Naruto: As a genin, I just want to live a normal life.

Page 65

After Orochimaru casually brushed off Nawaki, he glanced at the 'usual' scene on the ground:

"However, during this period, can your psychic abilities still only summon one green snake?"

"Eh—" Rope Tree's voice trailed off slightly as he awkwardly scratched his head, his eyes darting around:

"I don't know why, but it seems like the other snakes don't like me, only Qingqing responds."

"I see." Orochimaru sighed inwardly. Compared to the summoning beasts of Shikkotsu Forest and Mount Myōboku, the powerful summoning snakes of Ryūchi Cave all had to complete their tests. Moreover, completing the tests only acknowledged your contractual status.

Manda is a prime example.

Then, Orochimaru asked about recent events, and Nawaki began to recount the various incidents that had occurred recently, especially the battle in the Land of Whirlpools, which completely redeemed him from the near-death experience at the hands of the Hidden Mist ninja.

Listening to Nawaki's mutterings, Orochimaru couldn't help but think that the intelligence he had gathered from the rear during this period was indeed true. Mito, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, had actually gone to the battlefield in the Land of Whirlpools and killed the Third Mizukage.

"but."

"The Third Generation Master actually agreed to let an elderly Jinchuriki go to the battlefield."

"This is really not the behavior of a teacher."

Orochimaru continued to listen to Nawaki's words, his thoughts a jumble of emotions, his gaze sweeping over the invisible breeze and summer leaves dancing in the air.

"Which is more important, the Will of Fire or the value of life?"

Although Orochimaru did his best despite the deaths on the front lines, news of his abandonment of his comrades still got out.

Even though a ninja's principle is to prioritize the village's mission, abandoning comrades can easily destroy the will and beliefs that people uphold.

At this moment, Orochimaru was caught in this negative public opinion, which completely confirmed his reputation as a cold-hearted man, showing no concern for the deaths of enemies or comrades during his time as a mission squad leader or second- or third-level battlefield commander.

—In reality, Orochimaru wanted ninjas who were destined to die on the battlefield to have their remains enshrined on the village's memorial tablets after death, and to receive better funeral treatment from the village afterwards.

but,

No one could understand him.

That night, Orochimaru heard that Dai wanted to have a medical check-up, so the first team had a long-awaited get-together: the last time they had a get-together was not long after Dai joined the team, when Orochimaru took the time to treat them as the team leader.

After the meal, Orochimaru asked Might Guy to go to his house for an examination. Shirahoshi and Nawaki were very curious, so they went along.

#

The faint light from the village streets at night shone on the red Hokage Building in the center of the village.

Who would have thought that Orochimaru, a disciple of the Hokage, who earned the reputation of "Cold Lord" on the battlefield and was about to become one of the Legendary Sannin, would live in an old mansion with only one floor and a rooftop balcony?

On the rooftop.

Shirahoshi and Nawaki sat on the white outer wall of the roof, which served as a railing. Not far behind them was the outer wall of the village, and several kilometers to the left was the Hokage Building. This was the eastern outer area of ​​the village.

The fact that Orochimaru didn't have the money to live in a better house shows that he was a ninja who knew how to spend money on his hobbies.

Whether it's chemical experiments or the development of ninjutsu, both are incredibly expensive activities.

It's no wonder Orochimaru has completed so many missions, but Shirahoshi doesn't usually seem to be very wealthy.

"Brother Shirahoshi."

"you say......"

"Stop. I don't know." Hearing that familiar opening, Bai Xing couldn't help but think to herself, "Even Snake wasn't a monster, but you guys are?!"

"..." After a moment of silence, Nawaki finally asked the question he wanted to ask:

"Teacher, did I really do something wrong?"

He was referring to the strange looks he received from many villagers along the way.

Oh, so that's what it was about.

Lost in thought, Shirahoshi glanced around and saw children jumping and playing on the street further away, and even children belonging to the Uzuharaya clan:

"Orochimaru-sensei did nothing wrong."

"Ninjas inherently carry a lot of burdens."

"Untrusted behavior, misunderstood thoughts."

"This is all normal."

Compared to the White Fang in the original work, who was criticized by everyone, Orochimaru's behavior was in line with the principles of ninjas, and since no one was guiding him, he was less criticized: the principle of ninjas is to prioritize the mission and the interests of the village.

"Brother Shirahoshi, I want to go to the battlefield."

"I want to work with Orochimaru-sensei on the battlefield to help my comrades who need support and protect the village my grandfather built."

Shirahoshi: "......"

If you want to die, can you please not take me with you?

On the other side, inside the house.

