrown into the air and sent flying backwards in a high-speed spin.
If chakra could enter the body like the Gentle Fist of the Hyuga clan, it might even shred the internal organs.
Without a doubt, this is an extremely powerful high-level ninjutsu, and it is also a rare ninjutsu without hand seals in the ninja world.
However, the white-haired child who mastered this advanced ninjutsu, nine-year-old Gojo Yoru, showed no joy on his face. Instead, he muttered in frustration, "Failed again. Is it that difficult?"
"Your chakra control and form transformation are already sufficient; perhaps you could focus your efforts on nature transformation."
"Who?!"
The sudden sound caused Gojo Yoru's expression to change once again.
This area was carefully selected by him; it's a waterfall surrounded by forest.
He also laid out a large number of steel wires and bells in the surrounding forest. Touching any one of them would trigger a chain reaction, detonating a deeply hidden explosive tag and creating a loud noise to alert Gojo Yoru.
Even if a wild beast accidentally triggers the alarm, Gojo Yoru will end his training for the day.
Anyone who can appear here quietly under such circumstances is no ordinary person.
As Gojo Yoru prepared to mobilize the space-time chakra within his body, he turned his head to look in the direction from which the sound came.
When he saw the person who made the voice, his pupils contracted slightly.
Immediately, Gojo Yoru adopted a respectful demeanor, bowed slightly towards the direction from which the voice came, and said, "Lord Orochimaru."
On the bank of the pool, a young man wearing a green vest appeared out of nowhere.
His signature features include long black hair, pale skin, long, golden pupils, and purple eyeshadow.
This young man is Orochimaru, one of the three direct disciples of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who will be known as one of the "Legendary Sannin of Konoha" in the future.
At this time, Orochimaru did not yet possess the sinister and cunning nature he would later develop. Instead, he gave off the same impression as Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha—handsome and aloof.
Gojo Yoru was not afraid of Orochimaru at this time.
Before he joined forces with Danzo Shimura and before he turned evil, Orochimaru was Hiruzen Sarutobi's best candidate for the Fourth Hokage. He was a Konoha ninja who inherited the Will of Fire, and a reliable partner that Tsunade was willing to entrust her younger brother to.
"What's your name? How old are you?" Orochimaru sized up Gojo Yoru across from him, growing more and more astonished with each look.
Looking at it from a distance just now, I thought it was some genin who had come here to practice ninjutsu.
Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a child who had developed prematurely.
His face looked even more youthful than Rope Tree's; could he not even be in fifth grade yet?
Gojo Yoru, unaware of Orochimaru's thoughts, truthfully replied, "My name is Gojo Yoru, and I am nine years old."
"Gojo?"
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who are Gojo Hayate and Gojo Mio to you?"
"They are my father and mother."
Orochimaru thought to himself, "As expected," but outwardly praised in a low voice, "Your parents are heroes, and you are a genius. That ninjutsu you just used was beautiful and impressive."
"Lord Orochimaru, you flatter me." Gojo Yoru said modestly, but couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
The parents of a Jonin truly possess an invisible network of connections.
"Why didn't you cultivate in the village, but instead came all the way here?"
Upon learning that Gojo Yoru was a descendant of an acquaintance, Orochimaru became even more curious about him.
He came here because he accidentally discovered a large number of steel wires and some explosive tags on his way back. He couldn't help but use Earth Release-type Body Flicker to come and investigate. As a result, he unexpectedly saw Gojou Yoru practicing Rasengan.
Early physical development means that one's physical and mental energy is extraordinary.
The chakra control and shape transformation contained in that ninjutsu make it at least B-rank difficult to master, and it's very likely to be A-rank, because Orochimaru suspects that Gojo Yoru just tried to inject nature transformation into it.
The combination of top-level form changes and property changes is what constitutes an S-level profound technique.
Having mastered such a difficult ninjutsu at the age of nine, Gojo Yoru is fully qualified to graduate early. Many Chunin, and even Special Jonin, do not possess such a trump card.
He has such talent but doesn't show it, and even came here to cultivate. Does he want to hide his strength?