Chapter 12: Graduation Exam

Orochimaru had no idea what was happening in the Hokage's office, and even if he did, he probably wouldn't care. He was confident that, without any intervention, he would inevitably become Sarutobi Hiruzen's disciple. This was a certainty in his mind nothing would change that outcome.

He stared at the chakra testing paper in his hand, lost in thought. After the test, Orochimaru noticed that his current self didn't seem to have all the chakra attributes that he recalled possessing in the future. Wind, Earth, and Water were the only ones that appeared in the test. From this, he speculated that perhaps the reason his future self had all the elemental attributes was because of his later body modifications.

However, Orochimaru wasn't sure, and since he couldn't figure it out at the moment, he decided to stop thinking about it. He had never been the type to dwell on problems without clear answers. Taking a deep breath, he looked up at the sky.

"If I want to quickly improve my strength, aside from relying on family bloodline limit, the fastest way would be to become a Jinchūriki," Orochimaru mused. But becoming a Jinchūriki wasn't something he could think about for now; with his current abilities, it was a pointless thought.

As for family bloodline limit? Perhaps that was a direction worth pursuing. In other words, should he start conducting experiments right away? The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like the right path to take.

But then, he remembered something else he didn't have enough money.

Based on his calculations, purchasing the scattered equipment necessary for his initial experiments would cost at least several hundred thousand ryo. Hundreds of thousands of ryo were an astronomical amount for someone like him right now.

A Genin like Orochimaru could only take on D-rank missions, and the pay for those missions ranged from 5,000 to 10,000 ryo. The payment would then be split among team members. After getting his share, Orochimaru would only have around two to three thousand ryo for himself. After covering daily expenses, how many months would it take to save up enough for his experiments?

His eyes narrowed slightly. He had never expected that in this world, where strength was the ultimate measure, he would be troubled by something as mundane as money. He had briefly considered selling the enhancement serum he'd received from the system, which could increase chakra by 50%. That would surely fetch a high price.

But after some thought, he realized that selling the serum was far too risky. Not only was he unsure if the liquid actually worked on others, but even if it did, how could he explain where it came from? The ninjas of Konoha were no fools. They would likely interrogate him until they forced the truth out, and how would he handle that? He certainly didn't want to go from being the experimenter to becoming the subject of experiments.

No, it was better to take things one step at a time. For now, his focus should be on passing the graduation exam and using the time afterward to familiarize himself with the experimental process. With this in mind, Orochimaru returned to his residence and began simulating experiments using the knowledge stored in his mind.

School? Who even bothers going to school in person these days? If you don't rely on a Shadow Clone to learn, can you really call yourself a genius?

Throughout the entire Naruto series, only Uchiha Itachi had mastered the art of learning through Shadow Clones. Even Kakashi, who was also considered a genius, still went to school in person. When Kakashi took the graduation exam at the age of five, he could already use the forbidden technique to create multiple clones. But the reason he still went to school in the flesh was because he couldn't control his chakra well enough to maintain a clone for an entire day.

Uchiha Itachi had achieved it, and now, Orochimaru had too.

Time passed quickly, and before he knew it, seven days had gone by. During that time, Orochimaru not only consolidated his abilities but also absorbed the information provided by the system. Now, everything was ready, and all he needed was the right opportunity.

During these seven days, he also discovered something extraordinary: the surveillance flies given to him by the system could record the process of other ninjas casting jutsu through their electronic eyes. The recorded footage could even be played back in slow motion, which made it easier for him to analyze and learn those techniques. It was like having six extra Sharingan at his disposal!

Thanks to these recorded images, combined with his natural talent and the knowledge inherited from his parents, Orochimaru learned a great deal of ninjutsu in just one week. He had already mastered a variety of techniques, including the Water Wave, Earth Clone, Earth Mud Wall, and Wind Blade. Even though he knew that these basic techniques weren't particularly impressive, they were still better than nothing.

Finally, the day of the graduation exam arrived.

The exam involved the Three Basic Techniques Substitution Jutsu, Transformation Jutsu, and Clone Jutsu as well as Shuriken Throwing. The rules were simple enough, and Orochimaru, for once, appeared in person to take the test.

"Alright, today is the graduation exam," announced Chunin Aizawa, holding a list in his hand. "When I call your name, come up to the podium!"

"Hirata!"

"Present!" …

"Kenta!"

"Here!" …

"Kenichi!"

"Present!"

As the names were called, students walked up to the podium one by one. Since everyone in the class was only around six years old, very few were actually expected to graduate.

"Next up, Jiraiya!"

The moment Jiraiya's name was called, he jumped up from his seat like he had been injected with adrenaline. "Orochimaru, watch closely! You're about to witness your future Master Jiraiya graduate with flying colors! Haha!"

With an air of bravado, Jiraiya swaggered up to the podium and effortlessly demonstrated his mastery of the Three Basic Techniques. His proficiency immediately drew gasps of surprise from the students in the audience.

"Wow! Jiraiya's amazing!"

"Who knew he was hiding this much skill?!"

"Mastering the Three Basic Techniques after just one year at the academy? That's some serious talent!"

Even Aizawa couldn't help but nod in approval. Jiraiya was one of the few students who had the potential to pass the exam.