The living room was decorated in a rather simple style, with ordinary furniture and appliances, and even fewer than Bai Xing's.

Orochimaru emerged from a room specifically for physical examinations, holding a medical report in his hand. Combined with the full-body examination he conducted using chakra on Might Guy, the report revealed the current physical condition of the target.

"starting today."

"You should stop using your Eight Gates Formation recklessly."

Above the testing bed, Might Guy, dressed in his green bodysuit, stood there for a long while after hearing Orochimaru's words, before finally muttering, "Orochimaru-sensei, may I ask why this is?"

Orochimaru glanced back and sighed, "Your body has far too many irreversible hidden injuries."

"It's probably due to your development of this forbidden Eight Gates ninjutsu and your excessive physical training every day."

"To be honest."

"In your situation, it's fair to say you've exhausted your entire future."

"If I continue to use the Eight Gates Formation indiscriminately in battle, my body may completely collapse at some point."

At this point, Orochimaru's tone became serious:

"I advise you to give up on becoming a ninja."

"Offer this forbidden technique to the village, and the village will not treat you unfairly; you will also receive a good reward."

After the words were spoken, the air in the room began to quiet down.

Orochimaru stared at Might Guy, awaiting his choice.

It took Might Guy a while to recover from Orochimaru's words. He raised his hands, and you could see calluses on both sides of his fingers from frequent training.

"How about it?"

"As your teacher."

"Although I don't think much of your talent, compared to Shirahoshi and Nawaki, I've given you almost no guidance."

"But in this matter, I can help you find the Hokage, and I will help you get the best..."

"I made a decision!"

Might Guy's voice interrupted Orochimaru's speech as he raised his hand and said:

"It must be because my training isn't enough! I can't gain the approval of my body and youth! Nor can I gain the approval of Orochimaru-sensei!"

Orochimaru was somewhat surprised, "This guy..."

After Might Guy finished speaking, he stood in front of Orochimaru and bowed deeply.

"Orochimaru-sensei, even though you didn't teach me much."

"But I am still grateful for your many considerations, such as this full-body check-up."

—The cost of a full-body checkup in Konoha is not low, not to mention that it is not as detailed as Orochimaru's, and he gave a targeted evaluation.

Matt Days looked up, his tone serious:

"so."

"I will never forget the help Orochimaru-sensei gave me. Orochimaru-sensei is an excellent teacher! For this, I would like to express my gratitude to my teacher once again!"

Despite being roughly the same age, Orochimaru could glean a genuine sincerity from Might Guy: a rare and precious innocence and romance, untainted by the cruelty and darkness of the world, just like Nawaki.

"what do you mean?"

"I want to donate this forbidden technique to the village! But I don't want any money!"

"..." Orochimaru was silent for a moment, thinking to himself, "This guy is already married, how can he still be so naive?"

He wanted to retract the judgment he had just made in his heart.

This guy is a complete idiot who has been brainwashed by the Will of Fire!

Might Guy, completely unaware that Orochimaru already considered him a fool, continued enthusiastically:

"But that doesn't mean I'll give up on becoming a ninja."

"I will use my efforts to show Orochimaru-sensei and Shirahoshi that even if I only know taijutsu, I am still a ninja!"

Orochimaru scanned Might Guy's expression, confirming once more: "You, are you serious? A forbidden technique developed over a decade, and you don't want a single penny from the village?"

"Ok!"

The room fell silent again. Orochimaru carefully calculated the recent time; due to the battlefield situation, he had one or two months to lead the troops.

"In that case."

“Starting tomorrow, I will help you fully develop this forbidden technique.”

"Be prepared."

"Is this for real?!" Might Guy never expected that Orochimaru, the Hokage's disciple and a renowned genius, would take the time to help him.

"Hmm." Orochimaru nodded in response, then went to the rooftop to inform the two that Dai's body was not in too much trouble, and explained that starting tomorrow, he would provide the three of them with various guidance, and in the following period, he would help them quickly adapt to battlefield missions.

During this time, Shirahoshi calmly asked, "What level of mission is it?" Orochimaru glanced at him and told him it was a "B-rank or C-rank mission." He also told the three of them a secret: the Amegakure battlefield had suffered a defeat, the frontline defenses were insufficient, and there was a possibility that the Land of Fire could turn into a bloody battlefield at any time.

Upon hearing this, Shirahoshi expressed her understanding, after all, a genin is still a ninja, and Orochimaru also understood Shirahoshi's concerns, and explained again:

"Do not worry."

"A B-level war mission is at most responsible for patrolling the country's borders or escorting supplies, intelligence, or wounded personnel."

"It's not a very dangerous mission."