Chapter 6: Awakening

The technology tree in this world is indeed a bit crooked!

While the technology level is generally primitive, you still find bagged bread, boxed milk, and other sealed foods!

There are no cars or mobile phones, yet computers, natural gas, and refrigerators exist!

Which factory processes the boxed milk? Are computers and refrigerators manufactured in some hidden electrical appliance factory?

There are too many inconsistencies and unexplained elements about how things work here!

But right now, Orochimaru wasn't concerned about such things.

At this point, regardless of which world he was in, he had no family left. The only thing he could rely on, aside from himself, was this system!

So, without further hesitation, he drank the bottle of the basic gene enhancement serum in one go.

The serum had a faintly sweet taste, nothing unbearable or strange.

After drinking it, however, Orochimaru didn't feel any immediate effects.

"Could this stuff be a dud? It can't be, right?"

No sooner had he spoken those words than a strange warmth began spreading from his stomach, gradually flowing through his entire body.

There wasn't any of the pain he'd half-expected. Instead, the sensation was warm and indescribably pleasant.

Almost... too warm!

Sweat began forming on Orochimaru's white forehead, and his skin was secreting gray-black impurities at a visible speed!

Washing the marrow and cleansing the body?

This phrase suddenly popped into Orochimaru's mind!

About ten minutes passed before the heat finally subsided, and the secretion of black impurities stopped.

Orochimaru's entire body was now covered in sticky black gunk, yet despite the mess, he felt incredibly refreshed and energized! Without wasting time, he headed straight to the bathroom to take a bath, and afterward, he felt even more revitalized!

Sitting cross-legged as per the method in his memory, he began to extract chakra, checking how much more his body could store.

Well, it seemed to have increased by at least 50%!

His mind was clearer, too, and he could feel that both his physical and mental energies had significantly improved!

What's the significance of a 50% increase in chakra?

You see, although Orochimaru didn't originally have a huge amount of chakra, he definitely had more than most!

For a ninja without a special bloodline, Orochimaru's chakra reserves were considered above average!

He couldn't compare to people like Jiraiya or the Raikage, but his reserves were much higher than those of someone like Kakashi.

And now, with this 50% increase, Orochimaru was far beyond his peers!

At this age, he could easily cast three or four C-rank ninjutsu without exhausting himself.

When it comes to chakra reserves, there's something important to understand!

While a ninja's chakra does tend to increase as they grow older, it's primarily tied to their physical constitution!

For some people, no matter how old they get, if their bodies aren't suited for it, their chakra reserves won't increase much at all!

Moreover, as people age, their chakra naturally starts to decline.

Look at Kakashi from the original series! Even though he grew up to become a Jonin, his chakra reserves were still no match for Naruto's, who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy! (Not a good example but oh well)

Or consider the Third Hokage! In his prime, he was hailed as a "God of Shinobi," but by the time he was old, he could only manage a couple of shadow clones.

So, it's clear your physique directly determines your chakra reserves!

But back to the matter at hand.

After being physically "reborn" through the gene-enhancing liquid, Orochimaru stood in front of the mirror in his home. The reflection showed a boy with pale skin, long flowing hair, and striking features.

A strange feeling welled up inside him.

He smiled slightly, and the boy in the mirror smiled back. After a moment, Orochimaru took a deep breath.

"Handsome, sure. But these golden, snake-like pupils are pretty unsettling... hehe... Orochimaru, huh…?"

Later that evening, Orochimaru ate two pieces of bread and prepared to head to the training grounds to practice some ninjutsu.

After all, while he had inherited the original Orochimaru's memories, he had only used the Transformation Jutsu so far. He hadn't had a chance to test out any of the other jutsu.

In this world, Orochimaru's parents had recently passed away.

The child who had once been a normal boy had now grown cold and withdrawn.

While he didn't yet have the same obsession with science that the original Orochimaru would eventually develop, strange and dark thoughts had already begun to stir in his mind.

For example, Why do people die?

Where do they go after they die?

These were questions even adults would rarely dwell on, yet Orochimaru had found himself thinking about them more and more ever since losing his parents.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door Boom, boom, boom!

The unexpected sound made Orochimaru, who had been about to leave to practice, frown slightly.

Opening the door, he found a girl with a ponytail standing on his doorstep.

She had blonde hair, a pretty face, and was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt with green shorts.

The moment Orochimaru opened the door, the girl flashed a bright, innocent smile. "Hey, Orochimaru!!"

"Tsunade?" Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked her up and down, quickly confirming her identity.

Jiraiya hadn't met Tsunade yet, but Orochimaru had!

The reason was simple he was the top student in their class!

Not only was he exceptionally talented, but he also took his studies more seriously than most of the other kids.

His ninjutsu, taijutsu, and theoretical knowledge had even surpassed some of the Uchiha clan geniuses in his age group!

As the arch-enemy of the Uchiha clan, the Senju clan's princess, Tsunade, had naturally taken notice of Orochimaru!

After all, they were the same age and equally talented!

Through her connections with Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tsunade had learned about Orochimaru and had sought an opportunity to get closer to him.

Her goal? To compete with him, of course!

Orochimaru couldn't help but think this reason was a bit ridiculous.

"What's the matter? You don't seem too happy to see me," Tsunade teased, her lips curling into a playful smile.