Chapter 101: Grooming

Orochimaru couldn't help but feel a strange sense of satisfaction.

He had been right. The little girl standing before him Yakushi Nono was none other than the future director of the orphanage who would go on to raise Kabuto Yakushi, one of Orochimaru's most brilliant and loyal subordinates. Known as the "Wandering Miko," Nonouwould eventually become an expert spy and a highly skilled medical ninja. Seeing her at this age gave Orochimaru an idea.

Perhaps, instead of waiting for Kabuto to come into the picture, why not start earlier and groom Nono as his assistant?

Orochimaru nodded to himself thoughtfully.

He had considered countless individuals to become his assistant. Among them, Tsunade had always been the most fitting candidate. She had the strongest medical expertise, a deep knowledge of poisons and antidotes, and the ability to heal even the most fatal injuries. She was, in many ways, the perfect assistant.

But she had one fatal flaw: her loyalty to Konoha and her bloodline as a member of the Senju clan. Tsunade would never betray Konoha, not even for him. If Orochimaru ever became an enemy of the village or was forced to conduct more extreme experiments, she would undoubtedly be the first to stand against him.

And that was something Orochimaru couldn't afford.

Nono, on the other hand, was still young, impressionable, and full of potential. She was already in Root, being trained in the art of espionage, and showed early signs of medical proficiency. If he could mold her from this young age, she might become the perfect assistant, loyal only to him.

"Maybe it's time to give this a try…" Orochimaru thought to himself as he observed the girl.

At the moment, Yakushi Nono was just a four or five-year-old child. An orphan picked up by Danzo for her unique talents and brought to Root for training. She was still adjusting to her new life, looking around with innocent curiosity. Orochimaru noticed her staring at him with wide eyes, wondering who this unfamiliar man was. Unlike the others in Root, who wore the standard armor and masks, Orochimaru was dressed like a normal Chunin, which made her all the more intrigued.

"Who is this person?" Nono thought. "He's not dressed like the others here. He must be important if he's walking around with Danzo-sama."

She had only been here for a short time, but she understood the hierarchy well. Danzo and his subordinates were the silent protectors of Konoha, operating from the shadows. The root ninjas were elite, always masked and armored. Yet here was Orochimaru, walking freely without any of the standard Root attire, alongside Danzo, the leader of Root himself. That meant something.

Danzo, noticing Orochimaru's momentary silence, asked, "What's wrong? Did you want to pick the little girl as your opponent?"

Orochimaru snapped out of his thoughts. "Of course not," he said with a faint smile. "You, you, and the others I picked earlier, come at me together."

"Together?" Danzo raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

The ninjas under Danzo's command weren't ordinary. Every Root member was handpicked by Danzo himself, and even the weakest among them were elite Chunin. Orochimaru had just called out five of them. Even if Orochimaru had the strength of a high-ranking ninja, it would still be difficult to handle all five at once.

Orochimaru simply nodded. "I'm sure."

Danzo, after receiving confirmation, gave the order. "Everyone else, clear the room. Those who were called, stay behind."

The room quickly emptied, leaving Orochimaru and the five Root operatives. The five ninjas glanced at each other, unsure of what to make of the situation.

Many of them looked down on Orochimaru. To them, he was simply the disciple of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage. None of them knew about his performance during the Chunin exams or his prowess in scientific research. They certainly didn't understand why Danzo was so keen on keeping Orochimaru close.

There was a shared thought among the five: "Why does Danzo-sama favor him so much?"

They didn't see Orochimaru as anything special, and now he was challenging five of them at once. They exchanged glances, silently asking if they should go all out. After all, they didn't want to accidentally harm someone Danzo clearly valued.

Seeing their hesitation, Orochimaru smirked. "If you don't have the intent to kill, you won't stand a chance against me."

That statement caused the Root ninjas to stiffen. "Is this guy for real?"

"If Danzo-sama gives the order, I have no problem fighting you," another said, stepping forward.

"Danzo-sama, please permit us to engage fully," the female ninja added.

Danzo looked at them, narrowing his eyes. He was in a tough spot. He couldn't let them hold back, or the sparring session would be pointless. But at the same time, if Orochimaru got seriously injured, it would set back all the progress he had made with him. After a moment's thought, he said, "Do your best, but control the severity of your attacks."

With that, the Root ninjas bowed and turned their full attention to Orochimaru.

They had received the order. Now they could fight properly. They thought this battle would be easy, but they were about to find out just how wrong they were.

Orochimaru didn't waste any time. The moment the match started, his movements were fluid and fast, almost unnaturally so.

"He's faster than expected!"

"Careful, don't engage him head-on!" one shouted.

"His strength is no joke!"

Before the Root ninjas could regroup, Orochimaru acted.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

"Bang!"

A cloud of white smoke filled the room, and as it cleared, one of the ninjas found himself face-to-face with something moving at high speed too fast for him to react.

Whoosh!

A black shadow darted out of the smoke, striking him in the neck before he could defend himself. The shadow retreated just as quickly, leaving him stumbling back, clutching his neck in shock.

"A snake?!"

The ninja couldn't believe it. He had been struck down by a snake one summoned by Orochimaru, no less. And it wasn't just any snake it was abnormally fast, faster than any summon he'd ever encountered.

The other Root ninjas froze in disbelief.

"What just happened?"

"How could a snake take him out that easily?"

As they stood there in shock, the snake, now coiled around Orochimaru's waist, poked its head out and looked up at him, speaking in a voice full of flattery.

"Master, did I do a good job?"

Not only had the snake spoken, but it had "expressed emotions". It was… fawning over Orochimaru?

"This is insane…" one of the Root ninjas muttered under his breath, trying to make sense of what was happening.