Chapter 40: Orochimaru and Might Duy

In Konoha's training grounds, a group of green-vested shinobi stood at attention, prepared for deployment. The area was heavily guarded, with additional ninja surrounding the perimeter to prevent spies from observing their movements. Despite the efforts, Konoha was still aware of potential infiltrators lurking within its walls.

Among the group gathered on the training grounds were several young children. Orochimaru, standing with a somber expression, observed them quietly. These children made up half the unit and were the same ones who had graduated early from the ninja academy. Though the academy's education was focused on teaching the basics, once these children became shinobi, their development was far faster due to the rigorous tasks they undertook.

A year of mission training had already shaped them into a competent fighting force. They had experienced bloodshed during their assignments, and now, they no longer hesitated when faced with life-or-death situations. But mission training was one thing—battlefield combat was another.

Orochimaru doubted whether these children could survive the horrors of war. He felt as though he was leading them to their deaths. Yet, they were the only forces Konoha could spare. Sarutobi Hiruzen, despite pushing for early academy graduation, had still held back from sending these young ninja to the frontlines right away, using them instead to defend the village. However, the burden of taking them to battle now fell upon Orochimaru's shoulders.

But Orochimaru was not one to show compassion.

"Everyone, for Konoha—may fortune be on your side!" he called out.

"For Konoha! Fortune be with us!" the group responded in unison, their faces alight with excitement. They had no idea they were being sent to one of the most dangerous battlefronts.

Orochimaru offered no further words of encouragement, particularly to the youngest among them. While a snake was a cold-blooded creature, and he was often thought of as the same, Orochimaru was still human. And humans, whether they liked it or not, could be influenced by emotions. Still, his emotions only impacted him slightly.

Just as he prepared to lead the group out, a commotion broke out at the perimeter of the training grounds.

"I must speak to Orochimaru! I want to go to the frontlines too!" a voice shouted from the entrance, causing a disturbance among the guards.

Orochimaru frowned. The ninja that Konoha could deploy were already gathered here. The remaining ones in the village were either too essential to Konoha's defenses or not suited for battlefield combat. The noise irritated him.

A kneeling jonin at his side spoke up. "Orochimaru-sama, it's just a useless genin with no ninja talent. I'll remove him at once."

The jonin clearly knew who had arrived. Orochimaru, however, was curious.

"I'm intrigued. How could a useless genin warrant your attention, Jonin?" Orochimaru asked, his sharp eyes narrowing.

Sweat trickled down the jonin's forehead as he cursed inwardly. "Damn that Might Duy. Can't he just stay quietly in the village?"

Orochimaru wasn't concerned with the jonin's inner thoughts. "Bring him to me."

"Yes, sir!" The jonin had no choice but to obey and fetched Might Duy, leading him into the training grounds.

Orochimaru licked his lips slightly as Duy approached.

"Well, well, an old face. It's been a while, Duy-kun."

Might Duy seemed genuinely surprised as he knelt before Orochimaru. "I didn't expect you to remember me, Orochimaru-sama."

"How could I forget? Your taijutsu left quite an impression."

They had been academy students together back when the Second Hokage was still alive. At that time, Duy had been placed in Class A, but after the Second Hokage's death, his lack of ninjutsu talent saw him demoted to Class C. Orochimaru hadn't seen much of him since then, and now, the passage of time had changed much.

"The years have gone by so fast," Orochimaru thought to himself, recalling the past.

"Orochimaru-sama, please allow me to join the unit and fight for Konoha," Duy pleaded, still kneeling on the ground.

"Orochimaru-sama, Might Duy has no ninjutsu ability and relies solely on taijutsu. Besides, his wife just gave birth to a child," the jonin interrupted, attempting to dissuade Duy from joining.

"I'm sorry, Duy-kun. On the battlefield, taijutsu alone isn't enough. You would be more of a hindrance than a help," Orochimaru said regretfully, though he didn't know if the jonin was speaking out of kindness or contempt.

Taijutsu specialists were often seen as little more than cannon fodder in wars where ninjutsu reigned supreme. Not everyone could survive by relying on physical combat, like Uchiha Jin, who was an exception.

"But Orochimaru-sama, I can use ninjutsu now," Duy insisted.

Curious, Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "Show me."

With trembling hands, Duy slowly began forming hand signs.

Instantly, every ninja in the area drew their weapons, thinking he might be preparing an attack on Orochimaru. But the jonin quickly raised his hand, stopping them, watching as Duy clumsily continued his hand seals.

If Orochimaru hadn't acted swiftly to stop the others, Duy would have been killed on the spot. His hand-seal speed was painfully slow—nearly twenty seconds to perform a transformation technique. The other shinobi shook their heads in disbelief.

Yet, despite their mockery, Duy smiled brightly, baring his teeth. "Thank you all for supporting my efforts!"

"Transformation Jutsu!"

A puff of smoke appeared, and when it cleared, Duy stood there, transformed into an exact replica of Orochimaru.

Everyone gasped in astonishment. Even the shinobi who had known Duy couldn't believe what they were seeing. In their minds, Duy had never shown any aptitude for ninjutsu.

"How is this possible?" one ninja muttered. "His chakra should have destabilized with that slow sealing!"

"Maybe he cheated somehow. But how do you cheat at ninjutsu?" another ninja wondered aloud.

The bizarre spectacle had left everyone dumbfounded, and even Orochimaru's eyes narrowed in thought. He noticed a faint trace of the Foundation Sealing Technique, a technique with rising demand on the battlefield. There was no way a lowly genin could have acquired it through official channels.

"Duy-kun," Orochimaru began, "do you know Uchiha Jin?"

"Jin? Of course!" Duy exclaimed, giving a thumbs-up. "He's something special, that one."

So, it was true, Orochimaru thought. His serpentine tongue flicked across his lips. He realized that Duy was the taijutsu master Jin had once spoken about.

"Duy-kun, if you want to go to the frontlines, we'll need to test your abilities first," Orochimaru said, a sly smile forming.

"I'll do it," the jonin offered quickly, still hoping to prevent Duy from going.

"No," Orochimaru said, still smiling. "I'll be the one to test Duy-kun."

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